Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Teacher Education in India

INDIA is saddled at present with an educational system inherited from the British and largely unsuited to the educational needs of the masses of Indian youth. Throughout the land, individual educators, special committees, state departments of education, and the central government are engaged in studying the needs of youth, formulating plans, and making recommendations for a better educational system. Radical changes are imminent. Only about a fourth of India’s youth are now in school but most states are passing compulsory attendance laws and universal education is an accepted goal. These two factors, the development of a new curriculum and the extension of education to all children, make teacher education one of the most critical problems for Indian educators during the next few years. Most of the teacher training staffs with whom I have talked realize the significance of these two factors and the need for examining their programs in the light of new needs, but they feel frustrated by government domination and lack of both leadership and money. For half a century they have been train-
Party Appeals and Voter Loyalty in New Democracies

Some parties obviously have a more stable electoral basis than others. Is this so because of dierences in the way they appeal to their voters? If such is the case, does it help explain why some countries have less volatility (that is, voters changing their vote or voting intention between two points in time) than others? Supposing that all these questions can be answered in the armative, why would the factors cementing the party loyalty of voters be relevant for empirical democratic theory? These are the questions confronted in this essay. The ®rst section discusses the theoretical and practical signi®cance of electoral volatility. What is argued is not that political parties aim at low volatility, but that it may improve the quality of democracy if they nevertheless achieve that. The second section brie ̄y indicates that the most frequently marshalled explanations (party allegiances inherited from a distant democratic past, instability of institutions, party fragmentation, the organizational style of parties) leave unexplained some of the noteworthy variations in electoral volatility between Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. The balance of the paper investigates whether the way parties appeal to their voters may oer an explanation of volatility or its opposite, party loyalty. The third section elaborates on this often heard but so far untested explanation, and I develop some related hypotheses. The fourth section presents an empirical test of some aspects of the theory. Following an innovative study by Oddbjorn Knutsen and Elinor Scarbrough, several alternative types of partyvoter linkages are distinguished conceptually and empirically. The KnutsenScarbrough methodology is further developed to estimate the extent to which an individual is a `cleavage', `value' or `structural' voter. Finally, panel data are utilized to assess which of these three voter types are most likely to be steadfast supporters of their parties.
Cardiac Effects of Iodixanol Compared to Those of other Nonionic and Ionic Contrast Media in the Isolated Rat Heart

This study was designed to compare the cardiac electrophysiological and mechanical effects of iodixanol to those of iotrolan, iopromide, ioxaglate and diatrizoate. Two consecutive injections of contrast media (CM) (0.3 g I/kg and 0.9 g I/kg b.w.) were given to spontaneously beating, Langendorff-perfused rat hearts. CM were given as a single, short-lasting bolus injection (i.e., over 2 and 5 s). Changes in aortic pressure, left ventricular pressures and ECG were continuously recorded during constant volume perfusion. The nonionic CM had less pronounced effects on aortic pressure than had the ionic media. The peak rate of isovolumetric contraction (LV dP/dtmax) was slightly decreased by iodixanol and iotrolan, slightly more decreased by iopromide and markedly decreased by ioxaglate and diatrizoate. Similarly, the peak rate of pressure decline (LV dP/dtmin) was only slightly decreased by iodixanol and iotrolan. Also, the 2 nonionic dimers had the smallest effects on left ventricular enddiastolic pressure (LVEDP) and heart rate. Ioxaglate lengthened the PQ-interval, but less so than diatrizoate. The QT-interval was only slightly lengthened by iodixanol and iotrolan, as compared to the lenghtening caused by iopromide, ioxaglate and diatrizoate. Single ventricular extrasystoles were seen in all groups. Extrasystoles up to 3 coupled beats were registered after ioxaglate and diatrizoate. No episodes of ventricular fibrillation occurred with any CM. In conclusion, the nonionic dimers, and in particular iodixanol, induce only minor changes in cardiac function, whereas the ionic dimer ioxaglate and the ionic monomer diatrizoate induce pronounced effects.
Genetic Factors of Individual Differences in Decision Making in Economic Behavior: A Japanese Twin Study using the Allais Problem

Why does decision making differ among individuals? People sometimes make seemingly inconsistent decisions with lower expected (monetary) utility even when objective information of probabilities and reward are provided. It is noteworthy, however, that a certain proportion of people do not provide anomalous responses, choosing the alternatives with higher expected utility, thus appearing to be more “rational. ” We investigated the genetic and environmental influences on these types of individual differences in decision making using a classical Allais problem task. Participants were 1,199 Japanese adult twins aged 20–47. Univariate genetic analysis revealed that approximately a third of the Allais problem response variance was explained by genetic factors and the rest by environmental factors unique to individuals and measurement error. The environmental factor shared between families did not contribute to the variance. Subsequent multivariate genetic analysis clarified that decision making using the expected utility theory was associated with general intelligence and that the association was largely mediated by the same genetic factor. We approach the mechanism underlying two types of “rational” decision making from the perspective of genetic correlations with cognitive abilities.
SDC: Scalable description coding for adaptive streaming media

Video compression techniques enable adaptive media streaming over heterogeneous links to end-devices. Scalable Video Coding (SVC) and Multiple Description Coding (MDC) represent well-known techniques for video compression with distinct characteristics in terms of bandwidth efficiency and resiliency to packet loss. In this paper, we present Scalable Description Coding (SDC), a technique to compromise the tradeoff between bandwidth efficiency and error resiliency without sacrificing user-perceived quality. Additionally, we propose a scheme that combines network coding and SDC to further improve the error resiliency. SDC yields upwards of 25% bandwidth savings over MDC. Additionally, our scheme features higher quality for longer durations even at high packet loss rates.
Functional Links Between Aβ Toxicity, Endocytic Trafficking, and Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Factors in Yeast

The use of yeast as a model organism reveals cellular factors involved in beta-amyloid toxicity. Aβ (beta-amyloid peptide) is an important contributor to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We modeled Aβ toxicity in yeast by directing the peptide to the secretory pathway. A genome-wide screen for toxicity modifiers identified the yeast homolog of phosphatidylinositol binding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM) and other endocytic factors connected to AD whose relationship to Aβ was previously unknown. The factors identified in yeast modified Aβ toxicity in glutamatergic neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans and in primary rat cortical neurons. In yeast, Aβ impaired the endocytic trafficking of a plasma membrane receptor, which was ameliorated by endocytic pathway factors identified in the yeast screen. Thus, links between Aβ, endocytosis, and human AD risk factors can be ascertained with yeast as a model system.
ATP‐dependent transport systems for organic anions

Biologcal membranes evolved because of the need to define “self” as opposed to “the outside. ” Living systems cannot, however, function in isolation from their surroundings, and massive amounts of material continually cross membranes. Much of this material is organic: nutrients are taken up by cells, waste products are excreted and metabolites enter and leave numerous cell organelles and intracellular compartments. Except for very hydrophobic compounds, transport is mediated by proteins. In some cases, facilitated (i.e., transportermediated) diffusion of the solute is adequate; for example, this is the case in the uptake of glucose by erythrocytes. The concentration of glucose in serum is high and relatively constant over time, and the modest requirements of the erythrocyte are covered predictably and comfortably by glucose flowing in down its concentration gradient. The situation is quite different in the case of some other tissues (e.g., the intestinal epithelium). These cells are exposed to varying but usually low glucose concentrations in the intestinal lumen, and their function is to take up the nutrient efficiently. In this example, as in many other cases, the uptake is active (i.e., it proceeds against the concentration [or, more generally, electrochemical1 gradient of the solute and requires the expenditure of free energy). In most cases, the active transport of organic compounds is secondary to (or is coupled to) the transport of inorganic cations. An ATP-utilizing pump, usually the Na+,K* -ATPase, establishes an electrochemical ion gradient, in this case Na’, which in turn drives the transport of other molecules. This coupling is achieved through the requirement of the transporter for binding of both Na + and the other solute to move both across the membrane simultaneously; binding of either alone does not lead to transport. This scheme, which has been well established for numerous systems, attained a status of near-dogma in the field, not least because of its parsimonious elegance. Just as centrally generated ATP
Measuring Improvement When Using HUB Formats to Implement Floating-Point Systems Under Round-to-Nearest

This paper analyzes the benefits of using half-unit-biased (HUB) formats to implement floating-point (FP) arithmetic under a round-to-nearest mode from a quantitative point of view. Using the HUB formats to represent numbers allows the removal of the rounding logic of arithmetic units, including sticky-bit computation. This is shown for FP adders, multipliers, and converters. Experimental analysis demonstrates that the HUB formats and the corresponding arithmetic units maintain the same accuracy as the conventional ones. On the other hand, the implementation of these units, based on basic architectures, shows that the HUB formats simultaneously improve area, speed, and power consumption. In addition, based on the data obtained from the synthesis, an HUB single-precision adder is ~14% faster but consumes 38% less area and 26% less power than the conventional adder. Similarly, an HUB single-precision multiplier is 17% faster, uses 22% less area, and consumes slightly less power than the conventional multiplier. At the same speed, the adder and the multiplier achieve area and power reductions of up to 50% and 40%, respectively.
Exchange and Power in Social Life

In his landmark study of exchange and power in social life, Peter M. Blau contributes to an understanding of social structure by analyzing the social processes that govern the relations between individuals and groups. The basic question that Blau considers is: How does social life become organized into increasingly complex structures of associations among humans. This analysis, first published in 1964, represents a pioneering contribution to the sociological literature. Blau uses concepts of exchange, reciprocity, imbalance, and power to examine social life and to derive the more complex processes in social structure from the simpler ones. The principles of reciprocity and imbalance are used to derive such processes as power, changes in group structure; and the two major forces that govern the dynamics of complex social structures: the legitimization of organizing authority of increasing scope and the emergence of oppositions along different lines producing conflict and change.
Others in Mind: Social Origins of Self-Consciousness

deactivate in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia: Dysfunction of the default mode network? Psychological Medicine, 38, 1185–1193. Raichle, M. E. , MacLeod, A. M. , Snyder, A. Z. , Powers, W. J., Gusnard, D. A. , & Shulman, D. L. (2001). A default mode of brain function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 98, 676–682. Ramachandran, V. S. , & Hubbard, E. M. (2001). Psychophysical investigations into the neural basis of synaesthesia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 268, 979–983.
Othermothering as a Framework for Understanding African American Students' Definitions of Student-Centered Faculty

In this qualitative study, African American students attending a predominantly White institution (PWI) were interviewed to understand their definitions of student-centered faculty. The results suggest that a tradition of education within the African American community called "othermothering" provides a useful framework for conceptualizing the unique needs and expectations of some African American students attending PWIs.
Effects of acute and repeated exposures to Aroclor 1254 in adult rats: motor activity and flavor aversion conditioning.

While considerable research has focused on the neurotoxicity of developmental exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls, including Aroclor 1254, relatively little is known about exposures in adult animals. This study investigated the behavioral effects of acute and repeated Aroclor 1254 exposures to adult rats on motor activity and flavor aversion conditioning. Male Long-Evans rats (60 days old) were tested for motor activity in a photocell device after acute (0, 100, 300, or 1000 mg/kg, p.o.) or repeated (0, 1, 3, 10, 30 or 100 mg/kg/day, po, 5 days/week for 4 to 6 weeks exposure to Aroclor 1254. Motor activity was decreased dose-dependently at doses of 300 mg/kg or more after acute exposure. Severe body weight loss and deaths occurred at 1000 mg/kg. Recovery of activity occurred over 9 weeks but was incomplete. After repeated exposure, motor activity was decreased dose-dependently at doses of 30 mg/kg or more, and severe weight loss and deaths occurred at 100 mg/kg. In contrast to acute exposure, complete recovery of activity occurred 3 weeks after exposure. Additional rats were water deprived (30 min/day) and received acute po administration of Aroclor 1254 (0, 10, 15, 25, 30, 100, or 300 mg/kg) shortly after consuming a saccharin solution. Three days later they were given the choice between consuming saccharin or water, and saccharin preferences were recorded. Saccharin preference was decreased at doses of 25 mg/kg or more. Additional experiments determined the effect of repeated saccharin-Aroclor 1254 pairings (0, 3.75, 7.5, or 15 mg/kg/day, 14 days) followed by a choice test 1 day after the last dose. Repeated exposure to 15 mg/kg produced robust flavor aversion conditioning. Repeated exposure to 7.5 mg/kg produced flavor aversion conditioning in four of 12 rats. These results demonstrate that Aroclor 1254 causes hypoactivity and flavor aversions in adult rats; the no observable effect level (NOEL) for motor activity was 100 mg/kg for acute exposure and 10 mg/kg for repeated exposure for a period of up to 6 weeks. The acute NOEL for flavor aversion conditioning was 15 mg/kg while the repeated NOEL was 7.5 mg/kg.
VP4-specific intestinal antibody response to rotavirus in a murine model of heterotypic infection

We have adapted a murine model of heterotypic rotavirus infection for the purpose of evaluating the intestinal antibody response to an infection that mimics human vaccination. Neonatal mice were infected with the rhesus rotavirus (RRV). The enzyme-linked immunospot assay was used in order to avoid common artifacts in the quantitation of intestinal immune responses inherent in measurements of luminal or serum immunoglobulins and to obtain easily quantifiable data in a flexible and convenient format. Functionally active lymphocytes were harvested from the spleen, small intestinal lamina propria, Peyer's patches, and mesenteric lymph nodes and processed into single-cell suspensions. Antibody-secreting cells (ASC) were quantitated from 5 to 50 days after infection for total, RRV-specific, baculovirus-expressed VP4-specific, and single-shell RRV-specific ASC secreting either immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, or IgA. The response to VP4 constituted less than 1.5% of the total virus-specific response, which was located almost exclusively in the gut and was 90% IgA. Intestinal ASC were directed overwhelmingly toward proteins incorporated in the single-shell particle, predominantly VP2 and VP6. We conclude that the antibody response to VP4, thought to be the site of the important neutralization sites conserved among several rotavirus serotypes, is an extremely small portion of the overall antibody response in the intestinal tract.
Meningioma of the Jugular Foramen: Glomus Jugulare Mimic and Surgical Challenge

Objectives Meningiomas involving the jugular foramen are rare lesions, with approximately 34 cases reported in the English literature. Clinically, these tumors mimic the more common glomus jugulare tumor. After surgical resection, meningiomas have worse cranial nerve outcomes and higher recurrence rates than glomus tumors. There is controversy regarding the selection of surgical approach, particularly with regard to management of the facial nerve. A reliable means of accurate preoperative diagnosis would help surgical planning and patient counseling.
Variation in the costs of delivering routine immunization services in Peru.

OBJECTIVE Estimates of vaccination costs usually provide only point estimates at national level with no information on cost variation. In practice, however, such information is necessary for programme managers. This paper presents information on the variations in costs of delivering routine immunization services in three diverse districts of Peru: Ayacucho (a mountainous area), San Martin (a jungle area) and Lima (a coastal area). METHODS We consider the impact of variability on predictions of cost and reflect on the likely impact on expected cost-effectiveness ratios, policy decisions and future research practice. All costs are in 2002 prices in US dollars and include the costs of providing vaccination services incurred by 19 government health facilities during the January-December 2002 financial year. Vaccine wastage rates have been estimated using stock records. FINDINGS The cost per fully vaccinated child ranged from 16.63-24.52 U.S. Dollars in Ayacucho, 21.79-36.69 U.S. Dollars in San Martin and 9.58-20.31 U.S. Dollars in Lima. The volume of vaccines administered and wastage rates are determinants of the variation in costs of delivering routine immunization services. CONCLUSION This study shows there is considerable variation in the costs of providing vaccines across geographical regions and different types of facilities. Information on how costs vary can be used as a basis from which to generalize to other settings and provide more accurate estimates for decision-makers who do not have disaggregated data on local costs. Future studies should include sufficiently large sample sizes and ensure that regions are carefully selected in order to maximize the interpretation of cost variation.
Integrative analysis of RNA, translation, and protein levels reveals distinct regulatory variation across humans

Elucidating the consequences of genetic differences between humans is essential for understanding phenotypic diversity and personalized medicine. Although variation in RNA levels, transcription factor binding, and chromatin have been explored, little is known about global variation in translation and its genetic determinants. We used ribosome profiling, RNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry to perform an integrated analysis in lymphoblastoid cell lines from a diverse group of individuals. We find significant differences in RNA, translation, and protein levels suggesting diverse mechanisms of personalized gene expression control. Combined analysis of RNA expression and ribosome occupancy improves the identification of individual protein level differences. Finally, we identify genetic differences that specifically modulate ribosome occupancy—many of these differences lie close to start codons and upstream ORFs. Our results reveal a new level of gene expression variation among humans and indicate that genetic variants can cause changes in protein levels through effects on translation.
Multiplicative Approximations, Optimal Hypervolume Distributions, and the Choice of the Reference Point

Many optimization problems arising in applications have to consider several objective functions at the same time. Evolutionary algorithms seem to be a very natural choice for dealing with multi-objective problems as the population of such an algorithm can be used to represent the trade-offs with respect to the given objective functions. In this paper, we contribute to the theoretical understanding of evolutionary algorithms for multi-objective problems. We consider indicator-based algorithms whose goal is to maximize the hypervolume for a given problem by distributing points on the Pareto front. To gain new theoretical insights into the behavior of hypervolume-based algorithms, we compare their optimization goal to the goal of achieving an optimal multiplicative approximation ratio. Our studies are carried out for different Pareto front shapes of bi-objective problems. For the class of linear fronts and a class of convex fronts, we prove that maximizing the hypervolume gives the best possible approximation ratio when assuming that the extreme points have to be included in both distributions of the points on the Pareto front. Furthermore, we investigate the choice of the reference point on the approximation behavior of hypervolume-based approaches and examine Pareto fronts of different shapes by numerical calculations.
Antioxidative effect of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) fruit skin extract in soybean oil

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of solvent and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods with supercritical fluid extraction on antioxidant activity of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) fruit skin extract in stability of soybean oil at 25°C. Oxidative stability alterations of soybean oils containing 400 (SEA) and 1000 ppm (SEB) of ethanol extract, 400 (SSA) and 1000 ppm (SSB) of supercritical CO2 extract, 400 (SUA) and 1000 ppm (SUB) of ultrasound-assisted extract, and 100 ppm of tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) were monitored by measuring the peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid value, free fatty acids, conjugated dienes and trienes values. Oxidative changes in SEA were lower than that of oils treated with other extracts, but the best protection was observed in soybean oil consisting TBHQ. The solvent extraction method produces the maximum amount of phenolic and tocopherol compounds from loquat fruit skin. Therefore, solvent extraction method had a better effect on antioxidant activity of the loquat fruit skin extract.