Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Infl uence of Gardening Activities on Consumer Perceptions of Life

A survey based on the Life Satisfaction Inventory A (LSIA) was used to investigate gardeners' and nongardeners' perceptions of life satisfaction. The LSIA was developed in 1961 by Neugarten and measures fi ve components of quality of life including zest for life, resolution and fortitude, congruence between desired and achieved goals, high physical, psychological and social self-concept, and a happy optimistic mood tone. The survey was posted for four months on one of the largest online resources for Texas Master Garden- ers within the Aggie Horticulture network, the Texas Master Gardener Web page (http: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/mastergd/mg.html). During the 4 months, 402 responses were gathered. Additionally, identical 'paper/pencil' format surveys were distributed to garden, church, social and community groups with about 400 responses received. In each group of participants, respondents differentiated themselves as gardeners or nongarden- ers by responding positively or negatively to the survey question, Do you garden? Results indicated statistically signifi cant differences in comparisons of the overall life satisfaction scores with gardeners receiving higher mean scores indicating more positive results on the LSIA. When responses to individual statements were analyzed, results indicated statistically signifi cant differences on 20% of the statements. Differences were detected on statements relating to energy levels, optimism, zest for life, and physical self-concept with gardeners answering more positively on all statements when compared to nongardeners' responses. Additionally, gardeners rated their overall health and their physical activity levels higher than did nongardeners.
Neurologists and the economics of MS treatment

It is understandable that neurologists might “curse the darkness” that engulfs the economics of multiple sclerosis (MS) care. The price of MS disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) is shocking. In 2013, the average wholesale price of all MS DMTs in the United States clustered around $65,000 a year and prices continue to increase by more than 10% per year.1 In response to skyrocketing DMT prices, insurance companies and specialty pharmacies create rules regulating coverage of MS treatments with little input from neurologists.2 Neurologists must navigate Kafkaesque health insurance bureaucracies to obtain coverage for treatments we deem appropriate for our patients. By contrast, reimbursements for neurologists illustrate that we may be undervalued. In 2013, Medicare spent $820 million for a single MS DMT, glatiramer acetate, which nearly equaled the $939 million paid to all neurologists for their evaluation and management services.3 Neurologists, the experts in the care of MS, have no influence over the rising cost of DMTs or the decisions made by the health insurance industry regarding coverage of therapies. Frustrated neurologists complain at meetings and via e-mail groups about medication cost and lack of influence, generating much heat but little light.
Distinct Characteristics of Rye and Wheat Breads Impact on Their in Vitro Gastric Disintegration and in Vivo Glucose and Insulin Responses

Disintegration of rye and wheat breads during in vitro gastric digestion and its relation to the postprandial glucose and insulin responses of the breads was studied. Breads with distinct composition and texture characteristics were prepared with refined or wholegrain wheat and rye flour by using either straight dough or sourdough process. After chewing and gastric digestion in vitro, 100% wholemeal and refined rye breads prepared by sourdough method were disintegrated to a much lower extent than the wheat breads, having more bread digesta particles with size over 2 or 3 mm. Microstructure of the digesta particles of rye sourdough bread revealed more aggregated and less degraded starch granules when compared to refined wheat bread. The postprandial insulin responses, but not those of glucose, to the 100% rye breads made with sourdough method were lower than the responses to the refined wheat bread. Addition of gluten or bran in rye sourdough bread increased insulin response. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) analysis confirmed that the insulin response had a negative correlation with the number of larger particles after in vitro digestion as well as amount of soluble fiber and sourdough process. Since the high relative proportion of large sized particles after chewing and in vitro gastric digestion was associated with low postprandial insulin responses, the analysis of structural disintegration in vitro is proposed as a complementary tool in predicting postprandial physiology.
The ETS domain transcriptional repressor Anterior open inhibits MAP kinase and Wingless signaling to couple tracheal cell fate with branch identity

Cells at the tips of budding branches in the Drosophila tracheal system generate two morphologically different types of seamless tubes. Terminal cells (TCs) form branched lumenized extensions that mediate gas exchange at target tissues, whereas fusion cells (FCs) form ring-like connections between adjacent tracheal metameres. Each tracheal branch contains a specific set of TCs, FCs, or both, but the mechanisms that select between the two tip cell types in a branch-specific fashion are not clear. Here, we show that the ETS domain transcriptional repressor anterior open (aop) is dispensable for directed tracheal cell migration, but plays a key role in tracheal tip cell fate specification. Whereas aop globally inhibits TC and FC specification, MAPK signaling overcomes this inhibition by triggering degradation of Aop in tip cells. Loss of aop function causes excessive FC and TC specification, indicating that without Aop-mediated inhibition, all tracheal cells are competent to adopt a specialized fate. We demonstrate that Aop plays a dual role by inhibiting both MAPK and Wingless signaling, which induce TC and FC fate, respectively. In addition, the branch-specific choice between the two seamless tube types depends on the tracheal branch identity gene spalt major, which is sufficient to inhibit TC specification. Thus, a single repressor, Aop, integrates two different signals to couple tip cell fate selection with branch identity. The switch from a branching towards an anastomosing tip cell type may have evolved with the acquisition of a main tube that connects separate tracheal primordia to generate a tubular network.
Influence of obstructive sleep apnea on serum butyrylcholinesterase activity and ischemia-modified albumin levels

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of obstructive sleep apnea and continuous positive airway pressure treatment on serum butyrylcholinesterase activity and ischemia-modified albumin levels. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with obstructive sleep apnea and 30 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled and underwent a diagnostic polysomnogram. The serum butyrylcholinesterase activity, ischemia-modified albumin levels, metabolic parameters, and polysomnography scores were detected and evaluated. Nine patients were studied before and after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure. RESULTS: The serum ischemia-modified albumin levels were significantly higher and the butyrylcholinesterase activity was significantly lower in patients with obstructive sleep apnea than in the controls (p<0.001). The continuous positive airway pressure treatment decreased the modified albumin levels and elevated the buthrylcholinesterase activity (p = 0.019 and p = 0.023, respectively). The modified albumin levels were positively correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (r = 0.462, p = 0.008) at baseline. Elevated ischemia-modified albumin levels can be more accurate than butyrylcholinesterase activity at reflecting the presence of obstructive sleep apnea. Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed a significant difference between the areas under the curve 0.916 for ischemia-modified albumin and 0.777 for butyrylcholinesterase (z = 2.154, p = 0.031). CONCLUSION: The elevated ischemia-modified albumin level was significantly associated with obstructive sleep apnea and was more sensitive than butyrylcholinesterase activity in reflecting obstructive sleep apnea. The continuous positive airway pressure treatment helped to ameliorate the imbalance.
Effects of Take-Home Tests and Study Questions on Retention Learning in Technology Education.

The benefits of tests as aids to retention learning, beyond their primary evaluation function, have been studied in a variety of settings. This study sought to isolate the effects of take-home tests within a technology education context. The investigation involved instruction via self-paced texts, initial testing of learning, and delayed testing three weeks later. The delayed tests provided the experimental data for the study.
How can polycentric governance of spectrum work?

Spectrum policy in the US (and throughout most of the world) consists generally of a set of nationally determined policies that apply uniformly to all localities. However, it is also true that there is considerable variation in the features (e.g., traffic demand or population density), requirements and constraints of spectrum use on a local basis. Global spectrum policies designed to resolve a situation in New York City could well be overly restrictive for communities in rural areas (such as central Wyoming). At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that more permissive policies of central Wyoming would not create problems for NYC (by ensuring, for example, that relocated radios adapt to local policies). Notions of polycentric governance that have been articulated by the late E. Ostrom [16] argue that greater good can be achieved by allowing for local autonomy in resource allocation. Shared access to spectrum is generally mediated through one of several technologies. As shown in [21], approaches mediated by geolocation databases are the most cost effective in today's technology. In the database oriented Spectrum Access System, or SAS, proposed by the FCC, users are granted (renewable) usage rights based on their location for a limited period of time. Because this system grants usage rights on a case-by-case basis, it may also allow for greater local autonomy while still maintaining global coordination. For example, it would be technically feasible for the database to include parameters such as transmit power, protocol, and bandwidth. Thus, they may provide the platform by which polycentric governance might come to spectrum management. In this paper, we explore, through some case examples, what polycentric governance of spectrum might look like and how this could be implemented in a database-driven spectrum management system. In many ways this paper is a complement to [20], which evaluted emerging SAS architectures using Ostrom's socioeconomic theory. This paper explores how a SAS-based system could be constructed that is consistent with Ostrom's polycentric governance ideas. Our approach is to address spectrum management as an emergent phenomenon rather than a top down system. This paper will describe the key details of this system and present some initial modeling results in comparison with the traditional global model of spectrum regulation. It will also discuss some of the concerns associated with this approach.
Robust double auction protocol against false-name bids

Internet auctions have become an integral part of electronic commerce (EC) and a promising field for applying agent technologies. Although the Internet provides an excellent infrastructure for large-scale auctions, we must consider the possibility of a new type of cheating, i.e., a bidder trying to profit from submitting several bids under fictitious names (false-name bids). Double auctions are an important subclass of auction protocols that permit multiple buyers and sellers to bid to exchange a good, and have been widely used in stock, bond, and foreign exchange markets. If there exists no false-name bid, a double auction protocol called PMD protocol has proven to be dominant-strategy incentive compatible. On the other hand, if we consider the possibility of false-name bids, the PMD protocol is no longer dominant-strategy incentive compatible. We develop a new double auction protocol called the Threshold Price Double auction (TPD) protocol, which is dominant strategy incentive compatible even if participants can submit false-name bids. The characteristics of the TPD protocol is that the number of trades and prices of exchange are controlled by the threshold price. Simulation results show that this protocol can achieve a social surplus that is very close to being Pareto efficient.
Intimate partner violence offenders: generating a data-based typology of batterers and implications for treatment

Different studies have proposed that batterers can be classified into distinct groups according to psychopathology, violence severity and frequency. The aim of the current study was to define a data-based batterer's typology and its implications for rehabilitation. Data were collected from 187 male sentenced for intimate partner violence –111 of them to prison and 76 to community service. A cluster analysis supported a three-cluster solution: non-pathological (NP, 40%), antisocial/violent (AV, 27%) and disturbed batterers (DB, 33%). Subsequent analysis showed that AV batterers were profiled through the perpetration of physical and psychological violence, antisocial behaviour, deviant lifestyle, criminal records, inter parental violence and drug abuse; DB batterers, were profiled through behaviours of psychological violence, physical aggression and hostility, clinical symptomatology (e.g., somatisation, depression, anxiety, paranoid ideation), criminal records, antisocial behaviour, and a deviant lifestyle; and NP batterers were not profiled through any of the variables related to criminality and recidivism. Multinomial logistic regression supported different logistic models for batterer types in terms of psychopathological, antisocial and perpetrated violence-type variables. Implications of batterer typology on treatment are discussed.
Mid-life Work Experiences and First Retirement

In the rapidly changing context of retirement, it is important to reevaluate theoretical and empirical linkages between individual life histories and patterns of work in later-life. In this study, we use data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to examine relationships between multiple measures of mid-life work experiences and the timing and nature of first retirement. We show that employment stability, occupational mobility, self-employment, and union membership across the life course are all associated with the timing of first retirement. We also demonstrate that characteristics of mid-career employment are associated with the relative likelihood of retiring for health reasons and reemployment following retirement. Consistent with earlier research, we find that these relationships between work histories and retirement outcomes are mediated to some extent by pre-retirement differences in economic circumstances and private pension eligibility. Importantly, however, several aspects of work histories remain significantly related to retirement timing and pathways even after controlling for a wide array of established correlates.
Thyroplasty for Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia: Further Experiences

Objectives Two different surgical techniques for midline lateralization thyroplasty (type 2 thyroplasty) for adductor spasmodic dysphonia (SD) have been described, one using a composite graft and the other without. Indications and results for each method among different types of SD were compared, together with the theoretical background for the surgery.
Amyloid Beta Peptide Induces D-serine Dependent NMDAR Dysfunction in the Mouse Hippocampus

II TABLE OF CONTENTS . III LIST OF FIGURES . V ABBREVIATIONS . VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . VIII 1 INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE . 1 1.1.1 Histological hallmarks of AD . 1 1.1.2 Production of Aβ . 3 1.1. 3 Mutations involved in AD . 4 1.1. 4 Hypotheses of AD . 6 1.2 N-­‐METHYL-­‐D-­‐ASPARTATE RECEPTORS (NMDARS) . 8 1.2. 1 Molecular biology of NMDARs . 9 1.2. 2 Expression of NMDARs . 11 1.2. 3 NMDARs and D-serine . 11 1.2. 4 NMDAR-mediated excitotoxicity . 13 1.2. 5 Aβ-induced NMDAR-dependent excitotoxicity . 14 2 OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESIS . 17 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS . 18 3.1 ANIMALS . 18 3.2 SLICE PREPARATION . 18 3.3 WHOLE-­‐CELL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL RECORDINGS . 19 3.4 7PA2 CHO CELL CULTURE AND Aβ PRODUCTION . 20 3.5 Aβ25–35 PREPARATION . 21 3.6 ANALYSIS . 22 4 RESULTS . 23 4.1 SYNAPTIC NMDAR EPSCS ARE DEPRESSED BY SOLUBLE Aβ OLIGOMERS . 23 4.2 SOLUBLE Aβ OLIGOMERS INDUCE A SHIFT IN HOLDING CURRENT . 24 4.3 TONIC EXTRASYNAPTIC NMDAR FUNCTION IS IMPAIRED IN SRKO MICE . 26 4.4 EVOKED EXTRASYNAPTIC NMDAR EPSCS ARE DEPRESSED IN SOLUBLE Aβ OLIGOMERS 27 5 DISCUSSION . 28 5.1 NATURALLY SECRETED Aβ CAUSES SYNAPTIC NMDAR DYSFUNCTION . 28 5.2 THE EFFECT OF Aβ IS ENHANCED IN SRKO MICE . 29 5.3 Aβ25–35 DOES NOT ACUTELY AFFECT SYNAPTIC NMDAR FUNCTIONS . 30
What Determines the Embeddedness of Forced-Return Migrants? Rethinking the Role of Pre- and Post-Return Assistance 1

Return migration is not always a process of simply “going home. ” Particularly when return is not fully voluntarily, returnees face severe obstacles. This study argues that such return can only become sustainable when returnees are provided with possibilities to become re-embedded in terms of economic, social network, and psychosocial dimensions. We analyze the return migration experiences of 178 rejected asylum seekers and migrants who did not obtain residence permit to six different countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sierra Leone, Togo and Vietnam. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis, we identify several key factors that influence prospects for embeddedness, such as individual and family characteristics, position in the migration cycle, and the role of pre- and post-return assistance. We find that the possibilities for successful return are highly dependent on the living circumstances provided in the host country: returnees who were enabled to engage in work, had access to independent housing and freedom to develop social contacts proved to be better able to exercise agency and maintain self-esteem. Post-return assistance by non-governmental organizations will be particularly helpful when financial support is combined with human guidance and practical information to enhance a more sustainable return process.
The e ff ects of acute hypoxia and hypercapnia on oxygen consumption of the freshwater European eel

When exposed to hypoxia, eels Anguilla anguilla were able to regulate and maintain V2 down to a water oxygen tension (Pw2) of about 25 mmHg, a value far below those reported in other studies. When exposed to hypercapnia, eels showed a depression in V2 as water carbon dioxide tension (Pw2) increased. Faced with combined hypoxia–hypercapnia, eels showed an increase in their sensitivity to hypoxia, and the critical oxygen tension increased to 40– 45 mmHg. The possible mechanisms underlying these responses were discussed, and the implications of such findings for extensive culture of eels were highlighted.
A slow component of classic Stroop interference

The interference in colour naming may extend beyond critical Stroop trials. This “slow” effect was first discovered in emotional Stroop tasks, but is extended here to classical Stroop. In two experiments, meaningless coloured letter strings followed a colour word or neutral word. Student participants (Experiment 1), and 18 stroke patients and 18 matched controls (Experiment 2) showed substantial interference by incongruent colour words, both in the word trial (fast component) and in the subsequent string trial (slow component). Different patient subgroups emerged from the comparison of Stroop performance with the controls. An association of fast and slow components was only found in one subgroup. Exploratory analyses revealed no clear differences in damage location between subgroups. Fast interference caused by colour-meaning conflict may be specific for classical Stroop, but the broader occurrence of slow effects suggests a more generalised process of disengagement from attention-demanding stimuli.
Introduction to the Special Issue: Race, Social Attitudes, and Prejudice

Although the socio-political circumstances of South Africa have made the issues of race, social attitudes, and prejudice highly salient ones, South African psychologists, with the exception of MacCrone, have not yet made major descriptive or explanatory contributions in the area. Several reasons for this are considered in the context of a brief overview of this work. It is suggested that there are indications that this has begun to change recently, and that this together with important socio-political changes in the country makes this a particularly appropriate time for a special issue of the SAJP on the subject. Finally, some implications of the contributions to this issue for the development of the field are briefly discussed.
A single and rapid calcium wave at egg activation in Drosophila

Activation is an essential process that accompanies fertilisation in all animals and heralds major cellular changes, most notably, resumption of the cell cycle. While activation involves wave-like oscillations in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in mammals, ascidians and polychaete worms and a single Ca2+ peak in fish and frogs, in insects, such as Drosophila, to date, it has not been shown what changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels occur. Here, we utilise ratiometric imaging of Ca2+ indicator dyes and genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator proteins to identify and characterise a single, rapid, transient wave of Ca2+ in the Drosophila egg at activation. Using genetic tools, physical manipulation and pharmacological treatments we demonstrate that the propagation of the Ca2+ wave requires an intact actin cytoskeleton and an increase in intracellular Ca2+ can be uncoupled from egg swelling, but not from progression of the cell cycle. We further show that mechanical pressure alone is not sufficient to initiate a Ca2+ wave. We also find that processing bodies, sites of mRNA decay and translational regulation, become dispersed following the Ca2+ transient. Based on this data we propose the following model for egg activation in Drosophila: exposure to lateral oviduct fluid initiates an increase in intracellular Ca2+ at the egg posterior via osmotic swelling, possibly through mechano-sensitive Ca2+ channels; a single Ca2+ wave then propagates in an actin dependent manner; this Ca2+ wave co-ordinates key developmental events including resumption of the cell cycle and initiation of translation of mRNAs such as bicoid.
Partition-based Profit Optimisation for Multi-class Requests in Clusters of Servers

This paper investigates profit optimisation by the partitioning of server pools. Different types of web requests are considered in this paper: best-effort requests and multi-class QoS-demanding requests. Each request is associated with a certain amount of revenue. The system earns associated revenue when completing a best effort request, while the revenue earned for serving a QoS-demanding request depends on the degree of satisfaction. The complete server pool is divided into two clusters of servers, each dedicated to serving one type of request. The total profits accrued when serving these requests are mathematically modelled in this paper. The optimisation equations for the pool partitioning have also been constructed so that the maximum profit can be achieved. An optimal server switching policy is also developed. The server switching policy is optimal in the sense that the maximum profit can be maintained by switching servers from one partition to the other. Costs involved in server switching are factored into the switching model. Supportive experimentation based on simulation have been conducted and the results verify the effectiveness of the pool partitioning policy and the server switching policy developed in this paper.