Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two or Three Problems Concerning Social Stability and Our Measures of Welfare: What Can Economists Learn from Other Social Sciences?

This paper takes up several problems that are related to psychology, political science and ethics—disciplines that we regard as neighbours on the boundaries of economics. I pay particular attention to such topics as mass psychology and social stability, democracy and economic performance and the notions of wellbeing and happiness. After laying out some of the history of academic discourse on these problems and notions, I reconsider the nature of discrepancy between microlevel motivations and macrolevel phenomena, trade‐offs between equality and liberty and the problem of measurement of social welfare and “happiness” from the perspective of “dissociation of intention and consequence”.
Assessing Reliability and Validity of Job Performance Scale among University Teachers

The present study aims at assessing the reliability and validity of Goodman & Svyantek (1999) Job Performance Scale among Pakistani university teachers by distributing it among 677 teachers working in seven public and three private universities of Pakistan. The reliability was determined by calculating Cronbach Alpha Coefficients and Inter-Items statistics, whereas validity was assessed by running Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses. The overall results showed that this scale possesses good psychometric properties following its administration among university teachers in Pakistan. Therefore it could be considered as a reliable and valid self administered instrument for assessing the Job Performance levels among university teachers in Pakistan.
Cross-national assignment of honor : assignment of honor in Germany, Pakistan, South Korea, and the USA

This dissertation attempts to advance our understanding of honor in two respects. First, it outlines a theoretical framework of honor that is more comprehensive than previous approaches. This theory focuses on group processes that regulate issues of honor in various social groups. In a nutshell, honor is the public image of members of an honor group that is derived by adherence to an honor code. The failure to adhere to such code leads to the loss of honor, attracts negative reactions such as contempt by fellow honor group members, and may enhance tendencies to demonstrate one‟s own wroth as a member of the honor group. This approach is consistent with previous research on honor. However, it also shows further less explored areas of research on honor. Second, this dissertation, in two empirical lines of research explores new directions in research on honor. The first line demonstrates that the adherence to versus violation of an honor code is decisive for the assignment of honor by observers. This result emerges regardless of the countries involved in the study (Pakistan, South Korea, Germany), which suggests that it is a fairly general and culturally independent process. The adherence to versus violation of an honor code shows more dramatic effects if not outsiders but fellow honor group members assign honor. The second empirical line of research demonstrates in several countries (USA, Pakistan, South Korea) that observed honor code violation of central group members leads to dis-identification with the group, reduction of pride in the group, and tendencies of image protection. Moreover, honor group members behaving indifferently to the group‟s honor code are judged similar to violators of the code. The implications of these lines of research for the theoretical approach are discussed, and new avenues of research are demonstrated.
Effete-mediated degradation of Cyclin A is essential for the maintenance of germline stem cells in Drosophila

Increasing evidence supports the idea that the regulation of stem cells requires both extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms. However, much less is known about how intrinsic signals regulate the fate of stem cells. Studies on germline stem cells (GSCs) in the Drosophila ovary have provided novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms of stem cell maintenance. In this study, we demonstrate that a ubiquitin-dependent pathway mediated by the Drosophila eff gene, which encodes the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Effete (Eff), plays an essential role in GSC maintenance. We show that Eff both physically and genetically interacts with dAPC2, a key component of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), which acts as a multisubunit E3 ligase and plays an essential role in targeting mitotic regulators for degradation during exit from mitosis. This interaction indicates that Eff regulates the APC/C-mediated proteolysis pathway in GSCs. Moreover, we show that expression of a stable form of Cyclin A, but not full-length Cyclin A, results in GSC loss. Finally we show that, in common with APC2, Eff is required for the ubiquitylation of Cyclin A, and overexpression of full-length Cyclin A accelerates the loss of GSCs in the eff mutant background. Collectively, our data support the idea that Effete/APC-mediated degradation of Cyclin A is essential for the maintenance of germline stem cells in Drosophila. Given that the regulation of mitotic Cyclins is evolutionarily conserved between flies and mammals, our study also implies that a similar mechanism may be conserved in mammals.
Ensemble CCA for Continuous Emotion Prediction

This paper presents our work on ACM MM Audio Visual Emotion Corpus 2014 (AVEC 2014) using the baseline features in accordance with the challenge protocol. For prediction, we use Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) in affect sub-challenge (ASC) and Moore-Penrose generalized inverse (MPGI) in depression sub-challenge (DSC). The video baseline provides histograms of Local Gabor Binary Patterns from Three Orthogonal Planes (LGBP-TOP) features. Based on our preliminary experiments on AVEC 2013 challenge data, we focus on the inner facial regions that correspond to eyes and mouth area. We obtain an ensemble of regional linear regressors via CCA and MPGI. We also enrich the 2014 baseline set with Local Phase Quantization (LPQ) features extracted using Intraface toolkit detected/tracked faces. Combining both representations in a CCA ensemble approach, on the challenge test set we reach an average Pearson's Correlation Coefficient (PCC) of 0.3932, outperforming the ASC test set baseline PCC of 0.1966. On the DSC, combining modality specific MPGI based ensemble systems, we reach 9.61 Root Mean Square Error (RMSE).
Do Peer Firms Affect Corporate Financial Policy?

We show that peer firms play an important role in determining corporate capital structures and financial policies. In large part, firms' financing decisions are responses to the financing decisions and, to a lesser extent, the characteristics of peer firms. These peer effects are more important for capital structure determination than most previously identified determinants. Furthermore, smaller, less successful firms are highly sensitive to their larger, more successful peers, but not vice versa. We also quantify the externalities generated by peer effects, which can amplify the impact of changes in exogenous determinants on leverage by over 70%.
Challenges Facing HIV Discordant Couples in Kenya

Since Kenya recorded its first case of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 1984, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has evolved to become one of the central impediments to national health, well being and development. Prevalence of HIV serostatus discordance is high. There is therefore need to shed light on HIV discordance as most public communication on HIV revolves around individual counseling and testing. Public communication campaigns targeting couples are not as vibrant, memorable and personalized as massages targeting individuals. This paper will review literature on the causes of HIV discordance, the challenges faced by discordant couples and the public’ perception of HIV discordant couples. It will provide insight on the various HIV communication campaigns targeting couples, in a bid to establish whether these communication messages are effective in addressing the issue of discordance.
Neuronal migration and protein kinases

The formation of the six-layered structure of the mammalian cortex via the inside-out pattern of neuronal migration is fundamental to neocortical functions. Extracellular cues such as Reelin induce intracellular signaling cascades through the protein phosphorylation. Migrating neurons also have intrinsic machineries to regulate cytoskeletal proteins and adhesion properties. Protein phosphorylation regulates these processes. Moreover, the balance between phosphorylation and dephosphorylation is modified by extracellular cues. Multipolar-bipolar transition, radial glia-guided locomotion and terminal translocation are critical steps of radial migration of cortical pyramidal neurons. Protein kinases such as Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) involve these steps. In this review, I shall give an overview the roles of protein kinases in neuronal migration.
Talk about Text during Independent Writing: What Teacher—Student Interaction Suggests for How We Understand Students' Competence

Talk between students and their teachers is central to learning at school, yet students' competence is often understood as the outcome of instructional talk rather than essential to successful participation in instructional talk. Curriculum frameworks used to attribute students with levels of competence reflect these understandings. This article employs Conversation Analysis to consider student—teacher interaction during an independent writing lesson. Discussion of their interaction establishes the link between the student's taken-for-granted knowledge of teacher talk and the teacher's instruction. The finding suggests the importance of locating students' competence within the context of instructional talk between teachers and students.
Brain damage due to episodic alcohol exposure in vivo and in vitro: furosemide neuroprotection implicates edema‐based mechanism

Adult rats intubated with a single dose of ethanol (alcohol; ∼5 g/kg) for 5 to 10 successive days incur neurodegeneration in the entorhinal cortex, dentate gyrus, and olfactory bulbs accompanied by cerebrocortical edema and electrolyte (Na+, K+) accumulation. The brain damage is not lessened by cotreatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK‐801; also, as reported elsewhere, MK‐801 as well as non‐NMDA receptor and Ca2+ channel antagonists are not neuroprotective in a similar, but more compressed, intoxication protocol. However, cotreatment with the electrolyte transport inhibitor/diuretic furosemide reduces alcohol‐dependent cerebrocortical damage by 75–85% while preventing brain hydration and electrolyte elevations; olfactory bulb neurodegeneration is not attenuated. In parallel in vitro studies, rat organotypic entorhinal/hippocampal slice cultures exposed to alcohol (50–200 mM) 15 h/day for 6 days, mirroring episodic intoxication in vivo, demonstrate concentration‐related release of the cytotoxic indicator, lactate dehydrogenase. Analogous to the in vivo findings, furosemide blocks this alcohol‐induced in vitro cytotoxicity. Our results showing neuroprotection by furosemide indicate that brain edema and swelling are essential events in the brain damage induced by episodic alcohol exposure. Furosemide and related agents might be useful as neuroprotective agents in alcohol abuse. We suggest that the neurodegeneration is elicited in part by edema‐dependent oxidative stress, but the regional selectivity of the damage may be best explained by physical (mechanical) compression of the limbic cortex against the adjacent tympanic bulla and subsequent neuronal cytoskeletal collapse. A scheme for these apparently nonexcitotoxic metabolic and mechanical pathways initiated by repeated alcohol exposure is proposed. —Collins, M. A. , Zou, J.‐Y. , Neafsey, E. J. Brain damage due to episodic alcohol exposure in vivo and in vitro: furosemide neuroprotection implicates edema‐based mechanism. FASEB J. 12, 221–230 (1998)
Estimates of genetic parameters for pre-weaning and post-weaning growth traits of Chios lambs.

Data on 792 Chios lambs born during the 1972/73 and 1973/74 lambing seasons were used to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters for birth weight, weaning weight, age at weaning, pre-weaning daily gain, body weight at 5, 10, 15 and 20 weeks of age, and postweaning daily gain. Body weight at 15 weeks of age had the highest heritability estimate (0·73 ± 0·17) and that of post-weaning daily gain was also high (0·56 ± 0·15). Selection for either weight at 15 weeks or post-weaning daily gain would be expected to yield a greater response than selection for pre-weaning daily gain or weaning weight. Genetic correlations among weights and/or gains were positive (approximately 0·20). Phenotypic correlations among weights and gains were generally higher than genetic correlations. However, the correlation between pre— and post-weaning daily gain was small (0·08). Likewise, post-weaning daily gain had low correlations with all weights before 10 weeks. Age at weaning had moderate negative associations with all weights but a very low positive correlation with post-weaning daily gain.
Strategy for the Biological and Chemical Evaluation of Plant Extracts

When investigating large numbers of plants, it is important to have the means available to perform a dereplication of the samples in order to provide a means of selecting species for study. This can be achieved by combining simple biological assays with hyphenated HPLC analyses, such as LC/UV, LC/MS and LC/NMR. Once a candidate plant has been chosen, a suitable isolation procedure can be employed for the isolation of the active principles. Plants are a valuable source of new natural products. Despite the availability of different approaches for the discovery of therapeutical s, natural products still remain as one of the best reservoirs of new structural types. Figures show that about 25% of all prescriptions sold in the United States are for natural products, while another 25% are for structural modifications of a natural product (ref. 1). Furthermore, Farnsworth (ref. 1) claims that 119 characterized drugs are still obtained commercially from higher plants and that 74% were found from ethnobotanical information. Of the several hundred thousand plant species around the globe, only a small proportion has been investigated both phytochemically and pharmacologically. When one considers that a single plant may contain up to thousands of constituents, the possibilities of making new discoveries become evident. The crucial factor for the ultimate success of an investigation into bioactive plant constituents is thus the selection of plant material (ref. 2). In view of the large number of plant species potentially available for study, it is essential to have efficient systems available for the rapid chemical and biological screening of the plant extracts selected for investigation.
REST Regulates Oncogenic Properties of Glioblastoma Stem Cells

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors are the most common malignant primary brain tumors in adults. Although many GBM tumors are believed to be caused by self‐renewing, glioblastoma‐derived stem‐like cells (GSCs), the mechanisms that regulate self‐renewal and other oncogenic properties of GSCs are only now being unraveled. Here we showed that GSCs derived from GBM patient specimens express varying levels of the transcriptional repressor repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor (REST), suggesting heterogeneity across different GSC lines. Loss‐ and gain‐of‐function experiments indicated that REST maintains self‐renewal of GSCs. High REST‐expressing GSCs (HR‐GSCs) produced tumors histopathologically distinct from those generated by low REST‐expressing GSCs (LR‐GSCs) in orthotopic mouse brain tumor models. Knockdown of REST in HR‐GSCs resulted in increased survival in GSC‐transplanted mice and produced tumors with higher apoptotic and lower invasive properties. Conversely, forced expression of exogenous REST in LR‐GSCs produced decreased survival in mice and produced tumors with lower apoptotic and higher invasive properties, similar to HR‐GSCs. Thus, based on our results, we propose that a novel function of REST is to maintain self‐renewal and other oncogenic properties of GSCs and that REST can play a major role in mediating tumorigenicity in GBM. STEM CELLS 2012;30:405–414
On the exponent of finite-dimensional Hopf algebras

One of the classical notions of group theory is the notion of the exponent of a group. The exponent of a group is the least common multiple of orders of its elements. In this paper we generalize the notion of exponent to Hopf algebras. We give five equivalent definitions of the exponent. Two of them are: 1) the exponent of H equals the order of the Drinfeld element u of the quantum double D(H); 2) the exponent of H is the order of the squared brading acting in the tensor square of the regular representation of D(H). We show that the exponent is invariant under twisting. We prove that for semisimple and cosemisimple Hopf algebras H, the exponent is finite and divides dim(H)^3. For triangular Hopf algebras in characteristic zero, we show that the exponent divides dim(H). We conjecture that if H is semisimple and cosemisimple then the exponent always divides dim(H). At the end we formulate some open questions, in particular suggest a formulation for a possible Hopf algebraic analogue of Sylow's theorem.
Reflections on “A Review of Trends in Serious Gaming”

This article briefly summarizes findings from a review of 95 empirical studies of games used in instruction. The article suggests that such efforts are best assessed as transfer from game play to performance on external tasks that are targeted by the instruction. Review findings suggest that such transfer may be expected only if the cognitive processes engaged by games and external tasks overlap. Integrating games into a course of study is likely to facilitate such transfer. Research on improvement in cognitive processes as a result of playing “first-person shooter” games is briefly overviewed, and suggestions for similar research not using aggressive content are made. Minimal overlap between this and another research review of the effects of games used in instruction is discussed, and the need for generally accepted definitions and a taxonomy of games is noted.
Activity Tracking for Pilot Error Detection from Flight Data

This report presents an application of activity tracking for pilot error detection from flight data, and describes issues surrounding such an application. It first describes the Crew Activity Tracking System (CATS), in-flight data collected from the NASA Langley Boeing 757 Airborne Research Integrated Experiment System aircraft, and a model of B757 flight crew activities. It then presents an example of CATS detecting actual in-flight crew errors.
Keepin’ This Little Town Going

Past studies have shown that women’s volunteer work benefits communities but that women themselves tend to minimize their efforts. Most of these studies, however, have been limited to women volunteering in suburban and urban contexts. Drawing on a study of women volunteers in rural Iowa, the authors find that women frame their volunteer experiences in three ways: (1) as an expression of their maternal nature, (2) as a way to socialize, and (3) as a contribution to the local economy. The authors’ findings depart from past research in that the women in their sample do not downplay the importance of their volunteer work; rather, they recognize the importance of their unpaid labor for the social and economic vitality of the community. The authors argue this recognition stems from the particular context in which their volunteerism takes place, namely, in a devastated rural economy in which future economic potential rests on women’s hospitality work.
µ‐Opioid receptor activation in live cells

Interaction of the µ‐opioid receptor (MOP) with selected ligands was investigated in live cells using advanced imaging by confocal laser scanning microscopy integrated with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and fluorescence cross‐correlation spectroscopy. In PC12 cells stably transformed to express the fluorescently labeled MOP‐enhanced green fluorescent protein construct, two pools of MOP were identified that could be discriminated by differences in their lateral mobility in the cell membrane. The majority of MOP receptors (80±10%) were characterized by a diffusion coefficient DMOP 1 = (4±2) × 10−11 m2 s−1, compared with the slowly moving fraction, DMOP, 2 = (4±2) × 10−12 m2 s−1. On stimulation with selected agonists ([D‐Ala2, N‐MePhe4,Gly‐ol5]enkephalin, enkephalin‐heptapeptide Tyr‐Gly‐Gly‐Phe‐Met‐Arg‐Phe, morphine, and methadone), surface density of the MOP decreased, whereas the lateral mobility increased. In contrast, antagonists (naloxone and naltrexone) “froze” the receptor in the membrane, i.e., increased MOP surface density and decreased lateral mobility. Agonist activation was also accompanied by pronounced changes in the dynamics of plasma membrane lipids, as revealed by the general lipid marker 1,1′‐dioctadecyl‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethylindo‐carbocyanine perchlorate dye. The results provide new information about MOP activation in live cells at the molecular level, with a special focus on the dynamics of the intricate interplay between this receptor and the surrounding lipids. —Vukojević, V. , Ming, Y. , D'Addario, C. , Hansen, M. , Langel, Ü, Schulz, R. , Johansson, B. , Rigler, R. , Terenius, L. μ‐Opioid receptor activation in live cells. FASEB J. 22, 3537–3548 (2008)
A histological and functional study on hippocampal formation of normal and diabetic rats

Background: The hippocampus is a key brain area for many forms of learning and memory and is particularly sensitive to changes in glucose homeostasis. Aim of the work: To investigate in experimentally induced type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus in rat model the effect of diabetes mellitus on cognitive functions and related markers of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and the possible impact of blocking N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors by memantine. Materials and methods: Seven rat groups were included: non-diabetic control and non-diabetic receiving memantine; type-1 diabetic groups - untreated, treated with insulin alone and treated with insulin and memantine; and type 2 diabetic groups - untreated and memantine treated. Cognitive functions were assessed by the Morris Water Maze and passive avoidance test. Biochemical analysis was done for serum glucose, serum insulin and insulin resistance. Routine histological examination was done, together with immunohistochemistry for detection of the hippocampal learning and memory plasticity marker, namely activity regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc), and the astrocytes reactivity marker, namely glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Results: Both type 1 and 2 untreated diabetic groups showed significantly impaired cognitive performance compared to the non-diabetic group. Treating the type 1 diabetic group with insulin alone significantly improved cognitive performance, but significantly decreased GFAP and Arc compared to the untreated type 1 group. In addition, the type 2 diabetic groups showed a significant decrease in hippocampus GFAP and Arc compared to the non-diabetic groups. Blocking NMDA receptors by memantine significantly increased cognitive performance, GFAP and Arc in the type 1 insulin-memantine group compared to the type 1-insulin group and significantly increased Arc in the type 2-memantine group compared to the untreated type 2 diabetic group. The non-diabetic group receiving memantine was, however, significantly adversely affected. Conclusion: Cognitive functions are impaired in both types of diabetes mellitus and can be improved by blockage of NMDA receptors which may spark a future therapeutic role for these receptors in diabetes-associated cognitive dysfunction.