Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal investment in relation to sex ratio and offspring number in a small mammal – a case for Trivers and Willard theory?

Optimal parental sex allocation depends on the balance between the costs of investing into sons vs. daughters and the benefits calculated as fitness returns. The outcome of this equation varies with the life history of the species, as well as the state of the individual and the quality of the environment. We studied maternal allocation and subsequent fecundity costs of bank voles, Myodes glareolus, by manipulating both the postnatal sex ratio (all-male/all-female litters) and the quality of rearing environment (through manipulation of litter size by −2/+2 pups) of their offspring in a laboratory setting. We found that mothers clearly biased their allocation to female rather than male offspring regardless of their own body condition. Male pups had a significantly lower growth rate than female pups, so that at weaning, males from enlarged litters were the smallest. Mothers produced more milk for female litters and also defended them more intensively than male offspring. The results agree with the predictions based on the bank vole life history: there will be selection for greater investment in daughters rather than sons, as a larger size seems to be more influencial for female reproductive success in this species. Our finding could be a general rule in highly polygynous, but weakly dimorphic small mammals where females are territorial. The results disagree with the narrow sense Trivers & Willard hypothesis, which states that in polygynous mammals that show higher variation in male than in female reproductive success, high-quality mothers are expected to invest more in sons than in daughters.
Parent Training for Families of Girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: An Analysis of Three Cases

ABSTRACT Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with a number of core and secondary problems. Core symptoms, such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, are often treated with stimulant medications like Ritalin. Secondary symptoms reflect difficulties in conduct, relationships, and coping skills and are usually treated with parent training and other psychotherapeutic means. Research examining the effectiveness of parent training for alleviating secondary symptoms is inconclusive, especially regarding its effects in the home. Moreover, few girls have been employed as research participants. The purpose of this study is to examine the home behavior and maternal perceptions of girls with ADHD, before, during, and after a parent training intervention. Three families having a daughter with ADHD (aged ten to eleven years) completed the study. Parent ratings of behavior and emotional status were collected and observations of parent and child home behaviors were made. Observational and questionnaire data both show that child compliance improved in two out of three families. Results also indicate that parent ratings of child behavior agreed with behaviors observed in the home. Emotional improvement, and some lessening of the core ADHD symptoms, were also reported. These results suggest that parents in this study accurately reported changes in child behavior and that children made both emotional and behavioral gains as a result of the parent training intervention.
The Current Status of PARP Inhibitors in Ovarian Cancer

Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of epithelial ovarian cancer have led to the development of a number of targeted therapies, including poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. PARP inhibitors are a novel class of therapeutic agents that target tumors with deficiencies in the homologous recombination DNA repair pathway. Early studies have shown significant efficacy for PARP inhibitors in patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations. It has become evident that BRCA wild-type patients with other defects in the homologous recombination repair pathway benefit from this therapeutic approach. Importantly, companion homologous recombination deficiency scores are being developed to help guide the selection of patients most likely to gain clinical benefit from PARP inhibition. Olaparib, the first and most extensively investigated PARP inhibitor, is now licensed in Europe for maintenance treatment of patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed BRCA-mutated (germline or somatic) high-grade serous ovarian cancer who have responded to platinum-based chemotherapy. In the United States, olaparib is licensed for treatment of patients with germline BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer who have received 3 or more lines of chemotherapy. There are a number of other PARP inhibitors in late phase clinical development in ovarian cancer including rucaparib, niraparib, veliparib, and talazoparib. This review will focus on the current evidence for PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer and discuss ongoing clinical trials and future research directions in this rapidly evolving area.
Deterrent effects of police raids on crack houses: A randomized, controlled experiment

We tested the block-level deterrent effects on crime of uniformed police raids of crack houses. Court-authorized raids were legally possible on 207 blocks with at least five calls for police service in the preceding 30 days. Raids were assigned randomly to 104 locations and were conducted at 98 of those sites; the other 109 were left alone. Experimental blocks, in relation to controls, showed reductions in both calls for service and offense reports, but effects were quite small and decayed in two weeks. Raids in which arrests were made (23 of 104 assigned) had no consistently different impact from raids in which no arrests were made. Raids had more effect on calls for service in the winter than in the spring, but we found little seasonal or period difference in effects of raids on offense reports. Alternative police methods may be far more cost-effective than raids in “harm reduction” for crack houses.
Atg7- and Keap1-dependent autophagy protects breast cancer cell lines against mitoquinone-induced oxidative stress

The interplay between oxidative stress and autophagy is critical for determining the fate of cancer cells exposed to redox-active and cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. Mitoquinone (MitoQ), a mitochondrially-targeted redox-active ubiquinone conjugate, selectively kills breast cancer cells over healthy mammary epithelial cells. We reported previously that MitoQ, although a derivative of the antioxidant ubiquinone, can generate excess ROS and trigger the Keap1-Nrf2 antioxidant response in the MDA-MB-231 cell line. Following MitoQ treatment, a greater number of cells underwent autophagy than apoptosis. However, the relationship between MitoQ-induced oxidative stress and autophagy as a primary cellular response was unclear. In this report, we demonstrate that MitoQ induces autophagy related gene 7 (Atg7)-dependent, yet Beclin-1-independent, autophagy marked by an increase in LC3-II. Both the ATG7-deficient human MDA-MB-231 cells and Atg7-knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts exhibited lower levels of autophagy following MitoQ treatment than their respective wild-type counterparts. Increased apoptosis was confirmed in these autophagy-deficient isogenic cell line pairs, indicating that autophagy was attempted for survival in wild type cell lines. Furthermore, we observed higher levels of ROS in Atg7-deficient cells, as measured by hydroethidine oxidation. In Atg7-deficient cells, redox-sensitive Keap1 degradation was decreased, suggesting autophagy- and Atg7-dependent degradation of Keap1. Conversely, downregulation of Keap1 decreased autophagy levels, increased Nrf2 activation, upregulated cytoprotective antioxidant gene expression, and caused accumulation of p62, suggesting a feedback loop between ROS-regulated Keap1-Nrf2 and Atg7-regulated autophagy. Our data indicate that excessive ROS causes the upregulation of autophagy, and autophagy acts as an antioxidant feedback response triggered by cytotoxic levels of MitoQ.
Affective forecasting: Why can't people predict their emotions?

Two studies explore the frequently reported finding that affective forecasts are too extreme. In the first study, driving test candidates forecast the emotional consequences of failing. Test failers overestimated the duration of their disappointment. Greater previous experience of this emotional event did not lead to any greater accuracy of the forecasts, suggesting that learning about one's own emotions is difficult. Failers' self-assessed chances of passing were lower a week after the test than immediately prior to the test; this difference correlated with the magnitude of individual immediate disappointments, suggesting the presence of a cognitive strategy for recovering from disappointments. A second study investigated the theory that undue focus on the differences between present and future biases affective forecasts. “Defocusing” that induced low-level construals of the future reduced the extremeness of affective forecasts but a higher-level construal did not. We conclude that a focusing effect may bias affective forecasts.
The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme of Psychotic, Borderline, and Neurotic Personality Organizations

Kernberg's (1984) model of personality describes 3 personality organizations (POs)-psychotic, borderline, and neurotic-each of which has specific characteristics in terms of relationship schemas, defense mechanisms, identity diffusion, and reality testing. The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method (Luborsky, 1998a) is a measure of central relationship schemas as revealed by relationship narratives. It identifies 3 components: the patient's wishes (Ws), the responses from others (ROs), and the responses of self (RSs). The goals of this study were to compare 2 methods for scoring ROs and RSs and to examine whether different POs vary in terms of their relationship schemas as measured by the CCRT. Eighty-one participants were included in this study. A PO diagnosis was made with the Personality Organization Diagnostic Form (Diguer & Normandin, 1997). Results showed that both scoring methods were equivalent in all dimensions. We found more similarities than differences between the 3 PO groups with respect to Ws, ROs, and RSs. The psychotic PO group presented the flattest CCRT profiles, the least negative responses, and the lowest narrative complexity. These results are discussed in relation to Kernberg's model and the development of the CCRT method.
Differential Structural Equation Modeling of Intraindividual Variability

Recent advances in modeling and analysis have enabled statistical tests of dynamical systems based theories for behavioral phenomena. The use of statistical models to test proposed dynamical or self–regulating explanations of intraindividual variability has the potential to lead to new and more tightly focused understandings of cognitive, developmental and social systems. This chapter provides an introduction to the use of differential structural equation models (dSEM) to fit data from repeated observations of individuals: intraindividual variability. Example data from an experiment in the development of postural control are analyzed in order to give a practical demonstration of these methods. Models are fit to individual trials in a postural control experiment and the resulting estimated parameters are analyzed using a random coefficients approach to elucidate development in the dynamics of intraindividual variability.
Systematic review of diet quality indices and their associations with health-related outcomes in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND Diet quality indices add an important dimension to dietary assessment. The aim of this systematic review was to: (i) identify and describe the attributes and applications of diet quality indices developed for use or used in paediatric populations; (ii) describe associations between these diet quality indices and health-related variables in paediatric populations; and (iii) identify factors that are associated with diet quality in paediatric populations worldwide. METHODS Studies were identified by searching electronic databases for relevant papers from 1980 to October 2013 using keywords. Inclusion criteria were original studies that utilised a quantitative measure of diet quality in children and adolescents aged 0-18 years. RESULTS One hundred and nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria, from which 80 different diet quality indices were identified. The majority of studies had >1000 participants and were of acceptable quality. Of the 56 studies that investigated health-related outcomes, weight status was the most researched. Europe produced the most number of diet quality indices (n = 27 indices). Of the 119 studies, seven intervention studies were identified. Paediatric diet quality indices were found to be associated with environmental, behavioural and maternal factors. CONCLUSIONS The use of diet quality indices in paediatric populations is a rapidly expanding area of research in diverse populations internationally. In economically disadvantaged countries, diet quality indices may be predictive of child growth. However, prospective cohort, intervention and validation studies are required to draw stronger conclusions concerning risk of future disease in paediatric populations in general.
Articulations and Silences in Socially Critical Work on Physical Education: Toward a Broader Agenda

This paper proposes that socially critical work has, thus far, articulated a theoretical base for curriculum development and theorizing that is too narrow. First, a brief, selective overview of the history of socially critical work in physical education provides an outline of its achievements. Second, in addition to an ethic of justice and emancipation, which currently serves as the underlying moral basis for much socially critical theorizing, this paper proposes that an ethic of care and responsibility be included and given equal weight. In addition, socially critical work must pay more attention to how children learn, develop, and experience physical education. Finally, three programs are described to stimulate thinking about theory. These programs illustrate and provide precedents for aspects of the broader agenda proposed here.
Sea anemones may thrive in a high CO2 world

Increased seawater pCO2, and in turn ‘ocean acidification’ (OA), is predicted to profoundly impact marine ecosystem diversity and function this century. Much research has already focussed on calcifying reef‐forming corals (Class: Anthozoa) that appear particularly susceptible to OA via reduced net calcification. However, here we show that OA‐like conditions can simultaneously enhance the ecological success of non‐calcifying anthozoans, which not only play key ecological and biogeochemical roles in present day benthic ecosystems but also represent a model organism should calcifying anthozoans exist as less calcified (soft‐bodied) forms in future oceans. Increased growth (abundance and size) of the sea anemone (Anemonia viridis) population was observed along a natural CO2 gradient at Vulcano, Italy. Both gross photosynthesis (PG) and respiration (R) increased with pCO2 indicating that the increased growth was, at least in part, fuelled by bottom up (CO2 stimulation) of metabolism. The increase of PG outweighed that of R and the genetic identity of the symbiotic microalgae (Symbiodinium spp.) remained unchanged (type A19) suggesting proximity to the vent site relieved CO2 limitation of the anemones' symbiotic microalgal population. Our observations of enhanced productivity with pCO2, which are consistent with previous reports for some calcifying corals, convey an increase in fitness that may enable non‐calcifying anthozoans to thrive in future environments, i.e. higher seawater pCO2. Understanding how CO2‐enhanced productivity of non‐ (and less‐) calcifying anthozoans applies more widely to tropical ecosystems is a priority where such organisms can dominate benthic ecosystems, in particular following localized anthropogenic stress.
THE INFLUENCE OF VIRTUAL DIRECT EXPERIENCE (VDE) ON ON-LINE AD MESSAGE EFFECTIVENESS

In this research, two separate experiments investigate the effects of virtual direct experience (VDE) and the degree of digitalization of experiential product attributes on on-line ad message effectiveness (i.e., perceived risk, product evaluation, affect, and conation). In the first experiment, the message effectiveness of on-line advertisements (VDE/no VDE) is examined across two experience products differing in degree of digitizable experiential product attributes. In the second experiment, the same set of dependent variables is examined across three degrees of digitalization of experiential product attributes (low, medium, high) in relation to a single experience product category. Furthermore, the second experiment investigates the moderating effect of consumer product expertise on the main effect of the degree of digitalization. Findings suggest significant theoretical and managerial implications.
Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of representation.

We are grateful to the Institute of Human Development, Berkeley, and to the Society for Research in Child Development for funding that made the study of our sample at 6 years possible. In its earlier phases, the Social Development Project was supported by the William T. Grant Foundation, by the Alvin Nye Main Foundation, and by Bio-Medical Support Grants 1-444036-32024 and 1-444036-32025 for studies in the behavioral sciences. The Child Study Center at the University of California was invaluable in its provision of subjects and in the training provided for our observers and examiners. The National Center for Clinical Infancy Programs provided support and assistance to Nancy Kaplan. This project would not have been possible without the direction and assistance provided by Donna Weston and by Bonnie Powers, Jackie Stadtman, and Stewart Wakeling in its first phases. For the initial identification of infants who should be left unclassified-an identification critical to the present study-we gratefully acknowledge both Judith Solomon and Donna Weston. Carol George participated in the designing of the sixth-year project; Ruth Goldwyn served as adult interviewer; and Ellen Richardson served as the child's examiner. The videotapes and transcripts of the sixth-year study were analyzed by Jude Cassidy, Anitra DeMoss, Ruth Goldwyn, Nancy Kaplan, Todd Hirsch, Lorraine Littlejohn, Amy Strage, and Reggie Tiedemann. Mary Ainsworth, John Bowlby, Harriet Oster, and Amy Strage provided useful criticism of earlier versions of this chapter. The overall conceptualization was substantially enriched by suggestions made by Erik Hesse.
Dosage-Related Bifidogenic Effects of Galacto- and Fructooligosaccharides in Formula-Fed Term Infants

Background Human milk oligosaccharides have been shown to stimulate selectively the growth of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in the intestine. In this study, the bifidogenic effect of an experimental prebiotic oligosaccharide mixture consisting of low-molecular-weight galactooligosaccharides and high-molecular-weight fructooligosaccharides was analyzed in 90 term infants. Methods Two test formulas were supplemented with either 0.4 g/dL or with 0.8 g/dL oligosaccharides. In the control formula, maltodextrin was used as placebo. At study day 1 and study day 28, the fecal species, colony forming units (cfu) and pH were measured and stool characteristics, growth, and side effects were recorded. Results At study day 1, the median number of Bifidobacteria did not differ among the groups (0.4 g/dL group, mean [interquartile range] 8.5 [1.9] cfu/g; 0.8 g/dL group, 7.7 [6.1] cfu/g; and the placebo group, 8.8 [6.1] cfu/g) (figures in square brackets are interquartile range). At the end of the 28-day feeding period, the number of Bifidobacteria was significantly increased for both groups receiving supplemented formulas (the 0.4 g/dL group, 9.3 [4.9] cfu/g; the 0.8 g/dL group, 9.7 [0.8] cfu/g) versus the placebo group (7.2 [4.9] cfu/g, P < 0.001). This effect was dose dependent (0.4 g/dL versus 0.8 g/dL, P < 0.01). The number of Lactobacilli also increased significantly in both groups fed the supplemented formulas (versus placebo, P < 0.001), but there was no statistically significant difference between the group fed formula with 0.4 g/dL oligosaccharides and the group fed formula with 0.8 g/dL oligosaccharides. The dosage of supplement significantly influenced the change in fecal pH (P < 0.05) (placebo, pH 5.5–6.1; 0.4 g/dL formula, pH 5.48–5.44; 0.8 g/dL formula, pH 5.54–5.19). Slight changes in the stool frequency resulted in a significant difference between the placebo group and the group fed the 0.8 g/dL formula at day 28 (P < 0.01). Supplementation had a significant dose-dependent influence on stool consistency (0.8 g/dL versus placebo, P < 0.0001; 0.8 g/dL versus 0.4 g/dL, P < 0.01). Supplementation had no influence on the incidence of side effects (crying, regurgitation, vomiting) or growth. Conclusions These data indicate that supplementation of a term infant's formula with a mixture of galacto- and fructooligosaccharides has a dose-dependent stimulating effect on the growth of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in the intestine and results in softer stool with increasing dosage of supplementation.
The Effects of Apparel on Compliance

Past research indicates that apparel influences our behavior and our impressions of others. One type of apparel that is both salient and symbolically significant is the uniform. Few studies, however, have examined the influence of uniforms on behavior, especially with female authority figures. In this study a female confederate who was dressed in a uniform, professional attire, or sloppy clothing told subjects to give change to a person who was parked at an expired parking meter (Bickman, 1974). The results showed that compliance was higher when the confederate was dressed in a uniform. Verbal reasons given for complying also differed across conditions. The study shows that a uniform is a certificate of legitimacy (Joseph & Alex, 1972)for females as well as males and that both sexes are influenced by a female dressed in a uniform.
On the trait antecedents and outcomes of service worker job resourcefulness: A hierarchical model approach

In a series of three studies, a four-level hierarchical model of personality was employed to identify the antecedents and three validating criteria of a newly developed trait labeledjob resourcefulness (JR). JR is defined as an enduring disposition to garner scarce resources and overcome obstacles in pursuit of job-related goals. Across three service contexts, JR was shown to predict customer orientation, self-rated performance, and supervisor-rated performance. The results also revealed that the hierarchical model accounted for more variance in performance ratings than one version of the 5-Factor Model of personality. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for selecting high-performing service employees.