Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emotions within reason: Resolving conflicts in risk preference

This research focused on differential effects of emotional and rational preferences in decision making and how people resolve conflicting risk preferences caused by inconsistency between their emotional reactions to and rational assessment of a risk problem. In addition, effects of the framing of choice outcomes on emotional, rational, and overall risk preferences were examined. Adopting a within-subjects design, Study 1 showed that the emotional choice preference was often the opposite of the rational choice preference and was more risk-seeking than the rational preference. The overall favourability rating for a chosen option was significantly higher when the emotional choice and rational choice were the same than when they were opposed. Emotional preferences were significantly more susceptible than rational preferences to the hedonic tone of risky choice framing. The overall preference was a compromise of the conflicting emotional and rational preferences in some risk domains, and resembled either the emotional preference or the rational preference in other risk domains. Study 2, using a between-subjects manipulation, further confirmed that emotional preference and rational preference had differential effects on risky choice.
Objectives and Constraints in Geographical Fieldwork: Teachers’ Attitudes and Perspectives in Senior High Schools in Taiwan

This paper considers the objectives for geographical fieldwork within senior high schools in Taiwan, and the constraints on the implementation and development of fieldwork. It introduces briefly the position of fieldwork in geography education in Taiwan, then uses a model adapted from the work of Boardman in 1974 and Smith in 1996 in England to examine teachers’ perspectives on the objectives and constraints in geographical fieldwork. The paper concludes that teachers in Taiwan have a balanced range of objectives for fieldwork across cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains, while they see safety, the impact of lessons missed by teachers supervising fieldwork, and large classes as the main constraints to developing fieldwork. Whereas the detailed prioritisation of objectives and constraints shows some differences between Taiwan and England, the broad pattern shows strong similarities between the two educational settings.
Huperzine A attenuates hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis by regulating expression of apoptosis-related genes in rat PC12 cells

The present studies investigated effects of huperzine A (HupA), a selective acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor and promising anti-dementia agent, on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-related genes in rat pheochromocytoma line PC12 cells. Transient exposure of the cells to H2O2 (100 μM) triggered a typical apoptosis as evidenced by chromatin condensation, nuclei fragmentation and DNA laddering. RT-PCR studies showed up-regulated p53 and Bax but lowered Bcl-2 mRNA levels with H2O2 treatment. The results were further confirmed at protein levels by immunocytochemistry with specific antibodies. Preincubation with HupA (1 μM) significantly prevented the cells from apoptosis, attenuated H2O2-induced over-expression of Bax and p53, and rehabilitated the level of Bcl-2. The present findings suggest that HupA exerts significant protection against H2O2-induced apoptosis, possibly through improving expression of apoptosis-related genes.
Importance of Age of Onset in Pancreatic Cancer Kindreds

Background Young-onset cancer is a hallmark of many familial cancer syndromes, yet the implications of young-onset disease in predicting risk of pancreatic cancer among familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) kindred members remain unclear. Methods To understand the relationship between age at onset of pancreatic cancer and risk of pancreatic cancer in kindred members, we compared the observed incidence of pancreatic cancer in 9040 individuals from 1718 kindreds enrolled in the National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry with that observed in the general US population (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results). Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for data stratified by familial vs sporadic cancer kindred membership, number of affected relatives, youngest age of onset among relatives, and smoking status. Competing risk survival analyses were performed to examine the risk of pancreatic cancer and risk of death from other causes according to youngest age of onset of pancreatic cancer in the family and the number of affected relatives. Results Risk of pancreatic cancer was elevated in both FPC kindred members (SIR = 6.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.54 to 9.75, P < .001) and sporadic pancreatic cancer (SPC) kindred members (SIR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.04 to 4.74, P = .04) compared with the general population. The presence of a young-onset patient (<50 years) in the family did not alter the risk for SPC kindred members (SIR = 2.74, 95% CI = 0.05 to 15.30, P = .59) compared with those without a young-onset case in the kindred (SIR = 2.36, 95% CI = 0.95 to 4.88, P = .06). However, risk was higher among members of FPC kindreds with a young-onset case in the kindred (SIR = 9.31, 95% CI = 3.42 to 20.28, P < .001) than those without a young-onset case in the kindred (SIR = 6.34, 95% CI = 4.02 to 9.51, P < .001). Competing risk survival analyses indicated that the lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer in FPC kindreds increased with decreasing age of onset in the kindred (hazard ratio = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.19 to 2.03 per year). However, youngest age of onset for pancreatic cancer in the kindred did not affect the risk among SPC kindred members. Conclusions Individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer are at a statistically significantly increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Having a member of the family with a young-onset pancreatic cancer confers an added risk in FPC kindreds.
Differences in Atherosclerotic Plaque Burden and Morphology Between Type 1 and 2 Diabetes as Assessed by Multislice Computed Tomography

OBJECTIVE It is unclear whether the coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden is similar in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. By using multislice computed tomography (MSCT), the presence, degree, and morphology of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were compared. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Prospectively, coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and MSCT coronary angiography were performed in 135 asymptomatic patients (65 patients with type 1 diabetes and 70 patients with type 2 diabetes). The presence and extent of coronary atherosclerosis as well as plaque phenotype were assessed and compared between groups. RESULTS No difference was observed in average CAC score (217 ± 530 vs. 174 ± 361) or in the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis (65% vs. 71%) in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, the prevalence of obstructive atherosclerosis was higher in patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 24; 34%) compared with that in patients with type 1 diabetes (n = 11; 17%) (P = 0.02). In addition, a higher mean number of atherosclerotic and obstructive plaques was observed in patients with type 2 diabetes. In addition, the percentage of noncalcified plaques was higher in patients with type 2 (66%) versus type 1 diabetes (27%) (P < 0.001), resulting in a higher plaque burden for each CAC score compared with that in type 1 diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS Although CAC scores and the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis were similar between patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, CAD was more extensive in the latter. Also, a relatively higher proportion of noncalcified plaques was observed in patients with type 2 diabetes. These observations may be valuable in the development of targeted management strategies adapted to diabetes type.
Developmental and time-related trends of anxiety from childhood to early adolescence: Two-wave cohort study

Research on developmental and time-related trends (cohort effects) of anxiety is important for the assessment of anxiety levels that are not in line with expected developmental trends, and are in need of intervention. We present the results of a large cross-sectional, two-wave cohort study for anxiety for emotional and cognitive components of anxiety, respectively. We measured anxiety using the Lestvica Anksioznosti za Otroke in Mladostnike [LAOM (Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents)] anxiety scale (general trait anxiety, and two cognitive components and one emotional component) in two age groups: 10-year-olds (N = 4351; 2621 males and 2663 females), and 14-year-olds (N = 4043; 2545 males and 2569 females) over a 4-year period (2007–2011). The results of three-way analysis of variance showed significant gender, age and cohort effects with significant age × gender interaction effects (η2 = 0.002) and age × cohort effects (η2 = 0.000). The effect sizes are small. As expected, females showed higher levels of anxiety and, in line with developmental trends, 14-year-olds showed higher levels of anxiety compared with 10-year-olds. The time-related trends (cohort effects) show a significant increase in anxiety and its components from 2007 to 2011. The effect sizes are small, with cohort effect being the largest one (.07 < d < .34) and larger effect sizes generally in 14-year-olds than in 10-year-olds. The implications of the findings are discussed, and in line with the results early intervention is supported.
Flower-girl and bugler-boy no more: changing gender representation in writing for children

Awareness of gender bias in the depiction of children has been well-established in educational circles since the 1970s, and robust attempts to address this bias have been made in many parts of the world. Corpus linguistics has, however, made a limited contribution to our understanding of this field, with early studies of the depiction of children in children's reading materials typically involving content analyses. Without challenging the tenor of their findings, questions of reliability and validity could be raised about a number of these studies. In this paper, I suggest that these questions can be managed using a corpus linguistic approach and I report on a diachronic investigation of changes in the depiction of gender roles in writing for children with materials published by the same publisher (the New Zealand School Journal) at thirty-year intervals throughout the twentieth century. My investigation confirms earlier findings to a considerable extent, but suggests changes in the depiction of children .
Towards Automated Incident Handling: How to Select an Appropriate Response against a Network-Based Attack?

The increasing amount of network-based attacks evolved to one of the top concerns responsible for network infrastructure and service outages. In order to counteract these threats, computer networks are monitored to detect malicious traffic and initiate suitable reactions. However, initiating a suitable reaction is a process of selecting an appropriate response related to the identified network-based attack. The process of selecting a response requires to take into account the economics of an reaction e.g., risks and benefits. The literature describes several response selection models, but they are not widely adopted. In addition, these models and their evaluation are often not reproducible due to closed testing data. In this paper, we introduce a new response selection model, called REASSESS, that allows to mitigate network-based attacks by incorporating an intuitive response selection process that evaluates negative and positive impacts associated with each countermeasure. We compare REASSESS with the response selection models of IE-IRS, ADEPTS, CS-IRS, and TVA and show that REASSESS is able to select the most appropriate response to an attack in consideration of the positive and negative impacts and thus reduces the effects caused by an network-based attack. Further, we show that REASSESS is aligned to the NIST incident life cycle. We expect REASSESS to help organizations to select the most appropriate response measure against a detected network-based attack, and hence contribute to mitigate them.
Effect of kit ligand on natriuretic peptide precursor C and oocyte maturation in cattle.

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes in cattle is inefficient, and there is great interest in the development of approaches to improve maturation and fertilization rates. Intraovarian signalling molecules are being explored as potential additives to IVM media. One such factor is kit ligand (KITL), which stimulates the growth of oocytes. We determined if KITL enhances oocyte maturation in cattle. The two main isoforms of KITL (KITL1 and KITL2) were expressed in bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC), and levels of mRNA increased during FSH-stimulated IVM. The addition of KITL to the culture medium increased the percentage of oocytes that reached meiosis II but did not affect cumulus expansion after 22 h of IVM. Addition of KITL reduced the levels of mRNA encoding natriuretic peptide precursor C (NPPC), a protein that holds oocytes in meiotic arrest, and increased the levels of mRNA encoding YBX2, an oocyte-specific factor involved in meiosis. Removal of the oocyte from the COC resulted in increased KITL mRNA levels and decreased NPPC mRNA levels in cumulus cells, and addition of denuded oocytes reversed these effects. Taken together, our results suggest that KITL enhances bovine oocyte nuclear maturation through a mechanism that involves NPPC, and that the oocyte regulates cumulus expression of KITL mRNA.
Mapping African Postcoloniality: Linguistic and Cultural Spaces of Hybridity

This paper discusses hybridity as a strategy of survival for those caught between the languages of their colonization and their indigenous languages and also illustrates how, through hybridization, postcolonial subjects use colonial languages without privileging colonial languages. Drawing on Bakhtinian notions of hybridization, this paper shows colonial and indigenous languages contesting each other's authority, challenging and unmasking the hegemony of English and to some extent Shona. Ndebele and Shona are indigenous languages spoken in Zimbabwe, Africa. However, this paper conceives the relationship of English and Ndebele as not always contestatory but as accomodating. Using Ogunyemi's (1996) notion of palaver, the paper extends our understanding of hybridity as marking both contestation and communion. Of particular significance is the way in which English is criticized even in the using of it in Amakhosi plays. This analysis of hybridity highlights the contradictoriness of colonized identity and establishes and confirms the idea of a hybridized postcolonial cultural and linguistic identity.
Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Botulinum Neurotoxin Protease Domains

Botulinum neurotoxins are most potent of all toxins. Their N-terminal light chain domain (Lc) translocates into peripheral cholinergic neurons to exert its endoproteolytic action leading to muscle paralysis. Therapeutic development against these toxins is a major challenge due to their in vitro and in vivo structural differences. Although three-dimensional structures and reaction mechanisms are very similar, the seven serotypes designated A through G vastly vary in their intracellular catalytic stability. To investigate if protein phosphorylation could account for this difference, we employed Src-catalyzed tyrosine phosphorylation of the Lc of six serotypes namely LcA, LcB, LcC1, LcD, LcE, and LcG. Very little phosphorylation was observed with LcD and LcE but LcA, LcB, and LcG were maximally phosphorylated by Src. Phosphorylation of LcA, LcB, and LcG did not affect their secondary and tertiary structures and thermostability significantly. Phosphorylation of Y250 and Y251 made LcA resistant to autocatalysis and drastically reduced its k(cat)/K(m) for catalysis. A tyrosine residue present near the essential cysteine at the C-terminal tail of LcA, LcB, and LcG was readily phosphorylated in vitro. Inclusion of a competitive inhibitor protected Y426 of LcA from phosphorylation, shedding light on the role of the C-terminus in the enzyme's substrate or product binding.
Infection Prior to Mucosal Herpes Simplex Virus Type Administered Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Development Are Impaired among Mice Dendritic Cell Activation and Memory Cell

Epidemiological studies indicate that the exogenous sex steroid medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) can impair cell-mediated immunity, but mechanisms responsible for this observation are not well deﬁned. In this study, MPA administered to mice 1 wk prior to HSV type 1 (HSV-1) infection of their corneal mucosa impaired initial expansion of viral-speciﬁc effector and memory precursor T cells and reduced the number of viral-speciﬁc memory T cells found in latently infected mice. MPA treatment also dampened expression of the costimulatory molecules CD40, CD70, and CD80 by dendritic cells (DC) in lymph nodes draining acute infection, whereas coculture of such DC with T cells from uninfected mice dramatically impaired ex vivo T cell proliferation compared with the use of DC from mice that did not receive MPA prior to HSV-1 infection. In addition, T cell expansion was comparable to that seen in untreated controls if MPA-treated mice were administered recombinant soluble CD154 (CD40L) concomitant with their mucosal infection. In contrast, the immunomodulatory effects of MPA were infection site dependent, because MPA-treated mice exhibited normal expansion of virus-speciﬁc T cells when infection was systemic rather than mucosal. Taken together, our results reveal that the administration of MPA prior to viral infection of mucosal tissue impairs DC activation, virus-speciﬁc T cell expansion, and development of virus-speciﬁc immunological memory. The Journal of Immunology , 2012, 189: 000–000.
Propagation Study and Performance Evaluation of a Mobile WiMAX System at 3.5 GHz

This paper is focused on a detailed coverage and performance analysis of wireless metropolitan area networks based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, which is the basis of WiMAX technology. A coverage study and performance evaluation of a mobile WiMAX system in an urban and suburban environment with the help of a software simulation tool is presented. All the required parameters are given to the program focusing only in suitable propagation models e.g. ITU-R 525/526, or COST231-HATA. The total coverage of the area was 67% from which 52% provides QAM modulation offering higher data rates to the users. Very promising results were also extracted, when utilizing multiple antennas. It is also found that in a 4 2 system the average received power at the limits of each cell is enhanced about 6.1 dB in comparison with the SISO case.
Territory, Trust, Growth, and Collapse in Classic Period Maya Kingdoms

Drawing on theoretical understandings of the relationship between civil society and the state, the authors argue that the collapse of the kingdoms of Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan in the ninth century AD resulted from the same political processes that permitted the expansion of dynastic power in preceding centuries. Populations initially clustered around the dynastic capitals of these kingdoms, where daily spheres of interaction facilitated trust building among its residents. The image and performance of the polity was focused on the monarch, and participation in communal efforts, such as construction, warfare, and feasting, nurtured generalized trust within society as a whole, strengthening the polity. As populations expanded over the course of the Classic period and polities grew in territorial extent, spheres of interaction were more diffuse and trust-building efforts were increasingly focused on activities and individuals outside of the king and his court. The result was a breakdown of uniform trust across the kingdom and the failure of dynastic polities. Beyond a study of historical particularities in two kingdoms, this article is intended to suggest ways to more broadly frame interpretations of political processes in Maya polities within the broader context of ancient and modern complex societies worldwide. The model may also be applicable in other cultural contexts where emergent states contended with the challenges of maintaining coherency across an expanding territory.
Comparing Automatic and Human Evaluation of NLG Systems

We consider the evaluation problem in Natural Language Generation (NLG) and present results for evaluating several NLG systems with similar functionality, including a knowledge-based generator and several statistical systems. We compare evaluation results for these systems by human domain experts, human non-experts, and several automatic evaluation metrics, including NI ST, B LEU, and ROUGE. We find that NI ST scores correlate best (>0.8) with human judgments, but that all automatic metrics we examined are biased in favour of generators that select on the basis of frequency alone. We conclude that automatic evaluation of NLG systems has considerable potential, in particular where high-quality reference texts and only a small number of human evaluators are available. However, in general it is probably best for automatic evaluations to be supported by human based evaluations, or at least by studies that demonstrate that a particular metric correlates well with human judgments in a given domain.
Finding space for non-dominant languages in education: language policy and medium of instruction in Timor-Leste 2000–2012

Timor-Leste offers a rich case study of the array of discursive influences on medium-of-instruction (MOI) policy in multilingual, post-colonial developing contexts. MOI policy in this young nation is a site of tension between struggles to define national identity in the shadow of colonial language ideologies and the globalised discourses of powerful international development aid partners. Guided by the notion of opening up ideological and implementational space for non-dominant languages in education, this article reviews the evolution of MOI policy in East Timorese primary education over the decade since independence. Paying particular attention to recent proposals for mother tongue-based multilingual education, the review highlights the ideological nature of the relationship between language planning and the MOI. The East Timorese case shows how MOI policy emerges from historical and socio-political experiences and is shaped by complex interactions between external and internal forces.
Autism spectrum disorders and offending

Purpose – This paper seeks to offer a general review of offending and autism spectrum disorders from both the authors' perception of the media portrayal and the current evidence based research.Design/methodology/approach – The authors undertook a review of the current literature relating to autism spectrum disorders and offending and commented on current media reporting to try and offer a balance.Findings – Recent evidence suggests that there is unlikely to be an increased prevalence compared to the general population, but the presence of co‐morbidities may increase the risk of violence.Originality/value – The paper offers a succinct overview of the current evidence base relating to autism spectrum disorders and offending.