Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining elementary school children’s extracurricular activity participation and their non-cognitive development using longitudinal data in Japan

This study attempts to reveal a mechanism of intergenerational transmission of advantages by assessing children’s learning experiences outside school. Using four waves of the Japan’s Longitudinal Survey of Babies in the 21st Century, the study investigates whether (1) children’s participation in extracurricular activities (EAs) varies according to parents’ educational backgrounds (as a proxy for socioeconomic status), (2) their EA participation is related to two aspects of their non-cognitive development, and (3) the EA participation mediates a relation between parents’ educational background and non-cognitive development. This study’s results show that children with college-educated parents tend to participate in three categories of EAs: academics, high culture, and sports. These disparities in EA participation show a significant, albeit modest, association with children’s behavior problems and orientation to school. This Japanese case reveals unequal access to adult-led structured learning opportunities in the private education market and indicates that children who participate in such activities gain positive benefits in terms of the non-cognitive aspects of development that are formally and informally evaluated by schoolteachers.
A High-Efficiency 100-W GaN Three-Way Doherty Amplifier for Base-Station Applications

A three-way Doherty 100-W GaN base-station power amplifier at 2.14 GHz is presented. Simple, but accurate design equations for the output power combiner of the amplifier are introduced. Mixed-signal techniques are utilized for uncompromised control of the amplifier stages to optimize efficiency, as well as linearity. The combination of the above techniques resulted in an unprecedented high efficiency over a 12-dB power backoff range, facilitating a record high power-added efficiency for a wideband code division multiple access test signal with high crest factor, while meeting all the spectral requirements for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System base stations.
Identification and clinical assessment of suspected vaccine-related field strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

OBJECTIVE To determine the origin and clinical relevance of selected strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus (PRRSV). ANIMALS 38 pigs without antibodies for PRRSV. PROCEDURE A seemingly uncommon restriction endonuclease digestion site in a commercially available vaccine strain of attenuated PRRSV was tested for its stability and prevalence under defined conditions. Selected field strains of PRRSV, with or without the restriction-site marker, were subsequently tested in pigs for virulence and for their ability to replicate competitively in pigs simultaneously given the vaccine. RESULTS Under experimental conditions, the restriction-site marker was stable during long-term infection of pigs. It was not detected in any of the 25 field strains of PRRSV that were isolated before use of the vaccine or 21 of 25 field strains that were isolated after use of the vaccine but that, on the basis of previous testing, were believed unrelated to the vaccine strain. Conversely, it was detected in 24 of 25 field strains that were isolated after use of the vaccine and that, on the basis of previous testing, were believed to be direct-line descendants of the vaccine strain. Putative vaccine-related strains caused more pronounced pathologic changes than did the vaccine strain alone, and they predominated during replication in pigs also given the vaccine strain. CONCLUSIONS In some swine herds, the vaccine strain may have persisted and mutated to a less attenuated form. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The potential for persistence and mutation of specific strains of virus should be an important consideration when designing vaccination programs involving attenuated PRRSV.
Cross-Cultural Variations in Identifying Embedded Figures

Previous studies have found cross-cultural variation in field dependence. In this study, cross-cultural differences were expected depending on the degree of individualism or collectivism of the respective cultures. Samples were taken from two prototypically individualist cultures, the United States and Germany, and two collectivist cultures, Russia and Malaysia. As predicted, field dependence did not differ between those samples that represented the same type of culture, either collectivist or individualist. However, a clear difference could be found between the two types of cultures; that is, U.S. and German participants were more field independent than were Russian and Malaysian participants.
Canadian Jewish Women and their Experiences of Antisemitism and Sexism

This study explores the experiences of antisemitism and sexism among 47 Canadian Jewish women, examining the similarities and differences between these two forms of oppression. The three areas in which antisemitism and sexism converge (the Jewish American Princess stereotype, the woman's body image, and her relationship with Jewish males) all relate to intimate issues and sexual identity. The results of this study confirm the feminist recognition that "the personal is political," and that structural inequalities and oppression affect life at the deepest and most personal levels.
Psychometric Properties of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Questionnaire in a Diverse Sample of Men and Women

Background: Self-efficacy is a consistent correlate of physical activity, but most self-efficacy measures have not been validated in diverse populations. This study examined the construct, criterion-related, and convergent validity and internal consistency of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Questionnaire. Methods: African American and Caucasian adults (N = 1919) from two adjacent counties in South Carolina were identified through a list-assisted random digit-dialed telephone survey. Psychometric properties of the measure were assessed by gender, race, age, education, and body weight subgroups. Results: Across all subgroups, a single-factor solution explained 93 to 98% of the common variance in an exploratory factor analysis, and all 14 items had factor loadings exceeding 0.40. Higher exercise self-efficacy was significantly associated with greater physical activity, younger age, male gender, higher education, and lower body weight, as predicted. Internal consistency was high for all subgroups (α = 0.90 to .
Feminism and ‘the schooling scandal’

Taylor and Francis CBSE_A_421294. sgm 10.1080/01425690903211210 British Journal of Sociology of Education 0142-5692 (pri t)/1465-3346 (online) O ginal A tic e 2 09 & Francis 0002 09 RobertMor ell m rrell@ kz . a . za Feminism and ‘the schooling scandal’, by Christine Skelton and Becky Francis, London, Routledge, 2008, 192 pp., £75 (hardback), £22.99 (paperback), ISBN: 9780-415-45509-1 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-415-45510-7 (paperback)
Cooperative hydrogen bond interactions in the streptavidin–biotin system

The thermodynamic and structural cooperativity between the Ser45– and D128–biotin hydrogen bonds was measured by calorimetric and X‐ray crystallographic studies of the S45A/D128A double mutant of streptavidin. The double mutant exhibits a binding affinity ∼2 × 107 times lower than that of wild‐type streptavidin at 25°C. The corresponding reduction in binding free energy (ΔΔG) of 10.1 kcal/mol was nearly completely due to binding enthalpy losses at this temperature. The loss of binding affinity is 11‐fold greater than that predicted by a linear combination of the single‐mutant energetic perturbations (8.7 kcal/mol), indicating that these two mutations interact cooperatively. Crystallographic characterization of the double mutant and comparison with the two single mutant structures suggest that structural rearrangements at the S45 position, when the D128 carboxylate is removed, mask the true energetic contribution of the D128–biotin interaction. Taken together, the thermodynamic and structural analyses support the conclusion that the wild‐type hydrogen bond between D128–OD and biotin–N2 is thermodynamically stronger than that between S45–OG and biotin–N1.
1 Utility-based Video Adaptation for UMA and Content-based Utility Function Prediction for Real Time Video

Many techniques exist for adapting videos to satisfy heterogeneous resource conditions or user preferences. However, selection of the best adaptation operation among various choices usually is either ad hoc or inefficient. To provide a systematic solution, we present a conceptual framework based on utility function (UF), which models video entity, adaptation, resource, utility, and the relations among them. In order to support real-time video adaptation, we present a content-based statistical paradigm to facilitate the prediction of UF for real-time transcoding of live videos. Instead of modeling the UF through analytical models, as in the conventional rate-distortion framework, the proposed approach formulates the prediction as a classification and regression problem. Each video clip is classified into one of distinctive categories and then local regression is used to accurately predict the utility value. Our extensive experiment results based on MPEG-4 transcoding demonstrate that the proposed method achieves very promising performance — up to 89% accuracy in choosing the optimal transcoding operation (in both spatial and temporal dimensions) with the highest quality over a diverse range of target bitrates.
A Survey study of the Nutritional awareness and Eating Behaviors of Female Collegiate Kabaddi players

The purpose of this study was to determine the nutr itional awareness of female collegiate Kabaddi players and how effectively they apply their nutritional awareness to their everyday eating habits. A self developed basi c nutritional awareness questionnaire and a 24-hour dietary recall were used in this desc riptive study. Both instruments were completed by female collegiate Kabaddi players who were part of their respective teams at the time of the study. The 30 question nutrition al awareness questionnaire included demographic information and true/false questions as sessing knowledge of various nutritional components. The 24-hour food recall pro duced quantitative data including total caloric intake and individualized micro- and macro-nutrient intake. Eighty-five collegiate Kabaddi players, eighteen years and abov e from ten colleges from Delhi University voluntarily completed both the questionn aire and the 24-hour food recall. Data analysis was both descriptive and inferential in na ture. The nutritional questionnaire generated nominal data in the form of true/false re sponses and in the form of a total score. This data was analyzed using descriptive sta tistics (mean and SD), percentage method and t-tests. Frequencies were used for demographic data, displaying scores on the nutritional survey by age group, and displaying the percentage of subjects that met the RDA values of macro and micro-nutrients. Finally, t he relationship between the athletes' level of nutritional knowledge and the athletes' ea ting behaviors based on the nutritional survey score and food recall results (if RDA was ac hieved for macronutrients) were analyzed using an independent t-test.
Contact Sensitization of Older Patients in an Academic Department in Naples, Italy

Background: Contact allergy develops in predisposed individuals as a consequence of environmental exposure to allergens. Exposure patterns change over time because of many factors (sex, age, occupation, fashion trends, official regulations), and the delayed hypersensitivity response depends significantly on the age of the subject. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of contact sensitization in older patients (older than 65 years) referred to our allergologic clinic. Methods: All patients were patch‐tested with the standard series of the Società Italiana di Dermatologia Allergologica, Professionale e Ambientale, and 32 patients were also tested with additional series. Results: Of 117 examined subjects, 48 (41%) developed at least one positive reaction whereas 22 of 117 (19%) showed more than one sensitization. Allergic contact dermatitis was detected in 13% of our sample. The five most frequent allergens were nickel sulfate (13.7%), potassium dichromate (11.1%), cobalt chloride (7.7%), para‐phenylenediamine (5.2%), and balsam of Peru (4.3%). Conclusion: These findings suggest an age‐dependent decline of overall positive patch‐test reactions but a higher sensitization rate to some allergens.
Non-Verbal Approach to Screening Diagnostics of Depression and Anxiety

In a range of clinical situations evaluation of depression and anxiety is important but problematic. For instance, depression and anxiety are risk factors of poor outcomes of cardiac operations. However, verbal approaches to the diagnostics of depression and anxiety commonly increases nervousness in patients. Therefore, we undertook two studies in order to develop a non-verbal tool for screening diagnostics of depression and anxiety. The first study included 33 patients awaiting on-pump operations. The second study included 62 neurotic patients. Szondi portraits were used for evaluation of facial perception. We asked subjects to select one of two responses concerning mood of a person at the portrait: good versus bad mood. Then we asked subjects to select one of responses concerning friendliness of a person at the same portrait: friendly versus unfriendly . Cardiac surgery patients with moderate depression selected significantly more 'bad mood' and 'unfriendly' responses in comparison with non-depressed patients awaiting operation. Facial perception task allowed to correctly classify 84.8% of patients. In addition, the patients showed significant decrease of 'bad mood' responses at discharge in comparison with preoperative period. The results of the second study did not confirm the Szondi portraits task to be an efficient tool for the screening diagnosis of depression. Nevertheless, we observed a range of significant associations between severity of depression or anxiety and performance on the facial perception task. We concluded that facial perception tests are promising tools for nonverbal screening diagnostics of depression and anxiety, and further research in this field is needed.
Underestimation of the Early Risk of Recurrent Stroke: Evidence of the Need for a Standard Definition

Background— There is considerable variation in the definitions used for recurrent stroke. Most epidemiological studies exclude events within the first 28 days (eg, Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease [MONICA]) or events within 21 days in the same territory as the presenting event (eg, most stroke incidence studies). However, recurrence is most common during this early period and these restrictive definitions could underestimate the benefits of early prevention. Methods— We determined the 90-day risk of recurrence after incident ischemic stroke in 2 population-based cohorts (Oxford Vascular Study [OXVASC] and Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project [OCSP]) with the 3 most common definitions: any stroke ≥24 hours after the incident event excluding early deterioration not caused by a stroke (definition A); as above, but excluding any stroke within 21 days in the same territory as the incident event (definition B); and any stroke ≥28 days after the incident event (definition C). Results— 657 patients had 93 recurrent strokes between 24 hours and 90 days after the incident event. The 90-day recurrence risks (95% CI) using definition A were 14.5% (11.5 to 17.5) in the OCSP and 18.3% (10.8 to 25.8) in the OXVASC. The equivalent risks using definitions B and C were 8.3% (5.9 to 10.8) and 4.8% (2.8 to 6.7), respectively, in the OCSP and 7.0% (1.6 to 12.4) and 5.9% (1.0 to 10.9) in the OXVASC. The definition A risk of recurrence was particularly high after partial anterior (22.9%,17.5 to 28.2) and posterior (19.5%,13.0 to 25.9) circulation strokes. Conclusions— The 3 most widely used definitions of recurrent stroke yield markedly different 90-day risks. We suggest that, where possible, definition A be adopted as the standard to avoid underestimation of risk and to allow valid comparison of different studies.
Culture Period-Dependent Changes in the Uptake of Transporter Substrates in Sandwich-Cultured Rat and Human Hepatocytes

Sandwich-cultured hepatocytes (SCH) are a useful tool for evaluating hepatobiliary drug transport in vitro. Some studies have investigated the in vitro-in vivo correlations of the biliary clearance of drugs using SCH. In most cases, the biliary clearance observed in vivo correlated well with the predicted clearance, but the predicted absolute values were underestimated when based on in vitro experiments with SCH. We hypothesized that the down-regulated function of uptake transporters is one of the causes of this underestimation. Therefore, the uptake of taurocholate, digoxin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin was investigated in sandwich-cultured rat hepatocytes (SCRH) cultured for 5, 24, 48, and 96 h, and the predicted hepatic clearance from in vitro uptake clearance (CLH, vitro) was calculated with a dispersion model. In SCRH cultured for 96 h, the saturable uptake of taurocholate, digoxin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin decreased to 7.5, 3.3, 64, and 23%, respectively, of their uptake in hepatocytes cultured for 5 h, and a better prediction of in vivo hepatic clearance (CLH, vivo) was achieved when based on CLH, vitro of 5-h-cultured hepatocytes. These results suggest that the uptake activity is considerably reduced in cell culture, even in a sandwich-culture format. In a similar study, we also examined taurocholate and rosuvastatin in sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes (SCHH). Unlike in SCRH, the saturable uptake of these compounds did not differ markedly in SCHH cultured for 5 or 96 h. Thus, the uptake activity in SCHH was maintained relatively well compared with that in SCRH.
Learner-Centered Practices (LCP) and Students' Intrinsic Motivation: The Case of the Hashemite University, Jordan

The authors examined the relationship between Learner-Centered Practices (LCP) and Students' Intrinsic Motivation (IM) and Midterm Grades (MG). Random sample (N= 971) (584 females, 387 males) of Hashemite University graduate and undergraduate students completed Learner-Centered Practices Students' Perceptions Inventory (LCPSPI) (McCombs and Whisler, 1997), and Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). The results showed significant correlations between students' (LCPSPI) scores and their intrinsic motivation (IMI) scores (r= 0.46, p<0.01), between (LCPSPI) scores and Midterm Grades (MG) (r =0.31, p<0.01), as well as between (IMI) and (MG) scores (r = 0.20, p <0.01). In addition, results revealed that the two levels (high – low) of exposure to learner-centered practices lead to differential effects on intrinsic motivation (IMI) scores (t =13.42, p<0.001), and on the midterm grades (MG) (t=8.56, p<0.001); that the highest and lowest 27% students’ scores on intrinsic motivation yielded significant differences on MG (t=5.48, p<0.001). In addition, the results provide further evidence for gender, year and college significant effects on students’ perceptions of teaching practices and intrinsic motivation.
Emotion States and Changes Following Rumination in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Eating Disorder Behaviours

EMOTION STATES AND CHANGES FOLLOWING RUMINATION IN NONSUICIDAL SELF-INJURY AND EATING DISORDER BEHAVIOURS Alexis E. Arbuthnott Advisor: University of Guelph, 2012 Dr. Stephen P. Lewis Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorder behaviours (EDB) may share a similar emotion dysregulation mechanism. This study examined the relations between repeated rumination episodes and emotions in NSSI and EDB within the context of the Emotional Cascades Model (Selby, Anestis, & Joiner, 2008), which suggests that ruminating on negative events increases the intensity of negative emotion; negative emotion prompts continued rumination, which further increases the intensity of the negative emotion. Individuals with a history of NSSI and/or EDB reported higher levels of negative emotions and lower levels of positive emotions, relative to individuals without a history of these behaviours. Similarly, a history of NSSI was associated with greater initial increases in negative emotions, and a history of EDB was associated with greater initial decreases in positive emotions, following rumination. While these results support the presence of emotion dysregulation in NSSI and EDBs, it only partially supports the emotional cascades model.
Tone 4 and Tone 3 Discrimination in Modern Standard Chinese

Productions of Tone 4 and Tone 3 (mài/măi, ‘sell’/‘buy’) in comparable sentences suggest that although the two tones are realized in different ways by different speakers in different speech acts, some features are constant. Tone 3 is connected with a low pitch level throughout the second half of the vowel and Tone 4 with a gradual fall over the main part of the vocalic segment. These observations were tested in a series of manipulations of pitch movements over mài from Tone 4 to Tone 3 in the sentence Sòng Yán mài niúròu. The manipulated sentences were presented in a test, in which listeners were asked if they heard mài or năi. The result confirmed the observed constant features and indicated in addition that it was important for both tones to have a clear reference. The identification of Tone 4 was favoured by an introductory rising or level part, and for Tone 3 an introductory fall seemed to be important. Creaky voice is a concomitant but not a necessary feature of Tone 3.
Change in child behaviour concerns associated with childcare quality features among a sample of low-income Latino children

ABSTRACT This study explored the relation between childcare quality (staff–child ratio and staff–child interactions) and behavioural development between the beginning and the end of the childcare year among a sample of 44 low-income Latino four-year-olds in 14 childcare programmes. Neither staff–child ratio nor staff–child interactions were related to children's behaviour at the beginning of the childcare year. Further, staff–child ratio was not significantly related to changes between the beginning and the end of the childcare year in children's behaviour skills. However, staff–child interactions characterised as warm and involving direct instruction related to the development of positive social skills (e.g. taking turns, solving peer conflicts) were significantly associated with decreases in children's behaviour concerns from the beginning to the end of the childcare year. Staff–child interactions characterised negatively (e.g. overly controlling, strict scheduling) were also associated with decreases in children's behaviour concerns. Implications for improving behaviour skills of low-income Latino children by adjusting non-familial childcare features and measurement of childcare features are discussed.
Learning the semantic structure of objects from Web supervision

While recent research in image understanding has often focused on recognizing more types of objects, understanding more about the objects is just as important. Recognizing object parts and attributes has been extensively studied before, yet learning large space of such concepts remains elusive due to the high cost of providing detailed object annotations for supervision. The key contribution of this paper is an algorithm to learn the nameable parts of objects automatically, from images obtained by querying Web search engines. The key challenge is the high level of noise in the annotations; to address it, we propose a new unified embedding space where the appearance and geometry of objects and their semantic parts are represented uniformly. Geometric relationships are induced in a soft manner by a rich set of nonsemantic mid-level anchors, bridging the gap between semantic and non-semantic parts. We also show that the resulting embedding provides a visually-intuitive mechanism to navigate the learned concepts and their corresponding images.