Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promoting a Paradigm Change

The author discusses his collaboration with William Catton that led to several early articles aimed at providing an intellectual foundation for a field of environmental sociology. The differing backgrounds and interests they each brought to their collaboration and the context in which it developed are outlined, along with the author's assessment of the major goals of their key publications. The growth of environmental sociology and increased disciplinary attention to ecological problems, spurred by the growing societal salience of such problems, suggests that sociology has begun to shed the human exemptionalist paradigm that dominated the discipline when the field of environmental sociology was launched.
Predicting Intention to Take Protective Measures During Haze: The Roles of Efficacy, Threat, Media Trust, and Affective Attitude

The annual Southeast Asian haze pollution raises public health concerns in this region. Based on a modified extended parallel process model, this study examines efficacy (self-efficacy and response efficacy) and perceived threat (susceptibility and severity) and incorporates new constructs of media trust and affective attitude. Results from a Web survey of 410 undergraduate students in Singapore show that response efficacy to seek haze-related information mediates the association between perceived self-efficacy and intention to take protective measures during haze. Moreover, self-efficacy is negatively associated with affective attitude (e.g., fear and worry) toward haze-related health problems. Next, perceived severity and perceived susceptibility are positively associated with response efficacy and affective attitude. Affective attitude toward haze is a stronger predictor than response efficacy for behavioral intention. Finally, trust in new media is positively associated with young Singaporeans’ affective attitude, which positively affects their behavioral intention to take protective measures.
Bridging Cultures and Traditions in the Reconceptualisation of Comparative and International Education

If the field of comparative education is to be reconceptualised in ways that articulate and demonstrate its continued relevance for the 21st century, it is argued that its history and traditions deserve both celebration and challenge. The field's multi-disciplinary origins and nature, for example, position it well for further advancement in a future in which the socio-cultural analysis of global trends and developments will require concerted attention. On the other hand, some fundamental, and long-evident, characteristics require critical re-consideration. In the light of this, the article focuses upon ways in which bridges can be built or strengthened across disciplinary boundaries and between theoretical and applied studies, policy and practice, micro and macro levels of analysis and studies of the North and the South. Implications of this are considered for all engaged in comparative and international research and related educational policy and practice.
Gender-Linked Vulnerabilities to Depressive Symptoms, Stress, and Problem Behaviors in Adolescents

Ample research has shown that female adolescents endorse more internalizing and fewer externalizing symptoms than do male adolescents, but explanations for these gender differences have not been forthcoming. In this review, we integrated research findings of gender differences in subtypes of depressive vulnerabilities and in reactivity to stressful life events involving the self or others in order to suggest possible explanations of gender differences in adolescent psychopathology Adolescent girls show greater interpersonal depressive vulnerability and greater reactivity to stressful events involving others. In contrast, gender differences have not been found in adolescents' self-critical depressive vulnerability and in their reactivity to stressful events involving issues of self-worth. We argue that adolescents with heightened interpersonal depressive vulnerability (who fear abandonment and seek attention and nurturing) are more reactive to stressful events involving others and are more likely to exhibi.
Spectrum of Microbial Flora in Diabetic Foot Ulcer and Its Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern in Tertiary Care Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Introduction: A Prospective study “Spectrum of Microbial flora in diabetic foot ulcer and its antibiotic sensitivity pattern” was carried out in a tertiary care hospital, Ahmedabad on 125 patients in which 85 were male patients and 40 were female patients. Material and Methods: Swabs samples were collected from the edge and margins of ulcers and organism were identified by gram staining culture and biochemical reactions. Results: Out of 125 specimens 108 specimens showed growth of organisms. Total 157 aerobic organisms were isolated from culture positive specimens. It represents an average of 1.25 organisms per case. Among these organisms, 130 gram negative and 27 gram positive organisms were isolated. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (30.57%) was predominant organism followed by Klebsiella spp. (22.29%). Staphylococcus aureus were 12.74% in which Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was 55%. Conclusion: incidence of growth was 86.4% in which Pseudomonas aeruginosa (30.57%) is most common isolate. Organisms in mixed infections showed multidrug resistance as compared to single isolated strain. Diabetic foot infections are polymicrobial in nature. As the Wagner’s grade increased, the prevalence of isolates also increased.
Forming Choice Preferences the Easy Way: Order and Familiarity Effects in Elections1

The present research examined the relation between choice preferences in elections and 2 peripheral cues: presentation order and familiarity. Relevant previous evidence concerns mainly voters' choices in political elections, where primacy effects were found (i.e., candidates listed earlier had an advantage over candidates listed subsequently). Also, some studies found recency effects in various competitions. However, evidence on the role of familiarity in voting preferences seems rather limited. In 3 studies, data from political and nonpolitical elections were examined with respect to order and familiarity effects. All studies demonstrated the concurrent presence of order and familiarity effects. The findings are viewed in relation to theoretical ideas pertaining to heuristic processing and to implications applying to voting situations.
Bullying and the Big Five

Research on the social context of bullying includes children who help the victim, assist the bully or remain outsiders. 96 children from two public schools in Central Italy were classified according to an Italian version of the Participant Role Scale (Sutton and Smith, 1999) as Defenders of the Victim, Outsiders, Victims or Pro-bullies. Teacher reports indicated Friendliness and Emotional Instability as the strongest distinguishing personality factors among the participant roles, followed by Conscientiousness and Energy. Higher levels of Emotional Instability and lower levels of Friendliness typified both Pro-bullies and Victims, relative to their peers. Victims were also low in Conscientiousness. Defenders exhibited high levels of Friendliness, whereas Introversion and Independence characterized Outsiders. These results suggest that personality traits might contribute to children's typical behaviour in bullying situations.
Teachers' Beliefs: The “Whys” Behind the “How Tos” in Child Care Classrooms

Abstract This paper examines the explanations offered by 12 child care teachers for their classroom activities and behaviors. The study was intended to explore the ability of teachers to articulate their beliefs (through stated rationales for their practices) and personal and professional influences related to those beliefs (rationales). The teachers were videotaped in their classrooms and then asked to view the videotapes and provide a “rationale” for their classroom activities and actions, as well as to describe what may have influenced their stated beliefs about what was taking place in their classrooms. The Constant Comparative Method was used to organize and analyze the data for recurring themes. Of the 871 rationales provided, 33% of them focused on children's socio-emotional development. Surprisingly, only 10% of the rationales focused on children's cognitive development and 6% focused on children's language development. However, teachers with 4-year degrees provided twice as many rationales that were cognitively focused than did teachers with less education. Also, teachers with less education were more likely to provide health and safety as a rationale than teachers with a 4-year degree. For the 871 rationales provided, only 32 personal and professional influences (approximately 4%) were cited for the rationales. The majority of influences cited related to teachers' personal or professional experiences rather than formal educational experiences. Educational implications of the findings are discussed.
A Simple Approach to the Repeatability of the Schirmer Test Without Anesthesia: Eyes Open or Closed?

Purpose: To compare the repeatability of the Schirmer test (ST) administered with the eyes open (STo) with the repeatability of the ST administered with the eyes closed (STc). Methods: STo and STc without anesthesia were alternately applied with 1-day intervals for a total of 6 times on 28 eyes of 14 healthy volunteers. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess test-retest reliability of the STo and STc. Results: STc scores were found to be statistically lower than the STo scores in general (right eyes: t = 2.033, P = 0.048; left eyes: t = 3.474, P = 0.004). The ICC was 0.632 (right eyes) and 0.618 (left eyes) for STo and 0.943 (right eyes) and 0.933 (left eyes) for STc. Conclusions: Our study suggests that administering the ST with the patient's eyes closed produces less variable results and more repeatability than STo in normal subjects. Although our results may not extend to dry eye patient populations, we propose that STc without anesthesia can be considered by those ophthalmologists who frequently use the ST as an adjunct to the differential diagnosis of dry eye in patients presenting with ocular discomfort, making ST a more reliable test in everyday practice.
A Validated UPLC-MS/MS Multi-mycotoxin Method for Nuts and Cerealsfor the Official Control in Cyprus within the EU Requirements

The validation of a rapid, reliable and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of Aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2), Ochratoxin A, Zearalenone, Deoxynivalenol, Fumonisins B1 and B2, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, in nuts (peanuts, pistachio and almonds) and cereals (maize and wheat) is reported. The method was developed and validated to fulfil the requirements of the official control of mycotoxins according to EU legislation. This method is based on a single extraction step using an acetonitrile/ water mixture followed by the analysis of the diluted crude extract using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The MS/MS detection was carried out using an electro spray-ionization interface (ESI) in positive ion mode. Matrix-matched calibration was used for the quantification of the mycotoxins, because of the absence of further clean up steps that reduce suppression/enhancement matrix effects. The method performance characteristics were determined after spiking blank samples on multiple levels. The mean recoveries of mycotoxins in spiked nuts ranged from 74.4% to 131.7%, while in cereals ranged from 52.8% to 113.9%. Relative standard deviations were lower than 20.4% for all target mycotoxins. Limits of detection and quantification for nuts and cereals ranged 0.08-30.0 and 0.25-99.0 μg/Κg, respectively.
A limit on the extent to which increased egg size can compensate for a poor postnatal environment revealed experimentally in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides

Abstract It is often assumed that there is a positive relationship between egg size and offspring fitness. However, recent studies have suggested that egg size has a greater effect on offspring fitness in low‐quality environments than in high‐quality environments. Such observations suggest that mothers may compensate for poor posthatching environments by increasing egg size. In this paper we test whether there is a limit on the extent to which increased egg size can compensate for the removal of posthatching parental care in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides. Previous experiments with N. vespilloides suggest that an increased egg size can compensate for a relatively poor environment after hatching. Here, we phenotypically engineered female N. vespilloides to produce large or small eggs by varying the amount of time they were allowed to feed on the carcass as larvae. We then tested whether differences between these groups in egg size translated into differences in larval performance in a harsh postnatal environment that excluded parental care. We found that females engineered to produce large eggs did not have higher breeding success, and nor did they produce larger larvae than females engineered to produce small eggs. These results suggest that there is a limit on the extent to which increased maternal investment in egg size can compensate for a poor posthatching environment. We discuss the implication of our results for a recent study showing that experimental N. vespilloides populations can adapt rapidly to the absence of posthatching parental care.
Enhancement of the antiproliferative effect of cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum(II) and nitrogen mustard by inhibitors of protein kinase C

Quercetin (3, 3′, 4′, 5, 7‐pentahydroxyflavone) has been shown to inhibit a variety of enzymes including the calcium‐ and phospholipid‐dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) in vivo and in vitro. We show that this compound synergistically enhances the antiproliferative activity of cis‐diamminedichlo‐roplatinum(II) (cis‐DDP) and nitrogen mustard. Quercetin does not affect the repair of DNA interstrand cross‐links introduced by cis‐DDP. Long‐term exposure to 12‐O‐tetradeca‐noylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA), which reduces total protein kinase C activity, also amplifies the growth‐inhibitory effect of cis‐DDP and acts synergistically with quercetin. A synergism is also observed if tamoxifen or staurosporine are combined with cis‐DDP. For both drugs the dose‐effect curves for the inhibition of protein kinase C closely resemble the dose‐effect curves for the antiproliferative activities. Although alternative mechanisms cannot be definitively excluded, the effects of quercetin, TPA, tamoxifen and staurosporine may result from the inhibition of protein kinase C.
Teratogenicity of high vitamin A intake.

Background Studies in animals indicate that natural forms of vitamin A are teratogenic. Synthetic retinoids chemically similar to vitamin A cause birth defects in humans; as in animals, the defects appear to affect tissues derived from the cranial neural crest. Methods Between October 1984 and June 1987, we identified 22,748 pregnant women when they underwent screening either by measurement of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein or by amniocentesis. Nurse interviewers obtained information on the women's diet, medications, and illnesses during the first trimester of pregnancy, as well as information on their family and medical history and exposure to environmental agents. We obtained information on the outcomes of pregnancy from the obstetricians who delivered the babies or from the women themselves. Of the 22,748 women, 339 had babies with birth defects; 121 of these babies had defects occurring in sites that originated in the cranial neural crest. Results For defects associated with cranial-neural-crest tis.
How Do Organizations Allocate Rewards? The Predictive Validity of National Values, Economic and Organizational Factors Across Six Nations

Differences in the reported use of reward allocation principles based on equity, equality, and need in work organizations in Germany, United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, and Brazil are investigated. Organization-level and nation-level predictors are used to explain reported differences. Organizational, macroeconomic, and Schwartz's nation-level value indices are all found to be significant predictors. Reliance on equity is predicted by organization-level variables and high nation-level mastery. Reliance on equality is only influenced by organization-level variables. Reliance on need is predicted by the unemployment rate and high nation-level embeddedness. The results indicate that reward allocation studies that focus solely on individual-level factors will fail to detect important sources of variance. The need to consider multiple levels of explanation in cross-cultural research is discussed.
The role of cholinergic system in neuronal plasticity: focus on visual cortex and muscarinic receptors.

This review is focused on the basal forebrain (BFB) cholinergic system, cholinergic receptors and cholinoceptive target areas such as the neocortex, all of which are intimately involved in high cognitive functions and synaptic plasticity. The neurons of the BfB synthe-size acetylcholine (ACh) whose action is mediated by two subclasses of receptors, namely nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. using the visual system as a model, the aim here is to integrate and discuss the current knowledge on anatomy, ontogeny and function of the BfB cholinergic system. This signaling system represents the anatomo-functional basis of ach action on neuronal network, neuronal plasticity and cognitive functions. cholinergic system role on higher brain functions has received increasing attention since the first observation of a. alzheimer (1907) reporting dramatic changes of the BfB cholinergic neuro-anatomy in one of the most devastating neurodegenerative diseases of adult brain, i.e. alzheimer’s disease (ad). in addition to this observation, later work demonstrated its participation in deep re-arrangements of brain connectivity such as the regulation of neuronal plasticity during maturation of cortical sensory maps, in adult and aged brain.
Balloon expandable stents for coarctation of the aorta: review of current status and technical considerations

Balloon expandable stents have been used to manage coarctation of the aorta in selected patients with very encouraging results. After the successful use of the Palmaz stents in these lesions newer stents as well as modifications of the Palmaz stents have been introduced to achieve optimal results in these patients. In this review, the older as well as the newer type stents used in coarctation are discussed. Technical considerations to achieve successful stent implantation and choice is outlined.
Medical Homes for At-Risk Children: Parental Reports of Clinician-Parent Relationships, Anticipatory Guidance, and Behavior Changes

Background. Family-centeredness, compassion, and trust are 3 attributes of the clinician-parent relationship in the medical home. Among adults, these attributes are associated with patients' adherence to clinicians' advice. Objectives. The objectives were (1) to measure medical home attributes related to the clinician-parent relationship, (2) to measure provision of anticipatory guidance regarding injury and illness prevention, (3) to relate anticipatory guidance to parental behavior changes, and (4) to relate medical home attributes to anticipatory guidance and parental behavior changes. Methods. A cross-sectional study of data collected among at-risk families when children were 1 year of age, in a randomized, controlled trial of a home-visiting program to prevent child abuse and neglect, was performed. Modified subscales of the Primary Care Assessment Survey were used to measure parental ratings of clinicians' family-centeredness, compassion, and trust. Parental reports of provision of anticipatory guidance regarding injury and illness prevention topics (smoke alarms, infant walkers, car seats, hot water temperature, stair guards, sunscreen, firearm safety, and bottle propping) and behavior changes were recorded. Results. Of the 564 mothers interviewed when their children were 1 year of age, 402 (71%) had a primary care provider and had complete data for anticipatory guidance items. By definition, poverty, partner violence, poor maternal mental health, and maternal substance abuse were common in the study sample. Maternal ratings of clinicians' family-centeredness, compassion, and trust were fairly high but ranged widely and varied among population subgroups. Families reported anticipatory guidance for a mean of 4.6 ± 2.2 topics relevant for discussion. Each medical home attribute was positively associated with parental reports of completeness of anticipatory guidance, ie, family-centeredness (β = .026, SE = .004), compassion (β = .019, SE = .005), and trust (β = .016, SE = .005). Parents' perceptions of behavior changes were positively associated with trust (β = .018, SE = .006). Analyses were adjusted for potential confounding by randomized, controlled trial group assignment, receipt of ≥5 well-child visits, and baseline attributes. Conclusions. Among at-risk families, we found an association between parental ratings of the medical home and parental reports of the completeness of anticipatory guidance regarding selected injury and illness prevention topics. Parents' trust of the clinician was associated with parent-reported behavior changes for discussed topics.
Effect of Mineral , Bio-NPK Soil Application of Young Olive Trees and Foliar Fertilization on Leaf and Shoot Chemical Composition

The present study was carried out on one year -old two olive cultivars, Coronaiki as oil cultivar and Manzanillo as double purpose (table and oil) cv. in a private farm located at western desert along Cairo, Alexandria Road (50 km from Cairo), Egypt and planted at 5 x 6 meter apart in sandy soil and irrigated with drip irrigation system trees were similar in growth vigour and received the common horticultural practices. The main objectives of the research was studying the effect of mineral and BioNPK soil application on leaf and shoot chemical composition. Results indicated that Manzanillo leaves were the richest in chlorophyll A&B and the poorest in Caratenoids, while the reverse was true in Coronaiki leaves during the two seasons of study. On the other side, Coronaiki cultivar had the richest leaves and exceeded statistically the Manzanillo olive cultivar regarding leaf, N; P; K; Ca, Mg; Fe; Mn and Zn contents from one hand, but the poorest leaves of least value of Cu content from the other hand. Coronaiki plants were statistically the richest in both shoot nitrogen and total carbohydrates contents as well as C/N ratio while the reverse was found with Manzanillo young trees. The obtained results revealed that, bio -NPK fertilizer treatments soil applied significantly increased all leaf amino acid content and mineral composition, shoot nitrogen and total carbohydrates as well as C/N ratio contents increased by 2 4 T6 (Kotengin + Biofertilizer + K SO ) soil applied solely which were the superior in this respect.