Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Positive psychological traits, school functioning, and psychological adjustment in elementary schoolchildren

Abstract The present study explored the associations among positive psychological traits, school functioning, and psychological adjustment of elementary schoolchildren. Participants included 392 children in Grades 6–8 attending a Turkish public elementary school. There were 48.2% (189) female and 51.8% (203) male participants, and they ranged in age from 11 to 14 years (M = 12.83, SD = .94). Findings of the study indicated that youths with high positive psychological traits reported higher levels of prosocial behaviour, school belonging and academic achievement, and lower levels of externalising and internalising problems. Path analysis outcomes revealed that the positive psychology constructs had significant and large associations with prosocial behaviour, school belonging, internalising and externalising problems, as well as small-to-large associations with student academic achievement. Overall, the combination of these positive traits, namely covitality, had stronger associations with youths’ school functioning and psychological adjustment than the constructs that comprise covitality. The outcomes suggest substantial associations between positive psychological traits and youths’ school-based and psychological characteristics.
One-Point Probability Distribution Functions of Supersonic Turbulent Flows in Self-gravitating Media

Turbulence is essential for understanding the structure and dynamics of molecular clouds and star-forming regions. There is a need for adequate tools to describe and characterize the properties of turbulent flows. One-point probability distribution functions (PDFs) of dynamical variables have been suggested as appropriate statistical measures and applied to several observed molecular clouds. However, the interpretation of these data requires comparison with numerical simulations. To address this issue, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of driven and decaying, supersonic, turbulent flows with and without self-gravity are presented. In addition, random Gaussian velocity fields are analyzed to estimate the influence of variance effects. To characterize the flow properties, the PDFs of the density, of the line-of-sight velocity centroids, and of the line centroid increments are studied. This is supplemented by a discussion of the dispersion and the kurtosis of the increment PDFs, as well as the spatial distribution of velocity increments for small spatial lags. From the comparison between different models of interstellar turbulence, it follows that the inclusion of self-gravity leads to better agreement with the observed PDFs in molecular clouds. The increment PDFs for small spatial lags become exponential for all considered velocities. However, all the processes considered here lead to non-Gaussian signatures, differences are only gradual, and the analyzed PDFs are in addition projection dependent. It appears therefore very difficult to distinguish between different physical processes on the basis of PDFs only, which limits their applicability for adequately characterizing interstellar turbulence.
Analysis of Savannah and Rainforest Soils of Nigeria using Thermal Neutron Activation Analysis Technique

In Nigeria, large percentages of the populations are engaged in farming on the arable land. Elements play very important role in the fertility of these arable soils. To determine the essential elemental composition of soils obtained from Savannah and Rainforest parts of Nigeria, thermal neutrons activation analysis technique (TNAA) was used and the outer irradiation channel of Nigeria Research Reactor -1 (NIRR-1). This research reactor was operated at full power of 31kW and a neuron setting of 2.50 x 10 11 cm -2 s -1 . Nine elements were determined in all the samples and identified in two groups. Group I elements identified as nutritionally-essential macronutrients to plants includes; Mg, K, Ca Na, Mn, and V. Group II elements identified to be non metabolic nutrients to plant includes Al Ti and Dy. However, Mg, K, Ca were present in large concentration and Na, Mn, V present in minor concentration in all the samples. Also, Al and Ti were present in minor concentration and Dy present in relatively low concentration in all the samples.
Synergistic Antihypertensive Effect of Carthamus tinctorius L. Extract and Captopril in l-NAME-Induced Hypertensive Rats via Restoration of eNOS and AT1R Expression

This study examined the effect of Carthamus tinctorius (CT) extract plus captopril treatment on blood pressure, vascular function, nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, oxidative stress and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in Nω-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME)-induced hypertension. Rats were treated with l-NAME (40 mg/kg/day) for five weeks and given CT extract (75 or 150 or 300 or 500 mg/kg/day): captopril (5 mg/kg/day) or CT extract (300 mg/kg/day) plus captopril (5 mg/kg/day) for two consecutive weeks. CT extract reduced blood pressure dose-dependently, and the most effective dose was 300 mg/kg/day. l-NAME-induced hypertensive rats showed abnormalities including high blood pressure, high vascular resistance, impairment of acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation in isolated aortic rings and mesenteric vascular beds, increased vascular superoxide production and plasma malondialdehyde levels, downregulation of eNOS, low level of plasma nitric oxide metabolites, upregulation of angiotensin II type 1 receptor and increased plasma angiotensin II. These abnormalities were alleviated by treatment with either CT extract or captopril. Combination treatment of CT extract and captopril normalized all the abnormalities found in hypertensive rats except endothelial dysfunction. These data indicate that there are synergistic antihypertensive effects of CT extract and captopril. These effects are likely mediated by their anti-oxidative properties and their inhibition of RAS.
False Logic Attacks on SCADA Control System

A cyber security incident in SCADA systems can cause the disruption of physical process, and may result in significant economic loss, environmental disasters or even human casualties. To exploit the feature of the physical process and find the potential attacks, this paper presents and analyzes a new class of cyber-physical attacks, named false logic attacks, against the logic of control process in SCADA systems. In addition, it proposes a model for false logic attacks, which is useful for analyzing how attacks can affect the physical system. An experiment is performed to illustrate the concepts, and the effect of false logic attacks are also discussed.
Molecular Uptake of Chitooligosaccharides through Chitoporin from the Marine Bacterium Vibrio harveyi

Background Chitin is the most abundant biopolymer in marine ecosystems. However, there is no accumulation of chitin in the ocean-floor sediments, since marine bacteria Vibrios are mainly responsible for a rapid turnover of chitin biomaterials. The catabolic pathway of chitin by Vibrios is a multi-step process that involves chitin attachment and degradation, followed by chitooligosaccharide uptake across the bacterial membranes, and catabolism of the transport products to fructose-6-phosphate, acetate and NH3. Principal Findings This study reports the isolation of the gene corresponding to an outer membrane chitoporin from the genome of Vibrio harveyi. This porin, expressed in E. coli, (so called VhChiP) was found to be a SDS-resistant, heat-sensitive trimer. Immunoblotting using anti-ChiP polyclonal antibody confirmed the expression of the recombinant ChiP, as well as endogenous expression of the native protein in the V. harveyi cells. The specific function of VhChiP was investigated using planar lipid membrane reconstitution technique. VhChiP nicely inserted into artificial membranes and formed stable, trimeric channels with average single conductance of 1.8±0.13 nS. Single channel recordings at microsecond-time resolution resolved translocation of chitooligosaccharides, with the greatest rate being observed for chitohexaose. Liposome swelling assays showed no permeation of other oligosaccharides, including maltose, sucrose, maltopentaose, maltohexaose and raffinose, indicating that VhChiP is a highly-specific channel for chitooligosaccharides. Conclusion/Significance We provide the first evidence that chitoporin from V. harveyi is a chitooligosaccharide specific channel. The results obtained from this study help to establish the fundamental role of VhChiP in the chitin catabolic cascade as the molecular gateway that Vibrios employ for chitooligosaccharide uptake for energy production.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein: still need for next-generation biomarkers for remote future cardiovascular events.

This editorial refers to ‘C-reactive protein and risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in 268 803 East Asians’[†][1], by K. -C. Sung et al. , on page 1809. Inflammation in the vessel wall plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of atherogenesis, progression of atherosclerosis, and plaque instability. Atherosclerosis is initiated by dysfunction of endothelial cells (ECs), leading to expression of adhesion molecules for inflammatory cells.1,2 Vascular inflammation leads to an oxidizing environment due to activation of macrophages that secrete cytokines/chemokines as well as growth factors,3 all of which contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis.4 Therefore, the interactions among ECs, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and inflammatory cells are substantially involved in the development of cardiovascular diseases.5 ECs produce nitric oxide and prostacyclin, which protect against vascular remodelling.5 Activated VSMCs produce proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which are stimulated by oxidative stress.6–8 The study by Sung et al . 9 represents the largest cohort of Asian subjects to date that has been investigated for the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and cardiovascular outcomes and total mortality. After studying 268 803 Korean men and women, the authors demonstrated that hsCRP levels are much lower in this population than in Caucasians. Interestingly, they showed that the association with future cardiovascular events is stronger in men than in women. Accumulating evidence suggests that elevated hsCRP levels in apparently healthy subjects increase the risk for major … [1]: #fn-2
Epidemiology of sedation and sedation adequacy for mechanically ventilated patients in a medical and surgical intensive care unit*

Objective:Describe the pharmacoepidemiology of sedative medications and nurse-rated patients' behavior and sedation adequacy. Design:Cohort study, 2001–2003. Patients:Patients ventilated for >36 hrs in a medical or surgical intensive care unit at a university-affiliated hospital. Proxies for 312 eligible subjects were approached for consent, 277 subjects enrolled, and data from 274 subjects were analyzed. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Distribution of Arousal and Motor Activity levels, proportion of inadequate sedation and factors associated with inadequate sedation, variation of sedative therapy intensity, and behavior over time were measured. Sedatives were administered in 85% of 18,050 four-hour intervals during mechanical ventilation. Sedation was judged as adequate in 83% of 12,414 sedation assessments; patients were judged to be undersedated in 13.9% and oversedated in 2.6% of the assessments. Patients were unarousable or minimally arousable 32% of the time and had no spontaneous motor activity (during a 10-min observation period) 21.5% of the time. There was little variation in level of consciousness or motor activity or drug dose over 24 hrs, but daytime caregivers were more likely to judge patients as oversedated (3.7%) compared with nighttime caregivers (1.6%, p < .001). Inadequate sedation was associated with sedative drug intensity and patient behavior as measured by a two-domain sedation scale. Sedative drug intensity and behavior varied during the course of respiratory failure, and survivors received 13% more sedation per 4-hr interval of mechanical ventilation than nonsurvivors (p < .001). Conclusions:Although patients were minimally arousable or nonarousable in 32% and motionless in 21% of the sedation assessments, surprisingly, an oversedation rating occurred in <3%. This discrepancy, along with findings that time of day influences the interpretation of sedation adequacy and that patients' behavior change over time suggests that collaborative research is needed to define adequate sedation.
Experimental study of an adaptive elastic metamaterial controlled by electric circuits

The ability to control elastic wave propagation at a deep subwavelength scale makes locally resonant elastic metamaterials very relevant. A number of abilities have been demonstrated such as frequency filtering, wave guiding, and negative refraction. Unfortunately, few metamaterials develop into practical devices due to their lack of tunability for specific frequencies. With the help of multi-physics numerical modeling, experimental validation of an adaptive elastic metamaterial integrated with shunted piezoelectric patches has been performed in a deep subwavelength scale. The tunable bandgap capacity, as high as 45%, is physically realized by using both hardening and softening shunted circuits. It is also demonstrated that the effective mass density of the metamaterial can be fully tailored by adjusting parameters of the shunted electric circuits. Finally, to illustrate a practical application, transient wave propagation tests of the adaptive metamaterial subjected to impact loads are conducted to valida.
Freshly Isolated Hippocampal CA1 Astrocytes Comprise Two Populations Differing in Glutamate Transporter and AMPA Receptor Expression

We have shown previously that process-bearing GFAP+ astrocytes freshly isolated from rat hippocampus CA1 and CA3 regions are heterogeneous in ion channel expression and K+uptake capabilities, such that two distinct populations of astrocytes can be described (Zhou and Kimelberg, 2000). In the present study, we report that glutamate transporter (GT) currents can only be measured from one type of these freshly isolated hippocampal CA1 astrocytes [variably rectifying astrocytes (VRAs)] but were not detectable in the second type of astrocyte [outwardly rectifying astrocytes (ORAs)]. The GT currents showed a strict Na+dependency and high affinity for glutamate (EC50 of 4 ± 1.1 μm). The astrocytes lacking GT currents (ORAs) showed an AMPA receptor current density (55 pA/pF) that was 42-fold higher than VRAs (1.3 pA/pF). In contrast, the GABAA currents were of comparable current density in both types. The specificity of these differences makes it unlikely that they are attributable to preparative damage. Therefore, these findings strongly indicate that, within a single region of the hippocampus, GFAP+ astrocytes comprise a functionally diverse population that are qualitatively different in their functional glutamate transporter and quantitatively different in their functional AMPA receptor expression. This heterogeneity implies that GFAP+ astrocytes may participate in or modulate glutamate synaptic transmission differently.
On the converse theorem in statistical hypothesis testing for Markov chains

Hypothesis testing for two Markov chains is considered. Under the constraint that the error probability of the first kind is less than or equal to exp(-rn), the error probability of the second kind is minimized. The geodesic that connects the two Markov chains is defined. By analyzing the geodesic, the power exponents are calculated and then represented in terms of Kullback-Leibler divergence. >
Optimizing marketing planning and budgeting using Markov decision processes: An airline case study

Many companies have no reliable way to determine whether their marketing money has been spent effectively, and their return on investment is often not evaluated in a systematic manner. Thus, a compelling need exists for computational tools that help companies to optimize their marketing strategies. For this purpose, we have developed computational models of customer buying behavior in order to determine and leverage the value generated by a customer within a given time frame. The term "customer value" refers to the revenue generated from a customer's buying behavior in relation to the costs of marketing campaigns. We describe a new tool, the IBM Customer Equity Lifetime Management Solution (CELM), that helps to determine long-term customer value by means of dynamic programming algorithms in order to identify which marketing actions are the most effective in improving customer loyalty and hence increasing revenue. Simulation of marketing scenarios may be performed in order to assess budget requirements and the expected impact of marketing policies. We present a case study of a pilot program with a leading European airline, and we show how this company optimized its frequent flyer program to reduce its marketing budget and increase customer value.
Cardiovascular Events and Geriatric Scale Scores in Elderly (70 Years Old and Above) Type 2 Diabetic Patients at Inclusion in the GERODIAB Cohort

OBJECTIVE To analyze the relationships between cardiovascular complications and geriatric scale scores in French elderly (≥70 years of age) type 2 diabetic patients at inclusion in the GERODIAB cohort. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS GERODIAB is the first French multicenter, prospective, observational survey designed to analyze the influence of glycemic control on morbidity/mortality in type 2 diabetic patients aged ≥70 years during a 5-year follow-up period. This study analyzed the relationships between classical macroangiopathic complications and geriatric scale scores in 987 patients at baseline, using bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS Cardiac ischemia (31.2%) was significantly associated with impaired activities of daily living (ADL) scores (P < 0.001). Stepwise logistic regression included hypercholesterolemia, ADL, sex, and hypertension successively (70.3% concordance; P < 0.001). Heart failure (10.1%) was associated with impaired Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), instrumental ADL (IADL) (P < 0.05), and ADL scores (P < 0.001). With the logistic model, waist circumference, age, and HDL cholesterol were significant factors (70.7% concordance; P < 0.001). Arterial disease of the lower limbs (25.6%) was associated with impaired IADL and ADL scores (P < 0.001). Significant factors using the logistic model were duration of diabetes, IADL score, hypertension, and sex (62.8% concordance; P < 0.001). Cerebral ischemia (15.8%) was associated with impaired MMSE, Mini Nutritional Assessment, ADL, and IADL scores (P < 0.01). IADL, sex, hypertension, and ADL were included in the logistic model successively (65.6% concordance; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In this specific population, impaired geriatric scale scores were found to be associated with classical macrovascular complications, notably using multivariate analyses. This suggests the benefits of thorough screening and management of cognitive and functional decline in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.
Subtype Is a Predictive Factor of Nonsentinel Lymph Node Involvement in Sentinel Node-Positive Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose This study aimed to identify the effect of breast cancer subtype on nonsentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis in patients with a positive sentinel lymph node (SLN). Methods The records of 104 early breast cancer patients with a positive SLN between April 2009 and September 2013 were retrospectively evaluated. All patients underwent axillary lymph node dissection. The effects of the tumor subtype (luminal A, luminal/HER2+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2] overexpression, and triple-negative) and other clinicopathological factors on NSLN metastasis were examined by univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. Results Fifty of 104 patients (48%) exhibited NSLN metastasis. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that tumor size and the ratio of positive SLNs were significant risk factors of NSLN metastasis in patients with a positive SLN. The rate of NSLN metastasis was higher in patients with luminal/HER2+ and HER2 overexpression subtypes than that in patients with other subtypes in the univariate analysis (p<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, both patients with luminal/HER2+ (p<0.006) and patients with HER2 overexpression (p<0.031) subtypes had a higher risk of NSLN metastasis than patients with the luminal A subtype. Conclusion Subtype classification should be considered as an independent factor when evaluating the risk of NSLN metastasis in patients with a positive SLN. This result supports the development of new nomograms including breast cancer subtype to increase predictive accuracy.
The Use of Digital Motion-Sensor Cameras to Capture Coyote Presence in Western Georgia

Because of their learned avoidance of humans and the dense cover provided by forested areas, observation of coyote activity is often very limited in the Southeast. In this study we used digital motion-sensor cameras to detect activity among coyote populations in various urban and rural habitats. Camera stations were placed adjacent to regenerating clear cuts, forest trails and roads, agriculture fields, residential areas, and within city parks to determine activity and presence of coyotes in these various areas. Cameras were successful in detecting coyotes in all study sites throughout the year. Coyotes appear to show no avoidance of camera stations. Cameras may be helpful in gathering general biological and activity information on coyote populations in an area.
Humic Acid Increases Amyloid β-Induced Cytotoxicity by Induction of ER Stress in Human SK-N-MC Neuronal Cells

Humic acid (HA) is a possible etiological factor associated with for several vascular diseases. It is known that vascular risk factors can directly increase the susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is a neurodegenerative disorder due to accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide in the brain. However, the role that HA contributes to Aβ-induced cytotoxicity has not been demonstrated. In the present study, we demonstrate that HA exhibits a synergistic effect enhancing Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in cultured human SK-N-MC neuronal cells. Furthermore, this deterioration was mediated through the activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by stimulating PERK and eIF2α phosphorylation. We also observed HA and Aβ-induced cytotoxicity is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction caused by down-regulation of the Sirt1/PGC1α pathway, while in contrast, treating the cells with the ER stress inhibitor Salubrinal, or over-expression of Sirt1 significantly reduced loss of cell viability by HA and Aβ. Our findings suggest a new mechanism by which HA can deteriorate Aβ-induced cytotoxicity through modulation of ER stress, which may provide significant insights into the pathogenesis of AD co-occurring with vascular injury.
The Effect of Group Attachment and Social Position on Prosocial Behavior. Evidence from Lab-in-the-Field Experiments

Social life is regulated by norms of fairness that constrain selfish behavior. While a substantial body of scholarship on prosocial behavior has provided evidence of such norms, large inter- and intra-personal variation in prosocial behavior still needs to be explained. The article identifies two social-structural dimensions along which people's generosity varies systematically: group attachment and social position. We conducted lab-in-the-field experiments involving 2,597 members of producer organizations in rural Uganda. Using different variants of the dictator game, we demonstrate that group attachment positively affects prosocial behavior, and that this effect is not simply the by-product of the degree of proximity between individuals. Second, we show that occupying a formal position in an organization or community leads to greater generosity toward in-group members. Taken together, our findings show that prosocial behavior is not an invariant social trait; rather, it varies according to individuals' relative position in the social structure.