Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Cognitive Predictors of African American Adolescents' Career Interests

This study examined the influence of social cognitive variables on African American adolescents' interest in environmental science. The sample consisted of 132 (57 male, 75 female) high school seniors enrolled in an urban scientific and technical high school from which 95% of graduates continue in higher education. Results of the regression analysis found that the predictor variables, including investigative self-efficacy, outcome expectations, perceived barriers, support, and environmental concerns, contributed significant variance to the prediction of interest in environmental science. The discussion highlights implications for school guidance counselors who are in a position to increase diversity in environmental science career fields and to facilitate career decisions among African American adolescents.
The evolution of superbubbles and the detection of Lyα in star-forming galaxies

The detection of Lyemission in star-forming galaxies in different shapes and in- tensities (always smaller than predicted for case B recombination) has puzzled the astronomical community for more than a decade. Here we use two dimensional cal- culations to follow the evolution of superbubbles and of the H II regions generated by the output of UV photons from massive stars. We show the impact caused by massive star formation in the ISM of different galaxies and we look at the conditions required to detect Lyemission from a nuclear H II region, and the variety of profiles that may be expected as a function of time.
When ‘The Environment’ Comes to Visit: Local Environmental Knowledge in the Far North of Russia

Based on field research in villages and towns in the Komi Republic (northeastern European Russia), this article compares the perception of the environment with environmental knowledge, and examines their interrelations in local contexts. An individual's perception of the environment is embedded in his/her everyday engagement with the surroundings (‘the environment’ as seen from within). Environmental knowledge is of more cognitive character: it originates mainly from outside the context of everyday life and is imparted via various forms of communication (‘The Environment’ as seen from the outside). From the interplay of these two levels arises what we call local environmental knowledge, a kind of knowledge which has its own moral and symbolic dimension within the social, cultural and political setting. Similarly, the concept of environmentalism is increasingly recognised as a wide diversity of ‘green’ views and actions rather than as a single project of a globally consistent normative character; thus there is a need to examine the contextuality of environmental concern. Our findings explain the failure of the ‘information deficit’ model, according to which the dissemination of scientific knowledge about environmental problems should result in local inhabitants changing their attitudes towards ‘The Environment’. Instead, our findings support the insight that, rather than accepting environmental knowledge from external sources as a factual given, individuals restate it in terms of their everyday life contexts and local discourses about socio-political issues.
A Crowdsourcing Approach to Tracker Fusion

There are many tracking methods been proposed, using different features and algorithms, but none of them can track object correctly all the time. In this paper, we explore the idea of combining a crowd of trackers, and propose a crowdsourcing tracking method. We model the problem under the Sequential Monte Carlo framework, where we treat different trackers outputs, the bounding boxes, as weak observations, and use the wisdom-of-the-crowds to simultaneously infer both the hidden ground truth bounding box and the corresponding time-varying confidence for each tracker. We have tested our proposed method on two public surveillance video datasets and two of our own video datasets. The results show that the crowdsourcing tracking method can provide more stable and better performance.
Cuestionario de afrontamiento del estrés (CAE) : desarrollo y validación preliminar

The Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CAE) is a 42-item self-report measure designed to assess seven basic coping styles: (1) problem-solving coping, (2) negative auto-focused coping, (3) positive reappraisal, (4) overt emotional expression, (5) avoidance coping, (6) social support seeking, and (7) religious coping. This article describes the development and preliminary validation of the CAE, derived from a sample of college students (N = 592). The data were analysed both by items and by sub-scales, and used exploratory factor analysis. Results showed a clear seven-factor structure involving the seven basic coping styles. Low to moderate correlations were found between the seven factors. The Cronbach’s alpha reliabilities of the subscales ranged from 0.64 to 0.92 (mean = 0.79). A second-order factor solution showed a two-factor structure involving rational and emotion focused coping. Results showed also that women were more likely than men to engage (to report) in most coping strategies.
A Mycothiol Synthase Mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis Produces Novel Thiols and Has an Altered Thiol Redox Status

ABSTRACT Mycobacteria and other actinomycetes do not produce glutathione but make mycothiol (MSH; AcCys-GlcN-Ins) that has functions similar to those of glutathione and is essential for growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mycothiol synthase (MshD) catalyzes N acetylation of Cys-GlcN-Ins to produce MSH in Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155, and Cys-GlcN-Ins is maintained at a low level. The mycothiol synthase mutant, the mshD::Tn5 mutant, produces high levels of Cys-GlcN-Ins along with two novel thiols, N-formyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins and N-succinyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins, and a small amount of MSH. The nonenzymatic reaction of acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) with Cys-GlcN-Ins to produce acyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins is a facile reaction under physiologic conditions, with succinyl-CoA being an order of magnitude more reactive than acetyl-CoA. The uncatalyzed reaction rates are adequate to account for the observed production of N-succinyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins and MSH under physiologic conditions. It was shown that the N-acyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins compounds are maintained in a substantially reduced state in the mutant but that Cys-GlcN-Ins exists in disulfide forms at 5 to 40% at different stages of growth. MSH was able to facilitate reduction of N-succinyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins disulfide through thiol-disulfide exchange, but N-formyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins was ineffective. The oxidized state of Cys-GlcN-Ins in cells appears to result from a high susceptibility to autoxidation and a low capacity of the cell to reduce its disulfide forms. The mutant exhibited no enhanced sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, or cumene hydroperoxide relative to the parent strain, suggesting that the most abundant thiol, N-formyl-Cys-GlcN-Ins, functions as a substitute for MSH.
Sex, attachment, and the development of reproductive strategies

Abstract This target article presents an integrated evolutionary model of the development of attachment and human reproductive strategies. It is argued that sex differences in attachment emerge in middle childhood, have adaptive significance in both children and adults, and are part of sex-specific life history strategies. Early psychosocial stress and insecure attachment act as cues of environmental risk, and tend to switch development towards reproductive strategies favoring current reproduction and higher mating effort. However, due to sex differences in life history trade-offs between mating and parenting, insecure males tend to adopt avoidant strategies, whereas insecure females tend to adopt anxious/ambivalent strategies, which maximize investment from kin and mates. Females are expected to shift to avoidant patterns when environmental risk is more severe. Avoidant and ambivalent attachment patterns also have different adaptive values for boys and girls, in the context of same-sex competition in the peer group: in particular, the competitive and aggressive traits related to avoidant attachment can be favored as a status-seeking strategy for males. Finally, adrenarche is proposed as the endocrine mechanism underlying the reorganization of attachment in middle childhood, and the implications for the relationship between attachment and sexual development are explored. Sex differences in the development of attachment can be fruitfully integrated within the broader framework of adaptive plasticity in life history strategies, thus contributing to a coherent evolutionary theory of human development.
The empathic tendencies and skills of nursing students

The objective of this two-staged study was to examine effects of problem-based learning (PBL) on empathy of nursing students. ET (Empathic tendency) and ES (Empathic skill) scales were used to collect data. The first stage of the study was descriptive and longitudinal ( n = 20). There were significant differences in ET average between the years. There were also significant differences in ES average between the first and second, and third and fourth year students. The second stage of the study was descriptive and cross-sectional ( n = 192). There were no significant differences in ET means between the years of the program, but there were significant differences in ES points between the years of the program. It can be concluded that nursing students exposed to PBL develop empathic skills through the years of the PBL program.
Complementary and alternative medicine use among Asian-American subgroups: prevalence, predictors, and lack of relationship to acculturation and access to conventional health care.

OBJECTIVES Acculturation and access to conventional health care have been found to be predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the general population. We hypothesized that these factors would be predictors of CAM use in Asian-American subgroups. Because of differences in health and cultural beliefs, we also hypothesized that patterns and predictors of CAM use would vary among Asian-American subgroups. METHODS Cross-sectional survey of a sample of 9187 adults representative of the California population. RESULTS Nearly three quarters of Asian-Americans used at least one type of CAM in the past 12 months, which was significantly higher than the national prevalence rate. Chinese Americans had the highest prevalence of any CAM use, whereas South Asians had the lowest prevalence (86% vs. 67%, respectively). Acculturation and access to conventional medical care was unrelated to any CAM use for most Asian-American subgroups. Spirituality was the strongest predictor of any CAM use for most Asian-American subgroups. CONCLUSIONS CAM use varies across Asian-American subgroups. Acculturation and access to conventional medical care is unrelated to any CAM use for most Asian-American subgroups.
FT-Raman spectroscopic characterization of enamel surfaces irradiated with Nd:YAG and Er:YAG lasers

Background. Despite recent advances in dental caries prevention, caries is common and remains a serious health problem. Laser irradiation is one of the most common methods in preventive measures in recent years. Raman spectroscopy technique is utilized to study the microcrystalline structure of dental enamel. In this study, FT-Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate chemical changes in enamel structure irradiated with Nd:YAG and Er:YAG lasers. Methods. We used 15 freshly-extracted, non-carious, human molars that were treated as follows: No treatment was carried out in group A (control group); Group B was irradiated with Er:YAG laser for 10 seconds under air and water spray; and Group C was irradiated with Nd:YAG laser for 10 seconds under air and water spray. After treatment, the samples were analyzed by FT-Raman spectroscopy. Results. The carbonate content evaluation with regard to the integrated area under the curve (1065/960 cm–1) exhibited a significant reduction in its ratio in groups B and C. The organic content (2935/960 cm-1) area exhibited a significant decrease after laser irradiation in group B and C. Conclusion. The results showed that the mineral and organic matrices of enamel structure were affected by laser irradiation; therefore, it might be a suitable method for caries prevention.
Science Studies in the USSR (History, Problems, Prospects)

Many outstanding Russian scientists at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century took an interest in the social aspects of science. D. I. Mendeleev, for example, was concerned with problems of scientific development: with the relationship between science and practice, the expansion of the number of research workers, and so on. K. A. Timiriazev, in a series of works, set out some fruitful thoughts on the subject of science
Early Responsiveness to Intensive Behavioural Intervention Predicts Outcomes Among Preschool Children with Autism

Archival data from a private day‐school offering early intensive behavioural intervention based on the principles of applied behaviour analysis to preschoolers with autism (N = 29) were analysed longitudinally. Teacher reports on the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) were available up to 4 times and on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales—Classroom Edition (VABS‐CE), at 2 time points. Parent reports on the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) were available at 2 time points. All assessments occurred approximately at 6‐month intervals. Children showed statistically significant progress across all skill domains on the ABLLS and on selected subscales and the composite scales of the VABS‐CE and ATEC. Gains were substantial for some children and minor for others. When divided into performance‐based groups, both higher‐performing and lower‐performing groups showed improvement over time, with greater improvement for the higher‐performing group. Nine of 16 children who had been discharged from the programme entered inclusive kindergarten or first‐grade classrooms with an aide. Seven discharged children entered special education classrooms. No child progressed to the point that special education services were not needed. Findings are discussed relevant to the extant literature on early intensive behavioural intervention outcomes among young children with autism.
Theorizing gender, ethnicity and the nation-state in Central Asia

Since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, one of the greatest emphases of Western scholarship regarding the Soviet Central Asian republics has been upon issues of ethnicity, nationalism and statehood. This has paralleled a general re-focusing in the social and political sciences on these issues in the 1980s and 1990s, an era which has seen the re-emergence and intensi® cation of nationalistic con ict and identity politics in many parts of the world. The study of these issues has been profoundly in uenced by theoretical debates within feminist scholarship and its fruitful interaction with post-structuralism, leading to an epistemology which identi® es gender as a key concern in the study of ethnicity and nationalism. The main argument of this paper is that the ® eld of Central Asian studies has largely ignored this development, and it is time for us to give serious consideration to it. The key question which the current scholarship has failed to address is: how is the process of national identity formation and reconstruction in Central Asia gendered? I will attempt very brie y to outline theoretical developments and look at some practical applications outside Central Asian studies, with emphasis on feminist thought regarding gender and women in other developing areas, particularly Islamic countries. In the light of these considerations, the article will then move on to a more detailed look at writings regarding Central Asia. It will conclude with a case study of gender and change in Ferghana State University. It is important to emphasize that this article is somewhat exploratory, and does not claim to be exhaustive or authoritative.
Inactivation of the SauI Type I Restriction-Modification System Is Not Sufficient To Generate Staphylococcus aureus Strains Capable of Efficiently Accepting Foreign DNA

ABSTRACT Genetic manipulation of Staphylococcus aureus is limited by the availability of only a single strain, RN4220, that is capable of easily accepting foreign DNA. Inactivation of the hsdR gene of the SauI type I restriction-modification system was shown previously to be responsible for the high transformation efficiency of RN4220 (D. E. Waldron and J. A. Lindsay, J Bacteriol. 188:5578-5585, 2006). However, deletion of this gene in three different S. aureus strains was not sufficient to make them readily transformable, which would be remarkably useful for genetic studies of this pathogenic organism. These results indicate that another unknown factor(s) is required for the transformable phenotype in S. aureus.
Molecular regulation of the training response: New techniques to study old questions

Exercise training provides a powerful tool with which to study the adaptive capacity of tissues, organ systems, and organisms. A rich literature from a number of disciplines gives strong evidence that exercise training is perhaps the best chronic physiological stress for the study of human or animal function. It is a stress the allows one to look not only at how individual systems respond but also how they interact in providing an overall response. Although much is known about the adaptations to exercise training, we are only beginning to understand molecular mechanisms that regulate the responses to training. This summary paper will present some basic concepts regarding these molecular mechanisms and their role in the training response in skeletal muscle, followed by some examples of how these new techniques are being used to study old questions.
Recognition of DNA Adducts by Human Nucleotide Excision Repair

The mechanism by which mammalian nucleotide excision repair (NER) detects a wide range of base lesions is poorly understood. Here, we tested the ability of human NER to recognize bulky modifications that either destabilize the DNA double helix (acetylaminofluorene (AAF) and benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxide (BPDE) adducts, UV radiation products) or induce opposite effects by stabilizing the double helix (8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), anthramycin, and CC-1065 adducts). We constructed plasmid DNA carrying a defined number of each of these adducts and determined their potential to sequester NER factors contained in a human cell-free extract. For that purpose, we measured the capacity of damaged plasmids to compete with excision repair of a site-directed NER substrate. This novel approach showed differences of more than 3 orders of magnitude in the efficiency by which helix-destabilizing and helix-stabilizing adducts sequester NER factors. For example, AAF modifications were able to compete with the NER substrate ∼1740 times more effectively than 8-MOP adducts. The sequestration potency decreased with the following order of adducts, AAF > UV ≥ BPDE > 8-MOP > anthramycin, CC-1065. A strong preference for helix-destabilizing lesions was confirmed by monitoring the formation of NER patches at site-specific adducts with either AAF or CC-1065. This comparison based on factor sequestration and repair synthesis indicates that human NER is primarily targeted to sites at which the secondary structure of DNA is destabilized. Thus, an early step of DNA damage recognition involves thermodynamic probing of the duplex.
Bilateral nephrectomy of huge polycystic kidneys associated with a rectus abdominis diastasis and umbilical hernia.

BACKGROUND Patients with end-stage renal failure due to huge autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease usually have an umbilical hernia and rectus abdominis diastasis, which are very troublesome. Pretransplant bilateral nephrectomy techniques does not manage the umbilical hernia and rectus abdominis diastasis. We report our experience in performing bilateral nephrectomy and repairing the rectus abdominis diastasis and umbilical hernia through the one, small incision. METHODS Four patients aged 37 to 43 years with huge polycystic kidneys, an umbilical hernia, and a rectus abdominis diastasis underwent bilateral pretransplant nephrectomy through a midline supraumbilical incision including the umbilical hernia defect. The kidneys were removed through this incision. The incision was closed with the transposition of rectus abdominis muscle, pants-over-vest-style, to correct the diastasis and the umbilical hernia. RESULTS The average operative time was 160 minutes (range, 130-180); the average larger kidney size was 33 cm (range, 32-34 cm); no major complications occurred; one patient who had preoperative low hemoglobin required blood transfusion. Patients were discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 7 with an esthetically pleasing belly, no rectus abdominis diastasis, and no umbilical hernia. One to two months after bilateral nephrectomy, the patients received a live donor kidney with an uneventful outcome. CONCLUSION A midline supraumbilical incision is an excellent approach for bilateral nephrectomy of huge polycystic kidneys. In addition, an umbilical hernia and rectus abdominis diastasis may be successfully repaired through same incision with good cosmetic results.
Telomere shortening relaxes X chromosome inactivation and forces global transcriptome alterations

Telomeres are heterochromatic structures at chromosome ends essential for chromosomal stability. Telomere shortening and the accumulation of dysfunctional telomeres are associated with organismal aging. Using telomerase-deficient TRF2-overexpressing mice (K5TRF2/Terc−/−) as a model for accelerated aging, we show that telomere shortening is paralleled by a gradual deregulation of the mammalian transcriptome leading to cumulative changes in a defined set of genes, including up-regulation of the mTOR and Akt survival pathways and down-regulation of cell cycle and DNA repair pathways. Increased DNA damage from dysfunctional telomeres leads to reduced deposition of H3K27me3 onto the inactive X chromosome (Xi), impaired association of the Xi with telomeric transcript accumulations (Tacs), and reactivation of an X chromosome-linked K5TRF2 transgene that is subjected to X-chromosome inactivation in female mice with sufficiently long telomeres. Exogenously induced DNA damage also disrupts Xi-Tacs, suggesting DNA damage at the origin of these alterations. Collectively, these findings suggest that critically short telomeres activate a persistent DNA damage response that alters gene expression programs in a nonstochastic manner toward cell cycle arrest and activation of survival pathways, as well as impacts the maintenance of epigenetic memory and nuclear organization, thereby contributing to organismal aging.