Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Life Cycle Model and Press Coverage of Nordic Populist Parties

The article traces the life cycles of the Nordic populist parties by exploring the relationship between media coverage and contemporary populist parties in Finland (Finns Party), Sweden (Sweden Democrats), Norway (Norwegian Progress Party) and Denmark (Danish People's Party). Empirically the study is based on a content analysis of 3337 journalistic articles published in the leading quality and popular newspapers of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark during the first parliamentary elections of the 2010s. The analysis confirms the life cycle model introduced in The Media and Neo-Populism. A Contemporary Comparative Analysis edited by Gianpietro Mazzoleni, Julianne Stewart, and Bruce Horsfield (2003, Praeger, Westport, CT), which found that parties in their insurgent phase gained more media attention than parties in their established phase. This study found populism currently a more important topic in Finland and Sweden, where populist movements were entering parliament, whereas in Norway and in Denmark, after long-term success, the domestic populist parties had become more mainstream and their media attention normalized. The popular newspapers tended to be more positive about populist parties than quality papers. However, these results can be explained partly by journalistic routines and by country-specific political conditions. Thus, further research is needed to prove the life cycle model.
Making sense of prostitution

This book provides a compelling analysis of the conditions in which women are sustained within prostitution in Britain at the end of the millennium. Based on a major empirical study, it is a unique glimpse into how some women, who live lives completely torn apart by poverty, violence and criminalization, are able to understand their lives in prostitution and make sense of the choices they make (including their involvement in prostitution) in their struggles to survive.
CHALLENGING PARADIGMS: WHY WARM UP PRIOR TO EXERCISE?

There appears to be a common consensus within the exercise and sporting fraternity that prior to physical activity an individual should ‘warm up’ in order to lessen the risk of injury and optimise his or her performance. In this context, there is an alternative viewpoint that indicates that a ‘warm up’ may, in certain conditions, be counter productive, and that cooling down an individual prior to exercise may elicit better performance outcomes. A study into the warm-up phenomenon was undertaken to examine the effect of lower body pre-cooling on the duration of high intensity running performance when compared to a ‘normal’ or non pre-cooled protocol, and to evaluate individual responses in terms of Running Distance Achieved, Core temperature, Heart rate response and Ratings of Perceived Exertion. Three test protocols were performed by the participants based on the 20 m Multi-Stage-Fitness Test (20MSFT) (Leger et al., 1988). Test one involved the standard 20MSFT protocol to predict aerobic performance, while Test 2 and 3 required a participant to start from the end shuttle obtained in the first aerobic test. Randomised selection of Test 2 or 3 involved either pre-cooling, or a ‘normal’ warm up scenario. Eight participants with a mean age of 18.6 years volunteered for the research with written informed consent. The study showed a significant increase in the number of shuttles completed in the pre-cooled state as opposed to normal state. The results of this study challenge the widely accepted ‘warm up’ paradigm, and demonstrate that pre-cooling intervention (opposed to a warm up) increased the duration of high intensity running performance by 11.56%.
Development of a light-weight biped humanoid robot

In order to meet the demand of a research platform for intelligent robotics, a humanoid robot named Saika-3 has been developed. It is a self-sustaining biped robot with dual arms and a robotic head. It is equipped with a PC (IBM PC/AT clone), batteries, a wireless ethernet modem, a gyroscope and motor drivers inside its body. Saika-3 can be teleoperated via wireless' ethernet communication. A graphic dynamic simulator is also developed to study control strategy. The paper presents an outline of the hardware of Saika-3 and a simulation result.
mRNA fragments in in vitro culture media are associated with bovine preimplantation embryonic development

In vitro production (IVP) systems have been used to bypass problems of fertilization and early embryonic development. However, embryos produced by IVP are commonly selected for implantation based on morphological assessment, which is not a strong indicator of establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Thus, there is a need to identify additional indicators of embryonic developmental potential. Previous studies have identified microRNA expression in in vitro culture media to be indicative of embryo quality in both bovine and human embryos. Like microRNAs, mRNAs have been shown to be secreted from cells into the extracellular environment, but it is unknown whether or not these RNAs are secreted by embryos. Thus, the objective of the present study was to determine whether mRNAs are secreted into in vitro culture media and if their expression in the media is indicative of embryo quality. In vitro culture medium was generated and collected from both blastocyst and degenerate (those which fail to develop from the morula to blastocyst stage) embryos. Small-RNA sequencing revealed that many mRNA fragments were present in the culture media. A total of 17 mRNA fragments were differentially expressed between blastocyst and degenerate conditioned media. Differential expression was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR for fragments of mRNA POSTN and VSNL-1, in four additional biological replicates of media. To better understand the mechanisms of mRNA secretion into the media, the expression of a predicted RNA binding protein of POSTN, PUM2, was knocked down using an antisense oligonucleotide gapmer. Supplementation of a PUM2 gapmer significantly reduced blastocyst development and decreased secretion of POSTN mRNA into the media. Overall, differential mRNA expression in the media was repeatable and sets the framework for future study of mRNA biomarkers in in vitro culture media to improve predictability of reproductive performance.
Hybrid DRAM/PRAM-based main memory for single-chip CPU/GPU

Single-chip CPU/GPU architecture is being adopted in high-end (embedded) systems, e.g., smartphones and tablet PCs. Main memory subsystem is expected to consist of hybrid DRAM and phase-change RAM (PRAM) due to the difficulties in DRAM scaling. In this work, we address the performance optimization of the hybrid DRAM/PRAM main memory for single chip CPU/GPU. Based on the tight requirements of low latency from CPU and the relative tolerance to long latency from GPU, DRAM is first allocated to CPU while PRAM with longer write latency is allocated to GPU. Then, in order to improve the write performance of GPU traffic, we propose (1) an in-DRAM write buffer to accommodate GPU write traffics, (2) dynamic hot data management to improve the efficiency of write buffer, (3) runtime-adaptive adjustment of write buffer size to meet the given CPU performance bound, and (4) CPU-aware DRAM access scheduling to give low latency to CPU traffics. The experiments show that the proposed method gives 1.02~44.2 times performance improvement in GPU performance with modest (negligible) CPU performance overhead (when compute-intensive CPU programs run).
ANN Based PID Controlled Brushless DC drive System

Brushless (BLDC) DC motors find many industrial applications such as process control, robotics, automation, aerospace etc. Wider usage of this system has demanded an optimum position control for high efficiency, accuracy and reliability. Hence for the effective position control, estimation of dynamic load parameters i.e. moment of inertia and friction coefficient is necessary. This paper incorporates the estimation of mechanical parameters such as moment of inertia and friction coefficient of BLDC motor and load at various load settings by using simple procedure. To achieve the optimum position control, PID controller is employed and tuned using PARR method. ANN training is used for obtaining the mechanical and PID controller parameters at different load settings. Closed loop position control system of the BLDC drive system is created using SIMULINK. Simulation results of this system are obtained at different load settings. It is evident from the results that the position control system responds to the desired position with minimum rise time, settling time and peak overshoot.
Foundation Phase student teachers' views towards learning isiXhosa in the B Ed Teacher Education programme

Teacher Education programmes in South Africa are mandated by the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ) framework to ensure that students can converse competently in one of the indigenous languages. Therefore an opportunity to learn such a local indigenous language should be given. As part of the B Ed recurriculation process, students were involved in their learning and development of an isiXhosa module. I conducted a qualitative inquiry with a group of 4th year foundation phase students (n=15) who volunteered to participate in this study. The aim of this study was to explore students’ views on learning isiXhosa in their B Ed (Foundation phase) programme. I used a draw and write/talk technique followed by semi structured group interview discussions as data generation methods. Themes that emerged from the data revealed the following: 1) the value of learning isiXhosa for communication purposes in the classroom, 2) the recognition of isiXhosa as a resource for teaching and learning, 3) isiXhosa as an enabler to function in a multilingual society and 4) a need to design a module that enhances the acquisition of isiXhosa. These findings suggest that teacher education programmes need to recognize the value of indigenous languages in advancing the pedagogy of teaching in multilingual classrooms. Understanding student teachers’ views on learning an indigenous language will contribute to knowledge on the purpose of learning isiXhosa and how the current isiXhosa module is capacitating them to teach in multilingual contexts.
Precarious Work of Korea

불안정고용의 의미를 내포하는 비정규근로(non-regular work)라는 용어가 한국에 본격적으로 등장하고 계약직, 파트타임 근로자, 파견근로자 등 비정규 근로자가 증가하기 시작한 것은 1997년 경제위기 이후라고 할 수 있다. 비정규 근로는 법률상 용어는 아니며, 통일적 정의도 존재하지 않으나, 학계에서는 전형근로의 속성과 대비하여 비전형근로(non-standard work)의 개념을 상정하고 있다. 즉, 전형근로의 핵심적 표지가 「사용종속성, 기간의 정함이 없는 계약, 전일제근로, 해고의 제한 등」이라면, 비전형 근로는 사용종속성이 약하거나 계약기간이 정해져 있거나 근로시간의 길이가 통상보다 짧다는 것 등이 공통적 속성이다. 그러나 무엇보다 언제라도 계약의 해지가 가능한 ‘불안정한 고용’이라는 것이 한국에서의 비전형근로의 가장 심각한 문제이다. 비전형근로에 종사하는 근로자의 숫자는 노동부나 통계청의 조사기준이 달라 정확한 숫자를 파악하기 어렵다. 노동부의 매월노동통계는 1년 이상 고용되고 있거나 1년 이상 고용이 기대되는 임금근로자를 정규직으로 정의하고, 비정규직 근로자의 범주에 계약직 근로자, 파트타임 근로자, 임시직 근로자를 포함시키고 있다. 반면에 통계청의 경제활동인구조사는 전체 근로자를 정규직, 임시직, 일용직으로 분류하고 있다. 비전형근로와 취약한 근로조건하의 근로제공관계는 분명히 다른 문제이다. 그러나 불안정고용의 개념을 고용불안정에만 한정시키지 않는다면, 즉 단지 계약기간이나 고용형태가 아닌, 노동법적 보호의 유무나 열악한 근로조건을 포함시켜 개념정의 한다면 중소기업, 특히 5인 미만 사업장에 종사하는 근로자들도 불안정고용에 속하게 될 것이다. 최근 어느 나라나 유사한 상황이지만 한국에서도 현재 5인 미만 사업장에는 근로기준법이 전면적용되지 않고 있다. 5인 미만 사업장 근로자들에게는 주요 근로조건에 관한 규정들은 물론 해고제한규정도 적용되지 않는다. 또한 근로자의 속성과 자영업자의 속성을 같이 갖고 있는 유사근로자, 즉 특수형태 근로자들도 역시 불안정고용에 속한다. 한편, 한국 노동시장의 불안정고용과 관련하여 비정규직 못지않게 심각한 근로자군으로서 학습지교사, 보험외판원, 레미콘 기사, 골프장 캐디, 퀵서비스 배달원 등 특수형태 노무 종사자들이 문제된다. 이들은 경제적 종속성에도 불구하고 계약형태나 근로조건에 있어 전통적인 근로자와는 다르기 때문에 한국의 현행 노동법상 근로자로 인정받고 있지 못하며 근로기준법의 보호대상에서 제외되고 있다. 대법원의 판례도 이들을 근로기준법상 근로자나 노동조합법상의 근로자로 인정하고 있지 않다. 한국정부는 비정규직 근로자의 증가와 더불어 이들의 고용 불안정, 낮은 근로조건이 사회문제로 등장하자, 2001년부터 사회적 협의체인 노사정위원회에서 비정규직 보호법의 제정을 논의하기 시작하였다. 친노동정책을 표방할 것이라는 노동계의 기대를 모으며 2003년 출발한 참여정부는 우여곡절 끝에 2006년 11월 30일 비정규직법(「기간제근로자 및 단시간근로자 보호를 위한 법률」)을 국회에서 통과시켰다. 2007년 7월 1일부터 시행된 비정규직보호법은 비정규직의 남용을 방지하고 정규직과의 불합리한 차별을 방지하는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 비정규직법에 의하면 사용자는 사용사유에 의한 제한 없이 기간제근로를 활용할 수 있다. 그러나 사용자는 2년을 초과하지 아니하는 범위 안에서(기간제 근로계약의 반복갱신 등의 경우에는 그 계속근로한 총기간이 2년을 초과하지 아니하는 범위 안에서) 기간제근로자를 고용할 수 있으며, 2년을 초과하여 기간제근로자로 사용하는 경우에는 그 기간제근로자는 기간의 정함이 없는 근로계약을 체결한 근로자로 본다. 또한, 비정규직법은 비정규직 근로자에 대한 불합리한 차별을 없애기 위하여 「사용자는 기간제근로자임을 이유로 당해 사업 또는 사업장에서 동종 또는 유사한 업무에 종사하는 기간의 정함이 없는 근로계약을 체결한 근로자에 비하여 차별적 처우를 하여서는 아니 된다」고 규정하고, 노동위원회에 의한 조정ㆍ중재와 시정을 가능하게 하였다. 그러나 비정규직법 시행 2년이 근접한 시점에서 사용자들은 비정규직의 정규직 전환을 회피하기 위하여 비정규 근로자들과의 계약을 해지하고, 그 자리를 다른 비정규직 근로자 또는 외주로 대체하는 행태를 보였다. 금융권 등 어떤 부문에서는 고용은 보장하되 비정규직 근로자들로만 구성되는 새로운 직급과 승진 코스를 개발하여, 사실상 정규직과의 차별을 시도하였다. 이와 같은 회전문 효과 또는 간접고용화 등은 비정규직법 제정당시부터 이미 예상된 것이었다. 노동계는 대량 실업사태를 피하기 위하여 비정규직법 개정을 요구하였고, 개정논의가 진행되었으나 시행을 1년 6개월로 연장하는 것을 내용으로 하는 정부여당의 개정안은 결국 국회에 상정되지 못하였다(2009년 8월 현재). 비정규직법 이외에도 한국정부는 유사근로자 집단, 즉 특수형태 노무종사자들에 대한 노동법적 보호의 필요성을 인식하고, 이들에 대한 입법을 시도하였다. 정부는 2006년 5월 특수형태 노무 종사자들에 대한 보호방안을 강구하기 위한 특별위원회를 구성하고, 2007년 6월 14일 노동부는 국회에 특수형태 근로 종사자를 위한 보호법안을 제출하였으나 여러 가지 이유로 결국 국회를 통과하지 못하였다. 그러나 특수형태 근로 종사자에 대한 노동법적 보호에 앞서 산업재해보상보험 등 사회보험에 의한 보호가 시도되고 있다.
Learning and not learning English : Latino students in American schools

Focusing on the lives and experiences of four Mexican children in an American middle school, the critically acclaimed author of Con Respeto examines both the policy and the instructional dilemmas that surround the English language education of immigrant children in this country. Using samples and analysis of the children's oral and written language as well as an examination of their classrooms, school, and community, this book addresses the difficulties surrounding the teaching and learning of English for second language learners. This comprehensive volume discusses: * classroom activities * the amount of time it takes to "learn" English * how English language learning affects learning in other areas * the consequences of linguistic isolation * how ESL students are tested It also presents exclusive data on academic English development at various stages in a two-year process that raise important questions about current ESL teaching policies.
cis- and trans-Acting Elements in Flavivirus RNA Replication

ABSTRACT Most of the seven flavivirus nonstructural proteins (NS1 to NS5) encoded in the distal two-thirds of the RNA positive-sense genome are believed to be essential components of RNA replication complexes. To explore the functional relationships of these components in RNA replication, we used trans-complementation analysis of full-length infectious RNAs of Kunjin (KUN) virus with a range of lethal in-frame deletions in the nonstructural coding region, using as helper a repBHK cell line stably producing functional replication complexes from KUN replicon RNA. Recently we showed that replication of KUN RNAs with large carboxy-terminal deletions including the entire RNA polymerase region in the NS5 gene, representing 34 to 75% of the NS5 coding content, could be complemented after transfection into repBHK cells. In this study we have demonstrated that KUN RNAs with deletions of 84 to 97% of the NS1 gene, or of 13 to 63% of the NS3 gene including the entire helicase region, were also complemented in repBHK cells with variable efficiencies. In contrast, KUN RNAs with deletions in any of the other four nonstructural genes NS2A, NS2B, NS4A, and NS4B were not complemented. We have also demonstrated successfultrans complementation of KUN RNAs containing either combined double deletions in the NS1 and NS5 genes or triple deletions in the NS1, NS3, and NS5 genes comprising as much as 38% of the entire nonstructural coding content. Based on these and our previous complementation results, we have generated a map of cis- and trans-acting elements in RNA replication for the nonstructural coding region of the flavivirus genome. These results are discussed in the context of our model on formation and composition of the flavivirus replication complex, and we suggest molecular mechanisms by which functions of some defective components of the replication complex can be complemented by their wild-type counterparts expressed from another (helper) RNA molecule.
On Robot Gymnastics Planning with Non-zero Angular Momentum

Conservation of angular momentum that introduces nonholonomic behavior, underactuation and time dependence, makes the trajectory planning of gymnastic robots difficult. By defining appropriate values for the initial angular momentum, a method is developed that can lead a mechanism to a desired final configuration from an initial given one, in prescribed time. This method is optimization-based and fully exploits the initial mechanism angular momentum. Obstacle avoidance during flight is achieved by setting additional constraints. The method results in smooth, small in magnitude, and therefore easily applicable joint torques.
PCR‐Based detection of minority point mutations

The need for detection of minority mutations (i.e., a few mutants within a high excess of wild‐type alleles) arises frequently in the field of cancer and molecular genetics. Current mutation detection technologies are limited by several technical factors when it comes to the detection of minority point mutations, including generation of misincorporations by the DNA polymerase during PCR amplification. Primer ligation‐mediated PCR methodologies for detection of mutations in an excess wild‐type sequences are described, that can be applied for detection of both known and unknown minority point mutations. Furthermore, a new methodology is described, hairpin‐PCR, which has the potential to completely eliminate PCR errors from amplified sequences, prior to minority mutation detection. Combination of these technologies can effectively tackle the problem of minority mutation detection, in order to pursue demanding applications such as identification of cancer cells at an early stage, detection of mutations in single cells, identification of minimal residual disease, or investigation of mechanisms of spontaneous mutagenesis. Hum Mutat 23:406–412, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Cis-Acting RNA Trafficking Signal from Myelin Basic Protein mRNA and Its Cognate Trans-Acting Ligand Hnrnp A2 Enhance CaP-Dependent Translation

The 21 nucleotide RNA trafficking signal (RTS), originally identified in myelin basic protein mRNA, but also found in a variety of other localized RNAs, is necessary and sufficient for transport of RNA along microtubules in oligodendrocytes. The RTS binds specifically to the RNA binding protein, hnRNP A2. Together, the RTS and hnRNP A2 comprise cis/trans determinants for several steps in the RNA trafficking pathway. Here we show that insertion of the RTS into green fluorescent protein (GFP) RNA enhances translation without affecting stability of microinjected RNA. In dicistronic RNA, the RTS enhances cap-dependent translation without affecting internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-dependent translation. The translation enhancer function of the RTS is position, copy number, and cell type independent, hnRNP A2 dependent, and saturable with increasing amounts of injected RNA. This represents one of the first specific translation enhancer elements identified in a mammalian system.
Human Capital Prices, Productivity and Growth

Separate identification of the price and quantity of human capital has important implications for understanding key issues in economics. Price and quantity series are derived for four education levels. The price series are highly correlated and they exhibit a strong secular trend. Three resulting implications are explored: the rising college premium is found to be driven more by relative quantity than relative price changes, life-cycle wage profiles are readily interpretable as reflecting optimal human capital investment paths using the estimated price series, and adjusting the labor input for quality increases dramatically reduces the contribution of MFP to growth.
Effect of Quercetin in the 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine-Induced Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease

In this paper, the protective effect of the bioflavonoid quercetin on behaviors, antioxidases, and neurotransmitters in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine-(MPTP-) induced Parkinson's disease (PD) was investigated. Quercetin treatment (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg body weight) was orally administered for 14 consecutive days. The results show that quercetin treatment markedly improves the motor balance and coordination of MPTP-treated mice. Significant increases were observed in the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Na+, K+-ATPase, AchE, the content of dopamine (DA) in the quercetin plus MPTP groups compared to those in the MPTP group. Significant reduction the 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) immunoreactivity in striatum of brains was observed in the quercetin plus MPTP groups in comparison to the MPTP group. Taken together, we propose that quercetin has shown antiparkinsonian properties in our studies. More work is needed to explore detailed mechanisms of action.
Initial stages of beta-amyloid Aβ1−40 and Aβ1−42 oligomerization observed using fluorescence decay and molecular dynamics analyses of tyrosine

The development of Alzheimer’s disease is associated with the aggregation of the beta-amyloid peptides Aβ1−40 and Aβ1−42. It is believed that the small oligomers formed during the early stages of the aggregation are neurotoxic and involved in the process of neurodegeneration. In this paper we use fluorescence decay measurements of beta-amyloid intrinsic fluorophore tyrosine (Tyr) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the early stages of oligomer formation for the Aβ1−40 and Aβ1−42 peptides in vitro. We demonstrate that the lifetime distributions of the amyloid fluorescence decay efficiently describe changes in the complex Tyr photophysics during the peptide aggregation and highlight the differences in aggregation performance of the two amyloids. Tyr fluorescence decay is found to be a more sensitive sensor of Aβ1−40 aggregation than Aβ1−42 aggregation. The MD simulation of the peptide aggregation is compared with the experimental data and supports a four-rotamer model of Tyr.
Diffusion tensor imaging in patients with epilepsy and malformations of cortical development.

Malformations of cortical development (MCD) are a common cause of epilepsy. Studies of structural MRIs and PET data in patients with MCD have found widespread changes outside the visually identified lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate diffusion changes interictally in patients with MCD and to test the hypothesis that MCD would be associated with widespread abnormalities of diffusion. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) to compare objectively tissue organization in 22 patients with partial seizures and MCD, with 30 control subjects. Whole-brain DTI was acquired using echo planar imaging. Rotationally invariant anisotropy and diffusivity maps were calculated and, after normalization to Talairach space, each patient was compared with the group of control subjects using SPM. Areas of reduced anisotropy were found in 17 patients and areas of increased diffusivity in 10. Two patients had areas of increased anisotropy. There were no patients with reduced diffusivity. Areas of increased diffusivity were in general more extensive than areas of reduced anisotropy. Changes in tissue beyond the MCD, that appeared normal on conventional MRI, were found in six patients for anisotropy and nine patients for diffusivity. Both measurements showed widespread changes in tissue beyond the MCD, i.e. adding information to conventional MRI. Increased or abnormally located grey matter or pathological white matter with abnormal myelination or ectopic neurones could cause reduced anisotropy. Increased diffusivity could be caused by a defect of neurogenesis or cell loss resulting in increased extracellular space. The widespread nature of abnormalities should be considered if surgical treatment is contemplated.