Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring Intercultural Awareness: International Student Mobility in China and the UK through a Non-Essentialist Lens

This chapter is focused on the increased internationalisation of teaching and learning in Higher Education (HE) worldwide (Knight 2006; Caruana & Spurling, 2007) and specifically the ambition to internationalise the student experience (Hyland et al., 2008). The specific interest is ‘internationalisation’ from the students’ perspective as it focuses on ‘academic learning that blends the concepts of self, strange, foreign and otherness’ (Teekens, 2006, p. 17). This view of internationalisation is also congruent with the perspectives of Appadurai (2001), Haigh (2009) and Sanderson (2011) who foreground the value of personal awareness in intercultural encounters in HE. The interest for the study stemmed from a desire to examine the complexities underpinning the concept of ‘a culture of learning’ in student mobility through a non-essentialist lens. Exploring the rich and individual student perspectives, the objectives of this study included: (a) to explore how students can benefit from cultural diversity through mobility; and (b) to raise awareness of their own and other cultures of learning, with both points contributing to the development of one’s ‘intercultural capacity’ i.e., a Graduate Attribute.
Warming temperatures and smaller body sizes: synchronous changes in growth of North Sea fishes

Decreasing body size has been proposed as a universal response to increasing temperatures. The physiology behind the response is well established for ectotherms inhabiting aquatic environments: as higher temperatures decrease the aerobic capacity, individuals with smaller body sizes have a reduced risk of oxygen deprivation. However, empirical evidence of this response at the scale of communities and ecosystems is lacking for marine fish species. Here, we show that over a 40‐year period six of eight commercial fish species in the North Sea examined underwent concomitant reductions in asymptotic body size with the synchronous component of the total variability coinciding with a 1–2 °C increase in water temperature. Smaller body sizes decreased the yield‐per‐recruit of these stocks by an average of 23%. Although it is not possible to ascribe these phenotypic changes unequivocally to temperature, four aspects support this interpretation: (i) the synchronous trend was detected across species varying in their life history and life style; (ii) the decrease coincided with the period of increasing temperature; (iii) the direction of the phenotypic change is consistent with physiological knowledge; and (iv) no cross‐species synchrony was detected in other species‐specific factors potentially impacting growth. Our findings support a recent model‐derived prediction that fish size will shrink in response to climate‐induced changes in temperature and oxygen. The smaller body sizes being projected for the future are already detectable in the North Sea.
Intermittency in Solar Wind Turbulence From Fluid to Kinetic Scales

Solar wind is a highly turbulent medium exhibiting fluctuations ranging from the solar sidereal rotation period to proton and electron gyroperiods. Their amplitudes show remarkable scalings with frequency across more than seven decades, suggesting a self‐similar nature for these fluctuations. However, these fluctuations are not globally scale invariant and require a multifractal approach. Multifractality is closely related to intermittency, a phenomenon that has been studied in the solar wind for more than three decades. We now have a rather complete picture of the nature of the most intermittent events and the radial/latitudinal dependence of this phenomenon in the heliosphere. Parallel shocks, slow mode shocks or tangential discontinuities/current sheets identified as the border between adjacent flux tubes are the most intermittent structures within the low‐frequency turbulence. It is more complicated and fascinating to understand the nature of intermittent events at kinetic scales since they are directly related to dissipative phenomena and might be the key to understanding the dissipation mechanisms in the collisionless solar wind plasma. Unfortunately, we still do not have adequate plasma observations at kinetic scales to work on, but several studies, mostly numeric, have addressed this topic suggesting that discontinuities, small‐scale current sheets, and sites which are candidates for reconnection events might be regions where dissipative phenomena are at work with consequent plasma heating and acceleration. This review is intended to provide the reader with a quick overview on the past and most recent understanding of intermittency phenomenon in the solar wind from fluid to kinetic scales.
Putative Terminase Subunits of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Form a Complex in the Cytoplasm and Interact with Portal Protein in the Nucleus

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus (HSV) terminase is an essential component of the molecular motor that translocates DNA through the portal vertex in the capsid during DNA packaging. The HSV terminase is believed to consist of the UL15, UL28, and UL33 gene products (pUL15, pUL28, and pUL33, respectively), whereas the HSV type 1 portal vertex is encoded by UL6. Immunoprecipitation reactions revealed that pUL15, pUL28, and pUL33 interact in cytoplasmic and nuclear lysates. Deletion of a canonical nuclear localization signal (NLS) from pUL15 generated a dominant-negative protein that, when expressed in an engineered cell line, decreased the replication of wild-type virus up to 80-fold. When engineered into the genome of recombinant HSV, this mutation did not interfere with the coimmunoprecipitation of pUL15, pUL28, and pUL33 from cytoplasmic lysates of infected cells but prevented viral replication, most nuclear import of both pUL15 and pUL28, and coimmunoprecipitation of pUL15, pUL28, and pUL33 from nuclear lysates. When the pUL15/pUL28 interaction was reduced in infected cells by the truncation of the C terminus of pUL28, pUL28 remained in the cytoplasm. Whether putative terminase components localized in the nucleus or cytoplasm, pUL6 localized in infected cell nuclei, as viewed by indirect immunofluorescence. The finding that the portal and terminase do eventually interact was supported by the observation that pUL6 coimmunoprecipitated strongly with pUL15 and weakly with pUL28 from extracts of infected cells in 1.0 M NaCl. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the pUL15/pUL28/pUL33 complex forms in the cytoplasm and that an NLS in pUL15 is used to import the complex into the nucleus where at least pUL15 and pUL28 interact with the portal to mediate DNA packaging.
The Ecocultural Framework, Ecosocial Indices, and Psychological Variables in Cross-Cultural Research

Relationships between context variables (ecosocial indices) and psychological variables across different nations were investigated, guided by Berry’s Ecocultural Framework. The psychological variables were values (Hofstede; Inglehart; Schwartz; Smith, Dugan, and Trompenaars) and subjective well-being (Diener). The ecosocial indices of religion and affluence had separate and in some ways contrasting relationships with psychological variables. Some religions were related to higher interpersonal power, loyalty, and hierarchy, but lower affluence. Other religions, (particularly Protestantism) and higher affluence were related to intrapersonal aspects, such as individualism, utilitarian commitment, and well-being. The most important result was the finding that scores of psychological variables showed systematic relationships with cluster membership of countries on ecosocial indices. The study proposes a solution to a theoretical and methodological problem of current cross-cultural psychology: the search for cultural (context) variables that would explain similarities and differences in psychological variables in different clusters of countries.
The attitudes of pharmacists, students and the general public on mHealth applications for medication adherence

Background: During recent years mobile technology has developed tremendously and has infiltrated the healthcare field. Mobile healthcare (mHealth) applications, or apps, may be used to support patient adherence to medication thus promoting optimal treatment outcomes and reducing medication wastage. Objective: This study shall consider the opinions of United Kingdom (UK) based pharmacists, pharmacy undergraduates and members of the general public towards the use of mHealth apps to promote adherence to prescribed medication regimens. Methods: On Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) ethical approval, the 25 item questionnaire was distributed to UK registered pharmacists within inner city Liverpool and Manchester (n=500), pharmacy undergraduates studying at LJMU (n=420) and members of the general public within Liverpool City Centre (n=400). The questions were formatted as multiple choice, Likert scales or the open answer type. The data were analysed using simple frequencies, cross tabulations and non-parametric techniques in the SPSS v22 program. Results: The number of completed questionnaires from the pharmacist, student and general public cohorts were 245, 333 and 400; respectively. The data indicated that the general public rely heavily upon daily routine to take medication as prescribed (54.1%) with mHealth app use being extremely low (1.5%); a similar trend was noted for the pharmacist / student cohorts. The age of the individual is an important consideration, with the younger generation likely to engage with mHealth apps and the older generation less so. Here, education and training are important. Pharmacists (82.3%) would be happy to deliver training packages to the public who would in turn happily receive such training (84%). Key barriers precluding mHealth app use include data reliability, security and technical difficulties. Conclusion: Adherence apps hold great promise to support the patient and their healthcare needs. In order to increase acceptance and uptake simple, user-friendly designs must be considered and constructed. In addition, such technology requires effective promotion and end user training in order to reach its full potential. Furthermore, the regulation of mobile adherence apps will be essential in order to overcome underlying patient concerns.
Racial and ethnic differences in the association between obesity and depression in women.

BACKGROUND It is generally accepted that obesity and depression are positively related in women. Very little prior research, however, has examined potential variation in this relationship across different racial/ethnic groups. This paper examines the association between obesity and depression in non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican American women. METHODS The sample included women aged 20 years and older in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (n=3666). Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between obesity and depression syndrome (assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9), after adjusting for covariates. We then investigated whether this association varied by race/ethnicity. RESULTS Overall, obese women showed a 73% greater odds of depression (odds ratio [OR]=1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.19, 2.53) compared with normal weight women. This association varied significantly, however, by race/ethnicity. The obesity-depression associations for both Black and Mexican American women were different from the positive association found for White women (ORBlack*obese=0.24; 95% CI=0.10,0.54; ORMexican American*obese=0.42; 95% CI=1.04). Among White women, obesity was associated with significantly greater likelihood of depression (OR=2.37; 95% CI=1.41, 4.00) compared to normal weight. Among Black women, although not statistically significant, results are suggestive that obesity was inversely associated with depression (OR=0.56; 95% CI=0.28, 1.12) relative to normal weight. Among Mexican American women, obesity was not associated with depression (OR=1.01; 95% CI=0.59, 1.72). CONCLUSIONS The results reveal that the association between obesity and depression varies by racial/ethnic categorization. White, but not Black or Mexican American women showed a positive association. Next research steps could include examination of factors that vary by race/ethnicity that may link obesity to depression.
Persistent subclinical hypothyroidism and cardiovascular risk in the elderly: the cardiovascular health study.

CONTEXT Use of a single set of thyroid function tests to define subclinical hypothyroidism may lead to misclassification over time and could influence findings from longitudinal studies. OBJECTIVE We assessed the risks of coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), and cardiovascular (CV) death in older adults with persistent subclinical hypothyroidism. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The study included 679 subclinically hypothyroid and 4184 euthyroid U.S. individuals at least 65 yr old enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study and not taking thyroid preparations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE We measured the 10-yr risk of incident CHD, HF, and CV death from persistent subclinical hypothyroidism, overall and stratified by degree of TSH elevation (4.5-6.9, 7.0-9.9, and 10.0-19.9 mU/liter). RESULTS There was no association between persistent subclinical hypothyroidism and incident CHD [hazard ratio (HR), 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.93-1.36], HF (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.97-1.27), or CV death (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.87-1.31) in adjusted analyses in which subclinical hypothyroidism was modeled as a time-varying exposure using up to four serial thyroid function tests. When subclinical hypothyroidism was stratified by degree of TSH elevation, no significant associations were found in any stratum. Findings were similar in fixed exposure analyses in which only participants with testing 2 yr apart were considered, with no association between persistent or transient subclinical hypothyroidism and incident CHD, HF, or CV death. CONCLUSIONS Our data do not support increased risk of CHD, HF, or CV death in older adults with persistent subclinical hypothyroidism.
The impact of HIV epidemic phases on the effectiveness of core group interventions: insights from mathematical models

Mathematical models have highlighted the disproportionate contribution of core group transmitters to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Because the effectiveness of interventions varies with time, it has been suggested that epidemic phases should be considered in the design of prevention strategies. This study aimed to examine the impact of HIV epidemic phases on the effectiveness of HIV interventions based on gonorrhoea screening and condom use, targeted to core groups. The results are based on a mathematical model of gonorrhoea and HIV transmission in a relatively slow spreading HIV epidemic using Cotonou (Benin) as an example. For epidemics with a low reproductive potential modest core group interventions can significantly reduce HIV incidence and prevalence. As the epidemic matures, effective interventions should also incorporate core and non-core populations. For epidemics with a high reproductive potential, core group interventions are necessary but not sufficient to have a rapid and large scale impact. A more general population approach is also needed early in the epidemic. Epidemic phases are also important in the evaluation of prevention strategies.
Course and correlates of postpartum depression during the transition to parenthood

Abstract The transition to parenthood marks a major milestone in family development that is especially difficult for roughly 10% of postpartum women who develop clinical depressions serious enough to interfere with daily functioning. Relatively little is known about the course of postpartum depression, the factors associated with its onset or severity, or its impact on the quality of mother-infant interaction. We studied 70 depressed women and 59 demographically matched nondepressed women delivering their first child and then followed them longitudinally through 24 months. Although the majority of depressions had remitted by 6 months postpartum, some women were depressed throughout the follow-up period, and others continued to evidence subclinical symptoms, indicating that depression in postpartum women can be relatively chronic. Depressed women differed from comparison women on measures of personal and family history, their adaptation to pregnancy, and minor pregnancy and delivery complications. They also perceived their infants as more difficult to care for and their husbands as less supportive. A combination of these variables accounted for 49% of the variance in depression severity scores at 2 months. Depressed women also showed less positive engagement and more negative affect when observed with their infants at 2 months. Spouse support and maternal positive engagement with the baby at 2 months differentiated between those with more chronic versus short-lived depressions. The implications of these findings for the woman's and her infant's development are discussed.
Monocular visual odometry from frame to frame intensity differences for planetary exploration mobile robots

Traditionally stereo visual odometry algorithms estimate the robot's motion by maximizing the conditional probability of the 3D correspondences between two sets of 3D feature point positions, which were previously obtained from two consecutive stereo image pairs captured by a stereo video camera. As an alternative, in this paper a monocular visual odometry algorithm is proposed, which estimates the robot's motion by maximizing the conditional probability of the frame to frame intensity differences at observation points between two consecutive images captured by a monocular video camera. Experimental results with synthetic and real image sequences revealed highly accurate and reliable estimates, respectively. Additionally, it seems to be an excellent candidate for mobile robot missions where space, weight and power supply are really very limited.
Increased oxidative stress in diabetes regulates activation of a small molecular weight G-protein, H-Ras, in the retina

Purpose Increased superoxide levels are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. We have shown that functional activation of a small molecular weight G-protein, H-Ras, is one of the signaling steps involved in glucose-induced apoptosis of retinal capillary cells. The goal of this study was to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which oxidative stress could result in the activation of H-Ras in diabetes. Methods Experiments were performed in isolated retinal endothelial cells that were treated with H2O2, or the cells in which glucose-induced superoxide accumulation was inhibited either by superoxide dismutase mimetic (MnTBAP) or by overexpressing mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). The in vitro experiments were complemented with in vivo experiments using the retina from mice overexpressing MnSOD. Results H2O2 activated H-Ras and its downstream signaling pathway, including Raf-1 and phosphorylation of p38 (p-p38) MAP kinase. Inhibition of superoxide significantly attenuated glucose-induced activation of H-Ras, Raf-1 and p-p38 MAP kinase. Overexpression of MnSOD in mice prevented diabetes-induced activation of both H-Ras and p-p38 MAP kinase. Conclusions Our results clearly indicate that the activation of H-Ras and its downstream signaling pathway in the retina and its vasculature could be under the control of superoxide, and H-Ras activation in diabetes can be prevented by inhibiting superoxide accumulation.
Can Structural Small Open Economy Models Account for the Influence of Foreign Disturbances?

This paper demonstrates that an estimated, structural, small open-economy model of the Canadian economy cannot account for the substantial influence of foreign-sourced disturbances identified in numerous reduced-form studies. The benchmark model assumes uncorrelated shocks across countries and implies that U.S. shocks account for less than 3 percent of the variability observed in several Canadian series, at all forecast horizons. Accordingly, model-implied cross-correlation functions between Canada and U.S. are essentially zero. Both findings are at odds with the data. A specification that assumes correlated cross-country shocks partially resolves this discrepancy, but still falls well short of matching reduced-form evidence.
Host CD73 impairs anti-tumor immunity

The enzymatic activity of CD73 produces immune-suppressing adenosine. In CD73 deficient hosts, tumor growth and tumor infiltration by Tregs and type 2 immunosuppressive macrophages is reduced. Pharmacological inhibition of CD73 in wild-type mice has similar tumor-suppressing effects. Host CD73 on leukocytes and endothelial cells is thus detrimental for the anti-tumor immunity.
On-Site Wildland Activity Choices Among African Americans and White Americans in the Rural South: Implications for Management

We compare wildland activity choices for a sample of rural African Americans and Whites who visited wildland settings in and around the Apalachicola National Forest. We also look at intra -racial (same race, different gender) variations for activity participation. This research extends previous research focused on the visit/ not visit wildland question by examining activity choice by race and gender for those who do visit. Our results show no racial differences for consumptive activities like fishing and hunting; however, Mrican Americans are significantly less Wcely than Whites to participate in most forms of nonconsumptive activities like camping and hiking. Greater gender differences in activity participation were found for Whites than for African Americans. We discuss management implications and ways forest managers may attract more African Americans to participate in forest-based outdoor recreation. This includes target marketing strategies that promote fishing and group activities on the Apalachicola National Forest.
Young Learners’ Transactions With Interactive Digital Texts Using E-Readers

ABSTRACT This year-long qualitative study draws from multimodal theory and New Literacies Studies to document the digital literacy experiences of a diverse group of 2nd-graders using e-readers. Twenty-first century classrooms must expand traditional notions of literacy to prepare students for the ever-changing, media-rich world. Students participated in small-group digital reading workshops, where they read interactive picture books. The data mainly drew from transcripts of student interactions and open-ended interviews and were analyzed through a combination of comparative and discourse analyses. The author argues that multimodal texts offer opportunities for rehearsal of literacy practices, engagement, talk as a choice of reader response, and student agency. Even though personal digital devices offer opportunities for independent reading, young readers still need social interactions around books to co-construct meaning. The study found the students spent additional time reading and successfully mediated the available resources as they engaged in digital reading.
Low complexity iterative receiver for non-orthogonal space-time block code with channel coding

In this paper, we study the association of nonorthogonal space-time block coding (NO-STBC) with channel coding and propose an efficient iterative receiver. For two transmit antennas, the use of the Alamouti scheme as STBC is optimal owing to its orthogonality and its unitary rate. For more than two antennas, full rate is maintained by giving up the orthogonality. This nonorthogonality makes the decoding often complex and sub-optimal in terms of exploitation of the diversity. In this paper, we present a low complexity receiver based on iterative process performing jointly space-time decoding and channel decoding. Simulations over uncorrelated Rayleigh flat fading channels show that such a receiver exploits at best the space-time diversity provided by the nonorthogonal STBC and the channel coding.