Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hazard assessments of manufactured nanomaterials.

BACKGROUND It has been difficult to make reliable hazard assessments of manufactured nanomaterials, because the nanomaterials form large agglomerations in both in vitro and in vivo studies. OBJECTIVE In the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Project of Japan, the physicochemical properties of many manufactured nanomaterials are being measured, and in vitro and in vivo studies are being performed to determine which endpoints are correspond to the hazards and risks of nanomaterials. Focusing on titanium dioxide, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, we introduce findings made in inhalation and intratracheal installation studies overseas, and together with the findings made in the NEDO project, and also assess the hazards presented by manufactured nanomaterials. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION A project by NEDO has succeeded in ensuring the stability of dispersion (nanoscale <100 nm) of manufactured nanomaterials, and is developing hazard assessments of manufactured nanomaterials. In these interim reports, the acceptable exposure concentration of titanium dioxide and fullerene was proposed to be 1.2 mg/m(3) and 0.8 mg/m(3) respirable dust in working environment, respectively.
Fairness norms and tie strength in social networks — An analytical model and experimental results

Social network analysis (SNA) is one of the fields in the social sciences which went through a huge development in the last two decades. With the availability of new tools and methods, in-depth analysis of huge networks became possible resulting in important results at various fields. Despite this advancement, the strength of a tie — a foundation of this theory — is still a hot topic in SNA. This paper aims to show that there is a connection between the extent of fair behaviour and friendship and thus to suggest that the extent of fairness may be used as another measure for tie strength. An analytical utility model is introduced including fairness and tie strength. The model is analyzed and an experimental method is shown to test the model. The paper also introduces pilot results.
Local gradient estimates of p-harmonic functions, 1/H-flow, and an entropy formula

In the first part of this paper, we prove local interior and boundary gradient estimates for p-harmonic functions on general Riemannian manifolds. With these estimates, following the strategy in recent work of R. Moser, we prove an existence theorem for weak solutions to the level set formulation of the 1/H (inverse mean curvature) flow for hypersurfaces in ambient manifolds satisfying a sharp volume growth assumption. In the second part of this paper, we consider two parabolic analogues of the p-Laplace equation and prove sharp Li-Yau type gradient estimates for positive solutions to these equations on manifolds of nonnegative Ricci curvature. For one of these equations, we also prove an entropy monotonicity formula generalizing an earlier such formula of the second author for the linear heat equation. As an application of this formula, we show that a complete Riemannian manifold with non-negative Ricci curvature and sharp L^p-logarithmic Sobolev inequality must be isometric to Euclidean space.
Delinquent Samaritans: Network Structure, Social Conflict, and the Willingness to Intervene

This article challenges a common view of delinquents as asocial and amoral regarding their support of other people. Support is measured through indications of the willingness to extend assistance to persons at various social and physical distances who are victims of crime. Delinquents seem indeed to be less supportive than other juveniles of people in general. However, when the nature of intervention (direct as opposed to indirect) is taken into account in situations of conflict, delinquents show more loyalty than other juveniles to family and friends. In this respect, delinquents' loyalty is undivided, suggesting that the social cohesion of delinquents may be more particularistic and intense than the more extensive and universalistic support given by other juveniles. Contact with other delinquents is directly related to in-group loyalty and may account for part, but not all, of the relationship between it and delinquency. Further analysis reveals an important departure from an additive model: Delinquents who are involved in dyadic relationships with other delinquents are “too” loyal. The findings are interpreted in terms of Simmel's view of conflict, group structure, and group cohesion.
Affect, Framing, and Persuasion

The authors conduct two experiments that indicate that the effectiveness of loss- versus gain-framed messages depends on the affective state of the message recipient. In Experiment 1, the authors find that participants induced with a positive mood are more persuaded by the loss-framed message, whereas participants induced with a negative mood are more persuaded by the gain-framed message. In addition, the authors observe that participants in a positive mood have higher risk estimates and lower costs in response to the loss frame than the gain frame, whereas the reverse is true for participants in a negative mood. The authors replicate these effects in Experiment 2 in which they measure rather than induce the participants' affective state.
Biomechanics of Ender Rods, Compression Screw, and Zickel Nail in the Fixation of Stable Subtrochanteric Femur Osteotomies

Compression screws, Ender rods, and Zickel nails were evaluated mechanically to determine their resulting stability in the fixation of experimental subtrochanteric femur osteotomies. Twenty-five pairs of human cadaver femurs were used. Experimental osteotomies were created and a random member of each pair was fixed with a compression screw (AMBI system, Richards Mfg. Co.). The other member was fixed with either Ender rods or a Zickel nail. The specimens were oriented in a direction to approximate the in vivo position of maximum resultant force on the femur and then subjected to a single progressive load to failure on a materials testing machine. The ultimate strength of fixation with the compression screw was ∼4.6 times greater than that with the Ender rods and 1.8 times greater than that with the Zickel nail. Ender rods and Zickel nails failed primarily in external rotation, whereas the compression screw failed by bone fracturing and varus bending.
Tonotopic and Field-Specific Representation of Long-Lasting Sustained Activity in Rat Auditory Cortex

Cortical information processing of the onset, offset, and continuous plateau of an acoustic stimulus should play an important role in acoustic object perception. To date, transient activities responding to the onset and offset of a sound have been well investigated and cortical subfields and topographic representation in these subfields, such as place code of sound frequency, have been well characterized. However, whether these cortical subfields with tonotopic representation are inherited in the sustained activities that follow transient activities and persist during the presentation of a long-lasting stimulus remains unknown, because sustained activities do not exhibit distinct, reproducible, and time-locked responses in their amplitude to be characterized by grand averaging. To address this gap in understanding, we attempted to decode sound information from densely mapped sustained activities in the rat auditory cortex using a sparse parameter estimation method called sparse logistic regression (SLR), and investigated whether and how these activities represent sound information. A microelectrode array with a grid of 10 × 10 recording sites within an area of 4.0 mm × 4.0 mm was implanted in the fourth layer of the auditory cortex in rats under isoflurane anesthesia. Sustained activities in response to long-lasting constant pure tones were recorded. SLR then was applied to discriminate the sound-induced band-specific power or phase-locking value from those of spontaneous activities. The highest decoding performance was achieved in the high-gamma band, indicating that cortical inhibitory interneurons may contribute to the sparse tonotopic representation in sustained activities by mediating synchronous activities. The estimated parameter in the SLR decoding revealed that the informative recording site had a characteristic frequency close to the test frequency. In addition, decoding of the four test frequencies demonstrated that the decoding performance of the SLR deteriorated when the test frequencies were close, supporting the hypothesis that the sustained activities were organized in a tonotopic manner. Finally, unlike transient activities, sustained activities were more informative in the belt than in the core region, indicating that higher-order auditory areas predominate over lower-order areas during sustained activities. Taken together, our results indicate that the auditory cortex processes sound information tonotopically and in a hierarchical manner.
The territory ahead for multicultural competence: The "spinning" of racism.

ing Core Ideas Within Domains Next, all three members independently read through the raw data assigned within each domain and created core ideas (i.e., summary statements), the purpose of which was to capture the essence of each participant’s words in a clear and concise manner. The team then presented their core ideas and discussed to consensus the wording that was best believed to capture what each participant had stated. Cross-Analyses and Auditing of the Cross-Analyses The purpose of the cross-analysis was to identify similarities within domains and across cases. During this stage, team members brainstormed together a list of categories that applied to the data in each domain based on the previously established core ideas. Raw transcripts were referenced whenever necessary to help clarify participants’ intended meaning. Respective core ideas from each interview were placed within each category, and categories that garnered less than two cases were considered unrepresentative and were dropped. Following this stage, the auditor reviewed the data for a second time to ensure that the cross-analyses accurately captured the data.
A novel evolution strategy for constrained optimization in engineering design

Nature Inspired Algorithms (NIAs) are extensively employed to solve constrained optimization problems (COPs) in engineering design domain. Since the global optimum for almost all benchmark problems are already identified, improving the objective function value is not possible. However, an improvement in terms of number of objective function evaluations (FES) and reliability is still likely. This paper proposes an Evolution Strategy (ES) with a Covariance Matrix Adaptation (CMA)-like mutation operator and a ranking based constraint-handling method. The results indicate that the algorithm is able to find the global optimum in less FES and with high reliability when compared with the benchmarked methods.
Paradoxes and strategies of social media consumption among adolescents

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study paradoxes and strategies of social media consumption among adolescents. Young people belonging to Generation Y have enthusiastically embraced social media as a means of achieving connectedness and managing social relationships. However, there is still a limited understanding of how adolescents actually differentiate between the media they use and of the effects of social media on their lives. This study differs from previous work by proceeding from the assumption that social media present a number of technological paradoxes and identifying what behavioral strategies they develop to derive the greatest possible benefit from, and cope with the ambivalent outcomes of, social media consumption. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study design was chosen, combining the use of focus groups and in-depth interviews with 50 Brazilian adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years. Topics of discussion were designed to cover a range of social media relevant to young people. Findings – The authors propose a conceptual model of social media consumption by young people and identify its positive and negative outcomes and the behavioral strategies of media selection and differentiation used to cope with them. These behaviors enable adolescents to derive maximum benefit from social media while minimizing the effort required to use them. Originality/value – This research contributes to marketing theory and practice by assessing the adolescent perspective of social media consumption and offering an integrated model of outcomes and behavioral strategies which they use. This model provides insights relevant to the planning of marketing communications directed towards young people.
Novel insights into Notum and glypicans regulation in colorectal cancer

The connection between colorectal cancer (CRC) and Wnt signaling pathway activation is well known, but full elucidation of the underlying regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and its biological functions in CRC pathogenesis is still needed. Here, the azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium salt (AOM/DSS) murine model has been used as an experimental platform able to mimic human sporadic CRC development with predictable timing. We performed genome-wide expression profiling of AOM/DSS-induced tumors and normal colon mucosa to identify potential novel CRC biomarkers. Remarkably, the enhanced expression of Notum, a conserved feedback antagonist of Wnt, was observed in tumors along with alterations in Glypican-1 and Glypican-3 levels. These findings were confirmed in a set of human CRC samples. Here, we provide the first demonstration of significant changes in Notum and glypicans gene expression during CRC development and present evidence to suggest them as potential new biomarkers of CRC pathogenesis.
The Power and Functions of Boards of Directors: A Theoretical Synthesis

Many social scientists have assumed that the boards of directors (governing boards) of corporate organizations control their organizations in name only. Others, examining the relationship of American social and business elites to the operation of welfare organizations and elite social clubs conclude that they are controlled by their boards. This contradiction is resolved by a theoretical analysis of the external "detachable" resources, personal characteristics, and strategic contingency situations conducive to more or less board power vis-a-visexecutives. Bases of board power include control of resources and knowledge about organizational operation. Personal characteristics affecting board members power are social status and sex. Strategic contingencies are events of organizational life cycles, such as mergers, major program and goal changes, and selection of chief executives, conducive to the exercise of board power.
The Australian experience of nurses' preparedness for evidence-based practice.

AIM This study aimed to determine current knowledge and attitudes towards evidence-based practice (EBP) among pre- and post-registration nurses in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. BACKGROUND Educational and clinical strategies for EBP in nursing assume a readiness to interpret and integrate evidence into clinical care despite continued reports of low levels of understanding and skill in this area. METHOD Perceptions of EBP were examined through a self-complete, anonymous postal survey distributed to 677 (post-registration) clinical nurses and to 1134 final year (pre-registration) nursing students during 2002 and 2003. RESULTS A completed survey was returned by 126 post-registration and 257 final year nursing students (combined 21% response rate). Both pre- and post-registration nurses had a welcoming attitude towards EBP. Pre-registration nurses expressed more confidence in their EBP skills but self-rated knowledge and skill were low to moderate in both groups. CONCLUSION Nurses in Australia are clearly supportive of EBP but it is incorrect to assume that even recent graduates have a level of knowledge and skill that is sufficient to permit direct engagement in evidence implementation. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Among a range of clinical supports, nurse managers and leaders can contribute to evidence-based health care by understanding the EBP knowledge and skills of their workforce and demanding a more practical approach in nursing education towards evidence-based guidelines and summaries appropriate to the clinical context.
Assessment of Panoramic Radiomorphometric Indices of the Mandible in a Brazilian Population

The aim of this study was to evaluate radiomorphometric indices in dental panoramic radiographs in order to identify possible interrelationships between these indices and the sex and age of the patients analyzed. The study included 1287 digital panoramic radiographic images of patients that were grouped into five age groups (1 = age 17–20; 2 = age 21–35; 3 = age 36–55; 4 = age 56–69; 5 = over age 70). Two indices—cortical width at the gonion (GI) and below the mental foramen (MI)—were measured bilaterally in all panoramic radiographs. Statistical analysis was performed with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (alpha = 0.05). Results for the indices measurements showed significant differences among patient age groups of both sexes, considering that groups 4 and 5 presented lower values for the cortical width of both indices. The present paper supports the role of sex- and age-related changes in mandibular radiomorphometric indices in identifying skeletal osteopenia.
The Role of Mood in the Processing of Media Messages From a Small Screen: Effects on Subjective and Physiological Responses

We examined the effects of mood and the content (a priori valence and involvement) and formal (presentation modality: text vs. video) characteristics of messages presented on a small screen on emotional responses and involvement among 47 young adults. Mood was induced by autobiographical memories varying in affective valence and arousal. Facial electromyography (EMG) and cardiac interbeat intervals were used as physiological indexes of valence and arousal. Both mood and the emotional tone of a message exerted an independent influence on the emotional response to the message. A strong valence-related mood-congruency effect emerged in predicting involvement. The text modality elicited higher involvement, arousal ratings, and orbicularis oculi EMG activity compared to the video modality when in a depressed mood, whereas the reverse was true when in a joyful, relaxed, or fearful mood. The results point to the possibility of mood-adapted media services.
Impaired Decision Making and Loss of Inhibitory-Control in a Rat Model of Huntington Disease

Cognitive deficits associated with Huntington disease (HD) are generally dominated by executive function disorders often associated with disinhibition and impulsivity/compulsivity. Few studies have directly examined symptoms and consequences of behavioral disinhibition in HD and its relation with decision-making. To assess the different forms of impulsivity in a transgenic model of HD (tgHD rats), two tasks assessing cognitive/choice impulsivity were used: risky decision-making with a rat gambling task (RGT) and intertemporal choices with a delay discounting task (DD). To assess waiting or action impulsivity the differential reinforcement of low rate of responding task (DRL) was used. In parallel, the volume as well as cellular activity of the amygdala was analyzed. In contrast to WT rats, 15 months old tgHD rats exhibited a poor efficiency in the RGT task with difficulties to choose advantageous options, a steep DD curve as delays increased in the DD task and a high rate of premature and bursts responses in the DRL task. tgHD rats also demonstrated a concomitant and correlated presence of both action and cognitive/choice impulsivity in contrast to wild type (WT) animals. Moreover, a reduced volume associated with an increased basal cellular activity of the central nucleus of amygdala indicated a dysfunctional amygdala in tgHD rats, which could underlie inhibitory dyscontrol. In conclusion, tgHD rats are a good model for impulsivity disorder that could be used more widely to identify potential pharmacotherapies to treat these invasive symptoms in HD.
A Resource Account of Inhibition

In a letter-naming task, a letter will be named more slowly if it was a distractor on the previous trial This negative priming effect has been instrumental in renewed interest in inhibition The present research explored whether inhibition is a result of controlled attention When the naming task was performed under a mental work load, negative priming was diminished as work load increased This finding suggests that inhibition is a product of controlled resources and that group differences in inhibition may result from differences in controlled attentional resources, not from inefficient inhibitory mechanisms
PUBLIC RESPONSES AND REFLEXIVITY DURING THE SWINE FLU PANDEMIC IN AUSTRALIA

This paper examines key aspects of the Australian public's response to swine flu through an analysis of interviews and focus groups with people deemed “at risk” by medical authorities. The wider context for the study is provided by risk theory, research on public responses to emerging infectious diseases (EID) and the concept of biocommunicability. We focus on reflexivity in engaging with media, views on the government's response, and vigilance and behaviour change. EID fatigue, a predisposition toward distrusting the media, personal circumstances and location within particular social networks, shaped responses to news reporting of swine flu. People did not link swine flu to already stigmatised groups because they identified it as “resident” in the community. The continuing dependency of lay publics upon governments and expert systems may help to explain the lack of criticism directed at more traditionally powerful groups. Distancing took a variety of forms. While newspapers emphasised the “novel” and “deadly” swine flu narrative, audiences readily described it as just another flu and were unconcerned about contracting it. However, some imagined that others were more vulnerable to the effects of media reporting. Some reported searching the internet for information, which may explain the differences between how they saw it and how it was reported. Also influential was the fact that their lived experiences did not bear out the novelty or seriousness of swine flu. Our discussion is informed by our concurrent analyses of media coverage and interviews with EID experts and journalists involved in the reporting.