Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Academic Environment and Faculty Well-Being: The Role of Psychological Needs

Recent research has examined the well-being of higher education faculty, but it has typically lacked a theoretical model. The present study used self-determination theory to model the well-being of 581 tenured and tenure-eligible faculty members at a large mid-Western university. Volitional autonomy, perceived competence, and perceived relatedness were hypothesized to partially mediate the relationships between several environmental factors (e.g., administrative support, research support, promotion and tenure support) and faculty well-being (i.e., teaching/service satisfaction and global satisfaction). Results of path analysis indicated that all relations between the environment and teaching/service satisfaction were fully mediated by volitional autonomy and perceived competence, whereas all relations between the environment and global satisfaction were partially mediated by perceived relatedness. These findings highlight the centrality of psychological needs in understanding the relations between the environment and faculty well-being. Additional implications and future directions for research are discussed.
Trust of second-generation immigrants: intergenerational transmission or cultural assimilation?

This paper studies the respective influences of intergenerational transmission and the environment in shaping individual trust. Focusing on second generation immigrants in Australia and the United States, we exploit the variation in the home country and in the host country to separate the effect of cultural transmission from that of the social and economic conditions on individual trust. Our results indicate that trust in the home country contributes to the trust of second generation immigrants in both of the host countries, and marginally more in the United States. Social and economic conditions in the host country also affect individual trust.JEL classificationJ15, O15, Z10
How does Household Consumption Respond to Income Shocks? Evidence and Theory

n this paper we first use the Italian Survey of Household Income and Wealth to document how various household choices (including consumption and wealth) change in response to an income change. We show that these responses are not consistent with simple benchmark models (i.e. complete markets or hands to mouth consumers). In particular, we find evidence of significant asymmetries in how consumption and wealth respond to income change. We also find that these responses have changed significantly over time. We then explore how existing partial risk sharing models can account for this evidence. Preliminary work suggest that such a model, especially if one wants to explain more recent data, will have to include better insurance means than the standard incomplete markets but substantially less than a model with a full set of contingent assets.
Axisymmetric bioconvection in a cylinder.

In three-dimensional bioconvection, the regions of rising and sinking fluid are dissimilar. This geometrical effect is studied for axisymmetric bioconvection in a cylindrical cell with stress-free (i.e. normal velocity and tangential stress vanish) lateral and top boundaries, and rigid bottom boundary. Using the continuum model of Pedley et al. (1988, J. Fluid Mech.195, 223-237) for bioconvection in a suspension of swimming, gyrotactic microorganisms, the structure and stability of an axisymmetric plume in a deep chamber are investigated. The system is governed by the Navier-Stokes equations for an incompressible fluid coupled with a microorganism conservation equation. These equations are solved numerically using a conservative finite-difference scheme. Comparisons are made with two-dimensional bioconvection.
Self-Regulatory Control and Habit Learning in the Development of Eating Disorders

Clinical evidence suggests that initial attempts to regulate weight gain quickly become habit-like in individuals with eating disorders. These behaviors are controlled excessively in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and are controlled more intermittently, with periods of lost control, in patients with Bulimia Nervosa (BN). We suspect that abnormalities in frontostriatal systems that subserve self-regulatory control and habit learning may contribute to the development and perpetuation of AN and BN. We summarize previous findings and present a pathophysiological model that provides a framework for understanding the shared and non-shared clinical phenotypes of AN and BN. Whereas dysregulated control systems produce heightened self-regulatory control, permitting individuals with AN to sustain excessive dietary restriction, dysregulated control systems likely result in impaired self-regulatory control in patients with BN, releasing feelings of hunger and urges to binge, thereby resulting in overeating. Interactions with cultural ideals of thinness and impaired habit learning systems may then allow the dieting behaviors of individuals with restricting-type AN to spiral into the habitual and restrictive eating behaviors that typify the disorder. Although these cultural factors likely contribute to the compensatory purging behaviors in BN, interactions with normal habit learning systems may explain the higher recovery rate of BN relative to AN, in which habit learning may be impaired. We describe neuroimaging methods that we are using to test these hypotheses and emphasize the potential utility of studying AN and BN early in the course of illness, to disentangle their causes from epiphenomena or compensatory responses. We believe that this innovative approach to studying eating disorders will lend explanation to the perplexing fact that although many young people diet and overeat at some point in time, only some go on to develop eating disorders.
Mindfulness Training for Healthy Aging: Impact on Attention, Well-Being, and Inflammation

The growing interest in mindfulness interventions for use in aging samples has been met with promising evidence of cognitive, emotional, and physiological benefits. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the impact of mindfulness training on three areas of functioning in older adults: behavioral and neural correlates of attentional performance, psychological well-being, and systemic inflammation. We have previously proposed that mindfulness training is uniquely suited as a rehabilitative tool for conferring both cognitive and emotional benefits for older adults. Specifically, mindfulness training's promotion of focused attention may mitigate the decline of attentional control abilities across late development and allow older adults to capitalize on their preserved emotion regulation abilities. Existing evidence points to some improvements in facets of attentional control in older adults, although some studies have shown no benefits in performance. Further, there is evidence of enhancements in both psychological and physical aspects of well-being, and accompanying improvements in systemic inflammation, following mindfulness training. The scientific investigation of mindfulness training is still relatively nascent, with only a limited number of studies, particularly randomized controlled trials utilizing active comparison conditions. It will be important for future research to incorporate placebo-controlled comparison groups to clearly establish the causal role of mindfulness practices in promoting holistic health in older adults.
Comparative evaluation of the genomes of common bacterial members of the Drosophila intestinal community

Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model to explore the molecular exchanges that occur between an animal intestine and their microbial passengers. For example, groundbreaking studies in flies uncovered a sophisticated web of host responses to intestinal bacteria. The outcomes of these responses define critical events in the host, such as the establishment of immune responses, access to nutrients, and the rate of larval development. Despite our steady march towards illuminating the host machinery that responds to bacterial presence in the gut, we know remarkably little about the microbial products that influence bacterial association with a fly host. To address this deficiency, we sequenced and characterized the genomes of three common Drosophila-associated microbes: Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis and Acetobacter pasteurianus. In each case, we compared the genomes of Drosophila-associated strains to the genomes of strains isolated from alternative sources. This approach allowed us to identify molecular functions common to Drosophila-associated microbes, and, in the case of A. pasteurianus, to identify genes that are essential for association with the host. Of note, many of the gene products unique to fly-associated strains have established roles in the stabilization of host-microbe interactions. We believe that these data provide a valuable starting point for a more thorough examination of the microbial perspective on host-microbe relationships.
Sources of Societal Value Similarities across Europe: Evidence from Dyadic Models

Focusing on Europe, this article aims to disentangle the patterns of cultural clustering and to throw more light on concepts such as ‘civilizations’ and ‘cultural zones. ’ Cross-cultural analyses unanimously find that various historical background and socioeconomic indicators are strongly correlated to societal values, however, a systematic investigation on what makes societal cultures similar and different hasn’t been conducted. The author first outlines the factors and mechanisms that may explain value similarities, then the author tests their importance using dyadic data on 40 countries from the WVS . Multiple factors are associated to the cultural similarities: the historical background – i.e. countries’ political-institutional traditions, religion, language, and imperial legacies – and also socio-economic development, geographical distance, European integration, and climatic differences. The substantial overlap among them, however, diminishes the absolute importance of any of the explanatory factors. The multiple determinants of value differences speak against a classification of national cultures into cultural zones based on single formative factors.
The Space of Morphisms on Projective Space

The theory of moduli of morphisms on P^n generalizes the study of rational maps on P^1. This paper proves three results about the space of morphisms on P^n of degree d > 1, and its quotient by the conjugation action of PGL(n+1). First, we prove that this quotient is geometric, and compute the stable and semistable completions of the space of morphisms. This strengthens previous results of Silverman, as well as of Petsche, Szpiro, and Tepper. Second, we bound the size of the stabilizer group in PGL(n+1) of every morphism in terms of only n and d. Third, we specialize to the case where n = 1, and show that the quotient space is rational for all d > 1; this partly generalizes a result of Silverman about the case d = 2.
A Role for Hypocretin (Orexin) in Male Sexual Behavior

The role of hypocretin (orexin; hcrt/orx) neurons in regulation of arousal is well established. Recently, hcrt/orx has been implicated in food reward and drug-seeking behavior. We report here that in male rats, Fos immunoreactivity (ir) in hcrt/orx neurons increases markedly during copulation, whereas castration produces decreases in hcrt/orx neuron cell counts and protein levels in a time course consistent with postcastration impairments in copulatory behavior. This effect was reversed by estradiol replacement. Immunolabeling for androgen (AR) and estrogen (ERα) receptors revealed no colocalization of hcrt/orx with AR and few hcrt/orx neurons expressing ERα, suggesting that hormonal regulation of hcrt/orx expression is via afferents from neurons containing those receptors. We also demonstrate that systemic administration of the orexin-1 receptor antagonist SB 334867 [N-(2-methyl-6-benzoxazolyl)-N″-1,5-naphthyridin-4-yl urea] impairs copulatory behavior. One locus for the prosexual effects of hcrt/orx may be the ventral tegmental area (VTA). We show here that hcrt-1/orx-A produces dose-dependent increases in firing rate and population activity of VTA dopamine (DA) neurons in vivo. Activation of hcrt/orx during copulation, and in turn, excitation of VTA DA neurons by hcrt/orx, may contribute to the robust increases in nucleus accumbens DA previously observed during male sexual behavior. Subsequent triple immunolabeling in anterior VTA showed that Fos-ir in tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons apposed to hcrt/orx fibers increases during copulation. Together, these data support the view that hcrt/orx peptides may act in a steroid-sensitive manner to facilitate the energized pursuit of natural rewards like sex via activation of the mesolimbic DA system.
TyG Index Change Is More Determinant for Forecasting Type 2 Diabetes Onset Than Weight Gain

AbstractThe risk of type 2 diabetes associated with obesity appears to be influenced by other metabolic abnormalities, and there is controversy about the harmless condition of the metabolically healthy obese (MHO) state. The aim of this study is to assess the risk of diabetes and the impact of changes in weight and in triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index), according to the metabolic health and obesity states.We analyzed prospective data of the Vascular Metabolic CUN cohort, a population-based study among a White European population (mean follow-up, 8.9 years). Incident diabetes was assessed in 1923 women and 3016 men with a mean age at baseline of 55.33 ± 13.68 and 53.78 ± 12.98 years old.A Cox proportional-hazard analysis was conducted to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of diabetes on metabolically healthy nonobese (MHNO), metabolically healthy obese, metabolically unhealthy nonobese (MUNO), and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO). A continuous standardized variable (z-score) was derived to compute the HR for diabetes per 1-SD increment in the body mass index (BMI) and the TyG index.MHO, MUNO, and MUO status were associated with the development of diabetes, HR of 2.26 (95% CI: 1.25–4.07), 3.04 (95% CI: 1.69–5.47), and 4.04 (95% CI: 2.14–7.63), respectively. MUNO individuals had 1.82 greater risk of diabetes compared to MHO subjects (95% CI: 1.04–3.22). The HRs for incident diabetes per 1-SD increment in BMI and TyG indexes were 1.23 (95% CI: 1.04–1.44) and 1.54 (95% CI: 1.40–1.68). The increase in BMI did not raise the risk of developing diabetes among metabolically unhealthy subjects, whereas increasing the TyG index significantly affect the risk in all metabolic health categories.Metabolic health is more important determinant for diabetes onset than weight gain. The increase in weight does not raise the risk of developing diabetes among metabolically unhealthy subjects.
Reproductive and Hormonal Factors, and Ovarian Cancer Risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers: Results from the International BRCA1/2 Carrier Cohort Study

Background: Several reproductive and hormonal factors are known to be associated with ovarian cancer risk in the general population, including parity and oral contraceptive (OC) use. However, their effect on ovarian cancer risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers has only been investigated in a small number of studies. Methods: We used data on 2,281 BRCA1 carriers and 1,038 BRCA2 carriers from the International BRCA1/2 Carrier Cohort Study to evaluate the effect of reproductive and hormonal factors on ovarian cancer risk for mutation carriers. Data were analyzed within a weighted Cox proportional hazards framework. Results: There were no significant differences in the risk of ovarian cancer between parous and nulliparous carriers. For parous BRCA1 mutation carriers, the risk of ovarian cancer was reduced with each additional full-term pregnancy (P trend = 0.002). BRCA1 carriers who had ever used OC were at a significantly reduced risk of developing ovarian cancer (hazard ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence intervals, 0.37-0.73; P = 0.0002) and increasing duration of OC use was associated with a reduced ovarian cancer risk (P trend = 0.0004). The protective effect of OC use for BRCA1 mutation carriers seemed to be greater among more recent users. Tubal ligation was associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer for BRCA1 carriers (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence intervals, 0.22-0.80; P = 0.008). The number of ovarian cancer cases in BRCA2 mutation carriers was too small to draw definitive conclusions. Conclusions: The results provide further confirmation that OC use, number of full-term pregnancies, and tubal ligation are associated with ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1 carriers to a similar relative extent as in the general population. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(2):601–10)
Social Anxiety and Interpersonal Interactions: Investigating the Impact of Anxiety on Interpersonal Behaviours, Perceptions, and Processes

Interpersonal theory suggests that the most important variations in people’s interpersonal behaviours can be captured by just two major constructs, dominance and affiliation. Despite the admirable parsimony of interpersonal theory, in the current thesis, we argue that a key influencing variable has been absent from discussions of interpersonal behaviour and dynamics. People’s levels of social anxiety during interactions has been acknowledged as an influencing factor within the interpersonal space, yet a systematic investigation of its impact on behaviours and interpersonal processes has been sparse. Thus, in the current work we consider the impact of people’s social anxiety levels during an interaction on their own interpersonal behaviours, the reactions received from interaction partners, interpersonal processes (e.g., interpersonal complementarity and anxiety contagion) and relationship and task outcomes. We conducted three studies (a hypothetical scenario study (N = 160), a confederate study (N = 95), and a dyad study (N = 113 dyads)), and the methodologies of our studies were scaffolded in such a way that allowed for stronger tests of our hypotheses with each subsequent study. Although results were somewhat disparate across our studies, several interesting results emerged. We found that increased social anxiety in participants during an interaction led to more submissive behaviour (demonstrated in Studies 2 and 3), and less affiliative behaviour (demonstrated in Study 3). We also found that there was a discrepancy between how people reported responding to partners who were higher on social anxiety and how outside observers saw partners responding. For instance, participants reported responding with more affiliation towards anxious interaction partners in Studies 1 and 2, yet were coded by observers as responding with less affiliation towards anxious partners in Study 3. Results also indicated that social anxiety moderated interpersonal processes. For example, we found that the ability for interaction partners to pass agency back and forth smoothly at a moment-to-moment level was diminished when interactants were more anxious. In
Pooled association genome scanning for alcohol dependence using 104,268 SNPs: Validation and use to identify alcoholism vulnerability loci in unrelated individuals from the collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholism

Association genome scanning can identify markers for the allelic variants that contribute to vulnerability to complex disorders, including alcohol dependence. To improve the power and feasibility of this approach, we report validation of “100k” microarray‐based allelic frequency assessments in pooled DNA samples. We then use this approach with unrelated alcohol‐dependent versus control individuals sampled from pedigrees collected by the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Allele frequency differences between alcohol‐dependent and control individuals are assessed in quadruplicate at 104,268 autosomal SNPs in pooled samples. One hundred eighty‐eight SNPs provide (1) the largest allele frequency differences between dependent versus control individuals; (2) t values ≥ 3 for these differences; and (3) clustering, so that 51 relatively small chromosomal regions contain at least three SNPs that satisfy criteria 1 and 2 above (Monte Carlo P = 0.00034). These positive SNP clusters nominate interesting genes whose products are implicated in cellular signaling, gene regulation, development, “cell adhesion,” and Mendelian disorders. The results converge with linkage and association results for alcohol and other addictive phenotypes. The data support polygenic contributions to vulnerability to alcohol dependence. These SNPs provide new tools to aid the understanding, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Diauxic shift-dependent relocalization of decapping activators Dhh1 and Pat1 to polysomal complexes

Dhh1 and Pat1 in yeast are mRNA decapping activators/translational repressors thought to play key roles in the transition of mRNAs from translation to degradation. However, little is known about the physical and functional relationships between these proteins and the translation machinery. We describe a previously unknown type of diauxic shift-dependent modulation of the intracellular locations of Dhh1 and Pat1. Like the formation of P bodies, this phenomenon changes the spatial relationship between components involved in translation and mRNA degradation. We report significant spatial separation of Dhh1 and Pat1 from ribosomes in exponentially growing cells. Moreover, biochemical analyses reveal that these proteins are excluded from polysomal complexes in exponentially growing cells, indicating that they may not be associated with active states of the translation machinery. In contrast, under diauxic growth shift conditions, Dhh1 and Pat1 are found to co-localize with polysomal complexes. This work suggests that Dhh1 and Pat1 functions are modulated by a re-localization mechanism that involves eIF4A. Pull-down experiments reveal that the intracellular binding partners of Dhh1 and Pat1 change as cells undergo the diauxic growth shift. This reveals a new dimension to the relationship between translation activity and interactions between mRNA, the translation machinery and decapping activator proteins.
Microbiological Contamination at Workplaces in a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Station Processing Plant Biomass

The aim of the study was to evaluate the microbial contamination at a plant biomass processing thermal power station (CHP). We found 2.42 × 103 CFU/m3 of bacteria and 1.37 × 104 CFU/m3 of fungi in the air; 2.30 × 107 CFU/g of bacteria and 4.46 × 105 CFU/g of fungi in the biomass; and 1.61 × 102 CFU/cm2 bacteria and 2.39 × 101 CFU/cm2 fungi in filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Using culture methods, we found 8 genera of mesophilic bacteria and 7 of fungi in the air; 10 genera each of bacteria and fungi in the biomass; and 2 and 5, respectively, on the FFRs. Metagenomic analysis (Illumina MiSeq) revealed the presence of 46 bacterial and 5 fungal genera on the FFRs, including potential pathogens Candida tropicalis, Escherichia coli, Prevotella sp. , Aspergillus sp. , Penicillium sp. ). The ability of microorganisms to create a biofilm on the FFRs was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We also identified secondary metabolites in the biomass and FFRs, including fumigaclavines, quinocitrinines, sterigmatocistin, and 3-nitropropionic acid, which may be toxic to humans. Due to the presence of potential pathogens and mycotoxins, the level of microbiological contamination at workplaces in CHPs should be monitored.