Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Large More Effective than Small is Beautiful? Size and Performance of Primary Schools in Poland

We investigate the size-related features of the production function of Polish primary schools. The interplay of small schools ineffectiveness and of organizational and social difficulties appearing in large schools implies that the relationship between school size and student achievement is non-linear, with the optimal size crucially dependent on the social characteristics of the served population (such as average income per capita). Busing is found to have negative effect on performance, related to average distance of student transportation. The findings present several challenges to consolidation policies on quality ground, quite independent of the more common cost considerations.
A Correspondence between Individual Differences in the Brain's Intrinsic Functional Architecture and the Content and Form of Self-Generated Thoughts

Although neural activity often reflects the processing of external inputs, intrinsic fluctuations in activity have been observed throughout the brain. These may relate to patterns of self-generated thought that can occur while not performing goal-driven tasks. To understand the relationship between self-generated mental activity and intrinsic neural fluctuations, we developed the New York Cognition Questionnaire (NYC-Q) to assess the content and form of an individual's experiences during the acquisition of resting-state fMRI data. The data were collected as a part of the Nathan Kline Rockland Enhanced sample. We decomposed NYC-Q scores using exploratory factor analysis and found that self-reported thoughts clustered into distinct dimensions of content (future related, past related, positive, negative, and social) and form (words, images, and specificity). We used these components to perform an individual difference analysis exploring how differences in the types of self-generated thoughts relate to whole brain measures of intrinsic brain activity (fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations, regional homogeneity, and degree centrality). We found patterns of self-generated thoughts related to changes that were distributed across a wide range of cortical areas. For example, individuals who reported greater imagery exhibited greater low frequency fluctuations in a region of perigenual cingulate cortex, a region that is known to participate in the so-called default-mode network. We also found certain forms of thought were associated with other areas, such as primary visual cortex, the insula, and the cerebellum. For example, individuals who reported greater future thought exhibited less homogeneous neural fluctuations in a region of lateral occipital cortex, a result that is consistent with the claim that particular types of self-generated thought depend on processes that are decoupled from sensory processes. These data provide evidence that self-generated thought is a heterogeneous category of experience and that studying its content can be helpful in understanding brain dynamics.
Mitigating Impulsive Noise for Wavelet-OFDM Powerline Communication

Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is an important application of smart grid communication technology used for the remote monitoring and control of smart meters. Broadband powerline communication (BB-PLC) systems could perhaps be used for AMI; however, impulsive noise (IN) greatly degrades performance. In addition to the fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), IEEE 1901 specifications have defined the other physical layer called wavelet-based OFDM. Even though many existing studies have reported the IN mitigation algorithms for the FFT-based OFDM system, these approaches may not directly apply to the wavelet-OFDM-based PLC systems. In this paper, we propose a robust receiver for PLC systems based on wavelet-OFDM. The proposed receiver comprises a pre-IN mitigation block, an adaptive inverse discrete wavelet transform, and an iterative IN reconstruction block. The iterative cancellation of strong IN samples leads to a gradual improvement in the quality of the received signal. Instead of using the frequency domain approach, we reduce the inter-dependency of the channel estimation and per-subchannel equalization by using the time domain signal processing. Besides, we apply variable step-size adaptive algorithms to reduce the impact of IN during the training processes for the channel estimator and per-subchannel equalizer. In accordance with IEEE 1901 specifications, we built a simulation environment to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Simulation results demonstrated that conventional blanking devices fall short in terms of IN mitigation, and that the proposed scheme is able to achieve performance values approaching those obtained in cases without IN.
Awake, Offline Processing during Associative Learning

Offline processing has been shown to strengthen memory traces and enhance learning in the absence of conscious rehearsal or awareness. Here we evaluate whether a brief, two-minute offline processing period can boost associative learning and test a memory reactivation account for these offline processing effects. After encoding paired associates, subjects either completed a distractor task for two minutes or were immediately tested for memory of the pairs in a counterbalanced, within-subjects functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Results showed that brief, awake, offline processing improves memory for associate pairs. Moreover, multi-voxel pattern analysis of the neuroimaging data suggested reactivation of encoded memory representations in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during offline processing. These results signify the first demonstration of awake, active, offline enhancement of associative memory and suggest that such enhancement is accompanied by the offline reactivation of encoded memory representations.
Cardiomyocyte proliferation and protection against post-myocardial infarction heart failure by cyclin D1 and Skp2 ubiquitin ligase.

AIMS Cyclins and other cell-cycle regulators have been used in several studies to regenerate cardiomyocytes in ischaemic heart failure. However, proliferation of cardiomyocytes induced by nuclear-targeted cyclin D1 (D1NLS) stops after one or two rounds of cell cycles due in part to accumulation of p27Kip1, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK). Thus, expression of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2), a negative regulator of p27Kip1, significantly enhances the effect of D1NLS and CDK4 on cardiomyocyte proliferation in vitro. Here, we examined whether Skp2 can also improve cardiomyocyte regeneration and post-ischaemic cardiac performance in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS Wistar rats underwent ischaemia/reperfusion injury by ligation of the coronary artery followed by injection of adenovirus vectors for D1NLS and CDK4 with or without Skp2. Enhanced proliferation of cardiomyocytes in the presence of Skp2 was demonstrated by increased expression of Ki67, a marker of proliferating cells (1.95% vs. 4.00%), and mitotic phosphorylated histone H3 (0.24% vs. 0.58%). Compared with rats that received only D1NLS and CDK4, expression of Skp2 improved left ventricular function as measured by the maximum and minimum rates of change in left ventricular pressure, the left ventricle end-diastolic pressure, left ventricle end-diastolic volume index, and the lung/body weight ratio. CONCLUSION Expression of Skp2 enhanced the effect of D1NLS and CDK4 on the proliferation of cardiomyocytes and further contributed to improved post-ischaemic cardiac function. Skp2 might be a versatile tool to improve the effect of cyclins on post-ischaemic regeneration of cardiomyocytes in vivo.
SUVmax/THKmax as a Biomarker for Distinguishing Advanced Gastric Carcinoma from Primary Gastric Lymphoma

Background Gastric carcinoma and primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) are the two most common malignancies in stomach. The purpose of this study was to screen and validate a biomarker of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) for distinguishing advanced gastric carcinoma (AGC) from PGL for clinical applications. Methodology/Principal Findings We reviewed PET/CT scans collected from January 2008 to April 2012 of 69 AGC and 38 PGL (14 low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue [MALT], 24 non-MALT aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma [ANHL]) with a focus on FDG intensity (maximum standardized uptake value [SUVmax]) of primary lesions and its CT-detected abnormalities, including maximal gastrointestinal wall thickness (THKmax) and mucosal ulcerations. Gastric FDG uptake was found in 69 (100%) patients with AGC and 36 (95%, 12 MALT vs. 24 ANHL)with PGL. The presence of CT-detected abnormalities of AGC and PGL were 97% (67/69) and 89% (12 MALT vs. 22 ANHL), respectively. After controlling for THKmax, SUVmax was higher with ANHL than AGC (17.10±8.08 vs. 9.65±5.24, p<0.05) and MALT (6.20±3.60, p<0.05). THKmax did not differ among MALT, ANHL and AGC. Mucosal ulceration was more common with AGC (n = 9) than PGL (n = 2),but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Cross-validation analysis showed that for distinguishing ANHL from AGC, the classifier with SUVmax as a feature achieved a correct classification rate of 81% with thresholds 13.40±1.12 and the classifier with SUVmax/THKmax as a feature achieved a correct classification rate of 83% with thresholds 7.51±0.63. Conclusions/Significance SUVmax/THKmax may be as a promising biomarker of FDG-PET/CT for distinguishing ANHL from AGC. Structural CT abnormalities alone may not be reliable but can help with PET assessment of gastric malignancies. 18F-FDG PET/CT have potential for distinguishing AGC from PGL at the individual level.
Exploring physical self-concept perceptions in athletes with intellectual disabilities: the participation of Unified Sports experiences

Objectives Self-description research on athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) is under investigated. The specific aims in this paper are (a) to identify the differences in physical self-concept and body image by Unified Sports experiences, and (b) to investigate predictors of physical self-concept. Methods Participants included 89 Special Olympics athletes who had Unified Sports experiences (USE, n = 43) and those without USE (n = 46). Demographic, anthropometric, self-description data were collected during the questionnaire interview and physical examination. Analyses included descriptive and regression modeling to determine differences in the psychological attributes by USE and best subsets of predictors of each physical self-concept construct. Results The findings suggest that the participation of USE facilitated greater sport competence and there is no single predictor across the six physical self-concept constructs. Conclusion The findings provide evidence that sports participation may have positive impacts on physical self-concept toward athletes with ID.
Protein Requirements during Aging

Protein recommendations for elderly, both men and women, are based on nitrogen balance studies. They are set at 0.66 and 0.8 g/kg/day as the estimated average requirement (EAR) and recommended dietary allowance (RDA), respectively, similar to young adults. This recommendation is based on single linear regression of available nitrogen balance data obtained at test protein intakes close to or below zero balance. Using the indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) method, we estimated the protein requirement in young adults and in both elderly men and women to be 0.9 and 1.2 g/kg/day as the EAR and RDA, respectively. This suggests that there is no difference in requirement on a gender basis or on a per kg body weight basis between younger and older adults. The requirement estimates however are ~40% higher than the current protein recommendations on a body weight basis. They are also 40% higher than our estimates in young men when calculated on the basis of fat free mass. Thus, current recommendations may need to be re-assessed. Potential rationale for this difference includes a decreased sensitivity to dietary amino acids and increased insulin resistance in the elderly compared with younger individuals.
Evidence for transient clumps and gas chemical evolution in the CS core of L673

We present FCRAO maps as well as combined BIMA and FCRAO maps of the high density molecular emission towards the CS core in the L673 region. With the FCRAO telescope we mapped the emission in the CS (2 → 1), C 34 S( 2→ 1), HCO + (1 → 0), and H 13 CO + (1 → 0) lines. The high-density molecular emission, which arises from a filamentary structure oriented in the NW-SE direction, shows clear morphological differences for each molecule. We find that HCO + has an extremely high optical depth, and that the H 13 CO + emission is well correlated with submm sources. The BIMA and FCRAO combined maps recover emission from structure previously undetected or marginally detected, and show an overall aspect of a filamentary structure connecting several intense clumps. We found a total 15 clumps in our combined data cube, all of them resolved at our angular resolution, with diameters in the 0.03-0.09 pc range. Their estimated masses range between 0.02 and 0.2 M� , except for the largest clump, which has a mass of ∼1.2 M� . We find a clear segregation between the northern and southern region of the map: the northern section shows the less chemically evolved gas and less massive but more numerous clumps, while the southern region is dominated by the largest and most massive clump, and contains the more evolved gas, as traced by emission of late-time molecules. We find that the derived clump masses are below the virial mass, and that the clump masses become closer to the virial mass when they get bigger and more massive. This supports the idea that these clumps must be transient, and that only the more massive ones are able to condense into stars. The clumps we detect are probably in an earlier evolutionary stage than the "starless cores" reported recently in the literature. Only the most massive one has properties similar to a "starless core".
Evidence of Tax-Induced Individual Behavioral Responses

2 " The Clinton revenue estimates are based on the fallacy that taxpayers will not change their behavior in response to a 37% jump in their marginal tax rates. " Martin Feldstein (1993) Estimating the effect of income taxes on individual behaviors such as labor supply, compensation, saving, and taxable income have been focal points of economic research for several decades. Because income taxes account for nearly 80 percent of all federal revenues collected, their effects on individual behaviors and the attendant tax collections figure prominently in tax policy debates. For example, in 1993 the Clinton administration proposed increasing marginal tax rates by about one-third for the highest income Americans. In estimating how much revenue the tax increase would produce, they assumed hours worked by American taxpayers would change little and that tax collections would then rise by an amount directly proportional to the rate hike. Feldstein (1993) countered that the tax increase would substantially lower work effort by encouraging primary workers to reduce their hours of work and encouraging secondary workers in high-income households to leave the labor force, and that the tax increase would induce high-income workers to alter the form and timing of their compensation. Feldstein concluded that the combined negative behavioral responses of work effort and compensation would raise tax revenues much less than predicted, and that revenues might even fall. Whether because of or in spite of the Clinton tax policies, actual tax collections went well above both the Administration's and Feldstein's forecasts in the late 1990s, re-emphasizing our limited understanding of the behavioral consequences of income taxes. We describe here what is known, knowable, and likely unknowable about the effects of income taxes on individual and household decisions. Knowledge of the empirical consequences of income taxation on labor supply, consumption, and saving is of first-order importance not only to inform policy about the magnitudes of the possible behavioral and distributional consequences of fundamental tax 3 reform, but also to inform policy on the direction of the response. Consider first the case of labor supply. Supporters of replacing current graduated marginal tax rates with a flat tax typically cite positive labor supply consequences of a flat tax. Economic theory does not provide a definitive answer on the effect of a flat tax on labor supply over much of the income distribution. The ambiguity is from possible offsetting substitution and income effects when the after-tax wage …
Source Characteristics of the 2017 Ms 7.0 Jiuzhaigou, China, Earthquake and Implications for Recent Seismicity in Eastern Tibet

On 8 August 2017, a strong earthquake occurred on an unmapped extension of the Huya fault, Sichuan, China, causing severe damage to local communities. This event highlights the northward migration of major earthquakes along a single strike‐slip fault. We analyze the source characteristics with Global Positioning System (GPS)/ Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar static displacements and high‐rate GPS/teleseismic dynamic motions. Our analyses show a complex slip pattern characterized by two patches with a mean slip of 0.6 m and predominantly strike‐slip components. Slip propagates at a rupture speed of approximately 3.2 km/s for about 30 km in length and 20 km in width. Given a slip rate of 0.5 mm/year derived from GPS observations, the mean slip of 0.6 m inferred from the slip model suggests a recurrence interval of ~1,000 years for this earthquake and alike on the Huya fault. The Coulomb stress increase of 0.82 bar caused by preceding earthquakes promoted the failure of the northern Huya fault in 2017. In particular, the nucleation of this event was partially facilitated by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and postseismic deformation. Long‐term slip deficits on most parts of the Huya fault have been balanced largely by a series of strong earthquakes since the early 1970s. As yet, a few of seismic gaps remain hazardous during the final stage of one seismic cycle. In particular, the ongoing postseismic relaxation will hasten further the 20‐ to 25‐km long segment in the Jiuzhaigou National Natural Reserve closer to failure in a moderate size earthquake.
Rurality and education relations: Metro-centricity and local values in rural communities and rural schools

Based on ethnographic fieldwork in six different types of rural area and their schools in different parts of Sweden, this article identifies how rural schools relate to the local place and discusses some of the educational implications from this. Recurrent references to the local community were present in some schools and people there explicitly positioned themselves in the local rural context and valorised rurality positively in education exchanges, content and interactions, with positive effects on young people’s experiences of participation and inclusion. These factors tended to occur in sparsely populated areas. An emphasis on nature and its value as materially vital in people’s lives was present as was a critique of middle-class metrocentricity. Such values and critique seemed to be absent in other areas, where rurality was instead often represented along the metrocentric lines of a residual space in modernizing societies.
Automatic Identification of Discourse Markers in Multiparty Dialogues

The lexical items that can serve as discourse markers (DMs) are often multi-functional. Like and well, in particular, play numerous other roles apart from DMs: for instance, the first one can also be a verb and the second one an adverb. The goal of the present study is the identification, on transcripts of multi-party dialogues, of the occurrences of like and well that play a discourse or pragmatic role. DM identification is a binary classification task over the set of all occurrences of tokens like and well. The importance of DMs to computational linguistics is first discussed, along with previous experiments in DM identification. Then, the data is briefly described, emphasizing the DM annotation procedure and an inter-annotator agreement study. The proposed method uses lexical, prosodic/positional and sociolinguistic features, together with machine learning algorithms, among which decision trees are preferred. The results obtained using a ten-fold cross-validation procedure are analysed at length, focussing first on overall performance, and then on the relevance of each type of features. Feature analysis using a range of techniques shows that lexical indicators are the most reliable features for DM identification, followed by prosodic/positional features. Sociolinguistic features are slightly correlated with the use of like as DM, while the dialogue act of the utterance containing a DM candidate does not seem relevant to DM identification. A differentiated treatment for each token appears to improve performance in almost all experiments. The methods and features used here improve performance over the past experiments, and suggest that DM identification is a tractable problem provided enough training data is available for each DM type, and that lexical features are used for each type.
Elevated Shear Stress Protects Escherichia coli Cells Adhering to Surfaces via Catch Bonds from Detachment by Soluble Inhibitors

ABSTRACT Soluble inhibitors find widespread applications as therapeutic drugs to reduce the ability of eukaryotic cells, bacteria, or viruses to adhere to surfaces and host tissues. Mechanical forces resulting from fluid flow are often present under in vivo conditions, and it is commonly presumed that fluid flow will further add to the inhibitive effect seen under static conditions. In striking contrast, we discover that when surface adhesion is mediated by catch bonds, whose bond life increases with increased applied force, shear stress may dramatically increase the ability of bacteria to withstand detachment by soluble competitive inhibitors. This shear stress-induced protection against inhibitor-mediated detachment is shown here for the fimbrial FimH-mannose-mediated surface adhesion of Escherichia coli. Shear stress-enhanced reduction of bacterial detachment has major physiological and therapeutic implications and needs to be considered when developing and screening drugs.
Leishmania major Promastigotes Evade LC3-Associated Phagocytosis through the Action of GP63

The protozoan Leishmania parasitizes macrophages and evades the microbicidal consequences of phagocytosis through the inhibition of phagolysosome biogenesis. In this study, we investigated the impact of this parasite on LC3-associated phagocytosis, a non-canonical autophagic process that enhances phagosome maturation and functions. We show that whereas internalization of L. major promastigotes by macrophages promoted LC3 lipidation, recruitment of LC3 to phagosomes was inhibited through the action of the parasite surface metalloprotease GP63. Reactive oxygen species generated by the NOX2 NADPH oxidase are necessary for LC3-associated phagocytosis. We found that L. major promastigotes prevented, in a GP63-dependent manner, the recruitment of NOX2 to phagosomes through a mechanism that does not involve NOX2 cleavage. Moreover, we found that the SNARE protein VAMP8, which regulates phagosomal assembly of the NADPH oxidase NOX2, was down-modulated by GP63. In the absence of VAMP8, recruitment of LC3 to phagosomes containing GP63-deficient parasites was inhibited, indicating that VAMP8 is involved in the phagosomal recruitment of LC3. These findings reveal a role for VAMP8 in LC3-associated phagocytosis and highlight a novel mechanism exploited by L. major promastigotes to interfere with the host antimicrobial machinery.