Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intrinsic and Synthetic Stable Isotope Marking of Tsetse Flies

Abstract The sterile insect technique has been successfully used to eliminate tsetse populations in a number of programs. Program monitoring in the field relies on the ability to accurately differentiate released sterile insects from wild insects so that estimates can be made of the ratio of sterile males to wild males. Typically, released flies are marked with a dye, which is not always reliable. The difference in isotopic signatures between wild and factory-reared populations could be a reliable and intrinsic secondary marker to complement existing marking methods. Isotopic signatures are natural differences in stable isotope composition of organisms due to discrimination against the heavier isotopes during some biological processes. As the isotopic signature of an organism is mainly dependent on what it eats; by feeding factory-reared flies isotopically different diets to those of the wild population it is possible to intrinsically mark the flies. To test this approach unlabeled samples of Glossina pallidipes (Austen) (Diptera: Glossinidae) from a mass rearing facility and wild populations were analyzed to determine whether there were any natural differences in signatures that could be used as markers. In addition experiments were conducted in which the blood diet was supplemented with isotopically enriched compounds and the persistence of the marker in the offspring determined. There were distinct natural isotopic differences between factory reared and wild tsetse populations that could be reliably used as population markers. It was also possible to rear artificially isotopically labeled flies using simple technology and these flies were clearly distinguishable from wild populations with greater than 95% certainty after 85 days of “release”. These techniques could be readily adopted for use in SIT programs as complimentary marking techniques.
Divine Justice: The Relationship Between Images of God and Attitudes Toward Criminal Punishment

Some have argued that moralistic considerations trump other factors in determining attitudes toward criminal punishment. Consequently, recent research has examined how views of God influence sentiments regarding criminal punishment. Using the Baylor Religion Survey (BRS) 2005, we find that (a) angry and judgmental images of God are significant predictors of punitive attitudes regarding criminal punishment and the death penalty and (b) images of God as loving and engaged in the world are not consistently significant predictors of attitudes toward criminal punishment, once measures of God’s perceived anger and judgment are considered.
On the Impact of Mood on Behavior: An Integrative Theory and a Review

Empirical evidence for effects of moods (both naturally occurring and experimentally manipulated) on behavior is reviewed in terms of an integrative theory: the mood–behavior model (MBM). It is posited that moods can influence behavior via 2 processes: (a) by informational effects on behavior-related judgments and appraisals, which in turn will result in behavioral adjustments (i.e., the informational mood impact on behavior), and (b) by influencing behavioral preferences and interests in compliance with a hedonic motive (i.e., the directive mood impact on behavior). The strength of the informational mood impact depends on moods' effective informational weight for behavior-related judgments and on mood-primed associations. The strength of the directive mood impact is predicted to be jointly determined by 2 variables: the strength of a hedonic motive and the instrumentality of possible acts for affect regulation.
Procrastination in College Students: The Role of Self‐Efficacy and Anxiety

In this study, the authors examined the relationships among procrastination, efficacy expectations, anxiety, gender, and age for 141 university students. Participants were asked to think about a major project and to rate their efficacy regarding the skills needed to accomplish the project. Bivariate correlations showed that efficacy expectations and anxiety had significant, individual relationships with procrastination. When these variables were entered into a regression model, only cumulative efficacy strength was a significant predictor of procrastination. Implications for practice and research suggestions are discussed.
Establishment, Immortalisation and Characterisation of Pteropid Bat Cell Lines

Background Bats are the suspected natural reservoir hosts for a number of new and emerging zoonotic viruses including Nipah virus, Hendra virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Ebola virus. Since the discovery of SARS-like coronaviruses in Chinese horseshoe bats, attempts to isolate a SL-CoV from bats have failed and attempts to isolate other bat-borne viruses in various mammalian cell lines have been similarly unsuccessful. New stable bat cell lines are needed to help with these investigations and as tools to assist in the study of bat immunology and virus-host interactions. Methodology/Findings Black flying foxes (Pteropus alecto) were captured from the wild and transported live to the laboratory for primary cell culture preparation using a variety of different methods and culture media. Primary cells were successfully cultured from 20 different organs. Cell immortalisation can occur spontaneously, however we used a retroviral system to immortalise cells via the transfer and stable production of the Simian virus 40 Large T antigen and the human telomerase reverse transcriptase protein. Initial infection experiments with both cloned and uncloned cell lines using Hendra and Nipah viruses demonstrated varying degrees of infection efficiency between the different cell lines, although it was possible to infect cells in all tissue types. Conclusions/Significance The approaches developed and optimised in this study should be applicable to bats of other species. We are in the process of generating further cell lines from a number of different bat species using the methodology established in this study.
Drawing development in autism: the intellectual to visual realism shift

Normal children above 5 years old or so show a shift in their drawing development from intellectual to visual realism (the I-VR shift). Some cases of individuals with autism have been reported who appear to have a mental age (MA) of considerably less than 5 years old but who are capable of visual realism. This raises the possibility that in autism, the I-VR shift is independent of MA—that children with autism as a group might show precocious visual realism, independent of technical competence. This hypothesis was tested by giving three different drawing tasks to a group of subjects with autism who were not selected for drawing competence. On these tasks they did not differ from either normal children or subjects with mental handicap (of an equivalent MA)—they showed the I-VR shift at approximately the same MA level (above 5:5 years). This refutes the hypothesis that this shift is independent of MA in autism. The existence of intellectual realism as a normal phase in the drawing development of subjects with autism is discussed in relation to Leslie's meta-representation theory.
New studies in philosophy, politics, economics, and the history of ideas

Following on F. A. Hayek's previous work Studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (1967), New Studies in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and the History of Ideas collects some of Hayek's most notable essays and lectures dealing with problems of philosophy, politics and economics, with many of the essays falling into more than one of these categories. Expanding upon the previous volume the present work also includes a fourth part collecting a series of Hayek's writings under the heading 'History of Ideas. ' Of the articles contained in this volume the lectures on 'The Errors of Constructivism' (chapter 1) and 'Competition as a Discovery Procedure' (chapter 12) have been published before only in German, while the article on 'Liberalism' (chapter 9) was written in English to be published in an Italian translation in the Enciclopedia del Novicento by the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana at Rome.
Gender Differences in Computer Attitudes: New Evidence from Korea

This study assessed the demographic characteristics in a sample of officials in a local government in relation to computer attitudes as measured by the Computer Attitude Scale (Loyd and Loyd, 1985). A survey was conducted to study the relationship between gender and the computer attitudes of 248 officials (162 males and 86 females) in Korea. The survey also examined whether or not computer attitudes were affected by other variables such as age, education, and grade. The findings indicated that there were no gender differences in computer attitudes and the other variables were not related to the computer attitudes of Korean officials. Only one variable, computer experience (measured by ‘years using computers’), was strongly related to computer attitudes. However, sub-group analyses showed the relationship was statistically significant in the female group, yet not in the male group. Thus, it was concluded that computer attitudes were not different between male and female officials and computer experience was the most important factor affecting computer attitudes of the female officials. This study is the first sample in which female officials who have more computer experience have been found to be more likely to have positive attitudes toward computers.
Comparing hospital and telephone follow-up after treatment for breast cancer: randomised equivalence trial

Objective To compare traditional hospital follow-up with telephone follow-up by specialist nurses after treatment for breast cancer. Design A two centre randomised equivalence trial in which women remained in the study for a mean of 24 months. Setting Outpatient clinics in two NHS hospital trusts in the north west of England Participants 374 women treated for breast cancer who were at low to moderate risk of recurrence. Interventions Participants were randomised to traditional hospital follow-up (consultation, clinical examination, and mammography as per hospital policy) or telephone follow-up by specialist nurses (consultation with structured intervention and mammography according to hospital policy). Main outcome measures Psychological morbidity (state-trait anxiety inventory, general health questionnaire (GHQ-12)), participants’ needs for information, participants’ satisfaction, clinical investigations ordered, and time to detection of recurrent disease. Results The 95% confidence interval for difference in mean state-trait scores adjusted for treatment received (−3.33 to 2.07) was within the predefined equivalence region (−3.5 to 3.5). The women in the telephone group were no more anxious as a result of foregoing clinic examinations and face-to-face consultations and reported higher levels of satisfaction than those attending hospital clinics (intention to treat P<0.001). The numbers of clinical investigations ordered did not differ between groups. Recurrences were few (4.5%), with no differences between groups for time to detection (median 60.5 (range 37-131) days in hospital group v 39.0 (10-152) days in telephone group; P=0.228). Conclusions Telephone follow-up was well received by participants, with no physical or psychological disadvantage. It is suitable for women at low to moderate risk of recurrence and those with long travelling distances or mobility problems and decreases the burden on busy hospital clinics. Trial registration National Cancer Research Institute 1477.
Determinants of competitive performance in rhythmic gymnastics. A review.

Bobo-Arce M, Mendez-Rial B. Determinants of competitive performance in rhythmic gymnastics. A review. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 8, No. Proc3, pp. S711-S727, 2013. Rhythmic Gymnastics is as a complex artistic and aesthetic sport with a particular training process and which demands high levels of physical and psychological stress in competition. Not many studies explain a good proposal which determinate the predictors of a competitive performance and a useful interaction-model of training and sport performance for the different context, ages and levels in rhythmic gymnastic. In this perspective, based on a critical examination of the literature about “Rhythmic Gymnastics” and “Performance”, the aim of this research was to identify the factors that have been studied to predict a higher performance in Rhythmic Gymnastics, analyze them and determinate an "effectively training proposal" to achieve the higher results in competitions. We divided the references in different groups: a) Physiological and biological condition; b) Technical aspects; c) Psychological factors; d) Training process, e) Other dimensions and f) Performance analysis. The results show that most studies on rhythmic gymnastics are descriptive studies about a topic, fewer studies have examined one or more variables related with the performance and more scarce are the studies that show a global perspective and try to explain the predictor of the level of performance. In conclusion, we found some determinants of a competitive performance in Rhythmic Gymnastics which define our proposal. Further intervention studies and studies on the way of the Metamodel studies, “The theoretical and interaction of training and sport performance”, would permit identify the contribution of each
Investigation of an Iron-Oxidizing Microbial Mat Community Located near Aarhus, Denmark: Field Studies

We investigated the microbial community that developed at an iron seep where anoxic groundwater containing up to 250 μM Fe2+ flowed out of a rock wall and dense, mat-like aggregations of ferric hydroxides formed at the oxic-anoxic interface. In situ analysis with oxygen microelectrodes revealed that the oxygen concentrations in the mat were rarely more than 50% of air saturation and that the oxygen penetration depth was quite variable, ranging from <0.05 cm to several centimeters. The bulk pH of the mat ranged from 7.1 to 7.6. There appeared to be a correlation between the flow rates at different subsites of the mat and the morphotypes of the microorganisms and Fe oxides that developed. In subsites with low flow rates (<2 ml/s), the iron-encrusted sheaths of Leptothrix ochracea predominated. Miniature cores revealed that the top few millimeters of the mat consisted primarily of L. ochracea sheaths, only about 7% of which contained filaments of cells. Deeper in the mat, large particulate oxides developed, which were often heavily colonized by unicellular bacteria that were made visible by staining with acridine orange. Direct cell counts revealed that the number of bacteria increased from approximately 108 to 109 cells per cm3 and the total iron concentration increased from approximately 0.5 to 3 mmol/cm3 with depth in the mat. Primarily because of the growth of L. ochracea, the mat could accrete at rates of up to 3.1 mm/day at these subsites. The iron-encrusted stalks of Gallionella spp. prevailed in localized zones of the same low-flow-rate subsites, usually close to where the source water emanated from the wall. These latter zones had the lowest O2 concentrations (<10% of the ambient concentration), confirming the microaerobic nature of Gallionella spp. In subsites with high flow rates (>6 ml/s) particulate Fe oxides were dominant; direct counts revealed that up to 109 cells of primarily unicellular bacteria per cm3 were associated with these particulate oxides. These zones exhibited little vertical stratification in either the number of cells or iron concentration. Finally, mat samples incubated anaerobically in the presence of acetate or succinate exhibited significant potential for iron reduction, suggesting the possibility that a localized iron cycle could occur within the mat community.
Profile of the Adult Education and Human Resource Development Professoriate: Characteristics and Professional Fulfillment

The objectives of this descriptive and comparative study were to profile the Adult Education and Human Resource Development professoriate, identify similarities and differences between them, describe the nature of job and career choices, and identify factors that contribute to professional fulfillment. Responses from 163 members of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education and the Academy of Human Resource Development provided data describing the nature of the professoriate. The results of this study support the need for initiatives that contribute to providing opportunities for faculty interactions with students and improving administrative duties and relationships. Speculations and implications for future directions in the field also are explored, and opportunities for research are identified.
The Effects of Reciprocal Teaching Comprehension-monitoring Strategy on 3Rd Grade Students' Reading Comprehension.

Reciprocal teaching comprehension-monitoring is a reading comprehension instructional procedure that combines four instructional strategies: predicting, summarizing, questioning, and clarifying to enhance students' comprehension of text. The procedure is a dialogue between the teacher and the students. During reciprocal teaching instruction, the teacher and students take turns leading the dialogue in order to enhance the students' comprehension-monitoring skills. The research on reciprocal teaching has included meta-analyses, group designs, qualitative designs, and single-subject research designs. These studies have identified gaps in the literature to include the measurement of treatment fidelity and treatment acceptability, as well as the psychometric properties of the instruments used to measure daily reading comprehension growth. These gaps were investigated in this study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reciprocal teaching comprehension-monitoring with a group of fifteen 3rd grade students reading at grade level. Specifically, this study investigated the use of curriculum-based measurement maze probes (CBM-maze probes) to formatively assess the reading comprehension growth of the students. Additionally, this study implemented treatment integrity procedures and investigated the acceptability of reciprocal teaching and the CBM-maze probes through a treatment acceptability rating scale. A multiple baseline across groups with three phases (baseline, intervention, follow-up) was employed. Overall, visual analysis of the data suggested reciprocal teaching was an effective intervention in increasing reading comprehension abilities in students as measured by the CBM-maze probes. All three groups exhibited continual growth on the daily comprehension measures across all three phases. Implications for practice, cautions in interpreting the results, and future directions are discussed.
Target Properties Effects on Central versus Peripheral Vertical Fusion Interaction Tested on a 3D Platform

ABSTRACT Purpose: We investigated the impact of target properties on vertical fusion amplitude (VFA) using a 3D display platform; the performance of the subjects allowed us to assess how central and peripheral retina regions interact during the fusion process. Material and Methods: Fourteen subjects were involved in the test. VFA was recorded by varying the viewing distance, target complexity, disparity velocity, lighting condition and background luminance. Base-up prisms were introduced to create vertical disparity in the peripheral retinal area, whereas an offset compensation was added in the central area. Data were analyzed in JMP software using T-test and repeated-measures ANOVA tests. Results: VFA is significantly affected by target properties including viewing distance, target complexity and disparity velocity; the impact from lighting condition and background luminance is not significant. Although central retina plays a crucial role in the fusion process, peripheral regions also affect the fusion performance when stimulus size on retina and contents disparity values are modified between central and peripheral vision. Conclusion: Vertical fusion is affected by various target properties. For the first time, peripheral vertical disparity direction effects on central fusion and eye motion response have been explored. Besides, a quantitative interaction of central and peripheral fusion is observed, which could be applied in clinical measurement on binocular disease concerning central and peripheral vision conflict.
Macromodeling a phase change memory (PCM) cell by HSPICE

This paper presents a HSPICE macromodel of a phase change memory (PCM) cell. The model simulates not only the resistance change by phase (as corresponding to the two states, amorphous and crystalline), but also the temperature profile, the crystalline fraction during the programming and the drift behavior in resistance and threshold voltage. The proposed macromodel (consisting of two models) generates the I-V and R-I plots of a PCM cell at a very small error compared with experimental data. The electrical-based modeling by HSPICE allows to fully characterize the holding voltage and the continuous behavior of the PCM resistance, while assessing the impact of the programming time. Furthermore, the proposed model takes into account the drift behavior of few parameters when the PCM is not been programmed or read, making the model more realistic. Selection of the parameters is based on operational features, so the electrical characterization of the PCM is simple, easy to simulate and intuitive.
Is actual similarity necessary for attraction? A meta-analysis of actual and perceived similarity

To evaluate the impact of actual and perceived similarity on interpersonal attraction, we meta-analyzed 460 effect sizes from 313 laboratory and field investigations. Results indicated that the associations between interpersonal attraction and both actual similarity (r = .47) and perceived similarity (r = .39) were significant and large. The data also indicate that (i) actual similarity was important in no-interaction and short-interaction studies, (ii) there was a significant reduction in the effect size of actual similarity beyond no-interaction studies, and (iii) the effect of actual similarity in existing relationships was not significant. Alternatively, perceived similarity predicted attraction in no-interaction, short-interaction, and existing relationship studies. The implications of perceived similarity, rather than actual similarity, being predictive of attraction in existing relationships are discussed.
WiFi-Based Passive Bistatic Radar: Data Processing Schemes and Experimental Results

The practical feasibility of a WiFi transmissions based passive bistatic radar (PBR) is analyzed here. The required data processing steps are described including the adopted techniques for 1) the control of the signal autocorrelation function (ACF) usually yielding a high sidelobe level, and 2) the removal of the undesired signal contributions which strongly limit the useful dynamic range. The performance of the proposed techniques is firstly evaluated against simulated data generated according to the IEEE 802.11 Standards. Moreover the results are presented against a real data set collected by an experimental setup when using the conventional dual (reference and surveillance) channels PBR receiving scheme. This allows us to demonstrate the potentialities of a WiFi-based PBR for local area surveillance applications, where vehicles and people can be detected and tracked. Based on the digital nature of the exploited signals of opportunity, the attractive possibility is also investigated of avoiding the use of a dedicated receiving channel for the reference signal, by synthesizing it from the surveillance channel. This approach is shown to yield comparable performance with respect to the conventional PBR approach while yielding a remarkable saving in terms of system complexity.