Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Formation of monopoles and domain walls after brane inflation

We study cosmological defect formation that is induced by brane dynamics after brane inflation. The cosmological defects are corresponding to the branes that have less than three spacial dimensions in the uncompactified spacetime. Contrary to the previous arguments, production of monopoles and domain walls are not always negligible. Monopoles and domain walls are formed by the branes extended between mother branes.
Factors of Stress among Police Officers

Three major areas of stress, Physical/Psychological Threat, Evaluation Systems, and Lack of Support were identified in police officers via factor analysis. These were related to bureau, age, years on the job, and race. Results were discussed in terms of an expanded model of police stress, incorporating role with the variable of time.
Need Satisfaction, Well-Being, and Perceived Return-to-Sport Outcomes Among Injured Athletes

The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether components of psychological well-being (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, self-esteem, and vitality) mediated the relationship between self-determination theory (SDT) basic needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness) and perceived return-to-sport outcomes. Competitive athletes (n = 204) from Australia, Canada, and the United States completed an injury need satisfaction scale, psychological well-being inventories, and a measure of perceived return-to-sport outcomes. Mediation analysis (Baron & Kenny, 1986) revealed that positive affect partially mediated the relationship between competence and autonomy need satisfaction and a renewed perspective on sport, while negative affect, self-esteem, and vitality fully mediated the relationship between relatedness need satisfaction and return concerns. Interpretation of the findings suggests the importance of components of well-being in mediating relatedness need satisfaction on “return concerns” in a sport injury context. Prospective longitudinal designs using an SDT framework are discussed to further research in this area.
Immigrant Involvement in Voluntary Associations in Europe

This paper measures the impact of immigration on migrants' involvement in associations across Europe. Using multilevel analysis on European Social Survey (ESS) data, we address three questions: Are immigrants likely to become members in voluntary associations? Does this likelihood change with the length of stay in the host country? Does the type of the association make a difference? The findings show that the likelihood of migrants participating in associations increases with the length of stay, while second-generation migrant participation is similar to that of the host society. The relation is stronger for expressive associations and weaker for instrumental-utilitarian ones, while religious organisations are more likely to attract new immigrants.
Development of dentition and dermal skeleton in embryonic Scyliorhinus canicula

Serial sections ranging from very young embryos to hatched juveniles and whole embryos of Scyliorhinus show that dentition and dermal skeleton belong to two independent secondary developmental fields that differ both developmentally and structurally. The development of the dentition starts very early, with a thickening of the ectoderm in the region of the mouth (stage 04), the invagination of the dental lamina (stage 18), and the formation of the germs of the first generation (stage 20). Tooth replacement movements start only near the end of embryogenesis (stage 35). Scale germs, on the other hand, first begin to form at stage 24. Scales erupt shortly before the animal hatches (stage 43). Only one scale generation is formed during embryogenesis. The forces which erupt the scales may come from fluid pressures in vacuoles of the fibrous layer of the dermis. Those which erupt the teeth probably also result from similar fluid pressures. The crown and upper part of the base of scales and teeth are formed by cells of the inner dental epithelium which are differentiated from the ectoderm. They are also formed by odontoblasts which are derived from the vascular layer of the dermis. However, the basal plates of scales and teeth containing the anchoring fibers are formed by osteoblasts, which are derived from the fibrous layer of the dermis.
Interdisciplinary and inter-institutional differences in learning preferences among Malaysian medical and health sciences students

Introduction: The learner-centred approach in medical and health sciences education makes the study of learning preferences relevant and important. This study aimed to investigate the interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, gender and racial differences in the preferred learning styles among Malaysian medical and health sciences students in three Malaysian universities, namely SEGi University (SEGi), University of Malaya (UM) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). It also investigated the differences in the preferred learning styles of these students between high achievers and non-high achievers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on medical and health sciences students from three Malaysian universities following the approval of the Research and Ethics Committee, SEGi University. Purposive sampling was used and the preferred learning styles were assessed using the VARK questionnaire. The questionnaire was validated prior to its use. Three disciplines (medicine, pharmacy and dentistry) were chosen based on their entry criteria and some similarities in their course structure. The three participating universities were Malaysian universities with a home-grown undergraduate entry medical program and students from a diverse cultural and socioeconomic background. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 22. VARK subscale scores were expressed as mean+standard deviation. Comparisons of the means were carried out using t-test or ANOVA. A p value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant, and <0.001 as highly significant. Results: Both statistically significant interdisciplinary and inter-institutional differences in learning preferences were observed. Out of the 337 students, a majority of the participants were unimodal learners (n=263, 78.04%). The most common type of learners was the reading/writing type (n=92, 27.30%) while the kinesthetic subscale (M=6.98, SD=2.85) had the highest mean score. Female students (M=6.86, SD=2.86) scored significantly higher than male students (M=6.08, SD=2.41; t(249), p=0.014) in the auditory subscale, whereas Chinese students (M=5.87, SD=2.65) scored significantly higher than Malay students (M=4.70, SD=2.87; p=0.04) in the visual subscale. However, the mean VARK subscale scores did not differ significantly between high achievers and non-high achievers (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study gives an insight into the learner characteristics of more than one medical school in Malaysia. Such multi-institutional studies are lacking in the published literature and this study gives a better representation of the current situation in the learning preferences among medical students in Malaysia.
Toward an Interim Politics of Resourcefulness for the Anthropocene

Based on the need for meaningful political responses to socionatural change, in this article we develop an interim politics of resourcefulness as a strategy for addressing the limitations of postpolitical environmental governance. Drawing on political and epistemological insights of third-world feminism as well as an ongoing collaborative with environmental justice organizations in West Atlanta, we argue that visions for just socionatural futures must necessarily be generated in conversation with historically marginalized communities. We offer an interim politics of resourcefulness as one way of forging those kinds of engagements between academic researchers and communities, and describe the forms that such engagements have taken in our own research.
Super Persistent Chaotic Transients in Physical Systems: Effect of noise on phase Synchronization of Coupled Chaotic oscillators

A super persistent chaotic transient is typically induced by an unstable–unstable pair bifurcation in which two unstable periodic orbits of the same period coalesce and disappear as a system parameter is changed through a critical value. So far examples illustrating this type of transient chaos utilize discrete-time maps. We present a class of continuous-time dynamical systems that exhibit super persistent chaotic transients in parameter regimes of positive measure. In particular, we examine the effect of noise on phase synchronization of coupled chaotic oscillators. It is found that additive white noise can induce phase slips in integer multiples of 2π's in parameter regimes where phase synchronization is expected in the absence of noise. The average time durations of the temporal phase synchronization are in fact characteristic of those of super persistent chaotic transients. We provide heuristic arguments for the scaling law of the average transient lifetime and verify it using numerical examples from both the system of coupled Chua's circuits and that of coupled Rossler oscillators. Our work suggests a way to observe super persistent chaotic transients in physically realizable systems.
Correctional Administrators' Perspectives on Gender Arrangements and Family-Related Programming for Women Offenders

ABSTRACT Using a social constructionist perspective to guide our research, we combined quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the perspectives of correctional administrators. Specifically, we proposed that how administrators construct gender influences their views of appropriate programming for women offenders, their views of gender specific needs of offenders, and related design of correctional services received for women. Content analysis was used to examine data gathered through a combined mail and phone survey of administrators across the U.S. Administrators' comments reflected four general perspectives: (1) gender irrelevant, (2) gender maintenance, (3) gender issues, and (4) gender challenge. Overall, findings supported criticisms of the degree to which correctional programming ignores women's needs and reinforces traditional gender stereotypes. However, a small proportion of administrators was attempting to empower women and challenge traditional gender arrangements.
Conceptual diversities and empirical shortcomings – a critical analysis of research on inclusive education

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse research about inclusive education. Prior reviews and the outcome of a recent search of databases are analysed with regard to (a) how inclusion is defined and (b) what empirical knowledge there is regarding factors that make schools and classrooms more inclusive. Our point of departure is that we regard inclusion as an idea about what school systems, schools and classrooms should accomplish, and as such, an expression of an educational philosophy. Four different understandings of inclusive education were found: (a) inclusion as the placement of pupils with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, (b) inclusion as meeting the social/academic needs of pupils with disabilities, (c) inclusion as meeting the social/academic needs of all pupils and (d) inclusion as creation of communities. Under a strict definition of inclusive education, hardly any research was found which reliably identified factors that give rise to inclusive processes. The outcome of our analyses are discussed from the perspective that different understandings of inclusion should be seen, to a large extent, as expressions of different views of what schools should accomplish. We also propose that some of the adherents to inclusion as creation of communities can be placed in the grand educational tradition reaching back to Dewey that tries to establish new ideals for school systems in a society in which individualism is perhaps the main ideology. The main conclusions are that the operative meaning of inclusion in reviews and empirical research should be much more clearly defined and that new types of studies are needed.
Marital Quality over the Marital Career: Alternative Explanations.

In a cross-sectional study of 196 wives, Anderson, Russell, and Schumm (1983) were able to explain a little more than 8% of variance in marital satisfaction as a function of family life-cycle categories. The same sample is reanalyzed here from the perspective of integrating the combined effects of preschool children, employment, social class, and marital social desirability. Results indicate that much of the observed decline in marital satisfaction during the middle stages of the life cycle can be explained as the result of the impact of preschool children on a specific group of low-income mothers who were employed fulltime and were finding too little time to discuss daily matters with their husbands, even though they perceived their husbands as just as caring and understanding as did other, lessstressed wives. Rather than indicating a mild problem for all wives, the family life-cycle data actually reflected a very severe source of distress for a small group of wives.
Cosmopolitan and Established Resources of Power in the Education Arena

The main question in this article is whether new cosmopolitan forms of power, on the one hand, and established forms of power, on the other hand, may lead households to make different educational choices for their children. Two types of Dutch secondary education are compared: internationalized education in which English and Dutch are the languages of instruction versus traditional elite schools, the classical gymnasiums. It is claimed that the coexistence of both school types goes together with a diverging process of social reproduction between an upwardly cosmopolitan fraction and an established fraction of the Dutch upper middle class.
Correlates of Risky Sexual Activity for Urban African American Youth in an Alternative Education Program

This study examined the link between developmental risk and protective factors and risky sexual activity among 222 urban African American youth attending an alternative education program (AEP) because of problematic behavior. Self-report information provided by these AEP participants revealed that, for the risk and protective factors examined, the extent of their involvement in delinquent activity, including substance use, and the less parental monitoring they received were the principal correlates of both the likelihood of the initiation and extent of their engagement in risky sexual activity. Findings of the study also illustrate the feasibility of the early identification of individuals likely to be at increased risk for the development of sexually-related short and long-term adverse health outcomes.
Did the Realist-Idealist Great Debate Really Happen? a Revisionist History of International Relations

In the history of international relations, no single idea has been more influential than the notion that there was a `great debate' in the 1920s and 1930s between the advocates of idealism and the champions of realism. In reality, there was never a single `great debate' but rather a multiplicity of discussions which revolved around at least three big questions: does capitalism lead to war; what are the most effective ways of dealing with totalitarian state aggression; and (in the US), is retreat from entangling alliances a reasonable response to a world turned upside down by war and economic depression? Throughout this, the academic study of IR remained strongly liberal and internationalist in orientation. However, liberalism was never seriously challenged by an apolitical realism, but instead by socialist critics - at least in Britain - and isolationists in the United States. Ultimately, the persistence of the notion that there was a real debate between idealism and realism, which the latter apparently won, says less about the actual discussions of the time, and more about the marginalisation of liberal and normative thinking in the IR mainstream in the post-war period.
Adiponectin Decreases C-Reactive Protein Synthesis and Secretion From Endothelial Cells: Evidence for an Adipose Tissue-Vascular Loop

Background and Objective—Inflammation is pivotal in atherosclerosis. C-reactive protein (CRP), in addition to being a cardiovascular risk marker, may also be proatherogenic. We have previously shown that in addition to the liver, human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) synthesize and secrete CRP. Whereas CRP levels are increased in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, levels of adiponectin are reduced in these conditions. We tested the hypothesis that adiponectin reduces CRP synthesis and secretion in HAECs under normoglycemic (5.5 mmol/L glucose) and hyperglycemic conditions (15 mmol/L glucose). Methods and Results—Adiponectin dose-dependently reduced CRP mRNA and protein from HAECs. Adiponectin treatment of HAECs significantly decreased I&kgr;B phosphorylation and NF&kgr;B binding activity. There was no effect of adiponectin on STAT or C/EBP transcriptional activity. Adiponectin also activated AMP kinase resulting in decreased NF&kgr;B activity and decreased CRP mRNA and protein. These effects of adiponectin were mimicked by AICAR, an activator of AMPK, and reversed by inhibition of AMPK. Thus, adiponectin reduces CRP synthesis and secretion from HAECs under hyperglycemia via upregulation of AMP kinase and downregulation of NF&kgr;B. Similar findings were observed in rat primary hepatocytes. Conclusions—Thus, in obesity and diabetes, the hypoadiponectinemia could exacerbate the proinflammatory state by inducing CRP production.
IL‐13 signal transduction in human monocytes: phosphorylation of receptor components, association with Jaks, and phosphorylation/activation of Stats

Interleukin (IL)‐13 regulates monocyte function and is a potent stimulator of 15‐lipoxygenase expression. In different cell types, the functional IL‐13 receptor complex can be comprised of variable protein components and has not been thoroughly examined in human monocytes. Here, we identify the receptor components and upstream signaling events initiated by IL‐13 in primary human blood monocytes. Th expression, phosphorylation and associated Jak kinases of the known, variable receptor components, IL‐4Rα, IL‐2Rγc, IL‐13Rα1 and IL‐13Rα2, were examined. We determined that IL‐4Rα and IL13Rα1 are phosphorylated upon exposure to IL‐13. Although IL‐2Rγc is also expressed, it is not phosphorylated upon exposure to IL‐13. Evaluation of the presence of IL‐13Rα2 failed to reveal significant mRNA or protein expression. Earlier, our laboratory showed that IL‐13 induced the phosphorylation of Jak2 and Tyk2 in monocytes and that expression of both Jaks was essential for downstream signaling by IL‐13. Here, we report that Jak2 is associated with IL‐4Rα, and Tyk2 is associated with the IL‐13Rα1 component of the IL‐13 receptor complex. Additionally, Stat proteins 1α, 3, 5A, 5B, and 6 are phosphorylated in response to IL‐13. Further, the nuclear translocation and DNA binding of each of these Stats were induced by IL‐13. These data represent the first complete report of the functional IL‐13 receptor complex and early signaling events in human monocytes. This information is critical for understanding the IL‐13 response of monocytes in inflammation.
Perception and Judgment of Facial Expressions Among the Chinese

Abstract Perceived relationships among nine facial expressions were structurally represented in a two-space configuration by multidimensional scaling procedure. The two dimensions operative for Chinese judges were interpreted as positive versus negative emotions and open versus controlled styles of expressions. While there was some consensus in identifying seven of the nine intended emotions, interest-excitement and disgust-revulsion were often not recognized. Implications of cross-cultural comparisons in identification rates were discussed.
Clinical characteristics of early- and late-onset gout

AbstractA retrospective cross-sectional study using data from an outpatient clinic in China was conducted to investigate the clinical features of early-onset gout patients.All patients diagnosed with gout were asked about clinical characteristics of their gout and comorbid diseases. Patients presenting with acute flares were asked about common triggers before the flare. “Early-onset” gout was defined as onset of gout before 40 years and “late-onset” as onset ≥40 years. Major joint involvement, flare frequency before presentation, the cumulative number of involved joints, proportions of tophi complications at presentation, flare triggers, as well as any metabolic, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal comorbidities, were compared between the 2 groups.A total of 778 gout patients were enrolled in this study, including 449 (57.7%) in the early-onset group and 329 (42.3%) in the late-onset group. Compared with the late-onset gout patients, the early-onset gout patients had a higher proportion of ankle/mid-foot involvement (62.8% vs 48.2%, P < 0.001), more frequent flares before presentation (11.2 ± 1.17 vs 6.97 ± 1.03 times per year, P = 0.01), higher cumulative number of involved joints (5.2 ± 0.26 vs 3.8 ± 0.26, P < 0.001), and more likely to have alcohol consumption as a flare trigger (65.2% vs 53.9%, P = 0.03); whereas early-onset gout patients had fewer metabolic, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or renal complications.Early- and late-onset gout patients had different clinical features. Early-onset seems to be influenced more by lifestyle, while late-onset patients have more complications because of comorbidities.
The role of surface roughness in the measurement of slipperiness

Surface roughness has been shown to have substantial effects on the slip resistance between shoe heels and floor surfaces under various types of walking environments. This paper summarizes comprehensive views of the current understanding on the roles of surface roughness on the shoe and floor surfaces in the measurement of slipperiness and discusses promising directions for future research. Various techniques and instruments for surface roughness measurements and related roughness parameters are reviewed in depth. It is suggested that a stylus-type profilometer and a laser scanning confocal microscope are the preferred instruments for surface roughness measurements in the field and laboratory, respectively. The need for developing enhanced methods for reliably characterizing the slip resistance properties is highlighted. This could be based on the principal understanding of the nature of shoe and floor interface and surface analysis techniques for characterizing both surfaces of shoe and floor. Therefore, surface roughness on both shoe and floor surfaces should be measured and combined to arrive at the final assessment of slipperiness. While controversies around the friction measurement for slipperiness assessment still remain, surface roughness measurement may provide an objective alternative to overcoming the limitations of friction measurements.