Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relative Effectiveness of Formal School and On-the-Job Methods of Training Apprentices in Naval Occupations 1

Summary Totest the hypothesis that formal school training is a more effective method of preparing naval apprentices for the lowest petty officer level than is on-the-job training, advancement examination scores of Navy Basic Training School graduates were compared with those of non-graduates. Both were matched with respect to general ability level. Two samples were independently drawn and studied. The first sample included 1,674 matched pairs of apprentices distributed among 30 naval occupations. The second sample included 1,716 matched pairs of apprentices distributed among 24 naval occupations. From the findings of this study it definitely appears that formal school training is a superior method compared with on-the-job training of preparing apprentices (who possess at least minimal basic abilities and aptitudes) in the skills and knowledges required of petty officers, third class, in the U. S. Navy.
Valuing the invaluable: effects of individual, school and cultural factors on the environmental values of children

The environmental values (EV) of children are, across disciplines and theories, regarded as essential preconditions of environmental behavior (EB). This study identifies and explains variation in EV and what they tell us about the EB of children. The study makes an important contribution to the design and evaluation of environmental education initiatives. The design of the research does not consider EV as just individual traits; individual and contextual factors (social and natural, subjective and objective) are assessed simultaneously, allowing for their interaction. The dissertation, therefore, builds on, but distinguishes itself from common practice in the field of environmental education research. Importantly, the multidisciplinary dissertation draws from environmental sociology, included methodologies from environmental psychology for measuring EV and from school effectiveness research for explaining variation in EV. The 2006 PISA data were used in the study (398,750 15-year-olds from 56 countries) as well as about 3000 children ages 10–16 from Flanders, Vietnam and Guatemala. Data treatment methods were quantitative and include multilevel regression models to discern different levels of variation in the data (individuals within schools within cultures) and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses to assess issues of measurement invariance in EV. The key findings include; (1) children’s EV are not just individual traits, they are also accounted for the social and natural context within which individuals operate; (2) gender differences in EV might reflect methodological artifacts rather than genuine differences; (3) schools matter, environmental knowledge can be encouraged through hands-on teaching, EV through school participation in environmental learning activities outside the classroom; (4) schools have a greater impact on their students’ environmental knowledge than on their EV; (5) eco-schools matter, they have an effect on their students’ EV but might be applying an approach that, in the long run, has little chance of achieving behavior change and (6) EV affect EB and do so in a culturally specific manner; educational efforts should account for this cultural specificity.
Prognostic Implications of Non-Invasive Vascular Function Tests in High-Risk Atherosclerosis Patients.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the role of clinically available vascular function tests as predictors of cardiovascular events and decline in kidney function. METHODSANDRESULTS One hundred and fourteen patients who had at least 2 cardiovascular risk factors were recruited for vascular function assessment including ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and flow-mediated vasodilatation (%FMD). During a median period of 51 months, 35 patients reached the primary endpoint (29 cardiovascular events and 6 cardiac deaths), and 30 patients reached the secondary endpoint (decline in kidney function: defined as a 5% per year decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate). In sequential Cox models, a model on the basis of the Framingham risk score, hemoglobin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (chi-squared, 16.6) was improved by the ABI (chi-squared: 21.5; P=0.047). The baPWV (hazard ratio: 1.42 per 1 SD increase; P=0.025) and the CAVI (hazard ratio: 1.52 per 1 SD increase; P=0.040) were associated with the secondary endpoint. The %FMD was only slightly associated with the primary and secondary endpoints. CONCLUSIONS Both ABI and baPWV are significantly associated with future cardiovascular events in high-risk patients with cardiovascular disease. The predictive capabilities of these parameters are greater than that of other parameters in this cohort.
YouTube as a source of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient education

The aim of the present study is to conduct a social media content analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient education videos on YouTube. A systematic search protocol was used to locate 223 videos. Two independent coders evaluated each video to determine topics covered, media source(s) of posted videos, information quality as measured by HONcode guidelines for posting trustworthy health information on the Internet, and viewer exposure/engagement metrics. Over half the videos (n = 113, 50.7%) included information on medication management, with far fewer videos on smoking cessation (n = 40, 17.9%). Most videos were posted by a health agency or organization (n = 128, 57.4%), and the majority of videos were rated as high quality (n = 154, 69.1%). HONcode adherence differed by media source (Fisher’s exact test = 20.52, p = 0.01), however with user-generated content receiving the lowest quality scores. Overall level of user engagement as measured by number of “likes,” “favorites,” “dislikes,” and user comments was low (median range = 0–3, interquartile range = 0–16) across all sources of media. Study findings suggest that COPD education via YouTube has the potential to reach and inform patients; however, existing video content and quality varies significantly. Future interventions should help direct individuals with COPD to engage with high-quality patient education videos on YouTube that are posted by reputable health organizations and qualified medical professionals. Patients should be educated to avoid and/or critically view low-quality videos posted by individual YouTube users who are not health professionals.
College Aid Policy and Competition for Diversity

The main objective of this study is to identify differences in the freshman financial aid packages of low-income, high-achieving minority students in public and private institutions. Our results suggest that private and selective institutions can offer better financial aid packages that enable them to recruit higher numbers of low-income, high-achieving minorities. We found that, as a consequence of banning affirmative action policies, flagship public selective institutions, unlike selective private ones, cannot freely compose financial aid packages to recruit and retain minority students. This, in turn, translates into an increased financial burden for the students in flagship public universities.
Misincorporation by HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Promotes Recombination via Strand Transfer Synthesis*

Genome heterogeneity in retroviruses derives from poor fidelity of the reverse transcriptase (RT) and recombination via RT-catalyzed strand transfer synthesis. RTs lack proofreading ability, and they proficiently extend primers with mismatched termini. Recombination reactions carried out in vitro are accompanied by a high frequency of base substitution errors, suggesting a relationship. Here we provide evidence that misincorporation during RNA-directed DNA synthesis promotes strand transfer recombination. Experiments involved measurement of DNA synthesis, RNase H-directed cleavage, and strand transfer synthesis from preformed mismatched primers on RNA templates by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RT in vitro. A significant pause in synthesis occurred from a G(primer). rA(template) mismatch compared to the synthesis from a correctly paired (T·rA) primer. The misincorporation-induced pause allowed an unusually large area of RT-RNase H-directed cleavage of the template RNA beneath the primer. Strand transfer to an acceptor molecule with sequence identical to the template RNA was about 50% more efficient than if the primer had had a correctly paired terminus. Overall transfer was measured over a large region of homology. Assuming that enhanced transfer occurs primarily at the site of the mismatch, the actual increase in transfer at that site must have been 1-2 orders of magnitude. Inclusion of a different acceptor molecule with complete complementarity to the originally mismatched 3′ primer terminus resulted in an additional 2-fold increase in strand transfer efficiency. Overall, these results suggest the mechanism by which misincorporation during minus strand DNA synthesis in retroviral replication would promote high frequency recombination.
A Data Gathering Mechanism based on Clustering and In-Network processing Routing Algorithm

Sensor networks require energy-aware, efficient datacollecting methods to extend their network lifetime. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient data gathering mechanism which clusters sensor nodes and forms a distributed data-routing tree based on in-network data fusion. In our mechanism, the cluster formation and the data-routing tree construction are simultaneously carried out so that they reduce their energy required to organize a multi-hop routing tree of sensed data. The mechanism also performs data aggregation at each member node to reduce the amount of transmission data. Moreover our work distributes energy load to each node to avoid the intensive energy consumption of a cluster-head. Experimental results show that our data gathering mechanism outperforms the direct scheme protocol and the LEACH protocol on the point of view of the network lifetime.
Microdomain Ca2+ Activation during Exocytosis in Paramecium Cells. Superposition of Local Subplasmalemmal Calcium Store Activation by Local Ca2+ Influx

In Paramecium tetraurelia, polyamine-triggered exocytosis is accompanied by the activation of Ca2+-activated currents across the cell membrane (Erxleben, C., and H. Plattner. 1994. J. Cell Biol. 127:935– 945). We now show by voltage clamp and extracellular recordings that the product of current × time (As) closely parallels the number of exocytotic events. We suggest that Ca2+ mobilization from subplasmalemmal storage compartments, covering almost the entire cell surface, is a key event. In fact, after local stimulation, Ca2+ imaging with high time resolution reveals rapid, transient, local signals even when extracellular Ca2+ is quenched to or below resting intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]e ⩽ [Ca2+]i). Under these conditions, quenched-flow/freeze-fracture analysis shows that membrane fusion is only partially inhibited. Increasing [Ca2+]e alone, i.e., without secretagogue, causes rapid, strong cortical increase of [Ca2+]i but no exocytosis. In various cells, the ratio of maximal vs. minimal currents registered during maximal stimulation or single exocytotic events, respectively, correlate nicely with the number of Ca stores available. Since no quantal current steps could be observed, this is again compatible with the combined occurrence of Ca2+ mobilization from stores (providing close to threshold Ca2+ levels) and Ca2+ influx from the medium (which per se does not cause exocytosis). This implies that only the combination of Ca2+ flushes, primarily from internal and secondarily from external sources, can produce a signal triggering rapid, local exocytotic responses, as requested for Paramecium defense.
Use of Jpeg Algorithm in Handwritten Devnagri Numeral Recognition

Automatic recognition of handwritten Devnagri numerals is a difficult task in pattern recognition. It has numerous applications including those in postal sorting and bank cheque processing. In this paper, a fast and effective method is proposed for recognition of isolated handwritten Devnagri numerals based on JPEG image compression algorithm, which is less time consuming as compared to artificial neural network based recognition systems. In JPEG image compression, which has high compression ratio, a unique vector which helps to identify each character is generated. By using this unique vector, the proposed system has recognized the input numeral after measuring the Euclidean distance between the vector corresponding to the numeral and the vectors in the codebook as well as the length of vector. Then the shortest distance pointed to the corresponding letter is obtained. The result was considerably high in terms of recognition rate.
A Current Review of the Diagnostic and Treatment Strategies of Hepatic Encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious and potentially fatal complication in patients with cirrhotic liver disease. It is a spectrum ranging from minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) without recognizable clinical symptoms or signs, to overt HE with risk of cerebral edema and death. HE results in diminished quality of life and survival. The broad range of neuropsychiatric manifestations reflects the range of pathophysiological mechanisms and impairment in neurotransmission that are purported to cause HE including hyperammonemia, astrocyte swelling, intra-astrocytic glutamine, upregulation of 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) (formerly known as peripheral benzodiazepine receptor or PBTR), and manganese. There is a myriad of diagnostic tools including simple bedside clinical assessment, and more complex neuropsychological batteries and neurophysiological tests available today. Current treatment strategies are directed at reducing ammonia, with newer agents showing some early promise. This paper describes the pathophysiology of the disease and summarises current diagnostic and treatment therapies available.
Stigma Is Associated with Delays in Seeking Care among HIV-Infected People in India

Background: Stigma shapes the lives of people living with HIV and may affect their willingness to seek medical care. But treatment delays can compromise health and increase the risk of transmission to others. Purpose: To examine whether the 4 stigma manifestations—enacted (discrimination), vicarious (hearing stories of discrimination), felt normative (perceptions of stigma’s prevalence), and internalized (personal endorsement of stigma beliefs)—were linked with delays in seeking care among HIV-infected people in India. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 961 HIV-positive men and women in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Results: Enacted and internalized stigmas were correlated with delays in seeking care after testing HIV positive. Depression symptoms mediated the associations of enacted and internalized stigmas with care-seeking delays, whereas efforts to avoiding disclosing HIV status mediated only the association between internalized stigma and care-seeking delays. Conclusion: It is vital to develop stigma reduction interventions to ensure timely receipt of care.
A checkpoint/restore framework for systemc-based virtual platforms

The ability to restore a Virtual Platform from a previously saved simulation state can considerably shorten the typical edit-compile-debug cycle for software developers and therefore enhance productivity. This paper presents a Checkpoint/Restore solution specifically tailored towards the needs of SystemC-based Virtual Platforms. Apart from restoring the simulation process from a checkpoint image, it also takes care of re-attaching debuggers and interactive GUIs to the restored Virtual Platform. The checkpointing is handled automatically for most of the SystemC modules, only the usage of host OS resources requires user provision. Two concrete code examples demonstrate that the required changes to an existing Virtual Platform are a simple developer task consisting of minor source code modifications. A case study based on the SHAPES Virtual Platform is conducted to investigate the applicability of the proposed framework in a realistic system environment.
Current issues in spatial neglect : An editorial introduction

Abstract The “neglect syndrome” has become an established clinical entity in that it features prominently in all current texts of behavioural neurology and cognitive neuropsychology (see, for example, Heilman, Watson, & Valenstein, 1993; McCarthy & Warrington, 1990). At least three books have been devoted almost exclusively to the condition (Jeannerod, 1987; Robertson & Marshall, 1993; Weinstein & Friedman, 1977) and with good reason. There are very substantial numbers of neurological patients who after unilateral brain damage appear to live in a world that is spatially-skewed away from the side contralateral to the lesion, or (the distinction may be important) skewed toward the ipsilesional side (De Renzi, Gentilini, Faglioni, & Barbieri, 1989). Although the acute signs may remit spontaneously, many patients continue to ignore or “neglect” contralesional stimuli for months or years post-lesion. Their failure to “report, respond, or orient to” (Heilman et al., 1993) information in locations further from t.
Keitai, Blog, and Kuuki‐wo‐yomu (Read the atmosphere): Communicative Ecology in Japanese Society

In mobile communications studies, Japan is known for its “keitai culture. ” However, the actual use of keitai among the Japanese is anything but glamorous. On the other hand, strong preference of online diary and diary blogs among the Japanese is remarkable. What is puzzling, however, is that the Japanese online diarists and bloggers have been astoundingly self-effacing. What communications are they engaged in, with providing little information about themselves? Relying on and advancing the methodological perspective of “communicative ecology,” this study discusses the way online diaries and blogs are intertwined with mobile communications, embedded in the communicative ecology. It also reveals the way “kuuki wo yomu” (read the atmosphere) motivates people's expectations and actions in social communications, contributing to the formation of the communicative ecology.
Application of charge shift electrophoresis to antigenic analysis of mycoplasmic membranes by two-dimensional (crossed) immunoelectrophoresis

Both the anodic migration and resolution of membrane antigens of Mycoplasma arginini were greatly improved in two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis by incorporating both a neutral detergent, Triton X-100, and an anionic detergent, sodium deoxycholate, in the agarose support for first phase electrophoresis. The mobility of cytoplasmic antigens was unaffected at concentrations of 0.1% or less of sodium deoxycholate.
Global Habitat Suitability for Framework-Forming Cold-Water Corals

Predictive habitat models are increasingly being used by conservationists, researchers and governmental bodies to identify vulnerable ecosystems and species' distributions in areas that have not been sampled. However, in the deep sea, several limitations have restricted the widespread utilisation of this approach. These range from issues with the accuracy of species presences, the lack of reliable absence data and the limited spatial resolution of environmental factors known or thought to control deep-sea species' distributions. To address these problems, global habitat suitability models have been generated for five species of framework-forming scleractinian corals by taking the best available data and using a novel approach to generate high resolution maps of seafloor conditions. High-resolution global bathymetry was used to resample gridded data from sources such as World Ocean Atlas to produce continuous 30-arc second (∼1 km2) global grids for environmental, chemical and physical data of the world's oceans. The increased area and resolution of the environmental variables resulted in a greater number of coral presence records being incorporated into habitat models and higher accuracy of model predictions. The most important factors in determining cold-water coral habitat suitability were depth, temperature, aragonite saturation state and salinity. Model outputs indicated the majority of suitable coral habitat is likely to occur on the continental shelves and slopes of the Atlantic, South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The North Pacific has very little suitable scleractinian coral habitat. Numerous small scale features (i.e., seamounts), which have not been sampled or identified as having a high probability of supporting cold-water coral habitat were identified in all ocean basins. Field validation of newly identified areas is needed to determine the accuracy of model results, assess the utility of modelling efforts to identify vulnerable marine ecosystems for inclusion in future marine protected areas and reduce coral bycatch by commercial fisheries.
Revised paradigm of aquatic biofilm formation facilitated by microgel transparent exopolymer particles

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) are planktonic, organic microgels that are ubiquitous in aqueous environments. Increasing evidence indicates that TEPs play an active role in the process of aquatic biofilm formation. Frequently, TEPs are intensely colonized by bacteria and other microorganisms, thus serving as hot spots of intense microbial activity. We introduce the term “protobiofilm” to refer to TEPs with extensive microbial outgrowth and colonization. Such particles display most of the characteristics of developing biofilm, with the exception of being attached to a surface. In this study, coastal seawater was passed through custom-designed flow cells that enabled direct observation of TEPs and protobiofilm in the feedwater stream by bright-field and epifluorescence microscopy. Additionally, we could follow biofilm development on immersed surfaces inside the flow cells. Within minutes, we observed TEP and protobiofilm patches adhering to these surfaces. By 30 min, confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) revealed numerous patches of Con A and SYTO 9 staining structures covering the surfaces. Atomic force microscopy showed details of a thin, highly sticky, organic conditioning layer between these patches. Bright-field and epifluorescence microscopy and CLSM showed that biofilm development (observed until 24 h) was profoundly inhibited in flow cells with seawater prefiltered to remove most large TEPs and protobiofilm. We propose a revised paradigm for aquatic biofilm development that emphasizes the critical role of microgel particles such as TEPs and protobiofilm in facilitating this process. Recognition of the role of planktonic microgels in aquatic biofilm formation can have applied importance for the water industry.
Protesting their Apathy? An Analysis of British Press Coverage of Young anti-Iraq War Protestors

Drawing on a systematic content analysis of UK newspaper coverage of young anti-Iraq war protestors, I examine how young people's opinions were mediated before and during the war in Iraq. I explore the extent and nature of coverage, and ask whether newspapers encouraged young people to be active citizens in the public sphere. I argue that the UK press sought to legitimize young people's opinion before the war had started by stressing the consensual composition of the demonstrations. However, the dominant media frame shifted once the war had commenced, with young protestors portrayed as opportunistic truants rather than (as pre-war) active, engaged citizens. I conclude by discussing recent literature which interprets media coverage of protests positively by replacing the concept of the public sphere with the ‘public screen’. While visually stimulating, I argue it is a rather hollow concept because it loses sight of the referent needed to make sense of the reasons why the UK decided to go to war.