Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preference for Consistency: The Development of a Valid Measure and the Discovery of Surprising Behavioral Implications

A measure of preference for consistency (the PFC Scale) was developed. In three construct validation experiments, scores on the PFC successfully predicted individuals who would and would not be susceptible to a set of standard consistency-based effects: cognitive balance, foot in the door, and dissonance. The pattern of results in each of the experiments suggested the type of consistency that the PFC measures: a tendency to base one's responses to incoming stimuli on the implications of existing (prior entry) variables, such as previous expectancies, commitments, and choices. A surprisingly large percentage (at least half) of our participants showed no strong inherent preference for consistency—a finding that may explain the frequent failure to detect or replicate (a) traditional consistency effects and (b) a wide variety of other experimental phenomena. It is quite remarkable how many of the great, early theorists of social psychology developed or played an important role in developing consistency theories of human motivation (Brehm& Cohen, 1962;Festinger, 1957;Heider, 1946, 1958; McGuire, 1960; Newcomb, 1953; Osgood & Tannenbaum, 1955; Rokeach, 1960; Rosenberg & Abelson, 1960; Zajonc, 1960). It seems equally remarkable, then, that despite the counsel of so respected an array of minds and despite a decade-long cornucopia of supportive work (from the late 1950s to the late 1960s), consistency-based explanations are rarely invoked in present-day social psychological accounts of human functioning (Aronson, 1992; Berkowitz & Devine, 1989), even though several of the faithful have continued through the years to try to draw attention to the applicability of consistency motives to a wide array of behavior (Aronson, 1992; Cialdini & DeNicholas, 1989; McGuire, 1990; Wicklund & Brehm, 1976;Insko, 1984). To what are we to attribute this rather dramatic shift by social psychologists away from the explanatory utility of the consistency principle—that people are motivated toward cognitive consistency and will change their beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and actions to achieve it? On a general level, one could point to the often decried "trendiness" of scientific investigation and to the reward structure of the scientific enterprise, which make well-researched issues less
Montelukast is as effective as penicillin in treatment of acute otitis media: An experimental rat study

Background Leukotrienes are the major factors in the formation of edema and mucus, as well as development of tuba Eustachii dysfunction in acute otitis media. We developed an experimental acute suppurative otitis media model and compared the responses of rats to penicillin and combinations of leukotriene antagonist with respect to histopathological observations conducted in early and late phases. Material/Methods A total of 83 ears from 56 Wistar rats were used in this study. Pneumococcus suspension was injected trans-tympanically into all rats. Subjects were classified into 4 different groups with 14 rats in each. In Group A, intramuscular penicillin G was injected for a period of 5 days. In Group B, intraperitoneal montelukast was injected for 21 days in addition to penicillin. In Group C, intraperitoneal montelukast isotonic NaCl in Group D was injected into rats for 21 days. Results No significant difference was found between the groups, except for mucosal vascularization with respect to mucosal and TM parameters in early phases. Furthermore, considerable deviations were observed for the recuperation of TM and mucosal inflammation for groups in which subjects were injected with montelukast as compared to other groups of the study in the late phases. Conclusions When the parameters of inflammation in the rat middle ear were compared with each other, most of these parameters did not show any statistically significant beneficial effects in montelukast and penicillin groups.
Mammalian cell penetration, siRNA transfection, and DNA transfection by supercharged proteins

Nucleic acid reagents, including small interfering RNA (siRNA) and plasmid DNA, are important tools for the study of mammalian cells and are promising starting points for the development of new therapeutic agents. Realizing their full potential, however, requires nucleic acid delivery reagents that are simple to prepare, effective across many mammalian cell lines, and nontoxic. We recently described the extensive surface mutagenesis of proteins in a manner that dramatically increases their net charge. Here, we report that superpositively charged green fluorescent proteins, including a variant with a theoretical net charge of +36 (+36 GFP), can penetrate a variety of mammalian cell lines. Internalization of +36 GFP depends on nonspecific electrostatic interactions with sulfated proteoglycans present on the surface of most mammalian cells. When +36 GFP is mixed with siRNA, protein–siRNA complexes ≈1.7 μm in diameter are formed. Addition of these complexes to five mammalian cell lines, including four that are resistant to cationic lipid-mediated siRNA transfection, results in potent siRNA delivery. In four of these five cell lines, siRNA transfected by +36 GFP suppresses target gene expression. We show that +36 GFP is resistant to proteolysis, is stable in the presence of serum, and extends the serum half-life of siRNA and plasmid DNA with which it is complexed. A variant of +36 GFP can mediate DNA transfection, enabling plasmid-based gene expression. These findings indicate that superpositively charged proteins can overcome some of the key limitations of currently used transfection agents.
Triglycerides, fatty acids, sterols, mono- and disaccharides and sugar alcohols in human milk and current types of infant formula milk.

OBJECTIVE To investigate differences in the fatty acid composition, sterols, minor carbohydrates and sugar alcohols between human and formula milk. DESIGN We analyzed the concentrations of triglycerides, sterols, di- and monosaccharides and sugar alcohols, as well as the fatty acid composition of 10 currently available types of formula milk for term babies. Results were compared with mature human milk from 99 exclusively breast-feeding Dutch women, who collected 24-hour samples in the second week (n = 99), sixth week (n = 99) and 3 months (n = 25) after delivery. Infant formula milk data were considered different if they fell outside the mean +/- 2s.d. range of corresponding human milk data. RESULTS The triglyceride concentrations in human milk were lower than those of the formula milk, possibly due to an incomplete collection of fat-rich hindmilk. Formula milks tended towards a higher proportion of medium chain fatty acids and lower proportions of longer-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Formulas had cholesterol concentrations 3-35 times lower, and much higher phytosterol concentrations, compared with the human milk. In the formula milk types the glucose, sorbitol and myoinositol concentrations were generally lower, whereas the fucose and erythreitol concentrations were in the lower mean +/- 2s.d. human milk range. The galactose concentrations in the formulas were generally higher. CONCLUSIONS Formula milk and human milk differ considerably in fatty acid composition and concentrations of cholesterol, phytosterols, monosaccharides and sugar alcohols. The biological consequences of these differences in composition are uncertain.
Professional caregivers' experiences with the Liverpool Care Pathway in dementia: An ethnographic study in a Dutch nursing home

ABSTRACT Objective: There are few studies on how professional caregivers apply the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) in nursing home care for people with dementia. Further, despite critiques in the United Kingdom, the LCP continues to be used in the Netherlands, while, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have been conducted since its implementation. The purpose of the present study was to analyze professional caregivers' experiences with the LCP in this context. Method: This article draws on an ethnographic study. Data collection was based on 4 months of ethnographic fieldwork in 2015 in 11 psychogeriatric units of a nursing home in a rural area of the Netherlands. Data collection included participant observation and 25 semistructured audiotaped interviews with specialist elderly care physicians, nursing staff, and a nurse practitioner. Results: We found that professional caregivers appreciate the LCP as a communication tool and as a reminder of care goals. However, the document was deemed too complicated and to cause duplication of work. It was also reported that the LCP did not cover the complexity of care needs that emerge in practice. Actual care needs were prioritized over the LCP, which calls its contribution into question. Significance of Results: Overall, the LCP does not match the context of dementia care in the nursing home. While it could be argued that the LCP does not intend to replace good care, its benefits as a reminder and a communication tool need continued consideration in relation to the amount of work it requires as a bureaucratic obligation.
The Evolution of Complexity in Self-Maintaining Cellular Information Processing Networks

We examine the role of self-maintenance (collective autocatalysis) in the evolution of computational biochemical networks. In primitive proto-cells (lacking separate genetic machinery) self-maintenance is a necessary condition for the direct reproduction and inheritance of what we here term Cellular Information Processing Networks (CIPNs). Indeed, partially reproduced or defective CIPNs may generally lead to malfunctioning or premature death of affected cells. We explore the interaction of this self-maintenance property with the evolution and adaptation of CIPNs capable of distinct information processing abilities. We present an evolutionary simulation platform capable of evolving artificial CIPNs from a bottom-up perspective. This system is an agent-based multi-level selectional Artificial Chemistry (AC) which employs a term rewriting system called the Molecular Classifier System (MCS.bl). The latter is derived from the Holland broadcast language formalism. Using this system, we successfully evolve an artificial CIPN to improve performance on a simple pre-specified information processing task whilst subject to the constraint of continuous self-maintenance. We also describe the evolution of self-maintaining, cross-talking and multi-tasking, CIPNs exhibiting a higher level of topological and functional complexity. This proof of concept aims at contributing to the understanding of the open-ended evolutionary growth of complexity in artificial systems.
Haemostatic therapy in coronary artery bypass graft patients with decreased platelet function: Comparison of fibrinogen concentrate with allogeneic blood products

Abstract Background. Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are at risk of postoperative bleeding because of decreased platelet function and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-induced haemostatic impairment. Fibrinogen concentration decreases by 34–42% of the preoperative level by the end of CPB. An inverse relationship between perioperative plasma fibrinogen levels and postoperative bleeding has been reported in CABG patients. Administration of fibrinogen concentrate after weaning from CPB in patients with diffuse microvascular bleeding may help promote haemostasis. We compared patient outcomes following fibrinogen concentrate administration or transfusion of allogeneics in CABG patients with decreased platelet function. Methods. Thirty-eight patients with decreased preoperative platelet function in Multiplate aggregometry were included. Patients with bleeding after CPB received either fibrinogen concentrate (guided by the measurement of fibrin clot quality using the FIBTEM thromboelastometric test) or allogeneics. Results. Twenty-nine of 38 patients received haemostatic therapy (bleeding + fibrinogen group, n = 10; bleeding + allogeneics group, n = 19). Total transfusion (median (interquartile range)) was significantly lower in the bleeding + fibrinogen group (0 (0, 3.8) units), compared with the bleeding + allogeneics group (6 (5, 8) units, p = 0.0073). Bolus administration of fibrinogen concentrate increased FIBTEM maximum clot firmness from 10.5 (9.3, 11) mm after CPB to 20.5 (20, 21.8) mm at the end of surgery. Postoperative outcomes were similar in both groups. No treatment-related complications were observed after fibrinogen concentrate. Conclusions. In CABG patients with bleeding after CPB, FIBTEM-guided administration of fibrinogen concentrate resulted in overall decreased transfusion, compared with haemostatic therapy with allogeneics. Fibrinogen concentrate administration increased the fibrin clot quality and helped achieve haemostasis.
Cognitive dysfunction in major depression and bipolar disorder: Assessment and treatment options

Cognitive dysfunction is a recognized feature of mood disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Cognitive impairment is associated with poor overall functional outcome and is therefore an important feature of illness to optimize for patients’ occupational and academic outcomes. While generally people with BD appear to have a greater degree of cognitive impairment than those with MDD, direct comparisons of both patient groups within a single study are lacking. There are a number of methods for the assessment of cognitive function, but few are currently used in clinical practice. Current symptoms, past course of illness, clinical features, such as the presence of psychosis and comorbid conditions, may all influence cognitive function in mood disorders. Despite the general lack of assessment of cognitive function in clinical practice, clinicians are increasingly targeting cognitive symptoms as part of comprehensive treatment strategies. Novel pharmacological agents may improve cognitive function, but most studies of standard mood stabilizers, such as lithium and the anticonvulsants, have focused on whether or not the medications impair cognition. Non‐pharmacological strategies, such as cognitive remediation and exercise, are increasingly studied in patients with mood disorders. Despite the growing interest in strategies to manage cognitive function, there is a paucity of high‐quality trials examining either pharmacological or non‐pharmacological modes of intervention.
School and community climates and civic commitments : Patterns for ethnic minority and majority students

The developmental correlates of diffuse support for the polity and civic commitments were explored in a survey of 1,052 students (mean age = 14.96 years) from African American, Arab American, European American, and Latino American backgrounds. Results of structural equation modeling revealed that regardless of their age, gender, or ethnic background, youth were more likely to believe that America was a just society and to commit to democratic goals if they felt a sense of community connectedness, especially if they felt that their teachers practiced a democratic ethic at school. Discussion focuses on the civic purposes of education in inculcating a sense of identification with the polity in younger generations.
Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Health in Children and Youth

There is currently a dearth of information suitable for the development of evidence-based physical activity and screen time guidelines for children and youth. The overarching purpose of this thesis was to generate findings that could be used to inform public health recommendations for physical activity and screen time. A series of six manuscripts were completed to explore the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and health in youth. The first manuscript examined the dose-response relation between objectively measured total and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with blood pressure and hypertension. Participating in 30 and 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day decreased the odds of hypertension in youth by 50% and 63%, respectively. The second manuscript explored the influence of intensity of physical activity and incidental movement on total and trunk adiposity. Moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity was found to predict total and trunk adiposity beyond other intensities and incidental movement. The third manuscript sought to determine whether or not physical activity accrued in bouts was more beneficial than total physical activity with relation to being overweight. The inclusion of short and medium-to-long bouts of physical activity decreased the odds of overweight above and beyond total physical activity level. The fourth manuscript included a detailed examination of the relation between physical activity and screen time by considering different forms of physical activity,
Misconceptions Tests or Misconceived Tests?

It was found that taking a psychology course in high school did not improve the performance of college students in an introductory psychology class on a modified version of Vaughan's (1977) misconceptions test. However, college experience did lead to a significant, but not large, improvement. A comparison of our results with those from previous studies, along with an analysis of specific test items, indicated that perhaps the test itself is misconceived.
Angiotensin II control of regional haemodynamics in rats with aortocaval fistula

What is the central question of this study? Hyperdynamic circulation because of arteriovenous fistula results in reduction of blood flow to organs but is a model of low circulatory resistance with activated renin–angiotensin system. The aim was to determine contributions of different subtypes of angiotensin II receptors to regional blood flow and vascular conductance in a hyperdynamic circulatory state. What is the main finding and its importance? The renin–angiotensin system plays a pivotal role in control of regional blood flow in animals with arteriovenous fistula and makes a major contribution to the maintenance of normal arterial blood pressure. In this hyperdynamic circulatory state model, angiotensin II type 1 receptors predominated in regulating regional haemodynamics.
Large-Signal 2-D Modeling of Folded-Waveguide Traveling Wave Tubes

A new computationally efficient 2-D large-signal code TESLA-FW has been developed to model traveling wave tubes (TWTs) using folded (or serpentine) waveguide (FW) slow-wave structures. The code incorporates a recently published shunt-loaded transmission line model of the structure and takes advantage of a new time advance algorithm recently implemented in the code TESLA-CC. The new code has been applied to modeling G -band (220 GHz) serpentine and FW TWTs. Results compare very favorably with those obtained from the 3-D particle-in-cell (PIC) code MAGIC3D and with experimental data. Typical running times of TESLA-FW are 1-2 orders of magnitude less than those of 3-D PIC codes.
EFFECTS OF REPEATED EXPOSURE TO JP-8 JET FUEL VAPOR ON LEARNING OF SIMPLE AND DIFFICULT OPERANT TASKS BY RATS

Groups of 16 Sprague-Dawley rats each were exposed by whole-body inhalation methods to JP-8 jet fuel at the highest vapor concentration without formation of aerosol (1000 - 10% mg/m 3 ); to 50% of this concentration (500 - 10% mg/m 3 ); or to treated room air (70 - 3 L/min) for 6 h/d, 5 d/wk, for 6 wk (180 h). Although two subjects died of apparent kidney complications during the study, no other change in the health status of exposed rats was observed, including rate of weight gain. Following a 65-d period of rest, rats were evaluated for their capacity to learn and perform a series of operant tasks. These tasks ranged in difficulty from learning of a simple food-reinforced lever pressing response, to learning a task in which subjects were required to emit up to four-response chains of pressing three different levers (e.g., press levers C, R, L, then C). It was shown that repeated exposure to 1000 mg/m 3 JP-8 vapor induced significant deficits in acquisition or performance of moderately difficult or difficult tasks, but not simple learning tasks, as compared to those animals exposed to 500 mg/m 3 . Learning/performance of complex tasks by the 500-mg/m 3 exposure group generally exceeded the performance of control animals, while learning by the 1000-mg/m 3 group was nearly always inferior to controls, indicating possible "neurobehavioral" hormesis. These findings appear consistent with some previously reported data for operant performance following acute exposure to certain hydrocarbon constituents of JP-8 (i.e., toluene, xylenes). There has, however, been little previously published research demonstrating long-term learning effects for repeated hydrocarbon fuel exposures. Examination of regional brain tissues from vapor-exposed rats indicated significant changes in levels of dopamine in the cerebral cortex and DOPAC in the brainstem, measured as long as 180 d postexposure, as compared to controls.
Non-managerial Perspective of Quality of Work Life

The present study is an attempt to capture the Quality of Work Life (QWL) expectations of non-managerial employees in organizations belonging to different sectors of Indian economy. It also endeavors to assess the degree to which QWL in their perceptions is available in work organizations. On the basis of the results of the study, it can be contented that economic considerations continue to be of paramount significance to non-managerial employees in their QWL. This hypothesis is amply supported by Important Factor Information Schedule (IFIS) derived from the responses obtained from a sample size of 102 respondents drawn from 18 different organizations. However, contrary to the observations made by researchers in the past, many environmental factors (both physical and nonphysical) and issues pertaining to human relations, that too satisfy needs of lower order, no longer appear to occupy the pride of place in their opinions. Further, on the basis of results of univariate analysis carried out with the help of t-test as inferential statistics, it can be suggested that the overall existence of QWL in organizations is more than the ‘average’ standard as measured on a five point Likert-type Summated Scale. Finally, there seems to be a substantial scope for improvement in non-managerial motivation in a number of areas as depicted by a marked mismatch in employee expectations and perceived QWL existence in organizations in India.
The influence of oblique waves on the azimuthal response of a Ku-band scatterometer: a laboratory study

The authors conducted experiments in the large wind-wave tank at IRPHE to examine the influence of longer waves propagating at oblique angles to the wind direction on microwave backscattering. Measurements were made of wind, wave directional spectra, and cross sections from a 13.5-GHz scatterometer at 30/spl deg/ from nadir incidence angle. the authors characterize the scatterometric azimuthal scans with respect to the magnitude and the direction of the maximum backscattered power. Scans of solely wind waves are used to assess the effects of oblique waves, for which the scans yield trends that are related to the oblique-wave direction relative to the wind and the oblique-wave steepness. In particular, cross-section maxima are enhanced by oblique waves and the direction of maxima rotates from the wind axis toward the oblique-wave direction. These scatterometer data, in addition to other oblique-wave studies, led the authors to conclude that wind vectors produced from standard retrieval algorithms for scatterometers should be used with prudence in regions with significant veering winds, such as near meteorological fronts.