Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Risks of Being “Manly”: Masculine Norms and Drinking Game Motives, Behaviors, and Related Consequences Among Men

Research suggests a link between masculine norms and drinking behaviors and related consequences; however, the mechanisms of risk are not well understood, particularly with respect to drinking games. The present study helps bridge the masculinity and alcohol use literatures by examining the mechanisms by which certain masculine norms (i.e., winning, risk taking, heterosexual presentation, power over women, and playboy norms) are directly associated with drinking game behaviors and consequences, and indirectly by way of increased motivations to play drinking games for competition reasons, for enhancement/thrills, and/or to sexually manipulate others. Participants completed anonymous self-report surveys and consisted of young adult men who were current drinkers and drinking gamers (N = 905). Controlling for typical alcohol use on nondrinking game occasions, results indicated that certain masculine norms (i.e., heterosexual presentation, risk taking, and power over women) were directly associated with drinking game behaviors and/or consequences. Consistent with motivational models of alcohol use, conformity to masculine norms was also indirectly related to drinking game behaviors and consequences through their associations with specific drinking game motives. Both power over women and playboy norms were indirectly related to negative drinking game consequences through their positive associations with sexual manipulation motives. In addition, risk taking, winning, and playboy norms were indirectly related to drinking game behaviors and related consequences by way of increased endorsement of enhancement/thrills motives. Finally, risk taking, winning, and power over women were indirectly related to drinking game frequency through their positive associations with competition motives. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed.
Video (language) modeling: a baseline for generative models of natural videos

We propose a strong baseline model for unsupervised feature learning using video data. By learning to predict missing frames or extrapolate future frames from an input video sequence, the model discovers both spatial and temporal correlations which are useful to represent complex deformations and motion patterns. The models we propose are largely borrowed from the language modeling literature, and adapted to the vision domain by quantizing the space of image patches into a large dictionary. We demonstrate the approach on both a filling and a generation task. For the first time, we show that, after training on natural videos, such a model can predict non-trivial motions over short video sequences.
Social capital and health among Burundian refugees in the United States

This pilot study examined levels of social capital and their associations with the health status of Burundian refugees, who have recently increased in number in the United States. The findings revealed that none of the study sample had received formal education with one exception, and approximately 46 percent of the sample reported that they could not speak English at all. The study sample had more contact with other Burundian refugees than with other ethnic group members. Bonding and bridging social capital were explored, but neither was significantly associated with the refugees’ health status. Further research directions are discussed.
Myosins VIII and XI Play Distinct Roles in Reproduction and Transport of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Viruses are obligatory parasites that depend on host cellular factors for their replication as well as for their local and systemic movement to establish infection. Although myosin motors are thought to contribute to plant virus infection, their exact roles in the specific infection steps have not been addressed. Here we investigated the replication, cell-to-cell and systemic spread of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) using dominant negative inhibition of myosin activity. We found that interference with the functions of three class VIII myosins and two class XI myosins significantly reduced the local and long-distance transport of the virus. We further determined that the inactivation of myosins XI-2 and XI-K affected the structure and dynamic behavior of the ER leading to aggregation of the viral movement protein (MP) and to a delay in the MP accumulation in plasmodesmata (PD). The inactivation of myosin XI-2 but not of myosin XI-K affected the localization pattern of the 126k replicase subunit and the level of TMV accumulation. The inhibition of myosins VIII-1, VIII-2 and VIII-B abolished MP localization to PD and caused its retention at the plasma membrane. These results suggest that class XI myosins contribute to the viral propagation and intracellular trafficking, whereas myosins VIII are specifically required for the MP targeting to and virus movement through the PD. Thus, TMV appears to recruit distinct myosins for different steps in the cell-to-cell spread of the infection.
Backward Ray Tracing

Ray tracing has become a very popular method for image synthesis due to its un paralleled exibility and its ability the generate images of high quality and realism Simulation of e ects such as re ection and refraction have been the hallmarks of ray tracing since its introduction With the advent of stochastic ray tracing the range of e ects expanded to include motion blur soft shadows depth of eld and both blurry re ections and translucency A notable omission from the repertoire of ray tracing however is di use re ection of indirect light Though several new algorithms have been introduced which simulate multiple di use re ections of light in polygonal environments ray tracing continues to neglect these higher order e ects and consequently falls short of a truly global model of illumination These notes describe a simple extension to ray tracing which takes a rst step toward alleviating this de ciency The problem addressed is that of simulating di use re ection of specularly re ected and or refracted light originating from point light sources The technique involves one or more passes of backward ray tracing from the light and the construction of illumination maps as a pre processing step
Environment-driven distributed evolutionary adaptation in a population of autonomous robotic agents

This article is concerned with a fixed-size population of autonomous agents facing unknown, possibly changing, environments. The motivation is to design an embodied evolutionary algorithm that can cope with the implicit fitness function hidden in the environment so as to provide adaptation in the long run at the level of population. The proposed algorithm, termed mEDEA, is shown to be both efficient in unknown environments and robust to abrupt and unpredicted changes in the environment. The emergence of consensus towards specific behavioural strategies is examined, with a particular focus on algorithmic stability. Finally, a real-world implementation of the algorithm is described with a population of 20 real-world e-puck robots.
Are the GCF levels of MCP-1 and RANTES elevated in peri-partum women with periodontitis as compared to healthy controls?

The study objective was to compare levels of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), MCP-1 and RANTES in peri-partum women with periodontal disease to healthy controls. This is secondary analysis of Oral Conditions and Pregnancy (OCAP), a case-control study. Subjects (N=80) were stratified post-hoc based on periodontal status. An oral exam was performed within 72 hours after delivery. Cases (n=42) had moderate to severe/periodontitis (>15 sites with PD> 4mm). Controls (n=38) had a healthy periodontium (PD< 3mm). Pregnancy history was obtained through charts and interviews. Statistical tests included chi-square and t-test. Groups were balanced for age (p=0.57) but not race. Cases and controls were 17% and 82% Caucasian, respectively (p<0 .0001). There were no statistically significant (SS) differences between cases and controls. MCP-1 and RANTES were lower in cases than controls although not SS. There is no significant difference between MCP-1 and RANTES levels in women with periodontitis compared with healthy controls. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My successful completion of this thesis project involved more than just my desire to earn a valued degree in Dental Hygiene Education. Many others have contributed to the success of this project that I would like to thank. To my committee members, Mrs. thank you for your knowledge and encouragement throughout the process of completing this project. I also wish to thank Kevin Moss for his statistical expertise. Wallace and Mrs. Mary Jacks, MS, RDH, telling me that I can do it and teaching me how to tell my story. I'd like to thank my dog Turner who kept my feet warm on all those endless nights and finally extend my deepest gratitude to my family and my husband, Eric, who throughout this program has provided me with unconditional support and love. Without him continuously reminding me of this goal I had aimed to achieve, the completion of this project would not have been possible.
Block Share Purchases and Corporate Performance

This paper investigates the causes and consequences of activist block share purchases in the 1980s. We find that activist investors were most likely to purchase large blocks of shares in highly diversified firms with poor profitability. Activists were not less likely to purchase blocks in firms with shark repellents and employee stock ownership plans. Activist block purchases were followed by increases in asset divestitures, decreases in mergers and acquisitions, and abnormal share price appreciation. Industry-adjusted operating profitability also rose. This evidence supports the view that the market for partial corporate control plays an important role in limiting agency costs in U.S. corporations. Copyright The American Finance Association 1998.
The role of parents and peers on adolescents’ prosocial behavior and substance use

The focus of this study was to understand both parental and peer influence on adolescents’ prosocial and substance use outcomes. Data were drawn from the Flourishing Families Project, which consisted of 500 individuals (Mage at Time 1 = 11.83; 51.6% female; 33% were from single-parent families) who participated at six time points, each approximately 1 year apart. Results suggest that parental warmth (at Time 2) was associated with self-regulation (Time 3), which was then associated with prosocial and deviant peer association (Time 4). Peer association was in turn related to prosocial behaviors and substance use (Time 7). Discussion focused on the role that both parents and peers play on adolescent outcomes and suggests that while peer influence during mid-adolescence is significantly linked with behavioral outcomes in late adolescence, early adolescent experiences of parental warmth also have indirect effects on the outcomes.
PENGARUH BUDAYA ORGANISASI, LOCUS OF CONTROL, STRES KERJA TERHADAP KINERJA APARAT PEMERINTAH DAERAH DAN KEPUASAN KERJA SEBAGAI VARIABEL INTERVENING (Studi Empiris Pada Pemerintah Kabupaten Bengkalis)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh budaya organisasi, locus of control, dan stres kerja terhadap kinerja aparat pemerintah daerah dan untuk mengetahui peran kepuasan kerja dalam memediasi pengaruh budaya organisasi, locus of control, stres kerja terhadap kinerja aparat pemerintah daerah. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Pemerintah Kabupaten Bengkalis dengan menggunakan quesioner untuk 183 responden, teknik analisis yang dipergunakan adalah teknik analisis jalur (parth analysis) dengan menggunakan program SPSS versi 17.0. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa variabel budaya organisasi berpengaruh terhadap kinerja aparat pemerintah daerah, locus of control berpengaruh terhadap kinerja aparat pemerintah daerah dan stres kerja berpengaruh terhadap kinerja pemerintah daerah. Variabel kepuasan kerja memediasi pengaruh budaya organisasi terhadap kinerja aparat pemerintah daerah, kepuasan kerja memediasi pengaruh locus of control terhadap kinerja aparat pemerintah daerah, dan kepuasan kerja memediasi pengaruh stres kerja terhadap kinerja aparat pemerintah daerah.
The Stellar and Gas Kinematics of Several Irregular Galaxies

We present long-slit spectra of three irregular galaxies from which we determine the stellar kinematics in two of the galaxies (NGC 1156 and NGC 4449) and ionized gas kinematics in all three (including NGC 2366). We compare this to the optical morphology and H I kinematics of the galaxies. In the ionized gas, we see a linear velocity gradient in all three galaxies. In NGC 1156 we also detect a weak linear velocity gradient in the stars of (5 ± 1/ sin i) km s-1 kpc-1 to a radius of 1.6 kpc. The stars and gas are rotating about the same axis, but this is different from the major axis of the stellar bar, which dominates the optical light of the galaxy. In NGC 4449 we do not detect organized rotation of the stars and place an upper limit of km s-1 kpc-1 to a radius of 1.2 kpc. For NGC 4449, which has signs of a past interaction with another galaxy, we develop a model to fit the observed kinematics of the stars and gas. In this model the stellar component is in a rotating disk seen nearly face-on, while the gas is in a tilted disk with orbits whose planes precess in the gravitational potential. This model reproduces the apparent counterrotation of the inner gas of the galaxy. The peculiar orbits of the gas are presumed as a result of acquisition of gas in the past interaction.
A strong case for fast stellar rotation at very low metallicities

We investigate the effect of new stellar models taking rotation into account and computing for a metallicity Z = 10 -8 on the chemical evolution of the earliest phases of the Milky Way. These models were computed under the assumption that the ratio of the initial rotation velocity to the critical velocity of stars is roughly constant with metallicity. This naturally leads to faster rotation at lower metallicity, as metal-poor stars are more compact than metal-rich ones. We find that the new Z = 10 -8 stellar yields have a tremendous impact on the nitrogen enrichment of the interstellar medium for log(O/H) + 12 < 7 (or [Fe/H] < -3). We show that including Z = 10 -8 stellar yields in chemical evolution models, both high N/O and C/O ratios are obtained in the very-metal poor metallicity range, in agreement with observations. Our results give further support to the idea that stars at very low metallicities could have rotational velocities of the order of 600-800 km s -1 .
The development of an evaluation model of e-commerce websites for the Taiwanese airline industry

The ‘SISP community’ is an evolving environment, which generally learns from the past. However, the lesson that top management commitment is a key determinant of SISP success has not been learnt. Regardless of the industry type or size, a lack of real commitment from senior management is still the main reason for the SISP formulation and implementation failure. The study introduces the SISP Stakeholders’ Designation construct to analyze commitment and participation of the available SISP resources in the light of maximising success of SISP. Also the association between organisational learning and management commitment to SISP is examined. A postal survey of top management from 260 Australian companies revealed that obtaining high-level stakeholder engagement is critical to SISP success. The study presents optimal roles and level of engagement for the SISP Stakeholders’ Designation. It was found that if every managerial stakeholder’s designation is committed to SISP in all its phases it may result in wasting of valuable time and resources. The findings point to SISP learning reviews as a significant antecedent for managerial commitment to SISP.
A Dominant Negative Egr Inhibitor Blocks Nerve Growth Factor-Induced Neurite Outgrowth by Suppressing c-Jun Activation: Role of an Egr/c-Jun Complex

Members of the Egr family of transcription factors are rapidly and robustly induced by neurotransmitters and neurotrophins and have been implicated in mediating enduring changes in neuronal function elicited by these stimuli. Because we have found in previous studies that a dominant negative inhibitor of Egr action, the Egr zinc finger domain (ZnEgr), blocks NGF-induced neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells, we have used this preparation to help identify the downstream targets of Egr proteins involved in plasticity. Our investigation into the mechanism of action of ZnEgr indicates that it blocks NGF-induced neurite outgrowth by suppressing activation of c-Jun, a critical step in the signaling pathway mediating this response. Although we had assumed that ZnEgr exerts its effects by binding to the Egr response element (ERE) and thereby blocking target gene regulation by Egr proteins, this classical mode of action appears to be too slow to mediate the effects of Egr proteins on c-Jun activation. In evaluating alternative ERE-independent mechanisms of Egr (and ZnEgr) action, we found that Egr1 and c-Jun coprecipitate and that ZnEgr disrupts formation of the Egr1/c-Jun complex. Furthermore, mutations of ZnEgr that greatly impair or abolish its ability to bind to the ERE do not block its ability to suppress c-Jun activation or neurite outgrowth induced by NGF. Accordingly, our studies indicate that Egr and ZnEgr proteins regulate c-Jun activation via a novel mechanism, protein–protein interaction with c-Jun, rather than via their classical mode of action, binding to the ERE.
Exposure to foodborne and orofecal microbes versus airborne viruses in relation to atopy and allergic asthma: epidemiological study

Abstract Objective: To investigate if markers of exposure to foodborne and orofecal microbes versus airborne viruses are associated with atopy and respiratory allergies. Design: Retrospective case-control study. Participants: 240 atopic cases and 240 non-atopic controls from a population sample of 1659 participants, all Italian male cadets aged 17-24. Setting: Air force school in Caserta, Italy. Main outcome measures: Serology for Toxoplasma gondii, Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis A virus, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 1; skin sensitisation and IgE antibodies to relevant airborne allergens; total IgE concentration; and diagnosis of allergic asthma or rhinitis. Results: Compared with controls there was a lower prevalence of T gondii (26% v 18%, P=0.027), hepatitis A virus (30% v 16%, P=0.004), and H pylori (18%v 15%, P=0.325) in atopic participants. Adjusted odds ratios of atopy decreased with a gradient of exposure to H pylori, T gondii, and hepatitis A virus (none, odds ratio 1; one, 0.70; two or three, 0.37; P for trend=0.000045) but not with cumulative exposure to the other viruses. Conversely, total IgE concentration was not independently associated with any infection. Allergic asthma was rare (1/245, 0.4%) and allergic rhinitis infrequent (16/245, 7%) among the participants (245/1659) exposed to at least two orofecal and foodborne infections (H pylori, T gondii, hepatitis A virus). Conclusion: Respiratory allergy is less frequent in people heavily exposed to orofecal and foodborne microbes. Hygiene and a westernised, semisterile diet may facilitate atopy by influencing the overall pattern of commensals and pathogens that stimulate the gut associated lymphoid tissue thus contributing to the epidemic of allergic asthma and rhinitis in developed countries.
Testing the Benefits of Cognitive Training vs. Cognitive Stimulation in Mild Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Purpose: To undertake a randomised controlled trial to test the benefits of cognitive training (CT) vs. cognitive stimulation (CS) on general cognitive function and memory in mild Alzheimer's disease (mAD). Method: A consecutive series of 55 mAD outpatients was randomly allocated to one of the three conditions, namely two experimental interventions (CT and CS; 17 participants each) and a control dementia (no intervention) group (CD; 21 participants). Participants in the experimental conditions received a 4-month individual intervention programme. Results: The participants in the CT condition demonstrated a large improvement in general cognitive state with moderate gains in areas of memory targeted by the intervention (semantic memory, naming and retrieval ability) 12 months after baseline measurement compared to the other two conditions. In addition, CT seemed to generalise the other cognitive abilities that were not directly targeted with small gains noted in other domains of cognition (prospective memory, face recognition, name a person) compared to CS and CD. Participants in both the CS and CD conditions showed significant general cognitive decline, even though CS was found to ameliorate the trajectory of this decline.
Culture, Religion and Productivity: Evidence from European Regions

This study investigates how a region’s labour productivity could be influenced by cultural dimensions and religion – factors that have not received much attention in the previous literature. As another novelty, regional-level data (78 regions of 22 European countries) were analysed. Correlation and regression analysis was performed. The results showed individualism to be positively and masculinity and power distance to be negatively related to labour productivity. When cultural dimensions were included, both general religiosity and the achievement motivation indicator capturing the values of a strong work ethic turned out to be insignificant.
Age-Related Changes in the Daily Rhythm of Photoreceptor Functioning and Circuitry in a Melatonin-Proficient Mouse Strain

Retinal melatonin is involved in the modulation of many important retinal functions. Our previous studies have shown that the viability of photoreceptors and ganglion cells is reduced during aging in mice that lack melatonin receptor type 1. This demonstrates that melatonin signaling is important for the survival of retinal neurons. In the present study, we investigate the effects of aging on photoreceptor physiology and retinal organization in CH3-f+/+ mice, a melatonin proficient mouse strain. Our data indicate that the amplitude of the a and b waves of the scotopic and photopic electroretinogram decreases with age. Moreover, the daily rhythm in the amplitude of the a- and b- waves is lost during the aging process. Similarly, the scotopic threshold response is significantly affected by aging, but only when it is measured during the night. Interestingly, the changes observed in the ERGs are not paralleled by relevant changes in retinal morphological features, and administration of exogenous melatonin does not affect the ERGs in C3H-f+/+ at 12 months of age. This suggests that the responsiveness of the photoreceptors to exogenous melatonin is reduced during aging.
A nonparametric contextual classification based on Markov random fields

In this paper a nonparametric contextual classification using both spectral and spatial information will be proposed for hyperspectral image classification. Essentially, among the classification, spatial information is acquired on the basis of Markov random field (MRF) and then joined with the nonparametric density estimation. Two MRF-based nonparametric contextual classifications based on kNN and Parzen density estimation will be introduced. We expect this combination could strengthen the capability for classifying pixels of different class labels with similar spectral values and dealing with data that has no clear numerical interpretation.