Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lexical and grammatical associations in sequential bilingual preschoolers.

PURPOSE The authors investigated potential relationships between traditional linguistic domains (words, grammar) in the first (L1) and second (L2) languages of young sequential bilingual preschool children. METHOD Participants were 19 children, ages 2;11 (years;months) to 5;2 (M = 4;3) who began learning Hmong as the L1 from birth and English as the L2 during early childhood. Measures were the number of different words (NDW) and mean length of utterance (MLU) produced during a story retell task and scores on picture identification, an independent measure of receptive vocabulary. Correlations were conducted to determine relationships among measures. RESULTS In English, there were robust positive relationships between MLU and lexical measures (NDW, Picture Identification). In Hmong, more modest cross-domain associations were evident between lexical measures and MLU. There were positive cross-language links for NDW but more limited cross-domain correspondences between the L1 and the L2. CONCLUSIONS In English, relationships between words and grammar were similar to those found in previous studies with monolingual and simultaneous bilingual toddlers. Weaker cross-domain associations in the L1 may reflect participants' greater development in Hmong or typological differences between the L1 and the L2.
Impact of transcranial direct current stimulation on spinal network excitability in humans

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) when applied over the motor cortex, modulates excitability dependent on the current polarity. The impact of this cortical modulation on spinal cord network excitability has rarely been studied. In this series of experiments, performed in healthy subjects, we show that anodal tDCS increases disynaptic inhibition directed from extensor carpi radialis (ECR) to flexor carpi radialis (FCR) with no modification of presynaptic inhibition of FCR Ia terminals and FCR H‐reflex recruitment curves. We also show that cathodal tDCS does not modify spinal network excitability. Our results suggest that the increase of disynaptic inhibition observed during anodal tDCS relies on an increase of disynaptic interneuron excitability and that tDCS over the motor cortex in human subjects induces effects on spinal network excitability. Our results highlight the fact that the effects of tDCS should be considered in regard to spinal motor circuits and not only to cortical circuits.
Synthesis of Extracellular Proteinase by Pseudomonas fluorescens Under Conditions of Limiting Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphate

The influence of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate concentrations on growth and proteinase production by Pseudomonas fluorescens 32A was examined. In mineral salts medium containing dialyzed skim milk supernatant as an inducer, maximum growth was obtained at 1.0 and 2.5 mM orthophosphate at 20 and 5°C, respectively. At both temperatures, 5 mM orthophosphate was required for maximum proteinase production, whereas significant inhibition was found at 10 mM. Orthophosphate was the only phosphate compound able to support growth. With sodium pyruvate as the carbon source, maximum enzyme synthesis was at 100 mM carbon at both temperatures. At both 20 and 5°C maximum growth and enzyme production was found with 10 mM NH4Cl. A bioassay for available phosphate based on the growth of P. fluorescens 32A in phosphate-limited mineral salts medium showed that skim milk and skim milk supernatant contained 50 and 10 mM orthophosphate, respectively. Proteinase production in skim milk was 2.6- and 12-fold greater than that in optimal mineral salts medium at 20 and 5°C, respectively. These results suggest that proteinase production in milk does not occur as a result of nutrient limitation and may be regulated in part by milk phosphates.
Interactive Learning of Grounded Verb Semantics towards Human-Robot Communication

To enable human-robot communication and collaboration, previous works represent grounded verb semantics as the potential change of state to the physical world caused by these verbs. Grounded verb semantics are acquired mainly based on the parallel data of the use of a verb phrase and its corresponding sequences of primitive actions demonstrated by humans. The rich interaction between teachers and students that is considered important in learning new skills has not yet been explored. To address this limitation, this paper presents a new interactive learning approach that allows robots to proactively engage in interaction with human partners by asking good questions to learn models for grounded verb semantics. The proposed approach uses reinforcement learning to allow the robot to acquire an optimal policy for its question-asking behaviors by maximizing the long-term reward. Our empirical results have shown that the interactive learning approach leads to more reliable models for grounded verb semantics, especially in the noisy environment which is full of uncertainties. Compared to previous work, the models acquired from interactive learning result in a 48% to 145% performance gain when applied in new situations.
Trade and industrial policies: past performance and future prospects

Abstract During the course of 1997 and 1998, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) carried out the project Comparative study of development strategies of selected East-Asian and Latin American countries with special reference to trade and industrial policies under the new international trading system". The project was designed to extract from the experiences of both regions the essence of the appropriate public policy in industrial and trade development and to identify its new role and available instruments, in conformity with the post-Uruguay Round trade regime. For this purpose, six comparative case studies (Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Argentina, Brazil and Chile) were undertaken. This paper summarizes the major conclusions of the six studies and explores possible areas for future policy. It is generally assumed that as a result of the Uruguay Round and other international trade accords, developing countries will face more stringent restrictions on their ability to conduct selective trade and industrial policies. On the other hand, the conclusions of these six papers indicate that the room for manoeuvre has by no means disappeared, and a number of policies can be still exploited by developing countries for industrial and trade pursuits, which conform to the commitments of the Round and other trade agreements. "
Relaxant effect of the aqueous extract of Erythrina vellutina leaves on rat vas deferens

The effect of the Aqueous Extract from the leaves of Erythrina vellutina (AE) on rat vas deferens preparation was evaluated in this work. The AE inhibited the muscle contractions induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) in a concentration-dependent manner. This inhibition was not affected by atropine (10-5M), propanolol (10-5M), prazosin (10-5M) or yohimbine (10-5M), suggesting that there is no direct interaction of the AE with cholinergic nor adrenergic receptors. Incubation of vas deferens with the K+ channel antagonists, tetraethylamonium (10-6M) or 4-aminopyridine (10-6M) had also no effect on the AE-induced inhibition. On the other hand, glibenclamide (10-6) significantly attenuated the effect of the AE, suggesting a possible involvement of ATP-dependent K+ channels. The AE (0.15 mg/mL) did not alter the contractions induced by noradrenaline (10-5M), ATP (10-4M) nor KCl (80 mM), against an interaction of the extract with post-synaptic sites. The data presented suggests that the inhibition of the electrically driven muscle twitches by the AE could be due to a pre-synaptic interaction of the extract with ATP-dependent K+ channels from vas deferens sympathetic neurons.
Serum and Plasma Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) Levels are Not Equivalent in Patients Admitted to Intensive Care

Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) is proposed as a biomarker of acute kidney injury (AKI). NGAL has been studied in a range of body fluids including serum and EDTA plasma. The aim of the present study was to establish relationship between serum NGAL concentrations and EDTA plasma NGAL concentrations in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) and whether these determinations are directly comparable in this setting.
Computer Education in Nigerian Secondary Schools: Gaps Between Policy and Practice

This study compares Nigeria National Computer Policy (1988) with existing school practice. Policy dictates for computer hardware, maintenance and funding, teaching personnel and training, and computer curriculum were compared. Information was collected from 20 secondary schools (10 public and 10 private) located in six different states in Nigeria through a questionnaire and interviews of teachers and students were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Comparisons of existing schools’ situations revealed that wide gaps existed.
Semiparametric inference of competing risks data with additive hazards and missing cause of failure under MCAR or MAR assumptions

In this paper, we consider a semiparametric model for lifetime data with competing risks and missing causes of death. We assume that an additive hazards model holds for each cause-specific hazard rate function and that a random right censoring occurs. Our goal is to estimate the regression parameters as well as the functional parameters such as the baseline and cause-specific cumulative hazard rate functions / cumulative incidence functions. We first introduce preliminary estimators of the unknown (Euclidean and functional) parameters when cause of death indicators are missing completely at random (MCAR). These estimators are obtained using the observations with known cause of failure. The advantage of considering the MCAR model is that the information given by the observed lifetimes with unknown failure cause can be used to improve the preliminary estimates in order to attain an asymptotic optimality criterion. This is the main purpose of our work. However, since it is often more realistic to consider a missing at random (MAR) mechanism, we also derive estimators of the regression and functional parameters under the MAR model. We study the large sample properties of our estimators through martingales and empirical process techniques. We also provide a simulation study to compare the behavior of our three types of estimators under the different mechanisms of missingness. It is shown that our improved estimators under MCAR assumption are quite robust if only the MAR assumption holds. Finally, three illustrations on real datasets are also given.
Understanding Cultural Competence in a Multicultural Nursing Workforce

Purpose: In Saudi Arabia, the health system is mainly staffed by expatriate nurses from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Given the potential risks this situation poses for patient care, it is important to understand how cultural diversity can be effectively managed in this multicultural environment. The purpose of this study was to explore notions of cultural competence with non-Saudi Arabian nurses working in a major hospital in Saudi Arabia. Design: Face-to-face, audio-recorded, semistructured interviews were conducted with 24 non-Saudi Arabian nurses. Deductive data collection and analysis were undertaken drawing on Campinha-Bacote’s cultural competence model. The data that could not be explained by this model were coded and analyzed inductively. Findings: Nurses within this culturally diverse environment struggled with the notion of cultural competence in terms of each other’s cultural expectations and those of the dominant Saudi culture. Discussion: The study also addressed the limitations of Campinha-Bacote’s model, which did not account for all of the nurses’ experiences. Subsequent inductive analysis yielded important themes that more fully explained the nurses’ experiences in this environment. Implications for Practice: The findings can inform policy, professional education, and practice in the multicultural Saudi setting.
Dividend Changes and Future Profitability: Evidence from the Turkish Stock Market

Most of the previous studies on dividends in Turkey have focused on the effects of dividend announcements. There has been no study investigating the relation between dividend changes and the future profitability of firms. This study investigates this relation by using both ordinary and panel data regression on a data set consisting of 1,239 dividend payouts from 123 companies listed in Borsa Istanbul during the period 2004-2014. This study is unable to demonstrate that dividend changes are related to changes in future earnings. No evidence is found to support the dividend signaling theory, which claims that dividends serve as indicators of the future profitability of firms. On the other hand, future profitability is found to be strongly correlated with profitability in the previous year.
Price Rigidity, Inflation and the Distribution of Relative Price Changes

This study examines whether skewness of the cross-sectional distribution of relative price changes is positively associated with aggregate inflation as predicted by the menu cost model of Ball and Mankiw (1994, 1995). Further, the study examines the size and frequency of price changes across various commodities and the distribution of relative price changes. The results from highly disaggregated Indian wholesale price index (WPI) data suggest that the skewness of relative price changes explains a significant proportion of short-run fluctuations in aggregate inflation. More importantly, the results indicate that the average size of price increases is greater than the size of price decreases implying downwards rigidity in the prices of various commodities. JEL Classification: E30, E31, E52
Strategic Technology Adoption under Technological Uncertainty

This paper studies technology adoption in a duopoly where the unbiased technological change improves production efficiency. Technological progress is exogenous and modeled as a jump process with a drift. There is always a Markov perfect equilibrium in which the firm with more efficient technology never preempts its rival. Also, a class of equilibria may exist that lead to a smaller industry surplus. In these equilibria either of the firms may preempt its rival in a set of technology efficiency values. The first investment does not necessarily happen at the boundary of this set due to the discrete nature of the technology progress. The set shrinks and eventually disappears when the difference between firms’ efficiencies increases.
Dystroglycan Expression in Human Placenta: Basement Membrane Localization and Subunit Distribution Change Between the First and Third Trimester

Objectives: This study describes the distribution of dystroglycan (DG) in human placenta, membranes, and uterine decidua. Study design: Dystroglycan expression was characterized by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence microscopy using human tissues and cultured cells. Results: Both α-DG and β-DG are expressed in the term syncytiotrophoblast, and α-DG is localized to the basement membrane. In first-trimester chorionic villi, α-DG and β-DG are localized to the periphery of the cytotrophoblast. Expression varies in term fetal membranes. α-Dystroglycan is not detectable in choriocarcinoma cells or HTR cells, but β-DG is present in both normal and cleaved forms. Conclusion: Dystroglycan is expressed at high levels in human trophoblasts, and localization of the α- and β-subunits varies with gestational age and trophoblast differentiation. Because DG expression inversely correlates with invasiveness in many cancers, its pattern of expression in trophoblasts suggests a possible function in inhibition of placental invasion.
Studies on phenolic steroids in human subjects.

6,7-3H-Estriol-16α-glucosiduronate-14C was administered to eight women (nine studies) by several routes: both injection and infusion (300 min) into the cubital vein, injection into the portal vein system, ingestion and instillation into the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Urine, collected from 0-2, 2-4, 4-8, 8-12, and 12-24 hr, was analyzed by countercurrent distribution for its content of radioactive 3- and 16-glucosiduronate (E3-3Gl,E3-16Gl) and sulfoglucosiduronate (E3-3S,16Gl) of estriol as well as for 3H/14C ratio of each conjugate. After peripheral injection 50-60% of the injected E3-16Gl was excreted unchanged along with about 5% as E3-3S,16Gl with an unchanged 3H/14C ratio, indicating direct sulfation of the injected E3-16Gl. During a 300 min infusion, urinary excretion closely resembled that following injection. But 2-4 hr after the end of the infusion excretion of E3-3S, 16Gl stopped, excretion of E3-3Gl (17%/24 hr) with an elevated 3H/14C ratio started, and excretion of E3-16Gl continued (70%/24 hr), but with a rapidly increasing 3H/14C ratio. This indicated sequestration in a sluggishly metabolizing compartment where two processes occurred: (a) extensive hydrolysis of E3-16Gl followed by reconjugation at either C3 or C16 with unlabeled uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid (UDPGA), thereby increasing the 3H/14C ratio; and (b) transconjugation from C16 to C3, thereby producing E3-3Gl with finite 3H/14C ratios. Instillation into various segments of the small intestine produced results qualitatively similar to those after intravenous infusion, whereas ingestion and intraportal injection resembled peripheral intravenous injection. Therefore, we have postulated the possibility of an enteric circulation (in addition to an enterohepatic circulation) in which the steroid or its conjugates are transported into the small intestine in the succus entericus, modified, and then reabsorbed and excreted in the urine-a process which requires several hours.
Collaborative Economy and Tourism: Critical Perspectives, Questionable Claims and Silenced Voices

House swapping, ridesharing, voluntourism, couchsurfing, dinner hosting and similar innovations epitomize the collaborative economy. The rise of the collaborative economy, also known as collaborative consumption, the sharing economy and peer-to-peer consumption, has been fueled by a range of social, economic and technological factors including a shift away from ownership towards temporary access to goods; the use of technology mediated transactions between producers and consumers; direct host-guest relationships that contribute to a higher level of perceived authenticity of tourism experiences; and higher levels of consumer risk-taking balanced against mechanisms such as peer-to-peer feedback designed to engender trust between producers and consumers. This paper explores and critically assesses the collaborative economy and its implications for tourism industrial systems. It achieves this by mapping out the current knowledge dynamics characterising tourism and the collaborative economy, paying particular attention to the asymmetries of knowledge that are emerging. The paper then identifies and critically discusses five pervasive claims being made about the collaborative economy, arguing for a balanced assessment of such claims. Highlighting these claims allows us to pursue a more reflective research agenda and leads to a more informed, evidence-based assessment of the collaborative economy and tourism.
The rhetorical work of a partnership coordinator in mega-project construction

Over the past six decades, owners of sport teams and municipalities have been involved in the shared construction of new, state-of-the-art sport facilities. The negotiation and acceptance of these Private–Public Partnerships (PPPs) has often been contentious and unsuccessful. There are, however, other examples where team owners and cities enter into productive business relationships. We argue that one reason for a PPP being successful is that there are certain key actors, partnership coordinators, who are involved in this process. In particular, their skilful “work” at using rhetoric helps characterize the PPP in a specific way whereby the perception is that the risk of the project is distributed evenly amongst all the parties. To explore these ideas, a case study is presented of the successful negotiations in Canada between the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and the City of Edmonton to build a new downtown arena.
Molecular epidemiology of norovirus infections in children and adults: sequence analysis of region C indicates genetic diversity of NVGII strains in Kolkata, India

SUMMARY Faecal specimens of diarrhoea cases (n=2495, collected between November 2007 and October 2009) from Infectious Diseases and Beliaghata General (ID&BG) Hospital, Kolkata, India, were screened by RT–PCR using specific primers targeting region C of the capsid gene of noroviruses (NoVs) to determine the seasonal distribution and clinical characteristics of NoVs associated with diarrhoea. NoV infection was detected in 78 cases, mostly in children aged <2 years. In 22/78 positive cases, the virus was detected as the sole agent; others were as mixed infections with other enteric pathogens. Sequencing of NVGII strains showed clustering with GII.4 NoVs followed by GII.13 and GII.6 NoVs. Clinical characteristics of the diarrhoeic children and adults in Kolkata indicated that NoV infections were detected throughout the year and were associated with a mild degree of dehydration.
A Novel and Simple Spike Sorting Implementation

Monitoring the activity of multiple, individual neurons that fire spikes in the vicinity of an electrode, namely perform a Spike Sorting (SS) procedure, comprises one of the most important tools for contemporary neuroscience in order to reverse-engineer the brain. As recording electrodes’ technology rabidly evolves by integrating thousands of electrodes in a confined spatial setting, the algorithms that are used to monitor individual neurons from recorded signals have to become even more reliable and computationally efficient. In this work, we propose a novel framework of the SS approach in which a single-step processing of the raw (unfiltered) extracellular signal is sufficient for both the detection and sorting of the activity of individual neurons. Despite its simplicity, the proposed approach exhibits comparable performance with state-of-the-art approaches, especially for spike detection in noisy signals, and paves the way for a new family of SS algorithms with the potential for multi-recording, fast, on-chip implementations.
The Decline of Party in the U. S. House of Representatives, 1887-1968

In this paper the decline of party voting in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1887 to 1968 is analyzed. The levels of party voting (by Congress) are fitted to a regression line, with the results showing a high period of party voting (1890-1910), an intermediate period (1911-1940), and a low period (1941-1968). A model is developed to measure the effects on party voting of external variables-party homogeneity, party conflict, presidential partisanship, and turnover; and internal variables-centralized leadership and caucus strength. Both types of variables are shown to have some effect, but external-and particularly electoral-variables are more important. Since these variables are culled from contemporary research, the results demonstrate that contemporary hypotheses and findings regarding legislative parties are generalizable over time.