Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
2010 Outstanding AFCPE® Conference Paper: Gender Differences in Financial Socialization and Willingness to Take Financial Risks

Social learning and gender role theories were used as a basis for exploring gender differences in financial socialization as they relate to financial risk-taking. A stratified random sampling technique was used to conduct a web-based survey of 15,797 students from 15 universities across the United States. A significant gender difference in willingness to take financial risks exists among college students, with males being more likely than females to choose higher levels of financial risk. In addition, a significant gender difference in financial social learning opportunities is present, with females having higher exposure to financial social learning opportunities across four dimensions (discussions with parents, discussions with peers, observations of parents’ financial behaviors, and observations of peers’ financial behaviors). Significant differences are also found for the relationship of social learning opportunities on willingness to take risks by gender, but only at the discussion levels of financial socialization. Understanding the relationships between gender, financial socialization, and willingness to take financial risks can help improve the efforts of parents, practitioners, and researchers.
On the Epistemological Justification of Pluralism and Tolerance.

There is no lack of praise for pluralism and tolerance. l That a society is pluralistic in character and that its laws secure the rights of minorities is usually recognized as a sign of maturity and civilization. In individuals, tolerance is seen as a virtue and a sign of education. In general, tolerance and pluralism are seen as steps towards a more humane world. However justified the praise might be, praise alone is not sufficient. Some groups implicitly or explicitly fight tolerance. The extreme right in Western Europe is a case at hand. It justifies its intolerance towards the political left, towards immigrants, and often also towards those who do not live according to the traditional western values, by referring to a supposedly high-spirited goal: safeguarding the western culture. A different, and less easily dismissed, threat towards tolerance derives from the confrontation of the western culture with other cultures. The deco~onization period (and the fight against neo-colonialism) extended, at a factual level, pluralism and tolerance towards other cultures the intra-cultural was upgraded to something inter-cultural; 'primitive' cultures were upgraded to 'other' cultures. But some forms of pluralism and tolerance, considered as common attainments in the west, do not agree with some of these other cultures. Do tolerance and pluralism compel us to respect the relevant cultural traits, or do they require us to fight them? Remark that the problem does not only pertain to cultures in
Parents Support, Teachers Support, and Intelligence as Predictors of Mathematics Learning Achievement in Class XI of Yogyakarta Senior High Schools

This study aims to analyze and assess the achievement of learning mathematics in terms of high school students based on parental support, teacher support, and intelligence. This study was conducted with a quantitative approach using regression analysis in senior high schools in Yogyakarta. Measurement of mathematics learning achievement was generated from test scores obtained in the final test of Semester II Academic Year of 2013/2014 compiled by teachers. Parental support and teacher support variables were measured using a modified scale. This study was conducted with 145 subjects consisting students from four high schools in Yogyakarta. Schools were selected with a purposive sampling technique with consideration that the school has A-rank in accreditation. Based on the results of data analysis, it is concluded that parental support, teacher support, and intelligence can predict mathematics learning achievement simultanously . In male students, parental support, teacher support, and intelligence can not predict mathematics learning achievement, while in female students, these variable do. The study also reveals that teachers support and intelligence are significantly correlated with mathematics learning achievement, whereas parental support is not. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016. v7n1p427
Fuzzy statistical modeling of dynamic backgrounds for moving object detection in infrared videos

Mixture of Gaussians (MOG) is the most popular technique for background modeling and presents some limitations when dynamic changes occur in the scene like camera jitter and movement in the background. Furthermore, the MOG is initialized using a training sequence which may be noisy and/or insufficient to model correctly the background. All these critical situations generate false classification in the foreground detection mask due to the related uncertainty. In this context, we present a background modeling algorithm based on Type-2 Fuzzy Mixture of Gaussians which is particularly suitable for infrared videos. The use of the Type-2 Fuzzy Set Theory allows to take into account the uncertainty. The results using the OTCBVS benchmark/test dataset videos show the robustness of the proposed method in presence of dynamic backgrounds.
The “Spite” Dilemma in Voluntary Contribution Mechanism Experiments

This article explains deviations from formal expectations regarding choice behavior in settings where economic rationality (i.e., own payoff maximization) dictates either cooperating (full contribution) or free riding (no contribution) in the provision of public goods via the voluntary contribution mechanism. The authors find that the difference between full contribution and the observed level of contribution is greater than or equal to the corresponding difference when free riding is the best strategy. This surprising result is interpreted as the “spiteful” behavior of subjects whose first priority is not the total amount of payoff they receive but the ranking among them.
Kinesin-2 KIF3AB Exhibits Novel ATPase Characteristics*

Background: KIF3AB is a heterotrimeric plus-end-directed kinesin-2 motor, implicated in intraflagellar transport. Results: KIF3AB shows rate-limiting ADP release upon microtubule collision and an unusual apparent weak ATP affinity observed at microtubule·KIF3AB dissociation. Conclusion: The presteady-state kinetics suggest a novel ATPase mechanism for KIF3AB stepping. Significance: The KIF3AB kinetics reveal the mechanistic diversity that kinesin motors exhibit for cargo transport. KIF3AB is an N-terminal processive kinesin-2 family member best known for its role in intraflagellar transport. There has been significant interest in KIF3AB in defining the key principles that underlie the processivity of KIF3AB in comparison with homodimeric processive kinesins. To define the ATPase mechanism and coordination of KIF3A and KIF3B stepping, a presteady-state kinetic analysis was pursued. For these studies, a truncated murine KIF3AB was generated. The results presented show that microtubule association was fast at 5.7 μm−1 s−1, followed by rate-limiting ADP release at 12.8 s−1. ATP binding at 7.5 μm−1 s−1 was followed by an ATP-promoted isomerization at 84 s−1 to form the intermediate poised for ATP hydrolysis, which then occurred at 33 s−1. ATP hydrolysis was required for dissociation of the microtubule·KIF3AB complex, which was observed at 22 s−1. The dissociation step showed an apparent affinity for ATP that was very weak (K½,ATP at 133 μm). Moreover, the linear fit of the initial ATP concentration dependence of the dissociation kinetics revealed an apparent second-order rate constant at 0.09 μm−1 s−1, which is inconsistent with fast ATP binding at 7.5 μm−1 s−1 and a Kd,ATP at 6.1 μm. These results suggest that ATP binding per se cannot account for the apparent weak K½,ATP at 133 μm. The steady-state ATPase Km,ATP, as well as the dissociation kinetics, reveal an unusual property of KIF3AB that is not yet well understood and also suggests that the mechanochemistry of KIF3AB is tuned somewhat differently from homodimeric processive kinesins.
Concept of a Series-Parallel Elastic Actuator for a Powered Transtibial Prosthesis

The majority of the commercial transtibial prostheses are purely passive devices. They store energy in an elastic element during the beginning of a step and release it at the end. A 75 kg human, however, produces on average 26 J of energy during one stride at the ankle joint when walking at normal cadence and stores/releases 9 J of energy, contributing to energy efficient locomotion. According to Winter, a subject produces on average of 250 W peak power at a maximum joint torque of 125 Nm. As a result, powering a prosthesis with traditional servomotors leads to excessive motors and gearboxes at the outer extremities of the legs. Therefore, research prototypes use series elastic actuation (SEA) concepts to reduce the power requirements of the motor. In the paper, it will be shown that SEAs are able to reduce the power of the electric motor, but not the torque. To further decrease the motor size, a novel human-centered actuator concept is developed, which is inspired by the variable recruitment of muscle fibers of a human muscle. We call this concept series-parallel elastic actuation (SPEA), and the actuator consists of multiple parallel springs, each connected to an intermittent mechanism with internal locking and a single motor. As a result, the motor torque requirements can be lowered and the efficiency drastically increased. In the paper, the novel actuation concept is explained, and a comparative study between a stiff motor, an SEA and an SPEA, which all aim at mimicking human ankle behavior, is performed.
Educating for Competence in Community and Culture

There are too few positive images of African-American teachers in the education literature. In this article, the author reports the results of two ethnographic studies of 18 exemplary African-American teachers. Using the teachers' words, their backgrounds, educational philosophies, and the relationship between the two are described. The author emphasizes the differences that teachers' backgrounds make in their conceptions of the purpose and function of schooling and its relationship to education. She also argues that their knowledge of their community's norms and of the position of that community within the larger society explains their success with students.
The Encouragement of Early Algebra by Parents and Peers: A Critical Examination of Differential Effects on Mathematics Achievement

This study examined effects of peer and parent encouragement/discouragement to take algebra on mathematics achievement. The differential effects of racial groups and peer and parent effects on achievement were also investigated. Parents’ expectations and involvement have shown significant effects on student achievement; however, research examining the effects of peer interactions is limited. Results showed a significant effect of peer encouragement and parent encouragement on mathematics achievement. The interaction effects of race and peer/parental encouragement were significant. This research extends the body of work on peer influences to consider its impacts on mathematics achievement and how it affects racial groups differently. Algebra is perceived by many educators to be a “gateway course”. Many state graduation requirements include at lease one year of algebra; additionally, algebra is a prerequisite for higher-level mathematics courses. In a study of the long-term effects of studying algebra in eighth grade using NELS:88, Atnada (1999) found eighth-graders studying algebra were more likely to take high-level high school mathematics courses and apply to college than eighth grade students who did not take algebra. Controlling for socioeconomic background, Smith (1996) found students studying algebra earlier had more exposure to advanced mathematics curricula and showed higher mathematics achievement by the end of high school. Based on these findings, it is important for students to study algebra prior to high school. Spielhagen (2006) supported these findings with a study of a school district in the southeast where students enrolled in algebra prior to high school showed higher mathematics scores and more advanced course taking in high school. However this study went further, examining how students gained access to algebra in the eighth grade. Although the school system had a placement policy for eighth grade algebra based on prior mathematics performance and standardized test scores, some students (mostly in the high SES schools) gained access through parent or teacher “override” of the placement policy. Teachers reported students who were placed in the class by parent or teacher override still succeeded in algebra. Spielhagen‟s findings call into question the role of social factors in determining students‟ enrollment in eighth grade algebra and the effects of encouragement on the study of algebra prior to high school. The present study examines the effects of peer and parent encouragement to take algebra, socioeconomic level, race, and sex on high school mathematics achievement.
SoftFlow: A Middlebox Architecture for Open vSwitch

Open vSwitch is a high-performance multi-layer virtual switch that serves as a flexible foundation for building virtualized, stateless Layer 2 and 3 network services in multitenant datacenters. As workloads become more sophisticated, providing tenants with virtualized middlebox services is an increasingly important and recurring theme, yet it remains difficult to integrate these stateful services efficiently into Open vSwitch and its OpenFlow forwarding model: middleboxes perform complex operations that depend on internal state and inspection of packet payloads - functionality which is impossible to express in OpenFlow. In this paper, we present SoftFlow, an extension of Open vSwitch that seamlessly integrates middlebox functionality while maintaining the familiar OpenFlow forwarding model and performing significantly better than alternative techniques for middlebox integration.
'The air is hostile...': Learning from an African International Postgraduate Student's Stories of Fear and Isolation within a South African University Campus

In this article, we – a research team of academic staff and postgraduate students – take a narrative inquiry stance to explore what we can learn from one African international postgraduate student‟s stories of experience on a South African university campus. We use the medium of narrative vignettes – brief evocative scenes or accounts – to re-present data generated through unstructured interviews and collage-making. Framed through a multiperspectival theoretical lens, the vignettes reveal how the student‟s everyday life on campus is constrained by fear of xenophobic harassment and violence. We argue that the setting or backdrop for his learning can therefore be understood as pedagogically unsound, even when effective teaching and learning activities might be seen to be taking place in designated spaces. To conclude, we consider possibilities for cultivating pedagogic settings that are beneficial and safe for all those who learn, teach and live within them.
Erianin induces apoptosis in human leukemia HL-60 cells.

AIM To investigate the effect of erianin on human HL-60 cell line and explore its mechanism of apoptosis in vitro. METHODS Inhibition of proliferation was measured with colorimetric MTT assay. The morphologic changes were observed by fluorescence and electron microscopes. DNA fragmentation was visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis, and the DNA degradation was determined by flow cytometry. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to identify the expression of bcl-2 and bax genes. RESULTS The growth of human HL-60 cells was significantly inhibited by erianin 20-81.9 nmol/L during 72 h treatment (P < 0.01). The IC50 value was 38 nmol/L after a 24-h exposure to erianin, while that of vincristine, the positive control, was 101 nmol/L. The typical morphologic changes were observed and the nuclear DNA fragmentation exhibited "ladder" pattern. The cell cycle of HL-60 cells was arrested in G2/M phase, and expression of bcl-2 gene was decreased while that of bax was increased. CONCLUSION Erianin showed potent inhibitory activity on the proliferation of HL-60 cells. The inhibition might be relative to the apoptosis induced by erianin and the altered expression of bcl-2 and bax genes in HL-60 cells.
Neurochemical Changes in the Mouse Hippocampus Underlying the Antidepressant Effect of Genetic Deletion of P2X7 Receptors

Recent investigations have revealed that the genetic deletion of P2X7 receptors (P2rx7) results in an antidepressant phenotype in mice. However, the link between the deficiency of P2rx7 and changes in behavior has not yet been explored. In the present study, we studied the effect of genetic deletion of P2rx7 on neurochemical changes in the hippocampus that might underlie the antidepressant phenotype. P2X7 receptor deficient mice (P2rx7−/−) displayed decreased immobility in the tail suspension test (TST) and an attenuated anhedonia response in the sucrose preference test (SPT) following bacterial endotoxin (LPS) challenge. The attenuated anhedonia was reproduced through systemic treatments with P2rx7 antagonists. The activation of P2rx7 resulted in the concentration-dependent release of [3H]glutamate in P2rx7+/+ but not P2rx7−/− mice, and the NR2B subunit mRNA and protein was upregulated in the hippocampus of P2rx7−/− mice. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression was higher in saline but not LPS-treated P2rx7−/− mice; the P2rx7 antagonist Brilliant blue G elevated and the P2rx7 agonist benzoylbenzoyl ATP (BzATP) reduced BDNF level. This effect was dependent on the activation of NMDA and non-NMDA receptors but not on Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1,5). An increased 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation was also observed in the dentate gyrus derived from P2rx7−/− mice. Basal level of 5-HT was increased, whereas the 5HIAA/5-HT ratio was lower in the hippocampus of P2rx7−/− mice, which accompanied the increased uptake of [3H]5-HT and an elevated number of [3H]citalopram binding sites. The LPS-induced elevation of 5-HT level was absent in P2rx7−/− mice. In conclusion there are several potential mechanisms for the antidepressant phenotype of P2rx7−/− mice, such as the absence of P2rx7-mediated glutamate release, elevated basal BDNF production, enhanced neurogenesis and increased 5-HT bioavailability in the hippocampus.
Objective correlates of an unusual subjective experience: A single-case study of number–form synaesthesia

There is a universal and often unconscious tendency to mentally associate the number sequence with a spatial continuum (the mental number line). Here we study one individual who reports a strong and vivid sense of space when processing numbers. For him, the number sequence has a precise spatial form: a curvilinear right-to-left oriented line. We used various tasks to demonstrate that this numerical–spatial association is not a mere figment of his imagination, but a constrained experiential phenomenon consistent across sessions and automatically triggered by the visual presentation of numbers. We also show that this idiosyncratic representation can coexist with another implicit association, the SNARC effect (Spatial–Numerical Association of Response Codes, where small numbers are associated with the left side of space). This effect is present in individuals without explicit number forms and is not affected in the present subject in spite of his reversed subjective representation.
Neurofeedback Tunes Long-Range Temporal Correlations in Spontaneous Brain Activity

The amplitude dynamics of neuronal oscillations, namely their scale-free, long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs), are considered supporting evidence for criticality in the brain, a balanced state between order and disorder theoretically optimal for information processing. This idea is compatible with observations of abnormally random (decreased LRTCs) or self-sustained (increased LRTCs) oscillation amplitudes in a variety of brain disorders. Oscillation amplitude may be volitionally controlled with the aid of an electroencephalogram (EEG) brain-computer interface, utilizing a closed neurofeedback (NFB) loop. However, despite emerging clinical applications, the nature of NFB's impact on brain function remains controversial and poorly understood. Here, we directly examined lasting changes in spontaneous LRTCs after a single NFB training session, consisting of a tonic suppression of alpha oscillation amplitude for 30 minutes. By applying detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), we detected a post-NFB enhancement of spontaneous alpha-amplitude LRTCs in a group of healthy young adults, between real versus sham conditions. In a second experiment, we examined psychiatric patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for an equivalent mechanism, replicating a comparable boost of alpha-amplitude LRTCs, which correlated with significant reductions in hyperarousal. Interestingly, neurofeedback rescued LRTCs in regions that were abnormally low in value (i.e., increased randomness) compared to a healthy control sample. Lastly, we identified an inverse-U relationship between strength of LRTC and alpha amplitude, suggesting a gradual breakdown of long-range dependence at high/low synchronization extremes, in line with computational work. By uncovering a novel mechanism of action, our findings offer a broader framework for framework for motivating research and clinical applications of neurofeedback.
Competing Paradigms? The Use of DNA Powers in Youth Justice

DNA is an important tool for criminal investigations and prosecutions. There has been considerable comment on its collection and retention from adult suspects and convicted persons, but little analysis of the particular situation of young people in the youth justice system. This article considers the competing paradigms at play when young persons’ DNA is collected and stored. The tensions between expanded DNA powers and norms of youth justice such as reintegration and best interests are considered as well as the implications for young persons’ rights.
Immunohistochemical study of estrogen receptor‐related antigen, progesterone, and estrogen receptors in human intracranial meningiomas

Background. The estrogen receptor‐related antigen (ER‐D5) is a serine phosphoprotein associated with the estrogen receptor that is present only in estrogen receptor‐ (ER) positive tissues and has no relation with progesterone receptor (PR). This study was performed to evaluate whether immunostaining of these proteins correlated with the proliferative potential of meningiomas as evaluated by clinicopathologic features.
A Note on the Fast BRAIN Learning Algorithm

In this paper, an underlying problem on the fast BRAIN learning algorithm is pointed out, which is avoided by introducing the quantity count (middot, middot). In addition, its speed advantage can still be enjoyed only at a cost of a little additional space. The improved fast BRAIN learning algorithm is also given, and the experiments on NN269 dataset validate our analysis.