Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advertising and a Democratic Press

While often criticized for encouraging a materialistic consumer culture, advertising is commonly assumed to be the financial cornerstone of the inexpensive American newspaper and an essential element for the efficient transmission of information in a democratic society. This text, however, argues that print advertising seriously distorts the flow of news by creating a powerfully corrupting incentive: the more newspapers depend financially on advertising, the more they favour the interests of advertisers over those of readers. Often consumers are willing to pay more for the smaller-circulation competitive paper that strongly presents their favoured editorial perspective. But advertising induces newspapers to compete for a maximum audience with blandly "objective" information, resulting in reduced differentiation among papers and the consequent eventual collapse of competition among dailies. The advertising-induced rise of objectivity and the decline of partisanship have also, this study argues, contributed to the decline in political culture and participation seen throughout this century. The author proposes a variety of regulatory responses to promote the press's freedom from advertisers' censorship. In clarifying this murky area of US constitutional law, he shows that these reforms are entirely consistent with the best understanding of the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press.
Emotion Processing in Chimeric Faces: Hemispheric Asymmetries in Expression and Recognition of Emotions

Since the discovery of facial asymmetries in emotional expressions of humans and other primates, hypotheses have related the greater left-hemiface intensity to right-hemispheric dominance in emotion processing. However, the difficulty of creating true frontal views of facial expressions in two-dimensional photographs has confounded efforts to better understand the phenomenon. We have recently described a method for obtaining three-dimensional photographs of posed and evoked emotional expressions and used these stimuli to investigate both intensity of expression and accuracy of recognizing emotion in chimeric faces constructed from only left- or right-side composites. The participant population included 38 (19 male, 19 female) African-American, Caucasian, and Asian adults. They were presented with chimeric composites generated from faces of eight actors and eight actresses showing four emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, and fear, each in posed and evoked conditions. We replicated the finding that emotions are expressed more intensely in the left hemiface for all emotions and conditions, with the exception of evoked anger, which was expressed more intensely in the right hemiface. In contrast, the results indicated that emotional expressions are recognized more efficiently in the right hemiface, indicating that the right hemiface expresses emotions more accurately. The double dissociation between the laterality of expression intensity and that of recognition efficiency supports the notion that the two kinds of processes may have distinct neural substrates. Evoked anger is uniquely expressed more intensely and accurately on the side of the face that projects to the viewer's right hemisphere, dominant in emotion recognition.
Estimating the Term Structure of Interest Rates for Monetary Policy Analysis

The authors compare estimation of spot and implied forward interest rates from Swedish Treasury bill and government bond yields with two functional forms, the simple Nelson and Siegel (NS) and the complex Longstaff and Schwartz (LS). Monetary policy rather than financial analysis is in focus, which affects the evaluation criteria. NS is easier to use and has better convergence properties. LS is more flexible. For the data used, estimates using NS and LS are close, with at most only marginally better fit for LS. The fit of NS seems satisfactory for monetary policy purposes. Copyright 1996 by The editors of the Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
Absolute and relative real‐time PCR in the quantification of tst gene expression among methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus: evaluation by two mathematical models

Aim: Absolute and relative quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) by the use of two mathematical models were applied in order to study the expression of tst gene encoding the toxic shock syndrome toxin‐1 (TSST‐1), among methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Differential expression levels of synaptophysin through developmental stages in hippocampal region of mouse brain

The formation of neural synapses according to the development and growth of neurite were usually studied with various markers. Of these markers, synaptophysin is a kind of synaptic protein located in the synaptic vesicle of neuron or neuroendocrine cell known to be distributed consistently in all neural synapses. The purpose of this study was to investigate differential expression levels and patterns of synaptic marker (synaptophysin) in the mouse hippocampal region according to the developmental stages of embryonic, neonatal, and adulthood respectively. In the embryonic and neonatal groups, synaptophysin immunofluorescence was almost defined to cornu ammonis subfields (CA1 and CA3) of hippocampus and subiculum proper in the hippocampal region. However in dentate gyrus, synaptophysin immunoreactivities were insignificant or absent in all developmental stages. In embryonic and neonatal hippocampus, the intensities of immunofluorescence were significantly different between molecular and oriens layers. Furthermore, those intensities were decreased considerably in both layers of neonatal group compared to embryonic. The results from this study will contribute to characterizing synaptogenic activities in the central nervous system through developmental stages.
Ternary timing covert channel in wireless 802.11

Covert channel is one of the remarkable issues which are raised in computer network security. These channels use the computer network's resources to transmit information furtively. Since the purpose of covert channels is to stay hidden from the network security equipments, hence their detection will be difficult. The growth of wireless networks and their broadcast nature make them suitable environments for covert channels' establishment. This study proposes a method to create a covert channel in local area wireless networks by using the temporal characteristics of CSMA/CD algorithm and manipulating the transmission pattern. To increase the bandwidth, hidden data is considered ternary. To assess the covertness of the proposed covert channel, two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test is used. The proposed covert channel achieves the bandwidth of 1620 bps with a high level of security.
Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Puccinellia tenuiflora Leaves under Na2CO3 Stress

Soil salt-alkalinization is a widespread environmental stress that limits crop growth and agricultural productivity. The influence of soil alkalization caused by Na2CO3 on plants is more severe than that of soil salinization. Plants have evolved some unique mechanisms to cope with alkali stress; however, the plant alkaline-responsive signaling and molecular pathways are still unknown. In the present study, Na2CO3 responsive characteristics in leaves from 50-day-old seedlings of halophyte Puccinellia tenuiflora were investigated using physiological and proteomic approaches. Comparative proteomics revealed 43 differentially expressed proteins in P. tenuiflora leaves in response to Na2CO3 treatment for seven days. These proteins were mainly involved in photosynthesis, stress and defense, carbohydrate/energy metabolism, protein metabolism, signaling, membrane and transport. By integrating the changes of photosynthesis, ion contents, and stress-related enzyme activities, some unique Na2CO3 responsive mechanisms have been discovered in P. tenuiflora. This study provides new molecular information toward improving the alkali tolerance of cereals.
Effects of Temperament and Character Profiles on State and Trait Depression and Anxiety: A Prospective Study of a Japanese Youth Population

Objective. To examine the effects of temperament and character profiles on state and trait depression and anxiety in a Japanese youth population. Method. Japanese university students were solicited for participation in a two-wave study, with assessments performed at Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), separated by a five-month interval. A total of 184 students completed the Japanese version of the temperament and character inventory (TCI) at T1 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at T1 and T2. We posited two latent variables, trait depression and anxiety, composed of the T1 and T2 HADS depression and anxiety scores, respectively. We also posited that temperament domain traits would predict character domain traits, and that all the personality traits would be linked to trait depression and anxiety and also predict T2 depression and anxiety. Results. Structural regression modeling showed that (1) only high Novelty Seeking predicted T2 Anxiety score, (2) trait depression and anxiety were linked to high harm avoidance and low self-directedness, and (3) trait depression was linked to high self-transcendence whereas trait anxiety was linked to low reward dependence, persistence, and cooperativeness. Conclusion. The characteristic associations between TCI subscales and depression and anxiety were limited to the trait rather than state aspects of depression and anxiety.
Equalizer optimization using Flower Pollination Algorithm

Transmission of information from the source to the receiver involves automatic inclusion of random errors to the signal due to noise, interference or other system imperfections. Equalizers can be fruitfully utilized to minimize this error. Since the channel condition is always dynamic, the coefficients of the equalizer have to be set in an adaptive manner. This leads to the necessity of using Adaptive Equalizer (AE) in the communication system. Efficient optimization techniques add up an extra dimension to it. In this regard, a novel Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA) based Adaptive Equalizer (AE) has been proposed in this paper to minimize the channel errors with minimum number of iterations. The convergence behavior of the adaptive algorithm has been studied to establish the effectiveness of our proposition. Moreover, the Bit Error Rate (BER) performance of the proposed adaptive equalizer has been studied which shows considerable improvement over the entire range of SNR. Finally, the superiority of the proposed FPA optimized Adaptive Equalizer has been established over the existing techniques like Least-Mean-Square (LMS) and Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) based Adaptive Equalizer in terms of convergence as well as BER performance.
The Economic Rise of China: Threat or Opportunity?

China's economy is opening up to the outside world. This worries those who fear the huge pool of low-cost labor will drain jobs from U.S. shores, and less expensive goods will spark trade problems. The author points out that China's untapped market presents huge opportunities for U.S. businesses that would surely outweigh any loss of jobs, and also that the sort of jobs that would move to China left the U.S. a long time ago. And with respect to fair trading practices, China has made much progress.
Grameen Bank’s Social Performance Disclosure: Responding to a Negative Assessment by Wall Street Journal in Late 2001

The aim of this paper is to establish a linkage between negative global media news towards Grameen Bank (GB), the largest microfinance organisation in the developing world, and the extent and type of annual report social performance disclosures by GB, over the nine-year period 1997-2005. Content analysis instruments are utilised to analyse GB annual report social disclosure. The study finds that GB’s community poverty alleviation disclosures account for the highest proportion of total social disclosures in the period 1997-2005. The results of this study are particularly significant in relation to poverty alleviation - the issue attracting severe criticism from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ ) late in 2001. The community poverty alleviation disclosures by GB are significantly greater over the four years following the negative news in the WSJ than in the four years before. The results suggest that GB responds to a negative media story or legitimacy threatening news via annual report social disclosures in an attempt to re-establish its legitimacy. This paper contributes to the literature because in the past there has been no research published linking global media attention to the social disclosure practices of major organisations in developing countries.
Cerebral blood flow effects of yoga training: preliminary evaluation of 4 cases.

OBJECTIVES Experienced practitioners of yoga have been shown to alter brain function, but this case series measured cerebral blood flow before and after a 12-week training program in Iyengar yoga (IY) for naïve subjects. METHODS On the first day, each of the 4 subjects listened to the teacher speaking on the history and background of the yoga program while they were injected with 250 MBq of (99m)Tc-bicisate and received a single photon emission computed tomography scan (pre-program baseline). Subjects then had their first IY training and were injected and scanned with 925 MBq bicisate while they did their first meditation (pre-program meditation). Subjects then underwent a 12-week training program in IY and then underwent the same imaging protocol with a postprogram baseline and postprogram meditation scan. Baseline and meditation scans, before and after training, were compared using paired t tests. RESULTS There were significant decreases (p < 0.05) between the pre- and postprogram baseline scans in the right amygdala, dorsal medial cortex, and sensorimotor area. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the pre- and postprogram percentage change (i.e., activation) in the right dorsal medial frontal lobe, prefrontal cortex, and right sensorimotor cortex. CONCLUSIONS These initial findings suggest the brain experiences a "training effect" after 12 weeks of IY training.
The Effects of Test-Driven Development on External Quality and Productivity: A Meta-Analysis

This paper provides a systematic meta-analysis of 27 studies that investigate the impact of Test-Driven Development (TDD) on external code quality and productivity. The results indicate that, in general, TDD has a small positive effect on quality but little to no discernible effect on productivity. However, subgroup analysis has found both the quality improvement and the productivity drop to be much larger in industrial studies in comparison with academic studies. A larger drop of productivity was found in studies where the difference in test effort between the TDD and the control group's process was significant. A larger improvement in quality was also found in the academic studies when the difference in test effort is substantial; however, no conclusion could be derived regarding the industrial studies due to the lack of data. Finally, the influence of developer experience and task size as moderator variables was investigated, and a statistically significant positive correlation was found between task size and the magnitude of the improvement in quality.
Insights Into the Remembered Educational Experiences of Male Caribbean Immigrants to Canada: Literacy and Identity in the Canadian Classroom

Abstract Past research has addressed the issue of male underachievement in literacy as an issue of global concern. This qualitative study focused on one subgroup of males which the literature highlighted as most at risk of educational underachievement in the Canadian educational landscape: male Caribbean immigrants to Canada. The research questions that framed the study sought to gain insight into the educational experiences of this group of learners so that ways through which their literacy achievement as measured by academic performance and classroom engagement could be projected. New literacy studies view literacy as socioculturally bound in social, institutional, and cultural relationships (Gee 1996). Literacy can therefore be thought of as an extension of self that Lankshear and Knobel (2006) assert is always connected to social identities. Central to the research questions as a result of this perspective was the discovery of the ideologies of reading held by the participants and their connections to literacy practice. Supplementary questions delved into socially valued literacy practices and ways in which learners saw themselves as Black males reflected in the Canadian educational framework. In this qualitative study with an interview design, data were collected through individual semistructured interviews with the 4 participants and through a focus group session with all the participants. The findings depicted that identity, interests, and ideologies of reading all influenced the literacy practices and engagement of Caribbean males. The findings documented are valuable as they provide a fresh perspective surrounding the educational experiences of the male Caribbean learner and can present insights which can lead to enhanced academic engagement and improved student achievement for this group of learners.
Microsupport of tempered solutions of D-Modules associated to smooth morphisms

Let $f:X\to Y$ be a smooth morphism of complex analytic manifolds and let $F$ be an $\mathbb{R}$-constructible complex on $Y$. Let $\cal{M}$ be a coherent $\shd_X$-module. We prove that the microsupport of the solution complex of $\shm$ in the tempered holomorphic functions $t \shh \text{om} (f^{-1} F, \sho_X)$, is contained in the 1-characteristic variety of $\cal{M}$ associated to $f$, and that the microsupport of the solution complex in the tempered microfunctions $t\mu hom(f^{-1}F, \sho_X)$ is contained in the 1-microcharacteristic variety of the microlocalized of $\shm$ along $T^*Y\times_Y X$. This applies in particular to the complex of solutions of $\shm$ in the sheaf of distributions holomorphic in the fibers of an arbitrary smooth morphism.
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus: Gender and Mergers and Acquisitions

This paper examines the association between female director representation on corporate boards and mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Using acquisition bids initiated by the S&P 1500 firms during 1997-2009, we find that each ten-percent representation of female directors on a corporate board is associated with a reduction in the number of a company’s acquisition bids by 4.7 percent: women are less acquisitive than men. Furthermore, using over 450 acquisition bids for which we have data on bidder and target firm characteristics and their board membership, we find that each ten-percent of female directors on the bidder board is associated with a reduction in the bid premium by 13.3 percent. We argue that these results are what we would expect if, as other researchers have shown, women are less overconfident than men.
Struggles Within a Struggle: Gender and Land Reform Experiences in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe

This paper is based on the findings of a two year action research project conducted in Chimanimani district in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, during 2009 and 2010. It examines the struggles for land by excluded women (and some men) in this district, in the context of the broader struggle to wrestle land from (mostly white) commercial landowners through a land invasion initiative which culminated in the Fast Track Land Reform Programme. The paper observes that while women eagerly participated in their numbers in the broader struggle – the land invasions spearheaded by war veterans, they did not benefit as much as did the men in terms of acquiring for themselves, pieces of arable land. This paper further argues that this occurrence was but a microcosm of the struggles that women in Zimbabwe face, as far as access to land is concerned. The paper however acknowledges that, to their credit, women in Zimbabwe, because of their resilience, have continued to display immense resourcefulness in terms of searching for alternatives. In the study, the excluded women (and some men) sought alternative ways to survive, and these included accessing forest resources (such as fuel wood), engaging in market gardening and approaching absentee landlords for user rights to their pieces of land.
Apprehension : The Macro or the Micro ?

This study was part of a doctoral project to explore the writing apprehension levels of 121 second-year undergraduate Saudi student writers who were studying English as a foreign language and for specific purposes in a Saudi industrial college.The study draws on Dörnyei’s (1994) framework of L2 motivation levels and their micromotivational conditions in L2 learning situations, and addresses EFL writing apprehension in strategy-related conditions. For data collection, aWriting Strategy Apprehension Scale (WSAS) was developed and adapted from a test designed by John Daly and Michael Miller (1975) and from the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) designed by Cheng (2004). The participants were classified into three levels of apprehension (apprehensive strategy users, average apprehensive strategy users, and low apprehensive strategy users). The results showwhile the majority of the participants (57.9%) were average in their stress and apprehension levels towards writing strategies, almost a third of them (31.4%) were highly apprehensive. In addition, the most stressful strategies were those that indicate the lack of generating ideas, the care about accuracy, and the follow of teacher’s expectations.
Multi-User Joint Tx/Iterative Rx MMSE-FDE and Successive MUI Cancellation for Uplink DS-CDMA

Uplink multi-user direct sequence-code division multi-access (DS-CDMA) suffers from strong multi-user interference (MUI) and self inter-chip interference (ICI) caused by severe frequency-selective fading. In this paper, we propose a joint Tx/iterative Rx frequency-domain equalization (FDE) based on minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion and successive MUI cancellation (MUIC) for DS-CDMA uplink. In the proposed scheme, each user applies one-tap Tx FDE before transmitting signal. At the base station, joint one-tap Rx FDE and successive MUIC is iteratively performed. The FDE weights of users and base station are jointly optimized based on the MMSE criterion in order to reduce MUI and ICI while exploiting channel frequency-selectivity. Computer simulation results show that the proposed scheme provides much improved bit error rate (BER) performance than the conventional iterative Rx MMSE-FDE with successive MUIC.
Why do investors sell losers? How adaptation to losses affects future capitulation decisions

According to disposition effect theory, people hold losing investments too long. However, many investors eventually sell at a loss, and little is known about which psychological factors contribute to these capitulation decisions. This study integrates prospect theory, utility maximization theory, and theory on reference point adaptation to argue that the combination of a negative expectation about an investment's future performance and a low level of adaptation to previous losses leads to a greater capitulation probability. The test of this hypothesis in a dynamic experimental setting reveals that a larger total loss and longer time spent in a losing position lead to downward adaptations of the reference point. Negative expectations about future investment performance lead to a greater capitulation probability. Consistent with the theoretical framework, empirical evidence supports the relevance of the interaction between adaptation and expectation as a determinant of capitulation decisions.