Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Student participation in university governance: the role conceptions and sense of efficacy of student representatives on departmental committees

The role and contribution of students to the governance of university departments is a relatively neglected area of inquiry. This study investigated the factors which student representatives perceived to help or hinder their effectiveness as student members of departmental committees. Twenty students from a range of disciplines were interviewed about their experiences in the student representative role. Students reported complex motivations and conceptions of the representative role and were particularly sensitive to the perceptions and expectations of academic staff. Role ambiguity was the greatest challenge reported by student representatives, and the overall effectiveness of the role was perceived to be reliant on the willingness and ability of academic managers and staff to engage in constructive dialogue with students. It is argued that universities need to adopt a more proactive approach to the development and support of student leaders and representatives.
Positive Feedback Regulation of Agonist-Stimulated Endothelial Ca2+ Dynamics by KCa3.1 Channels in Mouse Mesenteric Arteries

Objective— Intermediate and small conductance KCa channels IK1 (KCa3.1) and SK3 (KCa2.3) are primary targets of endothelial Ca2+ signals in the arterial vasculature, and their ablation results in increased arterial tone and hypertension. Activation of IK1 channels by local Ca2+ transients from internal stores or plasma membrane channels promotes arterial hyperpolarization and vasodilation. Here, we assess arteries from genetically altered IK1 knockout mice (IK1−/−) to determine whether IK1 channels exert a positive feedback influence on endothelial Ca2+ dynamics. Approach and Results— Using confocal imaging and custom data analysis software, we found that although the occurrence of basal endothelial Ca2+ dynamics was not different between IK1−/− and wild-type mice (P>0.05), the frequency of acetylcholine-stimulated (2 &mgr;mol/L) Ca2+ dynamics was greatly decreased in IK1−/− endothelium (515±153 versus 1860±319 events; P<0.01). In IK1−/−/SK3T/T mice, ancillary suppression (+Dox) or overexpression (−Dox) of SK3 channels had little additional effect on the occurrence of events under basal or acetylcholine-stimulated conditions. However, SK3 overexpression did restore the decreased event amplitudes. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ reduced acetylcholine-induced Ca2+ dynamics to the same level in wild-type and IK1−/− arteries. Blockade of IK1 and SK3 with the combination of charybdotoxin (0.1 &mgr;mol/L) and apamin (0.5 &mgr;mol/L) or transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 channels with HC-067047 (1 &mgr;mol/L) reduced acetylcholine Ca2+ dynamics in wild-type arteries to the level of IK1−/−/SK3T/T+Dox arteries. These drug effects were not additive. Conclusions— IK1, and to some extent SK3, channels exert a substantial positive feedback influence on endothelial Ca2+ dynamics.
PHOTOPERIODIC REGULATION OF MT1 AND MT2 MELATONIN RECEPTOR EXPRESSION IN SPLEEN AND THYMUS OF A TROPICAL RODENT FUNAMBULUS PENNANTI DURING REPRODUCTIVELY ACTIVE AND INACTIVE PHASES

Photoperiodic regulation of melatonin receptor types on target tissues, such as lymphatic organs, has never been explored for any seasonal breeder. In the present study, we accessed the high affinity membrane melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2 expression dynamics in lymphoid organs (i.e., spleen and thymus) of a seasonally breeding rodent Funambulus pennanti during two major reproductive phases (i.e., active and inactive), when the internal hormonal (melatonin and gonadal steroid) as well as the ecological conditions were entirely different. Photoperiod regulates circulatory melatonin level; hence, we noted the effect of different photoperiodic regimes (long; 16L:8D and short; 10L:14D photoperiod) equivalent to summer and winter daylength on membrane melatonin receptor MT1 and MT2 expression in spleen and thymus. We have correlated the melatonin receptor expression with two major hormones varying seasonally (i.e., melatonin and testosterone) also being responsible for modulation of immunity of a seasonal breeder. Differential immunoreactivity of MT1 and MT2 receptor in spleen and thymus of F. pennanti suggests an involvement of both the receptor types in signal transduction of photoperiod for seasonal immunomodulation, because in the tropical zone, a slight difference (1:45–2 h) in daylength may change reproductive physiology and immunity of animals for adaptation. Our above suggestion receives strong support from the experiment of photoperiodic exposure on MT1 and MT2 expression at the translational level, where long daylength decreased the circulatory melatonin level and melatonin receptor expression in both lymphatic tissues. On the other hand, under short daylength, expression of MT1 and MT2 receptor increased in both spleen and thymus along with concomitant increase in circulatory melatonin level. Differential hormonal level of melatonin and gonadal hormones during reproductively active and inactive phase and its direct relation with melatonin receptor expression dynamics in lymphoid organs could be responsible for seasonal adjustment of immunity and reproduction. (Author correspondence: chaldar2001@yahoo.com)
Reactive mobile manipulation using dynamic trajectory tracking

A solution to the trajectory tracking problem for mobile manipulators is proposed, that allows for the base to be influenced by a reactive, obstacle avoidance behavior. Given a trajectory for the gripper to follow, a tracking algorithm for the manipulator is designed, and at the same time the base motions are generated in such a way that the base is coordinated with the gripper. Furthermore, it is shown that the method allows arbitrary upper and lower bounds on the gripper-base distance to be set and this can be achieved without introducing deadlocks into the system. The solution also ensures that the control effort, spent on slow base motions, is kept small.
Husbands' Conflict Styles in Chinese Mother/Daughter-In-Law Conflicts: Daughters-in-Law's Perspectives

This study examined Chinese daughters-in-law's (N = 287) perceptions of the husband's conflict management styles in their dyadic interaction regarding mother/daughter-in-law conflicts and associations with marital satisfaction and relational satisfaction with the mother-in-law. Results showed that the problem-solving style was perceived to be used most by the husband, followed by the accommodating, avoiding, and competing styles. In addition, the problem-solving and accommodating styles were positively associated, whereas the competing and avoiding styles were negatively associated with judgments of communication appropriateness and effectiveness, and the relational satisfaction variables. Furthermore, results indicated a moderator effect of shared family identity on the associations between perceptions of the husband's conflict management styles and relational satisfaction with the mother-in-law. Implications of the findings were discussed with reference to the prior literature on interpersonal conflict management, the Common Ingroup Identity Model, family relationships, as well as culture change in China.
Extreme learning machine based traffic sign detection

This paper proposes a hierarchical method for traffic sign detection by employing extreme learning machine (ELM) whose infrastructure is a single-hidden-layer feedforward network. This proposed method consists of three modules: Coarse detection module, fine detection module and candidates clustering module. Histogram of oriented gradient (HOG) and color histogram are used as features of signs. This proposed method is tested on German traffic sign detection benchmark (GTSDB) data set, which has more than 900 images of German road signs covering 43 classes. The architecture of this proposed method is simple and it has strong extensionality. Experimental results have shown that this proposed method achieves 98.60% in terms of area under curve (AUC) for all categories of traffic signs in the dataset.
Cognitive Processes in the Revision of Stereotypic Beliefs

Northwestern University Stereotypes have often been assumed to be resistant to change, although some evidence indicates that they are responsive to new information. The present studies examine stereotype change using three models: the bookkeeping model, in which each instance of stereotype-relevant information is used to modify the stereotype gradually; the conversion model, in which stereotypes change radically in response to dramatic or salient instances; and the subtyping model, in which new Stereotypic structures are developed to accommodate instances not easily assimilated by existing stereotypes. The models predict different response patterns as a function of variations in the pattern of stereotype-in consistent evidence and the number of instances encountered. In Experiment 1, subjects were given information about either a small or a large sample of group members in which stereotype-inconsistent evidence was dispersed across many members or concentrated within a few members. Results generally supported the subtyping model when evidence was concentrated and the bookkeeping model when evidence was dispersed. Experiment 3 suggested that the development of subtypes occurs because dramatically inconsistent individuals are seen as unrepresentat ive of the group as a whole. Although the present studies generally favored the subtyping and bookkeeping models, conditions under which the conversion model may operate are considered.
Body Image: Impacts of Media Channels on Men's and Women's Social Comparison Process, and Testing of Involvement Measurement

This study examines the impacts of social comparison processes on men and women to investigate any potential gender differences by utilizing survey research (N = 134). This study also investigates the different impacts of magazine and television social comparison processes on men's and women's body perceptual gap and body satisfaction. Last, this study tests the validity of a new scale based on the Affect, Reason, and Involvement (ARI) model, measuring “involvement” in the context of body image. The result found significant gender differences in several key areas in the body image processes. Social comparison to television actually decreased the body perceptual gap among men but increased the gap among women. Magazine social comparison yielded the same results for both men and women. Other gender differences were also found. Even though men were watching more hours of television per week, the female participants had higher levels of overall social comparison to television and magazines. Female participants in general also had a larger body perceptual gap than men, and female participants perceived their current body to be larger than did male participants. Last, the new scale from the ARI model measuring involvement was found to be valid after conducting a convergent validity test.
The impact of training and education in Indonesian aid schemes

This paper sets out to understand the impact that training and education programmes have had on institutions and on individuals in Indonesia and to identify theoretical and practical approaches that appear to be effective in bringing about planned change. An analysis was made of evaluation and research studies that included significant components of training and education. The evidence of longer-term impacts does not support the belief that development and change will automatically follow from training. The studies show that the absence of systemic and institutional commitment and the absence of sustainable links in a complex chain of institutional arrangements are impediments to the goals of development. For trainees, the outcomes derived from overseas training are a complex mix of professional, affective, cultural and career advantages mediated by the nature of the work environment. Although most graduates believe in the advantages of overseas training there are also important disadvantages, such as difficulties with re-entry, work relationships, and the development of appropriate professional networks. The studies identify several input and contextual factors that have had a significant influence on longer-term change.
Korean-Chinese-Japanese Multilingual Wordnet with Shared Semantic Hierarchy

A Chinese-Japanese-Korean wordnet is introduced. It is constructed based on a shared semantic hierarchy that is originated from NTT Goidaikei (Lexical Hierarchical System). Korean wordnet was constructed through the semantic category assignment to every sense of Korean words in a dictionary. Verbs and adjectives’ senses are assigned to the same semantic hierarchy as that of nouns. Each sense of verbs is investigated from corpora for their usage, and compared with Japanese translation. Chinese wordnet with the same semantic hierarchy was built up based on the comparison with Korean wordnet. Each sense of Chinese verb corresponds to Korean with its argument structure. These works have lasted since 1994. 1 Song, Youngbin’s current address is Ewha Womans University.
A long-term study of prognosis in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.

BACKGROUND A monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) occurs in up to 2 percent of persons 50 years of age or older. Reliable predictors of progression have not been identified, and information on prognosis is limited. METHODS We identified 1384 patients residing in southeastern Minnesota in whom MGUS was diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic from 1960 through 1994. The primary end point was progression to multiple myeloma or another plasma-cell cancer. RESULTS During 11,009 person-years of follow-up, MGUS progressed in 115 of the 1384 patients to multiple myeloma, IgM lymphoma, primary amyloidosis, macroglobulinemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or plasmacytoma (relative risk of progression, 25.0, 2.4, 8.4, 46.0, 0.9, and 8.5, respectively). The overall relative risk of progression was 7.3 in these patients as compared with the white population of the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. In 32 additional patients, the monoclonal protein concentration increased to more than 3 g per deciliter or the percentage of plasma cells in the bone marrow increased to more than 10 percent (smoldering multiple myeloma) but without progression to overt myeloma or related disorders. The cumulative probability of progression was 12 percent at 10 years, 25 percent at 20 years, and 30 percent at 25 years. The initial concentration of serum monoclonal protein was a significant predictor of progression at 20 years. CONCLUSIONS The risk of progression of MGUS to multiple myeloma or related disorders is about 1 percent per year.
The paradox of trust for male couples: When risking is a part of loving

Among gay men, there is evidence to suggest that serious, committed male couples practice especially risky sex. To understand the reasons why male couples might take such risks, 92 participants (46 long-term couples) were asked to complete a survey in which they independently indicated their sexual practices, why they engaged in them, and their attitudes toward relationships. Three sets of findings suggest a paradoxical relationship between emotional intimacy and sexual risk: (1) love, trust, and commitment were used more often to explain riskier than safer sex; (2) those more dependent upon their relationships and who desired a stable and lasting relationship practiced riskier sex; and (3) requesting safer sex had negative connotations (e.g., suspicion of extrarelationship sexual contacts). Of those who practiced safer sex (i.e., protected anal sex), 94% indicated that they did so because of their “fear of AIDS. ” Implications of these findings for developing HIV interventions for male couples are discussed.
Distributed wireless communication system: a new architecture for future public wireless access

The distributed wireless communication system (DWCS) is a new architecture for a wireless access system with distributed antennas, distributed processors, and distributed control. With distributed antennas, the system capacity can be expanded through dense frequency reuse, and the transmission power can be greatly decreased. With distributed processors control, the system works like a software or network radio, so different standards can coexist, and the system capacity can be increased by coprocessing of signals to and from multiple antennas.
From passive revolution to silent revolution: Class forces and the production of state, space and scale in modern Mexico

This article draws on Antonio Gramsci’s key concepts of passive revolution and hegemony to explore how specific scalar and spatial configurations have been historically produced in Mexico, within the conditions of worldwide capitalist development. It argues that passive revolution—understood as the state-led reorganisation of social relations that seeks to maintain or restore class domination—can be seen as a recurring theme of Mexican history in the 20th century. In order to make this case, the author examines the Mexican Revolution and elaborates the case for labelling it as a ‘passive revolution’. Following this, the contradictory character of Mexico’s development trajectory is explored, and the resulting restructuring of the economy along neoliberal lines is interpreted as a second phase of passive revolution. Through an analysis of changing state formation and the spaces and scales associated with it, the article thereby highlights the key antinomies of capitalist development that have augured the recurrence of passive revolutions.
Sum Rate Balancing for OFDM-Based Cognitive Two-Way Relaying

In this paper, we study a cognitive two-way relay network in which orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technique is adopted within the secondary system and a pair of secondary source nodes communicate with each other through a relay node by using amplify-and-forward two-way relaying strategy. We propose an optimal power allocation scheme to maximize the smaller data rate of the secondary users while satisfying both individual node power and aggregation interference constraints. We decompose the optimization problem into two subproblems and solve them by using dual decomposition approach. Furthermore, we propose a distributed power allocation algorithm. Finally, numerical simulations and comparisons are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed scheme.
Secondary contact and local adaptation contribute to genome‐wide patterns of clinal variation in Drosophila melanogaster

Populations arrayed along broad latitudinal gradients often show patterns of clinal variation in phenotype and genotype. Such population differentiation can be generated and maintained by both historical demographic events and local adaptation. These evolutionary forces are not mutually exclusive and can in some cases produce nearly identical patterns of genetic differentiation among populations. Here, we investigate the evolutionary forces that generated and maintain clinal variation genome‐wide among populations of Drosophila melanogaster sampled in North America and Australia. We contrast patterns of clinal variation in these continents with patterns of differentiation among ancestral European and African populations. Using established and novel methods we derive here, we show that recently derived North America and Australia populations were likely founded by both European and African lineages and that this hybridization event likely contributed to genome‐wide patterns of parallel clinal variation between continents. The pervasive effects of admixture mean that differentiation at only several hundred loci can be attributed to the operation of spatially varying selection using an FST outlier approach. Our results provide novel insight into the well‐studied system of clinal differentiation in D. melanogaster and provide a context for future studies seeking to identify loci contributing to local adaptation in a wide variety of organisms, including other invasive species as well as temperate endemics.
Transient Responses to NOTCH and TLX1/HOX11 Inhibition in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma

To improve the treatment strategies of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL), further efforts are needed to identify therapeutic targets. Dysregulated expression of HOX-type transcription factors occurs in 30–40% of cases of T-ALL. TLX1/HOX11 is the prototypical HOX-type transcription factor. TLX1 may be an attractive therapeutic target because mice that are deficient in TLX1 are healthy. To test this possibility, we developed a conditional doxycycline-regulated mouse model of TLX1-initiated T-ALL. TLX1 induced T-ALL after ∼5–7 months with penetrance of 15–60%. Similar to human TLX1-type T-ALLs, the TLX1-induced tumors were arrested at the cortical stage of T-cell development and acquired activating NOTCH1 mutations. Inhibition of NOTCH signaling abrogated growth of cell lines derived from the TLX1-induced tumors. NOTCH inhibition also transiently delayed leukemia progression in vivo. Suppression of TLX1 expression slowed the growth of TLX1 tumor cell lines. Suppression of TLX1 in vivo also transiently delayed leukemia progression. We have shown that TLX1 functions as a T-cell oncogene that is active during both the induction and the maintenance phases of leukemia. However, the effect of suppressing NOTCH or TLX1 was transient. The tumors eventually “escaped” from inhibition. These data imply that the biological pathways and gene sets impacted by TLX1 and NOTCH have largely lost their importance in the fully established tumor. They have been supplanted by stronger oncogenic pathways. Although TLX1 or NOTCH inhibitors may not be effective as single agents, they may still contribute to combination therapy for TLX1-driven acute leukemia.
Mexico through a superdiversity lens: already-existing diversity meets new immigration

New migration flows to Mexico are challenging long-established sociocultural configurations. So far, most studies on immigrants in Mexico have focused on singular ethno-national groups rather than paying attention to the intermingling of people. This paper presents an examination of diversification processes occurring in Guadalajara, Mexico. We contend that these are particularly strained because of the continuing frictions with which the country has to deal due to its already-existing diversity. The many forms of discrimination and racism that many Mexicans are subjected to by their co-nationals are often extended to new arrivals. The increasing complexity of migrant inflows challenges established forms of prejudice in everyday interactions. We argue in this paper that the use of superdiversity as a lens to study diversification processes allows us to better understand the changing dynamics currently taking place in Mexico.