Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Participation in Decision-Making in the Organizational Politics-Job Satisfaction Relationship

The present study examined the impact participation in decision-making (PDM) had on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and expressions of job satisfaction among 1251 public sector employees. We hypothesized that perceptions of organizational politics would reduce job satisfaction and that the detrimental effect of poltics on job satisfaction would be weakest among workers who engage in consensus decision-making with their supervisors. We used confirmatory factor analyses to determine whether the variables used in this study reflected distinct constructs. Then, we used correlational analysis and hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that the variables reflected distinct constructs and confirmed the hypotheses. Examination of the interaction indicated that the effect of PDM on job satisfaction was robust at high levels of perceived politics.
Transcriptional profiling of interleukin-2-primed human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells revealed dramatic changes in stem cells response imposed by replicative senescence

Inflammation is a double-edged sword with both detrimental and beneficial consequences. Understanding of the mechanisms of crosstalk between the inflammatory milieu and human adult mesenchymal stem cells is an important basis for clinical efforts. Here, we investigate changes in the transcriptional response of human adipose-derived stem cells to physiologically relevant levels of IL-2 (IL-2 priming) upon replicative senescence. Our data suggest that replicative senescence might dramatically impede human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) function via global transcriptional deregulation in response to IL-2. We uncovered a novel senescence-associated transcriptional signature in human adipose-derived MSCs hADSCs after exposure to pro-inflammatory environment: significant enhancement of the expression of the genes encoding potent growth factors and cytokines with anti-inflammatory and migration-promoting properties, as well as genes encoding angiogenic and anti-apoptotic promoting factors, all of which could participate in the establishment of a unique microenvironment. We observed transcriptional up-regulation of critical components of the nitric oxide synthase pathway (iNOS) in hADSCs upon replicative senescence suggesting, that senescent stem cells can acquire metastasis-promoting properties via stem cell-mediated immunosuppression. Our study highlights the importance of age as a factor when designing cell-based or pharmacological therapies for older patients and predicts measurable biomarkers characteristic of an environment that is conducive to cancer cells invasiveness and metastasis.
The Paradigm Wars and Their Aftermath A “Historical” Sketch of Research on Teaching Since 1989

Raging during the 1980s, the Paradigm Wars resulted in the demise of objectivity-seeking quantitative research on teaching—a victim of putatively devastating attacks from anti-naturalists, interpretivists, and critical theorists. Subsequently, the interpretivists' ethnographic studies flourished, enhancing the cultural appropriateness of schooling, and critical theorists' analyses fostered the struggles for power for the poor, non-Whites, and women. Two alternative versions of the aftermath are also conceivable. Pragmatism and Popper's piecemeal social engineering offer paths toward a productive rapprochement of the paradigms, one guided by the moral obligations of educational research.
Excitatory and Feed-Forward Inhibitory Hippocampal Synapses Work Synergistically as an Adaptive Filter of Natural Spike Trains

Short-term synaptic plasticity (STP) is an important mechanism for modifying neural circuits during computation. Although STP is much studied, its role in the processing of complex natural spike patterns is unknown. Here we analyze the responses of excitatory and inhibitory hippocampal synapses to natural spike trains at near-physiological temperatures. Our results show that excitatory and inhibitory synapses express complementary sets of STP components that selectively change synaptic strength during epochs of high-frequency discharge associated with hippocampal place fields. In both types of synapses, synaptic strength rapidly alternates between a near-constant level during low activity and another near-constant, but elevated (for excitatory synapses) or reduced (for inhibitory synapses) level during high-frequency epochs. These history-dependent changes in synaptic strength are largely independent of the particular temporal pattern within the discharges, and occur concomitantly in the two types of synapses. When excitatory and feed-forward inhibitory synapses are co-activated within the hippocampal feed-forward circuit unit, the net effect of their complementary STP is an additional increase in the gain of excitatory synapses during high-frequency discharges via selective disinhibition. Thus, excitatory and feed-forward inhibitory hippocampal synapses in vitro act synergistically as an adaptive filter that operates in a switch-like manner and is selective for high-frequency epochs.
Marital quality and psychological well-being of married adults in a Chinese context

Abstract A total of 1,501 married adults responded to the Chinese Dyadic Adjustment Scale (C-DAS), the Chinese Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (C-KMS), and other tools for assessing their psychological well-being (indexed by measures of psychiatric morbidity, midlife crisis symptoms, and positive mental health) and perceived health status. For the link between marital adjustment and well-being, the results showed that, compared with those who showed less marital maladjustment, those who displayed more signs of marital maladjustment (a) showed more psychiatric symptoms and midlife crisis symptoms, (b) had lower levels of purpose in life and life satisfaction, and (c) perceived their health as relatively poorer. Similar findings were observed for the link between marital satisfaction as indexed by the C-KMS and the various indicators of well-being. The findings generally suggest that the quality of the marital relation is closely related to the psychological well-being and adjustment of married adults in .
Morphogen and community effects determine cell fates in response to BMP4 signaling in human embryonic stem cells

Paracrine signals maintain developmental states and create cell fate patterns in vivo and influence differentiation outcomes in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in vitro. Systematic investigation of morphogen signaling is hampered by the difficulty of disentangling endogenous signaling from experimentally applied ligands. Here, we grow hESCs in micropatterned colonies of 1-8 cells (‘µColonies') to quantitatively investigate paracrine signaling and the response to external stimuli. We examine BMP4-mediated differentiation in µColonies and standard culture conditions and find that in µColonies, above a threshold concentration, BMP4 gives rise to only a single cell fate, contrary to its role as a morphogen in other developmental systems. Under standard culture conditions BMP4 acts as a morphogen but this requires secondary signals and particular cell densities. We find that a ‘community effect' enforces a common fate within µColonies, both in the state of pluripotency and when cells are differentiated, and that this effect allows a more precise response to external signals. Using live cell imaging to correlate signaling histories with cell fates, we demonstrate that interactions between neighbors result in sustained, homogenous signaling necessary for differentiation. Highlighted Article: Interactions between cells within a colony enforce a common fate, both in the state of pluripotency and when cells differentiate in response to morphogen signaling.
Hard Times: Arab TESOL Students' Experiences of Racialization and Othering in the United Kingdom

■ This article reports the findings of a small-scale study into the significance of racialization to five male Muslim Saudi Arab learners in a TESOL graduate programme at a university in the United Kingdom. By racialization we mean the ways in which the idea of race might contribute to an experience of Othering (Kubota, 2001, 2004; Palfreyman, 2005) for these learners. A particular interest was how far and in what ways recent political events involving Arabs and Muslims, as well as an increasingly racialized discourse of Islamophobia in the UK media and wider society, had affected their experiences in this learning community. In recent years a considerable body of literature has stressed a need to acknowledge that TESOL classrooms are embedded in and thereby
Fragebogen zur Erfassung der Motivation für die Wahl des Lehramtsstudiums (FEMOLA) 1Dieser Beitrag wurde unter der Herausgeberschaft von D. Leutner und D. H. Rost bearbeitet.

Auf Basis des Erwartungs-Wert-Modells wurde ein Instrument zur Erfassung der Motivation fur die Wahl des Lehramtsstudiums (FEMOLA) entwickelt, das an drei Stichproben von Lehramtsstudierenden eingesetzt und validiert wurde. In Studie 1 (Messzeitpunkt 1, N = 291) wurde die faktorielle Struktur des FEMOLA ermittelt. Dabei liesen sich Aspekte der Wertkomponente («Padagogisches Interesse», «Fachliches Interesse», «Nutzlichkeit»), der Erwartungskomponente («Fahigkeitsuberzeugung», «Geringe Schwierigkeit des Studiums») und «Soziale Einflusse» trennen. Bei einer Wiederholungsmessung (N = 139) und in zwei weiteren Studien (Studie 2: N = 156; Studie 3: N = 310) konnte die faktorielle Struktur des FEMOLA mittels konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalysen bestatigt werden. Reliabilitatsanalysen zeigten in allen Untersuchungen hinreichende interne Konsistenzen der sechs Subskalen. Eine Losung mit einem intrinsischen und einem extrinsischen Sekundarfaktor ist ebenfalls mit den Daten vereinbar. Zusammenhangsanalysen mit konstr.
Jurors' Responses To Unusual Inadmissible Evidence

Two experiments investigated jurors' ability to disregard unusual inadmissible evidence. Participants listened to an audio recording of a theft trial. Those in four experimental conditions heard critical testimony favoring the prosecution, which was ruled either admissible or inadmissible and which contained either neutral details or details that were unusual in terms of semantic content (Experiment 1) or form (Experiment 2). Control jurors received no critical evidence. Exposure to unusual rather than neutral evidence led jurors to see the defendant as more guilty but only if that evidence was inadmissible instead of admissible. Additionally, jurors remembered unusual evidence better than neutral evidence. The results are consistent with Wegner's ironic-process theory and suggest that attempts at thought suppression are less successful if the forbidden information is especially memorable.
Modeling the Dynamics of In ation Compensation

This paper investigates the relationship between short-term and long-term ination expectations using daily data on ination compensation. We use a exible econometric model which allows us to uncover this relationship in a data-based manner. We relate our ndings to the issue of whether ination expectations are anchored, unmoored or contained. Our empirical results indicate no support for either unmoored or rmly anchored ination expectations. Most evidence indicates that ination expectations are contained. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Markus Jochmann and Gary Koop are Fellows of the Rimini Center for Economic Analysis.
Insatisfação com a imagem corporal e fatores associados em universitários

Body Image dissatisfaction and associated factors among college students. The objective of this study was to analyze the body image dissatisfaction and its association with nutritional status and socio-demographics variables (sex, age group, period of study and paid employment) among college students. The study involved 865 college students. The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was 77.9%and sex and nutritional status (assessed by body mass index based on self-reported measures) were associated with this outcome. Men, more often, desired to increase body weight and women, to reduce it. Overweight college students were more likely to desire to reduce body weight (OR = 6.83; 95% CI = 3.72-12.54), and those who were underweight were more likely to desire to increase it (OR = 3.06; 95% CI = 1.59-5.88). Thus, it is highlighted the importance of policy to promote physical activity practices and adoption of healthy eating habits, as well as to prevent risk behaviors adopted to change the body image.
Differential effects of empowering leadership on in-role and extra-role employee behaviors: Exploring the role of psychological empowerment and power values

In this research we examined the impact of empowering leadership behaviors (ELBs), psychological empowerment, and individual-level power values on a broad range of employee behaviors. Drawing on self-determination theory (Gagné and Deci, 2005), we hypothesized that ELBs would have direct effects on in-role and affiliative extra-role behaviors, but that the impact of ELBs on challenging extra-role behaviors would be mediated by psychological empowerment. Further, we hypothesized that individual-level power values (Schwartz, 1992) would moderate the mediated effect of ELBs on challenging behaviors. Responses to questionnaires from 541 employees and their supervisors were obtained from 16 hotel properties located in 11 Middle Eastern and Asian countries. Results supported our hypotheses of direct and mediated effects of ELBs on employee behaviors, and supported moderated mediation involving psychological empowerment and power values such that psychological empowerment was more strongly related to challenging behaviors for individuals low in power values.
Plasma stearoyl‐CoA desaturase indices: Association with lifestyle, diet, and body composition

Stearoyl‐coenzyme A desaturase‐1 (SCD1) is a key enzyme in fatty acid and energy metabolism. Increased hepatic SCD1 activity is associated with obesity and obesity‐related diseases. We examined the relations of two plasma SCD activity indices (16:1n‐7/16:0, 18:1n‐9/18:0) with body composition, and the association of lifestyle and dietary variables with the plasma SCD indices.
Serum folate, homocysteine, brain atrophy, and auto-CM system: The Treviso Dementia (TREDEM) study.

BACKGROUND The role of folate and homocysteine in brain atrophy associated with Alzheimer's disease is not completely understood. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between serum folate and homocysteine levels and the degree of cortical-subcortical and hippocampal atrophy in a first relatively preliminary sample of the Treviso Dementia (TREDEM) study using a potent data mining method. METHODS Physiological data, biochemical parameters, clinical assessment data, brain atrophy severity assessed with CT scans, and neuropsycological and disability data were assessed in a group of 232 outpatients (93 men and 139 women, aged 40.2-100 years) enrolled in the TREDEM study carried out in Treviso (Italy). A semantic connectivity map obtained through the Auto-CM system, a fourth generation artificial neural network (ANN), was used to offer some insight regarding the complex biological connections between the studied variables and the degree of brain atrophy. RESULTS Close associations between low serum folate levels and severe cortical-subcortical atrophy along with severe hippocampal atrophy measured by the width of the temporal horns of lateral ventricles were found. We also showed an association between high homocysteine levels and severe cortical-subcortical and hippocampal atrophy. CONCLUSION The role of folate, which is inversely associated with the severity of brain atrophy, was confirmed. Our results also confirm the association between high homocysteine levels and severe cortical-subcortical and hippocampal atrophy. Auto-CM ANN is able to highlight associations sometimes visible only in longitudinal studies through intelligent data mining of a cross-sectional study.
Coping with unemployment: a literature review and presentation of a new model

This paper reviews the unemployment literature with a view to identifying a new way of modelling the process of coping with unemployment. The review shows that early models of coping adopted a trait-based approach, which viewed coping as a stable, transcending disposition of the person and, therefore, failed to consider the range of coping responses that people use during unemployment. The use of state-based approaches to coping, in more recent research, has overcome this problem. However, the newer models still assess coping via discrete, linear relationships and have focused primarily on the obtainment of re-employment rather than promotion of psychological health during unemployment. In an attempt to overcome these problems, the ‘Coping, Psychological and Employment Status’ (CoPES) model is presented in the current paper. This new and comprehensive model illustrates the non-recursive relationships between stressors, cognitive appraisals, coping efforts and psychological health during unemployment. The CoPES model also depicts the relationship between coping, psychological health and re-employment. This model provides a more integrated approach to coping with unemployment and allows for the examination of new relationships. The CoPES model, applied within Ipsative-Normative designs and assessed using quantitative and qualitative techniques, will make a significant contribution to research conducted into unemployment.
A Comparative Study of Inequality and Corruption

This article argues that income inequality increases the level of corruption through material and normative mechanisms. The wealthy have both greater motivation and more opportunity to engage in corruption, whereas the poor are more vulnerable to extortion and less able to monitor and hold the rich and powerful accountable as inequality increases. Inequality also adversely affects social norms about corruption and people's beliefs about the legitimacy of rules and institutions, thereby making it easier for them to tolerate corruption as acceptable behavior. This comparative analysis of 129 countries using two-stage least squares methods with a variety of instrumental variables supports the authors' hypotheses using different measures of corruption (the World Bank's Control of Corruption Index and the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index). The explanatory power of inequality is at least as important as conventionally accepted causes of corruption such as economic development. The authors also found a significant interaction effect between inequality and democracy, as well as evidence that inequality affects norms and perceptions about corruption using the World Values Surveys data. Because corruption also contributes to income inequality, societies often fall into vicious circles of inequality and corruption.
Impact of the presence and quantity of ductal carcinoma in situ component on the outcome of invasive breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION The role of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) component on the outcome of invasive breast cancer is not yet completely clear. Our study aims to assess the impact of the presence and quantity of DCIS component on the outcome of patients operated for invasive breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS We collected retrospective data about patients operated at their breast for invasive cancer between 2007 and 2012, focusing on the presence of DCIS component. Then, we divided patients into four groups based on the quantity of DCIS component as follows: not found (group A), minimal (group B, <25%), extensive (group C, 25-75%), and prevalent (group D, >75%). We further defined "extensive intraductal component" (EIC) groups C and D together. RESULTS DCIS component was associated with young age, familial history of breast cancer and worse biological characteristics, including high grading, higher prevalence of Her2/Neu overexpression, hormone receptors negativity, comedo-like necrosis and multifocality/multicentricity. Despite the unfavorable prognostic factors, invasive cancers associated with EIC were frequently treated with radical surgery and resulted to have long disease-free survival and low local recurrence rate. In patients with DCIS component (groups B, C, and D) the extension of this component resulted indirectly correlated with local recurrence rate, tumor lymphovascular invasion, and lymphnode extracapsular invasion. The highest prevalence of local recurrences was found in group B, which tended to be less frequently treated with radical surgery than group D (P<0.05) and C (P=n.s.). CONCLUSIONS Different clinical and tumor features among invasive breast cancer with and without DCIS component indicate that they are distinct entities probably originating by different pathways that deserve to be studied. Furthermore, the controversial results about the management of cancer with minimal intraductal component require further studies in order to reduce local recurrence.
Platelet Activation and Anti-Phospholipid Antibodies Collaborate in the Activation of the Complement System on Platelets in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Anti-phospholipid (aPL) antibodies are important contributors to development of thrombosis in patients with the autoimmune rheumatic disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The underlying mechanism of aPL antibody-mediated thrombosis is not fully understood but existing data suggest that platelets and the complement system are key components. Complement activation on platelets is seen in SLE patients, especially in patients with aPL antibodies, and has been related to venous thrombosis and stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate if aPL antibodies could support classical pathway activation on platelets in vitro as well as in SLE patients. Furthermore, we investigated if complement deposition on platelets was associated with vascular events, either arterial or venous, when the data had been adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Finally, we analyzed if platelet complement deposition, both C1q and C4d, was specific for SLE. We found that aPL antibodies supported C4d deposition on platelets in vitro as well as in SLE patients (p = 0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). Complement deposition on platelets was increased in SLE patients when compared with healthy individuals (p<0.0001). However, high levels of C4d deposition and a pronounced C1q deposition were also seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis. In SLE, C4d deposition on platelets was associated with platelet activation, complement consumption, disease activity and venous (OR = 5.3, p = 0.02), but not arterial, thrombosis, observations which were independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. In conclusion, several mechanisms operate in SLE to amplify platelet complement deposition, of which aPL antibodies and platelet activation were identified as important contributors in this investigation. Complement deposition on platelets was identified as a marker of venous, but not arterial thrombosis, in SLE patients independently of traditional risk factors and aPL antibodies. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of complement deposition on platelets in development of venous thrombosis.