Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Simple View of Reading Redux

This study investigated the hypothesis that the contributions of oral language comprehension (C) and word recognition (D) to reading comprehension (R) in the simple view of reading (SVR) are not independent because a component of C (vocabulary knowledge) directly contributes to the variance in D. Three analysis procedures (hierarchical regression analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling) were used to analyze data obtained from a sample (N = 122) of 7-year-old students who were administered tests of vocabulary knowledge, nonword reading, word recognition (two standardized tests), and parallel forms of listening and reading comprehension. Results from the regression analysis indicated that vocabulary made a contribution to R beyond that made by word recognition and listening comprehension; results from the exploratory factor analysis showed that two factors (Decoding and Linguistic Comprehension) were extracted, with vocabulary and listening comprehension loading highly on the Linguistic Comprehension factor; and results from structural equation modeling revealed that the latent construct, C, influenced R not only directly but also indirectly through the latent construct, D.
Wisdom as Expert Knowledge System: A Critical Review of a Contemporary Operationalization of an Ancient Concept

Paul B. Baltes and his colleagues, who are among the most prominent contemporary wisdom researchers, define wisdom as ‘expert knowledge in the domain fundamental pragmatics of life. ’ By contrast, this article argues that the definition, operationalization, and measurement of wisdom should not be reduced to expertise and that the term wisdom should be reserved for wise persons rather than expert knowledge. In fact, evidence from their research confirms that Baltes et al. primarily assess expert or intellectual knowledge in the wisdom domain ‘fundamental pragmatics of life’ rather than how wise people are. As an alternative, a model of wisdom is presented that defines, operationalizes, and measures wisdom as an integration of cognitive, reflective, and affective personality characteristics.
The strategic issues of journalistic lexicon when reporting on victims of the Colombia armed conflict

Based on previous research which demonstrated that media plays a role in war as well as in peace-building, and that words used by journalists and their sources are directly linked to the interests they defend, this study seeks to examine the tension between professional journalists' guidelines and the discursive strategies of (armed) sources. For this purpose, qualitative observations were required to determine the subtle ways in which news reports are biased. More specifically, this paper analyzes the strategic issues associated with the ways in which journalists label the combatants and politicians being deprived of their freedom by guerillas, which demonstrate a detached discursive positioning [1] that can itself become an instrument of war. [1] The notion of ‘discursive positioning’ refers to the way in which journalists report news in relation to the version provided by sources and the linguistic tools reporters use in news to indicate whether or not they adhere to the sources’ version of events. These tools include for instance the reported speech of sources and mentioning different and opposing sources.
Effects of Glucose Availability on Expression of the Key Genes Involved in Synthesis of Milk Fat, Lactose and Glucose Metabolism in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells

As the main precursor for lactose synthesis, large amounts of glucose are required by lactating dairy cows. Milk yield greatly depends on mammary lactose synthesis due to its osmoregulatory property for mammary uptake of water. Thus, glucose availability to the mammary gland could be a potential regulator of milk production. In the present study, the effect of glucose availability on expression of the key genes involved in synthesis of milk fat, lactose and glucose metabolism in vitro was investigated. Bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) were treated for 12 h with various concentrations of glucose (2.5, 5, 10 or 20 mmol/L). The higher concentrations of glucose (10–20 mmol/L) did not affect the mRNA expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, diacyl glycerol acyl transferase, glycerol-3 phosphate acyl transferase and α-lactalbumin, whereas fatty acid synthase, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 and beta-1, 4-galactosyl transferase mRNA expression increased at 10 mmol/L and then decreased at 20 mmol/L. The content of lactose synthase increased with increasing concentration of glucose, with addition of highest value at 20 mmol/L of glucose. Moreover, the increased glucose concentration stimulated the activities of pyruvate kinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and elevated the energy status of the BMEC. Therefore, it was deduced that after increasing glucose availability, the extra absorbed glucose was partitioned to entering the synthesis of milk fat and lactose by the regulation of the mRNA expression of key genes, promoting glucose metabolism by glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway as well as energy status. These results indicated that the sufficient availability of glucose in BMEC may promote glucose metabolism, and affect the synthesis of milk composition.
The Existence of Inner Cool Disks in the Low/Hard State of Accreting Black Holes

The condensation of matter from a corona to a cool, optically thick inner disk is investigated for black hole X-ray transient systems in the low/hard state. A description of a simple model for the exchange of energy and mass between corona and disk originating from thermal conduction is presented, taking into account the effect of Compton cooling of the corona by photons from the underlying disk. It is found that a weak, condensation-fed inner disk can be present in the low/hard state of black hole transient systems for a range of luminosities that depends on the magnitude of the viscosity parameter. For α ~ 0.1-0.4, an inner disk can exist for luminosities in the range ~(0.001-0.02)LEdd. The model is applied to the X-ray observations of the black hole candidate sources GX 339-4 and SWIFT J1753.5-0127 in their low/hard state. It is found that Compton cooling is important in the condensation process, leading to the maintenance of cool inner disks in both systems. As the results of the evaporation/condensation model are independent of the black hole mass, it is suggested that such inner cool disks may contribute to the optical and ultraviolet emission of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei.
Atypical Cadherins Celsr1-3 Differentially Regulate Migration of Facial Branchiomotor Neurons in Mice

During hindbrain development, facial branchiomotor neurons (FBM neurons) migrate from medial rhombomere (r) 4 to lateral r6. In zebrafish, mutations in planar cell polarity genes celsr2 and frizzled3a block caudal migration of FBM neurons. Here, we investigated the role of cadherins Celsr1-3, and Fzd3 in FBM neuron migration in mice. In Celsr1 mutants (knock-out and Crash alleles), caudal migration was compromised and neurons often migrated rostrally into r2 and r3, as well as laterally. These phenotypes were not caused by defects in hindbrain patterning or neuronal specification. Celsr1 is expressed in FBM neuron precursors and the floor plate, but not in FBM neurons. Consistent with this, conditional inactivation showed that the function of Celsr1 in FBM neuron migration was non-cell autonomous. In Celsr2 mutants, FBM neurons initiated caudal migration but moved prematurely into lateral r4 and r5. This phenotype was enhanced by inactivation of Celsr3 in FBM neurons and mimicked by inactivation of Fzd3. Furthermore, Celsr2 was epistatic to Celsr1. These data indicate that Celsr1-3 differentially regulate FBM neuron migration. Celsr1 helps to specify the direction of FBM neuron migration, whereas Celsr2 and 3 control its ability to migrate.
Brain derived neurotrophic factor inhibits apoptosis in enteric glia during gut inflammation

Summary Background Enteric glia cells (EGCs) are essential for the integrity of the bowel. A loss of EGCs leads to a severe inflammation of the intestines. As a diminished EGC network is postulated in Crohn’s disease (CD), we aimed to investigate if EGCs could be a target of apoptosis during inflammation in CD, which can be influenced by Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Material/Methods GFAP, BDNF and cCaspase-3 were detected in the gut of patients with CD. Primary EGC cultures were established and cultivated. Tyrosine receptor kinase (TrkB) receptors on these cells were investigated by western blot and immunofluorescence. Rate of apoptosis was induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interferon (IFN-γ). Apoptosis was determined by a fluorometric caspase 3/7 activation assay after preincubation of these cells with BDNF or neutralizing anti-BDNF antibodies. Results Mucosal GFAP-positive EGCs undergo apoptosis revealed by cCaspase-3 in the gut of patients with CD expressing BDNF highly. The combination of TNF-α and IFN-γ was able to induce apoptosis in primary EGCs, whereas these factors alone did not. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) attenuate glia cell apoptosis to a small extent, but neutralizing antibodies against BDNF dramatically increased apoptosis. Conclusions Mucosal EGC apoptosis is an important finding in the gut of patients with CD. Proinflammatory cytokines, which are highly increased in CD, induce EGC apoptosis, whereas the neurotrophin BDNF might be protective for EGC. Since EGCs are implicated in the maintenance of the enteric mucosal integrity, EGC apoptosis may contribute to the pathophysiological changes in CD.
Crowdsourcing Critical Discourse Analysis: Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk to Explore Readers' Uptake of Comments about Language on RateMyProfessors.com

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) studies how social dominance and power are discursively enacted through, for example, discourse’s influence on attitudes, beliefs, and ideologies. Yet, various critics have charged that CDA’s generalizations, drawn from textual analysis, conflate analysts’ own interpretations with those of ‘typical’ readers. We examine one example of this: Subtirelu’s (2015) study of comments about instructors’ language and ethnicity on RateMyProfessors.com. We use Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk to test Subtirelu’s claim that ostensibly neutral or positive comments about language are taken up negatively by readers. Our experiments find that comments in which instructors’ accents are mentioned but not disparaged (e.g., ‘She has an accent, but…’) lead readers to be slightly less willing to take a course from the instructor than when information about the instructor’s accent is withheld. We also present a post hoc analysis designed to examine whether other textual features might explain the differing reactions to this information about accent which we observed. We hope the study will serve as an example of the type of work that can be done in CDA not only to address methodological criticisms but also to lead to more nuanced theory about the effects of discourse on audiences.
An Examination of Consumer–Company Identification as a Key Predictor of Consumer Responses in Corporate Crisis

Through an experiment, this study examined how varying degrees of consumer–company identification, crisis severity and different crisis response messages (i.e., two-sided vs. one-sided) affected consumers’ responses to corporate crisis and the crisis-affected company. Results suggested that two-sided response messages were more effective in reducing the attribution of crisis responsibility than one-sided positive response messages for weak identifiers, while one-sided positive response messages were more effective than two-sided response messages for strong identifiers. But this message effect was only found in low but not high severity crisis. Findings of the study indicated that consumer–company identification may serve as one of the key factors in predicting consumer reactions to crisis.
Chandra monitoring of the very massive binary WR20a and the young massive cluster Westerlund 2

Context. Westerlund 2 is a young, massive, obscured stellar cluster of our Galaxy. It harbors the most massive star with well determined parameters, WR20a (82+83M⊙), a dozen very early O-type stars (O3‐7), and a wealth of PMS stars. Although of importance, this cluster is still not well known. Aims. The high-energy properties of this cluster, especially tho se of its early-type stars are examined in details. The varia bility of the X-ray sources is investigated. Methods. A monitoring of the field was performed using three Chandra ob servations. This dataset probes daily as well as monthly to yearly timescales and provides the deepest X-ray view of the cluster to date. Results. The two Wolf-Rayet stars WR20a (WN6ha+WN6ha) and WR20b (WN6ha) were analyzed in detail. They are both very luminous and display very hard spectra, but WR20b does not seem to vary. On the contrary, WR20a, a known eclipsing, collidingwind binary, brightens in the X-ray domain during the eclipses, i.e. when the collision is seen face-on. This can be expla ined by the properties of the wind-wind collision zone, whose high density leads to a large absorbing column (2× 10 24 cm −2 ). All twelve O-type stars previously classified spectroscopi cally, two eclipsing binaries previously identified and nin e newly identified O-type star candidates are detected in the high energy domain; ten of them could be analyzed spectroscopically. Four are overluminous, but the others present typical LX/LBOL ratios, suggesting that several O-type objects are actuall y binaries. Variability at the∼ 2σ level was detected for a majority of the sources, of unknown origin for the putatively single objects. Faint, soft, diffuse emission pervades the entire field-of-view but no clear s tructure can be identified, even at the position of a blister proposed to be at the origin of the TeV source HESS J1023−575. Finally, the X-ray properties of PMS objects were also investigated, in particular the brightest flaring ones. They prov ided an additional argument in favor of a large distance (∼8kpc) for the cluster.
Population Genetic Evidence of Restricted Gene Flow Between Host Races in the Butterfly Genus Mitoura (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Abstract We surveyed variation in allozymes and in the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) gene in populations of three nominal species of hairstreak butterflies in the genus Mitoura in northern California. These species are separated on the basis of wing pattern and larval hostplant differences: M. nelsoni (Boisduval) larvae feed on incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens (Torrey); M. muiri (Hy. Edwards) larvae feed on cypress, Cupressus macnabiana A. Murray and C. sargentii Jepson; and M. siva (W. H. Edwards) larvae feed on juniper, Juniperus occidentalis Carrière. All three taxa were indistinguishable using allozyme allele frequency data. Genetic distances among populations of all three species were very small (Nei’s (1978) unbiased D = 0.000–0.007). Percent uncorrected mtDNA divergences were similarly small (P = 0.2–1.1%) and haplotypes are shared among taxa. However, analysis of molecular variation and exact tests for population differentiation indicate that populations of M. muiri in the coast range are differentiated from other populations. We conclude that divergence among these three taxa has occurred very recently. We further suggest the possibility that divergence is being driven by the evolution of larval host races, and that gene flow is restricted between M. nelsoni and at least some populations of M. muiri. This restriction may result from the adults’ habit of mating preferentially on different host trees and through phenological differences in the timing of reproduction.
Stochastic Ion Heating by a Lower Hybrid Wave: II

The motion of an ion in a coherent lower hybrid wave (characterized by ‖k∥‖<<‖k⊥‖ and ω≳≳Ωi) in a tokamak plasma is studied. For ions satisfying v⊥≳ω/k⊥, the Lorentz force law for the ions is reduced to a set of difference equations which give the Larmor radius and phase of an ion on one cyclotron orbit in terms of these quantities a cyclotron period earlier. These equations exhibit stochastic behavior when the wave amplitude exceeds a threshold. The stochasticity threshold is given a simple physical interpretation. In addition, the difference equations are used to derive a diffusion equation governing the heating of the ions above the stochasticity threshold. Far above the stochasticity threshold, ion Landau damping is recovered. By including the effects of collisions, the heating rate for the bulk ions is obtained.
Minimum relative entropy, Bayes and Kapur

SUMMARY The focus of this paper is to illustrate important philosophies on inversion and the similarly and differences between Bayesian and minimum relative entropy (MRE) methods. The development of each approach is illustrated through the general-discrete linear inverse. MRE differs from both Bayes and classical statistical methods in that knowledge of moments are used as ‘data’ rather than sample values. MRE like Bayes, presumes knowledge of a prior probability distribution and produces the posterior pdf itself. MRE attempts to produce this pdf based on the information provided by new moments. It will use moments of the prior distribution only if new data on these moments is not available. It is important to note that MRE makes a strong statement that the imposed constraints are exact and complete. In this way, MRE is maximally uncommitted with respect to unknown information. In general, since input data are known only to within a certain accuracy, it is important that any inversion method should allow for errors in the measured data. The MRE approach can accommodate such uncertainty and in new work described here, previous results are modified to include a Gaussian prior. A variety of MRE solutions are reproduced under a number of assumed moments and these include second-order central moments. Various solutions of Jacobs & van der Geest were repeated and clarified. Menke's weighted minimum length solution was shown to have a basis in information theory, and the classic least-squares estimate is shown as a solution to MRE under the conditions of more data than unknowns and where we utilize the observed data and their associated noise. An example inverse problem involving a gravity survey over a layered and faulted zone is shown. In all cases the inverse results match quite closely the actual density profile, at least in the upper portions of the profile. The similar results to Bayes presented in are a reflection of the fact that the MRE posterior pdf, and its mean are constrained not by d=Gm but by its first moment E(d=Gm), a weakened form of the constraints. If there is no error in the data then one should expect a complete agreement between Bayes and MRE and this is what is shown. Similar results are shown when second moment data is available (e.g. posterior covariance equal to zero). But dissimilar results are noted when we attempt to derive a Bayesian like result from MRE. In the various examples given in this paper, the problems look similar but are, in the final analysis, not equal. The methods of attack are different and so are the results even though we have used the linear inverse problem as a common template.
Signatures of electronic correlations in iron silicide

The intermetallic FeSi exhibits an unusual temperature dependence in its electronic and magnetic degrees of freedom, epitomized by the cross-over from a low-temperature nonmagnetic semiconductor to a high-temperature paramagnetic metal with a Curie–Weiss-like susceptibility. Many proposals for this unconventional behavior have been advanced, yet a consensus remains elusive. Using realistic many-body calculations, we here reproduce the signatures of the metal-insulator cross-over in various observables: the spectral function, the optical conductivity, the spin susceptibility, and the Seebeck coefficient. Validated by quantitative agreement with experiment, we then address the underlying microscopic picture. We propose a new scenario in which FeSi is a band insulator at low temperatures and is metalized with increasing temperature through correlation induced incoherence. We explain that the emergent incoherence is linked to the unlocking of iron fluctuating moments, which are almost temperature independent at short timescales. Finally, we make explicit suggestions for improving the thermoelectric performance of FeSi based systems.
Market Failure in the Diffusion of Consumer-Developed Innovations: Patterns in Finland

Empirical studies have shown that millions of individual users develop new products and services to serve their own needs. The economic impact of this phenomenon increases if and as adopters in addition to the initial innovators also gain benefits from those user-developed innovations. It has been argued that the diffusion of user-developed innovations is negatively affected by a new type of market failure: value that others may gain from a user-developed product can often be an externality to consumer-developers. As a result, consumer innovators may not invest in supporting diffusion to the extent that would be socially optimal. In this paper, we utilize a broad sample of consumers in Finland to explore the extent to which innovations developed by individual users are deemed of potential value to others, and the extent to which they diffuse as a function of perceived general value. Our empirical analysis supports the hypothesis that a market failure is affecting the diffusion of user innovations developed by consumers for their own use. Implications and possible remedies are discussed.
Prolidase activity and oxidative stress in patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND The aim of the current study was to determine whether the serum prolidase levels are associated with the etiopathogenesis of depression. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This study included 29 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), who were consecutively recruited from the psychiatric outpatient clinic, and 30 healthy individuals recruited from the general community. Each patient underwent a detailed diagnostic evaluation by two psychiatrists using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). Serum prolidase activity and oxidative parameters were measured in the patient and control groups. The severity of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS Serum prolidase level was significantly higher in patients with MDD compared to healthy subjects (p<0.001). Total Oxidant Status (TOS) levels and Oxidative Stress Index (OSI) were also significantly higher in patients with MDD (p<0.001), whereas no significant difference was observed between the groups in the TAS levels (p=0.297). Serum prolidase level did not show any correlation with markers of oxidative stress in patients with MDD. CONCLUSION Increased serum prolidase levels in patients with MDD may be interpreted as the interaction of prolidase activity, glutamate transmission and oxidative stress. It is suggested that prolidase activity is involved in the etiopathogenesis of depressive disorder.