Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mineral Composition of Organically Grown Wheat Genotypes: Contribution to Daily Minerals Intake

In this study, 321 winter and spring wheat genotypes were analysed for twelve nutritionally important minerals (B, Cu, Fe, Se, Mg, Zn, Ca, Mn, Mo, P, S and K). Some of the genotypes used were from multiple locations and years, resulting in a total number of 493 samples. Investigated genotypes were divided into six genotype groups i.e., selections, old landraces, primitive wheat, spelt, old cultivars and cultivars. For some of the investigated minerals higher concentrations were observed in selections, primitive wheat, and old cultivars as compared to more modern wheat material, e.g., cultivars and spelt wheat. Location was found to have a significant effect on mineral concentration for all genotype groups, although for primitive wheat, genotype had a higher impact than location. Spring wheat was observed to have significantly higher values for B, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ca, S and K as compared to winter wheat. Higher levels of several minerals were observed in the present study, as compared to previous studies carried out in inorganic systems, indicating that organic conditions with suitable genotypes may enhance mineral concentration in wheat grain. This study also showed that a very high mineral concentration, close to daily requirements, can be produced by growing specific primitive wheat genotypes in an organic farming system. Thus, by selecting genotypes for further breeding, nutritional value of the wheat flour for human consumption can be improved.
Mitochondrial respiration and Ca2+ waves are linked during fertilization and meiosis completion

Fertilization increases both cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and oxygen consumption in the egg but the relationship between these two phenomena remains largely obscure. We have measured mitochondrial oxygen consumption and the mitochondrial NADH concentration on single ascidian eggs and found that they increase in phase with each series of meiotic Ca2+ waves emitted by two pacemakers (PM1 and PM2). Oxygen consumption also increases in response to Ins(1,4,5)P3-induced Ca2+ transients. Using mitochondrial inhibitors we show that active mitochondria sequester cytosolic Ca2+ during sperm-triggered Ca2+ waves and that they are strictly necessary for triggering and sustaining the activity of the meiotic Ca2+ wave pacemaker PM2. Strikingly, the activity of the Ca2+ wave pacemaker PM2 can be restored or stimulated by flash photolysis of caged ATP. Taken together our observations provide the first evidence that, in addition to buffering cytosolic Ca2+, the egg's mitochondria are stimulated by Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated Ca2+ signals. In turn, mitochondrial ATP production is required to sustain the activity of the meiotic Ca2+ wave pacemaker PM2.
Modals and quasi‐modals in world Englishes

: This paper reports findings from a study of the frequency and distribution of a set of modals and quasi-modals in nine matching corpora representing British, American, Australian, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indian and Kenyan English. The analysis presented is form-based, with meanings dealt with only in an exemplary, qualitative manner. The findings are discussed in the light of two complementary trends noted by corpus linguists: a rise in the popularity of the quasi-modals, and a decline in that of the modals. The study notes a strong tendency for American English to be leading the way in these developments within the four ‘Inner Circle’ varieties, and for the South-East Asian varieties as a set to be leading the way within the ‘Outer Circle’ varieties. The evidence furthermore indicates that stylistic variation is a contributing factor in the trends observed, with quasi-modals flourishing in speech and their modal counterparts more at home in written registers.
The Social Organization of Street Gang Activity in an Urban Ghetto

This essay draws on long‐term ethnographic data to analyze the shifting relations between street gangs and their broader community. The essay focuses on one particular moment in the evolution of a ghetto‐based street gang, namely its attempt to “corporatize” by accumulating revenues in underground economies, in order to demonstrate that neither the structure nor the practices of the street gang can be understood apart from the social organizational context of the larger community it inhabits.
Whole-Brain Voxel-Based Morphometry in Kallmann Syndrome Associated with Mirror Movements

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are 2 main hypotheses concerning the cause of mirror movements (MM) in Kallmann syndrome (KS): abnormal development of the primary motor system, involving the ipsilateral corticospinal tract; and lack of contralateral motor cortex inhibitory mechanisms, mainly through the corpus callosum. The purpose of our study was to determine white and gray matter volume changes in a KS population by using optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and to investigate the relationship between the abnormalities and the presence of MM, addressing the 2 mentioned hypotheses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T1-weighted volumetric images from 21 patients with KS and 16 matched control subjects were analyzed with optimized VBM. Images were segmented and spatially normalized, and these deformation parameters were then applied to the original images before the second segmentation. Patients were divided into groups with and without MM, and a t test statistic was then applied on a voxel-by-voxel basis between the groups and controls to evaluate significant differences. RESULTS: When considering our hypothesis a priori, we found that 2 areas of increased gray matter volume, in the left primary motor and sensorimotor cortex, were demonstrated only in patients with MM, when compared with healthy controls. Regarding white matter alterations, no areas of altered volume involving the corpus callosum or the projection of the corticospinal tract were demonstrated. CONCLUSION: The VBM study did not show significant white matter changes in patients with KS but showed gray matter alterations in keeping with a hypertrophic response to a deficient pyramidal decussation in patients with MM. In addition, gray matter alterations were observed in patients without MM, which can represent more complex mechanisms determining the presence or absence of this symptom.
Teaching for self or others? Lessons from an educator's log

In this paper, I present the findings of a self‐study into my teaching practices as a sociology‐of‐education lecturer working in the pre‐service teacher education programme of a regional university in New South Wales, Australia. The principal data source is a logbook of the teaching practices which characterised several tutorial classes taught in 2007. To understand these practices, the paper draws upon Aristotle's concepts of techne and praxis, and Bourdieu's understanding of practices as socially constructed and contested. The paper situates tensions between more technicist and praxis‐oriented teaching approaches to pre‐service teacher education, within the teacher education and university contexts in which these classes were undertaken. In doing so, the paper reveals tensions between assessment‐driven and more authentic teaching practices, and more student‐ and teacher‐centred teaching practices. The paper also shows how accountability pressures within tertiary settings have led to a more instrumental approach to tertiary teaching. I conclude that there is a need for greater attention to the conditions of work which influence teacher educators' practices, rather than fetishising individualistic instantiations of such practices.
Mandatory reporting of domestic violence cases in Cyprus; barriers to the effectiveness of mandatory reporting and issues for future practice

Domestic violence and child abuse rates have been slowly but steadily increasing since 2000 in Cyprus. Both the police and social services departments report alarming changes in the way families function nowadays in Cyprus. However this is not a new problem. In order to monitor the phenomenon and to be able to design policy programmes, the law services introduced, in 1998, mandatory reporting of all child abuse and domestic violence cases to the Attorney General's Office. Seven years later there were no signs of significant changes, and the real causes for this were unknown. The aim of this paper is to report on the evaluation of mandatory reporting. The study investigated causes and obstacles that seemed to lead to the insufficient implementation of mandatory reporting. The views of all stakeholders involved were collected. Findings indicated that although several services make use of mandatory reporting, they report gaps in the policy, poor planning on behalf of the law services and lack of coordination and communication between all the services involved. Findings suggest the development of a mediator scheme, which can act as a screening point and liaise with the final service (Attorney General's Office) and reporters/services.
Evaluation and measurement of pain in the aging process

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate pain in the aging process in long-term care institutions. The study included 46 elderly subjects of both genders and with chronic pain. Descriptors of chronic pain were analyzed using psychophysical category estimation methods, and the thematic content of semi-structured interviews was analyzed. Chronic pain was perceived in 33.33% of the elderly subjects. For the descriptors of pain, the results showed higher scores for “painful. ” In the interview, the thematic units were time, start of symptoms, coping, pain-related causes, current situation, and other perceptions about pain. Pain was related to physical, emotional, and cognitive factors. The present results shed light on “pain” and “aging” phenomena and may contribute to improving the management of pain symptoms in long-term institution residents. Keywords: pain, pain measurement, aging, long-term institutions.
Anti-leptospiral activities of an endemic plant Glyptopetalum calocarpum (Kurz.) Prain used as a medicinal plant by Nicobarese of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Leaves of an endemic plant Glyptopetalum calocarpum are used by Nicobarese tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, to prepare traditional medicine for treating fever. In the present investigation, pharmacologically active compounds were isolated from this plant and their antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated against the leptospiral strains. The anti-leptospiral activity of six plant-derived compounds was determined by both microdilution and macrodilution methods. Two out of six compounds, namely lupenone and stigmasterol, showed anti-leptospiral activity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the two compounds tested against pathogenic leptospiral strains belonging to 10 serovars were in the range of 100–200 μg/mL. The range of minimum bactericidal concentrations was 400–800 μg/mL. Compounds lupenone, stigmasterol, lupeol, β-amyrin and β-amyrin acetate had negligible or no haemolytic activity, exhibiting IC50 values of greater than 5 mg/mL. Further in vivo studies are needed to investigate the pharmacological and toxicological properties of G. calocarpum before it can be considered as a new anti-leptospiral agent.
Input Vs Constraints: Early Word Acquisition in Korean and English

Abstract The role of constraints on word meanings in helping children acquire object names has recently been questioned. For instance, Gopnik and Choi (1990, 1995) argued that the prevalence of object names among early words in languages such as English could be accounted for by the prevalence and salience of nouns in the input. The present studies compared linguistic input and early vocabularies in Korean and English. Far more verbs than nouns appeared in salient positions in Korean adults′ speech to infants, whereas the opposite was true for English (Study 1). Nonetheless, both Korean- and English- speaking infants acquired nouns-mostly object names-much faster than verbs (Studies 2a, 2b, and 2c). These results suggest that constraints on word meanings, more so than natural variations in input, are important for explaining basic patterns of semantic development across languages.
APPLICANT WITHDRAWAL: THE ROLE OF TEST‐TAKING ATTITUDES AND RACIAL DIFFERENCES

The role of test-taking attitudes in the decisions of applicants to withdraw from a selection process was examined. Measures of test-taking attitudes were administered to 3,290 police officer applicants. Interviews were conducted with 618 applicants who withdrew from the selection process. Comparative anxiety, motivation, and literacy scales were found to predict withdrawal, but the effects were quite small. African-Americans were more likely to withdraw. Small race differences were found on test attitude scales. The requirement of taking a test was not a major factor in applicant withdrawal; procedural fairness and several other factors appeared to play a greater role. A model of applicant withdrawal is proposed based on the qualitative data from applicants who withdrew.
Japanese Dependency Analysis using Cascaded Chunking

In this paper, we propose a new statistical Japanese dependency parser using a cascaded chunking model. Conventional Japanese statistical dependency parsers are mainly based on a probabilistic model, which is not always efficient or scalable. We propose a new method that is simple and efficient, since it parses a sentence deterministically only deciding whether the current segment modifies the segment on its immediate right hand side. Experiments using the Kyoto University Corpus show that the method outperforms previous systems as well as improves the parsing and training efficiency.
Serum lipid profiles in patients with beta-thalassemia major and intermedia in southern Iran

BACKGROUND: Beta-thalassemia is considered to be the most frequent hereditary blood disorder worldwide. Lipid abnormalities have been detected in different types of beta-thalassemia. The aim of this study is to assess the lipid profiles in beta-thalassemia major (BTM) and beta-thalassemia intermedia (BTI) patients in southern Iran. METHODS: The study group consisted of 55 BTM patients and 50 BTI patients. The control group included 130 sex-and age-matched healthy participants. Serum lipids profiles (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol) as well as hemoglobin (Hb) and ferritin, were compared between the three groups. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between BTM and BTI patients regarding age or sex. Mean triglyceride concentration was not significantly different between patients and controls. Total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower in patients with BTM and BTI in comparison with controls (p < 0.001). HDL-cholesterol was significantly lower in patients with BTI than in controls (p < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with BTM and BTI, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were lower than in control participants. The mechanisms that may account for these findings are increased erythropoiesis and cholesterol consumption in BTI, and iron overload and oxidative stress in BTM.
The Impact of Continuous and Interval Cycle Exercise on Affect and Enjoyment

Rates of physical activity remain low despite public health efforts. One form of physical activity that provides significant physiological benefit but has not been evaluated in terms of affective and enjoyment responses is interval exercise. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare affect and enjoyment assessed before, during, and after interval and continuous exercise sessions. Method: Twenty-four participants (12 men, 12 women; body mass index = 24 ± 4, maximal oxygen consumption = 41 ± 5 mL/kg/min) completed a maximal cycle ergometer test used to prescribe experimental trials: (a) moderate continuous, (b) heavy continuous, (c) heavy interval, and (d) severe interval. All trials were 20 min in length, and all intervals utilized 60-s segments and a 1:1 work-to-rest ratio. Results: Affective and enjoyment responses were significantly less positive for the heavy continuous trials in comparison with all other trials during exercise (p < .05; ES = .2–.8). Additionally, both severe and heavy interval exercise were more enjoyable than heavy continuous exercise (p > .05). Conclusion: Findings suggest that interval protocols produce affective and enjoyment responses that are equal to moderate continuous exercise and more positive than heavy continuous exercise. These results indicate that interval-based exercise may be a viable alternative to continuous exercise in the promotion of health and fitness.
Evaluating community policing: quality police service and fear of crime

Discusses the relationship between quality service and fear of crime as measures of community policing. Reports on a survey which asked 500 residents of Austin, Texas, their perception of safety (an aspect of fear of crime) and their perception of the quality of police service. Indicates that there is little relationship between citizen’s perception of safety and the quality of police services. The strongest relationship was found between perception of safety in the home and citizen’s general knowledge of the police department. Suggests that fear of crime is in many ways a theoretical concept that needs to be explained better if practitioners of community policing are going to measure their success against it.
Hepatitis C: a review for primary care physicians

Primary care physicians see many of the estimated 250 000 Canadians chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Of this number, about one-third are unaware they are infected, which constitutes a large hidden epidemic. They continue to spread HCV unknowingly and cannot benefit from advances in antiviral therapy that may clear them of the virus. Many HCV-infected people remain asymptomatic, which means it is important to assess for risk factors and test patients accordingly. The third-generation enzyme immunoassay for HCV antibodies is a sensitive and specific test, although the presence of the virus can be confirmed by polymerase chain reaction testing for HCV RNA in some circumstances. Pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin combination therapy clears the virus in about 45%–80% of patients, depending on viral genotype. Preventive strategies and counselling recommendations are also reviewed.
Coping with stress: the perspective of international students

This study explores how stress is experienced by international students in the creative arts at the University of the Arts, London. 141 students from six geographical areas were interviewed in their own language by social science postgraduates from various institutions within the University of London. The findings are in line with those of much current work on international students generally, though some are specific to the creative arts. While problems connected with language are the most widespread cause of stress, other less obvious issues are also important. Alongside the well-known phenomenon of 'culture shock' is what has been called 'academic shock' or 'study shock' - the difficulties of transition to a different system of teaching and learning, and of integration with peers and communication with tutors (which might also be described as 'social shock'). The problems experienced by international students are not all peculiar or specific to them, but such students, a long way from their own cultural, social and linguistic environment, are more likely to feel the cumulative nature of the potential difficulties to which they are exposing themselves by studying abroad.
Studies of human motor physiology with transcranial magnetic stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a safe, noninvasive, and painless way to stimulate the human motor cortex in behaving human subjects. When it is applied as a single‐pulse, measurements such as central conduction time, motor threshold, silent‐period duration, recruitment curve, and mapping of muscle representation can be determined. Paired‐pulse TMS is a useful way to examine cortical excitability. Single and paired‐pulse TMS have been applied to study plasticity following amputation and cortical excitability in patients with dystonia. Another form of TMS is repetitive TMS (rTMS), with stimuli delivered repeatedly to a single scalp site. High‐frequency rTMS can be used to transiently inactivate different cortical areas to study their functions. rTMS can also modulate cortical excitability. At stimulus frequencies higher than 5 Hz, rTMS increases cortical excitability, and stimulation around 1 Hz reduces cortical excitability. Modulation of cortical excitability by rTMS has therapeutic potential in psychiatric and neurological disorders. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve Supplement 9:S26–S32, 2000.
Relative Cohort Size and Youth Crime in the United States, 1953-1984

This paper tests the cohort size hypothesis that crime rates fluctuate according to the relative size of the age (birth) cohort. The hypothesis is tested using arrest statistics of the Uniform Crime Reports for the years 1953-84. Statistics on the Index Crime rate and on the individual index crimes are included in the analysis. The age-period-cohort analysis reveals large age and period effects but small cohort effects. The statistical tests demonstrate that cohort size is not a good predictor of cohort variability. No cohort size effect emerges on the Index Crime Rate or in the individual index crimes. Thus, the data do not support the hypothesis. We suggest possible explanations for these contrary findings and speculate that the cohort size thesis is flawed on theoretical grounds.
Inbreeding and diseases: demographic, genetic, and epidemiologic perspectives.

The demographic and quantitative genetic aspects of consanguineous marriages are reviewed before epidemiologic principles are applied to the hundreds of studies reviewed, and 3 in particular. Consanguineous unions range from cousin-cousin to more distant relatedness, and their prevalence varies by culture. Prevalence is highest in Arab countries, followed by India, Japan, Brazil and Israel. They are most common in lower educational and socioeconomic groups, the traditionally religious, and the early married, but are declining with modernization. Consanguinity is measured by geneticists by the inbreeding coefficient, the mean consanguinity of a population, and the concept of genetic load. Recessive genes may be deleterious or beneficial if heterozygous in local conditions. Bayesian statistics can predict by the coefficient of increase the probability of disease in offspring as a function of consanguinity and disease characteristics. Inbreeding generally increases prereproductive mortality; crude mortality increases with inbreeding in proportion to the mortality rate. Morbidity increases significantly with inbreeding in many diseases studies in many countries. Epidemiologic studies usually measure inbreeding effects in terms of genetic load, which is not readily translatable into morbidity and mortality. Several methods of computing results of epidemiologic studies are discussed, as well as methodological study design problems. Confounding is the most difficult problem in these studies, because of the difficulty in selecting non-inbred controls. Future inbreeding studies should be interpreted based on both genetic and epidemiologic grounds to illuminate the role of genetic factors and the relevance of inbreeding to disease and public health.