Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavioral and psychological flexibility in eating regulation among overweight adults

Sairanen, Essi Behavioral and psychological flexibility in eating regulation among overweight adults Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2016, 77 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research ISSN 0075-4625; 554) ISBN 978-951-39-6637-9 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-6638-6 (PDF) Diss. Weight-loss programs are often based on self-control techniques and they commonly fail in long-term weight management. Identifying psychological processes that explain eating behaviors can help to develop more effective interventions for long-term weight management. This research examined how behavioral and psychological flexibility are related to eating regulation and weight management in overweight adults. The first goal was to study the effects of flexible vs. rigid restraint of eating on weight-loss maintenance and well-being. The second goal was to examine whether psychological flexibility and mindfulness, independently and together, explain intuitive eating regulation. The third goal was to evaluate the mediating effects of mindfulness and psychological flexibility on enhancing intuitive eating and losing weight in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) interventions. The first data set included information on 49 overweight persons who participated in a weight-loss intervention. The results indicated that an increase in flexible cognitive restraint was related to better weight-loss maintenance and well-being. Moreover, a larger reduction of rigid restraint during the follow-up period was related to a better maintenance of improved psychological well-being. The second data set featured overweight, psychologically distressed persons (n = 306) who participated in psychological lifestyle interventions. The results indicated that mindfulness and psychological flexibility were related constructs that explain intuitive eating together, but also independently. The third study investigated participants of the ACT interventions (face-to-face in a group and mobile, n = 219). Changes in weight-related psychological flexibility mediated the effects of the interventions on weight and intuitive eating. These findings suggested that enhanced ability to continue with valued activities even when confronted with negative emotions and thoughts related to one’s weight mediated the intervention effect in the ACT-based interventions aiming for lifestyle changes. In conclusion, this research supports flexibility and acceptance processes as a means for treating eating and weight issues.
Halogen chemistry reduces tropospheric O 3 radiative forcing

Abstract. Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a global warming gas, but the lack of a firm observational record since the preindustrial period means that estimates of its radiative forcing (RFTO3) rely on model calculations. Recent observational evidence shows that halogens are pervasive in the troposphere and need to be represented in chemistry-transport models for an accurate simulation of present-day O3. Using the GEOS-Chem model we show that tropospheric halogen chemistry is likely more active in the present day than in the preindustrial. This is due to increased oceanic iodine emissions driven by increased surface O3, higher anthropogenic emissions of bromo-carbons, and an increased flux of bromine from the stratosphere. We calculate preindustrial to present-day increases in the tropospheric O3 burden of 113 Tg without halogens but only 90 Tg with, leading to a reduction in RFTO3 from 0.43 to 0.35 Wm−2. We attribute ∼ 50 % of this reduction to increased bromine flux from the stratosphere, ∼ 35 % to the ocean–atmosphere iodine feedback, and ∼ 15 % to increased tropospheric sources of anthropogenic halogens. This reduction of tropospheric O3 radiative forcing due to halogens (0.087 Wm−2) is greater than that from the radiative forcing of stratospheric O3 (∼ 0.05 Wm−2). Estimates of RFTO3 that fail to consider halogen chemistry are likely overestimates (∼ 25 %).
Perceived childhood emotional parentification is associated with Machiavellianism in men but not in women

Recent research has revealed several developmental aspects of Machiavellianism. In this study, we explored the potential relationship between perceived parentification in the family of origin and Machiavellianism in adulthood. Three hundred and ninety five Hungarian adults (282 women) completed self-report measures of parentification and Machiavellianism. Results showed that emotional parentification and children’s unacknowledged efforts to contribute to the well-being of their families were associated with Machiavellianism – but only in men. Machiavellian tactics and worldview are proposed as possible coping mechanisms with the neglectful and unpredictable family environment. Gender differences in the results are explained in terms of gender role socialization and men’s and women’s different susceptibility for different forms of psychopathology.
Ghanaian teachers: competencies perceived as important for inclusive education

The study aimed to explore the teaching competencies teachers in Ghana perceived as important to their teaching in inclusive classrooms. Using a quantitative research approach, 163 regular school teachers from two geographic regions of Ghana completed a 14-item questionnaire titled Perceived Competencies for Inclusive Teaching Scale and an open-ended question about the supportive resources they require to be effective in their classrooms. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and t-tests were used to analyse the data and the results showed that Adapting Instructional Materials, Behaviour Management, among others were important competencies. Teachers in multigrade classrooms considered particular skills are important, reflecting their challenging roles. The respondents also identified the availability of teaching materials, support teachers, more training as key support resources, which will enhance their effectiveness in the classroom. We discuss the implications for future teacher training.
Tribology of diamond-like carbon films: recent progress and future prospects

During the past two decades, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have attracted an overwhelming interest from both industry and the research community. These films offer a wide range of exceptional physical, mechanical, biomedical and tribological properties that make them scientifically very fascinating and commercially essential for numerous industrial applications. Mechanically, certain DLC films are extremely hard (as hard as 90 GPa) and resilient, while tribologically they provide some of the lowest known friction and wear coefficients. Their optical and electrical properties are also extraordinary and can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of a given application. Because of their excellent chemical inertness, these films are resistant to corrosive and/or oxidative attacks in acidic and saline media. The combination of such a wide range of outstanding properties in one material is rather uncommon, so DLC can be very useful in meeting the multifunctional application needs of advanced mechanical systems. In fact, these films are now used in numerous industrial applications, including razor blades, magnetic hard discs, critical engine parts, mechanical face seals, scratch-resistant glasses, invasive and implantable medical devices and microelectromechanical systems. DLC films are primarily made of carbon atoms that are extracted or derived from carbon-containing sources, such as solid carbon targets and liquid and gaseous forms of hydrocarbons and fullerenes. Depending on the type of carbon source being used during the film deposition, the type of bonds (i.e. sp1, sp2, sp3) that hold carbon atoms together in DLC may vary a great deal and can affect their mechanical, electrical, optical and tribological properties. Recent systematic studies of DLC films have confirmed that the presence or absence of certain elemental species, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, silicon, tungsten, titanium and fluorine, in their microstructure can also play significant roles in their properties. The main goal of this review paper is to highlight the most recent developments in the synthesis, characterization and application of DLC films. We will also discuss the progress made in understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control their very unique friction and wear behaviours. Novel design concepts and the principles of superlubricity in DLC films are also presented.
Elevated Temperature Treatment Induced Alteration in Thylakoid Membrane Organization and Energy Distribution between the Two Photosystems in Pisum sativum

Two-week-old pea (Pisum sativum var. Arkal) plants were subjected to elevated temperature (38 °C/42 °C) in dark for 14−15 h. The effect of heat treatment on light- induced phosphorylation of LHCII and LHCII migration in the thylakoid membranes were investigated. The heat treatment did cause a substantial (more than two fold) increase in the extent of LHCII phosphorylation as compared to the control. Upon separation of appressed and nonappressed thylakoid fractions by digitonin treatment, the heat-treated samples showed a decrease in LHCII-related polypeptides from the grana stack (appressed region) over the control. Further, a small increase in the intensity of these (LHCII-related) bands was detected in stromal thylakoid fraction (non-appressed membranes). This suggests an enhanced extent of migration of phosphorylated LHCII from appressed to non-appressed regions due to in vivo heat treatment of pea plants. We also isolated the LHCII from control and heat treated (42 °C) pea seedlings. Analysis of CD spectra revealed a 5D6 nm blue shift in the 638 nm negative peak in heat treated samples suggesting alteration in the organization of Chl b in the LHCII macro-aggregates. These results suggest that in vivo heat stress not only alters the extent of migration of LHCII to stromal region, but also affects the light harvesting mechanism by LHCII associated with the grana region.
Evolutionary Learning Model of Social Networking Services with Diminishing Marginal Utility

We propose a model of a social networking service (SNS) with diminishing marginal utility in the framework of evolutionary computing and present our investigation on the effect of diminishing marginal utility on the dominant structure of strategies in all agents. SNSs such as Twitter and Facebook have been growing rapidly, but why they are prospering is unknown. SNSs have the characteristics of a public goods game because they are maintained by users posting many articles that incur some cost and because users can also be free riders, who just read articles. Thus, a number of studies aimed at understanding the conditions or mechanisms that keep social media thriving theoretically by introducing the meta-rewards game, which is a variation of a public goods game. The meta-rewards games assume constant marginal utility, meaning that the rewards by receiving comments increase linearly according to the number of comments, but describing the psychological rewards of humans is often inappropriate. In this paper, we present our modification of the model using the diminishing marginal utility and our comparison of the experimental results with those of the original meta-rewards game. We demonstrate that the structure of dominant strategies of all agents in our game is quite different from that in the original meta-rewards game and is more reasonable to explain the users' behavior in SNSs because their efforts in SNSs are limited even if they have many friends.
Mobile Politicians: Opportunistic Career Moves and Moral Hazard

We exploit the randomness generated by a seat allocation mechanism utilized in Parliamentary elections that determines those politicians who get elected from a given district by a small margin, and those who lose. Using detailed information on personal attributes of more than 2,000 elected Members of the Parliament (MPs) and the votes received by each political party in every district and each of the five consecutive Parliamentary elections in Turkey between 1991 and 2011, we show that elected MPs are more likely to switch parties after an election if they faced electoral uncertainty and experienced a narrowly-won victory. The tendency to switch parties goes up as it becomes more lucrative to hold the post of MP. The impact of election uncertainty on party-switching is greater for younger MPs, and for those who are less educated. The propensity to switch due to uncertainty is higher if the MP is a member of the governing party, but only if the seat is valuable (if the majority of the party in the Parliament is slim). Politicians switch parties after an election to improve their ex-ante re-election probability in the following election. Although switching parties during a legislative session (between elections) for personal career concerns creates moral hazard, we find that party-switching MPs are more likely to get elected in the next election. These results point to forward-looking opportunistic behavior of politicians regarding their strategy to win future elections, and they indicate that politicians switch parties primarily for career concerns and for financial benefits that are associated with longer tenure in the Parliament. The results also signify that competition between political parties continues after the election, in the form of gaining seats in the Parliament post- election by transferring elected representatives of competing parties. This constitutes another dimension of the political agency problem.
High Accuracy and Scalable Multiscale Multigrid Computation for 3 D Convection Diffusion Equation

We present a sixth order explicit compact finite difference scheme to solve the three dimensional (3D) convection diffusion equation. We first use multiscale multigrid method to solve the linear systems arising from a 19-point fourth order discretization scheme to compute the fourth order solutions on both the coarse grid and the fine grid. Then an operator based interpolation scheme combined with an extrapolation technique is used to approximate the sixth order accurate solution on the fine grid. Since the multigrid method using a standard point relaxation smoother may fail to achieve the optimal grid independent convergence rate for solving convection diffusion equation with a high Reynolds number, we also implement the plane relaxation smoother in the multigrid solver to achieve better grid independency. Supporting numerical results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the sixth order compact scheme (SOC), compared with the previously published fourth order compact scheme (FOC).
Prognostic Impacts of Plasma Levels of Cyclophilin A in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Objective— Cyclophilin A (CyPA) is secreted from vascular smooth muscle cells, inflammatory cells, and activated platelets in response to oxidative stress. We have recently demonstrated that plasma CyPA level is a novel biomarker for diagnosing coronary artery disease. However, it remains to be elucidated whether plasma CyPA levels also have a prognostic impact in such patients. Approach and Results— In 511 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography, we measured the plasma levels of CyPA, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and brain natriuretic peptide and evaluated their prognostic impacts during the follow-up (42 months, interquartile range: 25–55 months). Higher CyPA levels (≥12 ng/mL) were significantly associated with all-cause death, rehospitalization, and coronary revascularization. Higher hsCRP levels (≥1 mg/L) were also significantly correlated with the primary end point and all-cause death, but not with rehospitalization or coronary revascularization. Similarly, higher brain natriuretic peptide levels (≥100 pg/mL) were significantly associated with all-cause death and rehospitalization, but not with coronary revascularization. Importantly, the combination of CyPA (≥12 ng/mL) and hsCRP (≥1 mg/L) was more significantly associated with all-cause death (hazard ratio, 21.2; 95% confidence interval, 4.9–92.3,; P<0.001) than CyPA (≥12 ng/mL) or hsCRP (≥1 mg/L) alone. Conclusions— The results indicate that plasma CyPA levels can be used to predict all-cause death, rehospitalization, and coronary revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease and that when combined with other biomarkers (hsCRP and brain natriuretic peptide levels), the CyPA levels have further enhanced prognostic impacts in those patients.
Effect of AM fungi and Trichoderma species as stimulations of growth and morphological character of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

Arbusculars mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improve plant growth profoundly through increased of phosphorus nitrogen and other nutrients. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play vital roles in plant product in agro ecosystem. Mycorrhizal colonization of roots results in an increase in root surface area for nutrient acquisition. The extrametrical fungal hyphae can extend several centimeters into the soil and absorb large amounts of nutrients for the host root (Khan et al., 2000). The Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is the most common occurred underground symbiosis in plants. About 80% of plants are colonized by Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Hildebrandt et al., 2002) in the present study, there is ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 3 Number 3 (2014) pp. 447-455 http://www.ijcmas. com
Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor protects astrocytes from staurosporine‐ and ischemia‐ induced apoptosis

Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes the survival and functions of neurons. It has been shown to be a promising candidate in the treatment of ischemia and other neurodegenerative diseases. We transfected mouse astrocytes in primary cultures with a human GDNF gene and found that their conditioned medium could not only support the growth and survival of cultured dopaminergic neurons but also protect astrocytes from staurosporine‐ and ischemia‐induced apoptosis. This indicated that these transfected astrocytes could release GDNF. A similar protective effect on astrocytes against apoptosis was evident when recombinant human GDNF was used. Moreover, GDNF reduced caspase‐3 activity but not that of caspase‐1 in cultured astrocytes after ischemia treatment. Thus, GDNF protects astrocytes from apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of caspase‐3. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Melatonin Treatment Improves Insulin Resistance and Pigmentation in Obese Patients with Acanthosis Nigricans

Objective This study aimed to determine the effects of melatonin on insulin resistance in obese patients with acanthosis nigricans (AN). Methods A total of 17 obese patients with acanthosis nigricans were recruited in a 12-week pilot open trial. Insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, inflammatory factors, and other biochemical parameters before and after the administration of melatonin were measured. Results After 12 weeks of treatment with melatonin (3 mg/day), homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) (8.99 ± 5.10 versus 7.77 ± 5.21, p < 0.05) and fasting insulin (37.09 5 ± 20.26 μU/ml versus 32.10 ± 20.29 μU/ml, p < 0.05) were significantly decreased. Matsuda index (2.82 ± 1.54 versus 3.74 ± 2.02, p < 0.05) was significantly increased. There were also statistically significant declines in the AN scores of the neck and axilla, body weight, body mass index, body fat, visceral index, neck circumference, waist circumference, and inflammatory markers. Conclusions It was concluded that melatonin could improve cutaneous symptoms in obese patients with acanthosis nigricans by improving insulin sensitivity and inflammatory status. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02604095.
Caesarean Scar Pregnancy: A Single Center Experience

Objective: To present the demographic and clinical characteristics and the treatment method of cases of caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). Patients and Methods: A retrospective examination was made of cases diagnosed with CSP at the tertiary reference hospital of Sutcu Imam University between January 2015 and December 2017. Data were retrieved related to the demographic characteristics of the patients, ultrasonography (USG) findings and treatment procedures. Results: A total of 23 CSP cases were identified in the specified study period. The mean age of the patients was 31.2 ± 6.9 years, mean gravida was 4.4 ± 1.7, mean gestational age was 7.0 ± 1.1 weeks and the number of previous caesarean section (CS) deliveries was 2.0 ± 0.9. Intramuscular methotrexate (MTX) at a dose of 1mg/kg was applied to all the patients, then after 1 week, a dilatation and curettage (D&C) procedure. Before the MTX treatment, the initial serum beta-hCG value was determined as 15813.1 ± 12740.5 IU/mL. The hemoglobin (Hb) level was determined as 12.3 ± 1.4 before MTX treatment and 11.4 ± 0.6g/dL after the D&C procedure. Hysterectomy was not applied to any patient. CSP was determined at the rate of 8.0% of all ectopic pregnancies. Conclusion: CSP, which has shown an increase in recent years in parallel with CS rates, may cause bleeding and serious complications even as far as maternal mortality. CSP cases in our clinic were successfully treated with a combination of systemic MTX followed by D&C.
Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) and Its Active Constituent, Thymoquinone: An Overview on the Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Effects

Abstract For many centuries, seeds of Nigella sativa (black cumin), a dicotyledon of the Ranunculaceae family, have been used as a seasoning spice and food additive in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas. Traditionally, the plant is used for asthma, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, cough, bronchitis, headache, eczema, fever, dizziness, and gastrointestinal disturbances. The literature regarding the biological activities of seeds of this plant is extensive, citing bronchodilative, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antibacterial, hypotensive, hypolipidemic, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective effects. The active ingredients of N. sativa are mainly concentrated in the fixed or essential oil of seeds, which are responsible for most health benefits. This review will provide all updated reported activities of this plant with an emphasis on the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects. Results of various studies have demonstrated that the oil, extracts, and their active ingredients, in particular, thymoquinone, possess antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects, supporting the common folk perception of N. Sativa as a potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. Many protective properties are attributed to reproducible radical scavenging activity as well as an interaction with numerous molecular targets involved in inflammation, including proinflammatory enzymes and cytokines. However, there is a need for further investigations to find out the precise mechanisms responsible for the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of this plant and its active constituents.
Random test problems and parallel methods for quadratic programs and quadratic stochastic programs

This paper proposes a data parallel procedure for randomly generating test problems for two-stage quadratic stochastic programming. Multiple quadratic programs in the second stage are randomly generated in parallel. A solution of the quadratic stochastic program is determined by multiple symmetric linear complementarity problems. The procedure allows the user to specify the size of the problem, the condition numbers of the Hessian matrices of the objective functions and the structure of the feasible regions in the first and the second stages. These test problems are used to evaluate three parallel algorithms for multiple quadratic programs and a parallel inexact Newton method for quadratic stochastic programming. Numerical experiments on a Thinking Machine CM-5, Silicon Graphics Power Challenge, and DEC Alpha Server are reported