Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amelioration of Reproduction-Associated Oxidative Stress in a Viviparous Insect Is Critical to Prevent Reproductive Senescence

Impact of reproductive processes upon female health has yielded conflicting results; particularly in relation to the role of reproduction-associated stress. We used the viviparous tsetse fly to determine if lactation, birth and involution lead to damage from oxidative stress (OS) that impairs subsequent reproductive cycles. Tsetse females carry an intrauterine larva to full term at each pregnancy cycle, and lactate to nourish them with milk secretions produced by the accessory gland ( = milk gland) organ. Unlike most K-strategists, tsetse females lack an apparent period of reproductive senescence allowing the production of 8–10 progeny over their entire life span. In a lactating female, over 47% of the maternal transcriptome is associated with the generation of milk proteins. The resulting single larval offspring weighs as much as the mother at birth. In studying this process we noted an increase in specific antioxidant enzyme (AOE) transcripts and enzymatic activity at critical times during lactation, birth and involution in the milk gland/fat body organ and the uterus. Suppression of superoxide dismutase (sod) decreased fecundity in subsequent reproductive cycles in young mothers and nearly abolished fecundity in geriatric females. Loss of fecundity was in part due to the inability of the mother to produce adequate milk to support larval growth. Longevity was also impaired after sod knockdown. Generation of OS in virgin females through exogenous treatment with hydrogen peroxide at times corresponding to pregnancy intervals reduced survival, which was exacerbated by sod knockdown. AOE expression may prevent oxidative damage associated with the generation of nutrients by the milk gland, parturition and milk gland breakdown. Our results indicate that prevention of OS is essential for females to meet the growing nutritional demands of juveniles during pregnancy and to repair the damage that occurs at birth. This process is particularly important for females to remain fecund during the latter portion of their lifetime.
Intentionality and fatality during the King's Cross underground fire

Research has shown that the behaviour of people in fires and other emergencies is characterized by internally rational, socially and cognitively structured action. It has not been possible to date to discover whether the victims of fires display similar patterns of behaviour to the survivors, or act in a fundamentally different way. Following the public inquiry into the 1987 King's Cross underground fire in London, data were made available which allowed this issue to be addressed. The data mainly consisted of statements and interviews with survivors and friends of the victims. Examination of this information allowed the likely actions and intentions of 24 of the 31 victims to be pieced together with a good degree of certainty. The results showed that those who died in the fire behaved in a way similar to the survivors. Generally, victims perpetuated actions that were consistent with the normal scripts for the use of the setting, and as shaped by their place-related roles and schemata. The study shows that virtually all of the victims attempted to leave the station either by the way they had entered, or by their originally intended route. Implications of the findings for the understanding, modelling and researching of behaviour under life-threatening conditions are discussed.
The Impact of Culture on Creativity

This paper advances a new theoretical model to understand the effect of culture on creativity in a global context. We theorize that creativity engagement and success depend on the cultural tightness—the extent to which a country is characterized by strong social norms and low tolerance for deviant behaviors—of both an innovator’s country and the audience’s country, as well as the cultural distance between these two countries. Using field data from a global online crowdsourcing platform that organizes creative contests for consumer-product brands, supplemented by interviews with marketing experts, we found that individuals from tight cultures are less likely than counterparts from loose cultures to engage in and succeed at foreign creative tasks; this effect is intensified as the cultural distance between the innovator’s and the audience’s country increases. Additionally, tight cultures are less receptive to foreign creative ideas. But we also found that in certain circumstances—when members of a tight culture do creative work in their own or culturally close countries—cultural tightness can actually promote creativity success. This finding implies that some degree of convergent thinking as engendered by tight cultures could be beneficial for creativity, challenging the dominant view in creativity research that divergent thinking is a prerequisite for creative performance.
Co-gasification of Coal and Hardwood Pellets: Syngas Composition, Carbon Efficiency and Energy Efficiency

This paper presents the effect of feedstock mixtures on the composition of syngas produced from a commercially available down-draft gasifier manufactured by All Power Labs (Berkeley, CA). Bituminous coal (Pittsburg seam) and hardwood pellets were used for the experiments. Five types of feedstock mixtures having composition of 100% hardwood pellets, 20% coal-80% hardwood pellets, 50% coal-50% hardwood pellets, 80% coal-20% hardwood pellets and 100% coal were prepared. Air or an air/water mist mixture was used as a gasifying agent and vacuum of 3” water was maintained inside the reactor. Syngas with 20.95% carbon-monoxide and 16.05% hydrogen was produced from the gasification of wood pellets. The hydrogen and carbon-monoxide content in the product gas decreased with an increase of the coal ratio of the mixtures. A significant increase in carbon efficiency was observed with an increase of the coal ratio in the mixtures. Syngas carbon and syngas energy efficiency increased with injection of the mist along with air in the system for the biomass gasification.
Comparative Evaluation of Periprostatic Nerve Block with and without Intraprostatic Nerve Block in Transrectal Ultrasound-Guided Prostatic Needle Biopsy

Purpose Controversy exists over the pain during prostate biopsy. Periprostatic nerve block is a commonly used anaesthetic technique during transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy. The recent trend toward increasing the number of cores has become popular. This practice further increases the need for a proper anaesthetic application. We compared the efficacy of periprostatic nerve block with or without intraprostatic nerve block. Materials and Methods We conducted a prospective double-blinded placebo-controlled study at our institute with 142 consecutive patients. Patients were randomly assigned into 3 groups. Group 1 received periprostatic nerve block with intraprostatic nerve block with 1% lignocaine. Group 2 patients were administered periprostatic nerve block only with 1% lignocaine. Group 3 received no anaesthesia. Patients were asked to grade their level of pain by using an 11-point linear analogue scale at the time of ultrasound probe insertion, at the time of anaesthesia, during biopsy, and 30 minutes after biopsy. Results The study groups were comparable in demographic profile, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, and prostate size. The mean pain scores at the time of biopsy in groups 1, 2, and 3 were 2.70, 3.39, and 4.16, respectively. Group 1 recorded the minimum mean pain score of 2.70 during prostate biopsy, which was significantly lower than the scores of groups 2 and 3 (p<0.001). There were no significant differences in pain scores among the 3 groups during probe insertion, during anaesthesia, or at 30 minutes after biopsy (p>0.05). Conclusions Periprostatic nerve block with intraprostatic nerve block provides better pain control than does periprostatic nerve block alone in TRUS-guided prostate biopsy.
Changing Family Values in Greece

Changes in family values in Greece, from traditional collectivist to individualist, are related to recent cultural and technological developments, to changes in the family system from extended to nuclear, to migration of the population from small rural communities to urban centers, to changes in the structure of the in-group, and so forth. A family values questionnaire was given to 417 students from Athens and from small rural communities. The factor structure of Athenian family values differed from that of small community values, particularly in relation to the extended family-nuclear family dimension, indicating a transition from collectivist to individualist values.
Perturbations of Fast Goal-Directed Arm Movements: Different Behavior of Early and Late EMG Responses

Abstract Subjects made fast goal-directed elbow flexion movements against an inertial load. Target distance was 8 or 16 cm, randomly chosen. In 20% of the trials, the inertial load (the mass) was increased or decreased without the subject's knowledge. The change of mass elicited appreciable electromyographic (EMG) responses in elbow muscles as well as in shoulder muscles. The latency of these responses was 25–35 ms, relative to the point at which the velocity of the hand differed by more than 0.2 m/s from the velocity in the control trials. Whether these responses could be altered during fast movements was tested by giving instructions to the subject or by changing the mass during the movement instead of just after the start. The first 25 ms of the response were found to depend only on the velocity change induced by the perturbation, not on the instruction to the subject, regardless of the phase of the movement. The part of the response with a longer latency (60 ms) could have a sign opposite to that of t.
Acquisition of Flavescence Dorée Phytoplasma by Scaphoideus titanus Ball from Different Grapevine Varieties

Flavescence dorée (FD) is a threat for wine production in the vineyard landscape of Piemonte, Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, Italy. Spread of the disease is dependent on complex interactions between insect, plant and phytoplasma. In the Piemonte region, wine production is based on local cultivars. The role of six local grapevine varieties as a source of inoculum for the vector Scaphoideus titanus was investigated. FD phytoplasma (FDP) load was compared among red and white varieties with different susceptibility to FD. Laboratory-reared healthy S. titanus nymphs were caged for acquisition on infected plants to measure phytoplasma acquisition efficiency following feeding on different cultivars. FDP load for Arneis was significantly lower than for other varieties. Acquisition efficiency depended on grapevine variety and on FDP load in the source plants, and there was a positive interaction for acquisition between variety and phytoplasma load. S. titanus acquired FDP with high efficiency from the most susceptible varieties, suggesting that disease diffusion correlates more with vector acquisition efficiency than with FDP load in source grapevines. In conclusion, although acquisition efficiency depends on grapevine variety and on FDP load in the plant, even varieties supporting low FDP multiplication can be highly susceptible and good sources for vector infection, while poorly susceptible varieties may host high phytoplasma loads.
Autobiographical memory sharing in everyday life: Characteristics of a good story

Storytelling is a ubiquitous human activity that occurs across the lifespan as part of everyday life. Studies from three disparate literatures suggest that older adults (as compared to younger adults) are (a) less likely to recall story details, (b) more likely to go off-target when sharing stories, and, in contrast, (c) more likely to receive higher global story quality ratings. No previous research has investigated these three related constructs in a single study. In addition, previous work has not examined the type of story most commonly told in everyday life: episodic autobiographical memories. Thus, to investigate story characteristics using ecologically valid materials, the current study examined autobiographical memory stories and fictional stories (as a comparison) recalled by younger and older adults. These were content-coded for level of detail and off-target responding, and also evaluated for global quality by layperson raters. Results show age and also gender differences in level of detail, amount of off-target responding, and global story quality across story types. Additional analyses show that level of detail, and personal significance of the memory (not person characteristics such as age and gender), are the best predictors of global story quality in autobiographical memory stories.
New Directions in Life Course Research

Life courses are studied in sociology and neighboring fields as developmental processes, as culturally and normatively constructed life stages and age roles, as biographical meanings, as aging processes, as outcomes of institutional regulation and policies, as demographic accounts, or as mere empirical connectivity across the life course. This review has two aims. One is to report on trends in life course research by focusing on empirical studies published since the year 2000. The other is to assess the overall development of the field. Major advances can be observed in four areas: national individual-level longitudinal databases, the impact of institutional contexts on life courses, life courses under conditions of societal ruptures, and health across the life course. In four other areas, advancements have been less pronounced: internal dynamics and causal linkages across life, the interaction of development and socially constructed life courses, theory development, and new methods. Overall, life course sociology still has far to go to reach its full potential.
Percutaneous Penetration Modifiers and Formulation Effects: Thermal and Spectral Analyses

The study investigated the formulation effects of laurocapram and iminosulfurane derived penetration modifiers on human stratum corneum using thermal and spectral analyses. Firstly, formulations of penetration modifiers were assessed as enhancers/retardants using the model permeant, diethyl-m-toluamide followed by investigation of their mechanisms of action using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy. The penetration modifiers investigated were laurocapram, 3-dodecanoyloxazolidin-2-one (N-0915), S,S-dimethyl-N-(4-bromobenzoyl) iminosulfurane (DMBIS), S,S-dimethyl-N-(2-methoxycarbonylbenzenesulfonyl) iminosulfurane (DMMCBI) and tert-butyl 1-dodecyl-2-oxoazepan-3-yl-carbamate (TBDOC) that were formulated in either water, propylene glycol (PG), ethanol or polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400). The results explain the mechanism for the first time why an enhancer can become a retardant or vice versa depending upon the vehicle in which it is applied to the skin. DSC indicated that penetration modifier formulations enhanced permeation of active mainly by disruption and fluidization of the stratum corneum lipid bilayers while IR data indicated characteristic blue shifts with decreases in peak intensity. On the other hand, DSC of penetration modifier formulations showing retardation depicted elevated Tm2 with a strengthening of lipid–protein complex while IR results indicated formation of multiple peaks around 1,738 cm−1 transition in stratum corneum spectra suggesting retardation may be caused by organization of SC lipids by increased H-bonding.
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENT ANOREXIA NERVOSA PATIENTS : A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Background. Impairments of neurocognitive performance in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been reported in many studies, but no consensus has been reached. The purpose of our study was to develop a neuropsychological profile of adolescent AN patients and to determine whether or not the neuropsychological deficits are reversible with weight gain. Material and methods. 23 female AN patients who satisfied DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and 25 healthy female controls, matched for age, estimated IQ and educational level, participated in the study. 16 female subjects who attained psychiatric recovery participated in the follow-up study (longitudinal data). A battery of neuropsychological assessment methods was used, inclu ding: Vocabulary and Digit Span (WAIS-R), Auditory Verbal Learning Test, subtest for long-term memory of the Choynowski Memory Scale, the ReyOsterrieth Complex Figure Test, the Benton Visual Retention Test, Diagnosis of Brain Damage, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Memory Questionnaire. Results. Several neuropsychological deficits were observed in AN subjects in both the verbal and nonverbal domains. Neuropsychological functioning improved after weight recovery, with significant changes on tests of verbal and nonverbal learning, long-term visual memory and psychomotor speed. In addition, cognitive performance did not significantly correlate with depressive symptoms or BMI in either the baseline or follow-up assessments. Conclusions. AN patients exhibit several neuropsychological deficits, which tend to resolve at least partially after treatment. However, this improvement does not appear to be associated with an increase in BMI, and cannot be explained by the decreased severity of self-reported depressive symptoms. NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENT ANOREXIA NERVOSA PATIENTS: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Life, Science, and Biopower

This article critically engages with the influential theory of ‘‘molecularized biopower’’ and ‘‘politics of life’’ developed by Paul Rabinow and Nikolas Rose. Molecularization is assumed to signal the end of population-centred biopolitics and the disciplining of subjects as described by Foucault, and the rise of new forms of biosociality and biological citizenship. Drawing on empirical work in Science and Technology Studies (STS), we argue that this account is limited by a focus on novelty and assumptions about the transformative power of the genetic life sciences. We suggest that biopower consists of a more complex cluster of relationships between the molecular and the population. The biological existence of different human beings is politicized through different complementary and competing discourses around medical therapies, choices at the beginning and end of life, public health, environment, migration and border controls, implying a multiple rather than a singular politics of life.
Is the east really different from the west: a cross-cultural study on information technology and decision making

With the growing globalization of business in today’s environment, increased multiculturalism has encouraged scholars to examine factors that enhance or inhibit the adaptation of organization and management practices across cultural boundaries (Adler 1983). Culture has been defined by Hofstede (1991) as “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one category of people from those of another” (p. 5). Hofstede (1984) identified four constructs that have been the foundation of much cultural research: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity. Hall (1976) identified a communications context construct and, as did Hofstede and Bond (1988), identified a time perspective construct. These cultural variables are defined as follows:
Effect of Ad Hoc Routing Protocols on TCP Performance within MANETs

TCP was mainly developed to be deployed within wired networks. Recently, many researches have studied its performance within mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). These researches found that TCP performance are highly influenced by the characteristics of such networks. This is due to TCP's reliability mechanism and its inability to discriminate the packet loss cause. Indeed, unlike wired networks, where packet loss is mainly caused by network congestion, in MANETs we could have many other reasons to lose a data packet. However, TCP considers that all packet losses are due to network congestion. This enforces TCP to be aggressive in front of certain types of loss. Packet losses in MANETs can be either related to wireless communication environment (i.e. the effect of fading, interference, multipath routing, etc.) or to the dynamic nature of such networks (i.e. link failures, network partitioning). This latter could be due to the node mobility or to the node battery depletion. This could lead to frequent route re-computation within the network. In this work, we intend to study the effect of ad hoc routing protocols on TCP performance (energy consumption and average goodput) within MANETs. We consider studying different types of ad hoc routing protocols having different characteristics: reactive vs. proactive, distance vector vs. link state, and source routing. Our study results show that; DSDV as a proactive distance vector routing protocol leads to most accepted TCP performance results and this is confirmed at different mobility levels
Effects of math self-concept, perceived self-efficacy, and attributions for failure and success on test anxiety

Structural equation modeling was used to test a model of test anxiety. Variables in the model included gender, number of years since one's last math course, attributions for failure and success, math self-concept, perceived self-efficacy, achievemetn, general test anxiety, and statistical test anxiety. Failure and success attributions were found to influence general test anxiety and statistical test anxiety for both male and female students. Women who attributed success to behavioral causes were found to have higher levels of math self-concept than women attributing success to external causes. For men, those attributing failure to external causes were found to have higher levels of the worry component of statistical test anxiety. Math self-concept was negatively related to both general test anxiety and statistics test anxiety, whereas perceived selft-efficacy had a negative relationship with the worry component of statistics anxiety.
The perception of political leaders: A multidimensional analysis

Abstract The perception of 20 salient Australian and foreign political personalities was studied using a multidimensional scaling (MDS) procedure, with a view towards (a) establishing the dimensions used to differentiate between politicians, and (b) evaluating the relationship between the judges' personality, attitudinal and cognitive characteristics and their cognitive representation of politicians. Judgements were analysed by an overall MDS analysis, followed by six separate analyses of high and low scoring subjects on each of six measures (conservatism, New Left ideology, Machiavellianism, alienation, mental rigidity, and intolerance of ambiguity). Results indicated that three cognitive dimensions, political conservatism, likeability or evaluation, and rationality denned the perceptual space for politicians. Ideologically committed subjects, both conservatives and New Left, found the first dimension most salient in their judgements, while non-ideological subjects relied more on the second two dimension.