Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Care Ethics and Natural Law Theory: Toward an Institutional Political Theory of Caring

Feminist care ethics have generally been considered too particular and situational to provide the basis for an institutional political theory. In recent years, however, a number of feminist authors have demonstrated care ethics' applicability to general moral and political problems. Yet they have not yet developed an institutionally based caring political theory. This article outlines such a theory by drawing upon contemporary natural law theory. It is argued that contemporary natural law theory provides a framework for formulating a caring political theory, and, alternatively, that care theory provides a foundation for justifying a form of natural law theory.
Effects of Modafinil on Cognitive Performance During 40 Hr of Sleep Deprivation in a Warm Environment

This study examined the effect of the psychostimulant modafinil on cognitive performance during 40 hr of sleep deprivation in a warm environment. Five men were randomly assigned to a modafinil (3 × 100 mg/24 hr) and a placebo trial on consecutive weeks, with a 5-day intervening “wash-out” period. Each trial involved a thermoneutral control day (outside of the climatic chamber) followed by a 40-hr sleep deprivation period in a climatic chamber at 30°C with 50% relative humidity. Ten cognitive testing sessions were conducted on each trial; each session lasted approximately 45 min, and they occurred at 6-hr intervals. The task battery included subjective assessments of mood, fatigue, and motivation and cognitive assessments of serial reaction time, logical reasoning (logical reasoning task [LRT]), visual comparison (CMP), mental addition (ADD), vigilance (detection of repeated numbers [DRN]), and multitasking. In addition, for 4 of the cognitive tasks that permitted a quantitative index of response accuracy (i.e., LRT, CMP, DRN, and ADD), participants provided estimates of their performance before and after each session to permit an evaluation of the extent to which they could accurately self-monitor their own cognitive abilities. The findings revealed that (a) despite significant increases in core body temperature, cognitive performance was largely unaffected by the warm environment per se; (b) sleep loss induced a general reduction in cognitive performance that was largely but not completely eliminated by modafinil; and (c) participants were able to accurately self-monitor their own cognitive capabilities during both the placebo and modafinil trials. In this article, we discuss the potential utility of modafinil in sustained military operations and the general implications of these findings for Hancock's (1986) theory of sustained attention under thermal stress.
New understandings of gender and language classroom research: texts, teacher talk and student talk

While gender has been an ongoing if sometimes peripheral area of interest for researchers and practitioners in language education, conceptualizations of gender itself have developed apace. This means that, unfortunately, gender is at times viewed in an outdated way in language education, resulting in oversimplification and unproductive generalizations. In particular, women and girls are sometimes simplistically represented as victims of gender bias in language textbooks, and of male dominance in the classroom. This picture is far from being the full one, does little, I would argue, to help female students, and may mislead teachers. In this paper I present a rather more complex picture. I illustrate some subtleties and complexities of gender in language education, and suggest some implications of research for educational practice. I also demonstrate alternatives for research into gender and language classrooms, showing both how the more familiar approaches can be fruitfully developed and how researchers can go beyond them. It is important that both researchers working in the area of gender and language education, and teachers in their practice, should be able to engage with considerations of agency, individuality and diversity, while not losing sight of the still-important notions of disadvantage and of gender itself.
Survival Chances of Newly Founded Business Organizations

Uses human capital theory and organizational ecology to explore the success of newly formed firms. Human capital focuses on the firm's founder and his/her background whereas organizational ecology considers the characteristics of the organization and its environmental conditions. Data used in the analysis were collected from 1,849 firm founders in Germany whose firms were formed in 1985-1986. Variables used were survival time, general and specific human capital of the founder, newness of the firm, initial size, organizational strategies, location, branch of industry, and market conditions. Of the firms considered, almost one-fourth had failed in the first two years, and 37% had failed within five years. The firms with founders who had more work experience and schooling improved their chances of survival. Those businesses that were novel were more likely to survive than those firms that were considered followers. Overall, the results show that all human capital variables considered have strong selection effects. (SRD)
Barriers to the Progress of Women and Minority Faculty

Recent decades brought dramatic change to postsecondary education. Institutions experienced unprecedented growth, particularly following World War II, and student bodies moved toward greater gender, cultural, and racial inclusiveness. Changes seen among students are not, however, mirrored in faculties. During those growth years, the proportion of women and minority faculty relative to all academics did not increase significantly. Further, absolute numbers remained small, particularly at senior ranks and when predominantly minority institutions are excluded. In this article we summarize statistical data and discuss three explanations for these numbers. One explanation is the small pool of potential and actual candidates. A second is the ineffectiveness of affirmative
Phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Gliocladiopsis

Using a global set of isolates and a phylogenetic approach employing DNA sequence data from five genes (β-tubulin, histone H3, internal transcribed spacer region, 28S large subunit region and translation elongation factor 1-α), the taxonomic status of the genus Gliocladiopsis (Glionectria) (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) was re-evaluated. Gliocladiopsis sagariensis is reinstated as type species for the genus, which proved to be distinct from its former synonym, G. tenuis. The purported teleomorph state of G. tenuis, Glionectria tenuis, is shown to be distinct based on morphological comparisons supported by phylogenetic inference, and is provided with a new name, Gliocladiopsis pseudotenuis. A further four species, mostly isolated from soil, are newly described, namely G. curvata (New Zealand, Ecuador and Indonesia), G. elghollii (USA), G. indonesiensis (Indonesia) and G. mexicana (Mexico). Although species of Gliocladiopsis are frequently isolated from roots of diseased plants or plant litter in soil, little is presently known of their ecology, or potential role as plant pathogens.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation of Pseudocercospora fijiensis to Determine the Role of PfHog1 in Osmotic Stress Regulation and Virulence Modulation

Black Sigatoka disease, caused by Pseudocercospora fijiensis is a serious constraint to banana production worldwide. The disease continues to spread in new ecological niches and there is an urgent need to develop strategies for its control. The high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well known to respond to changes in external osmolarity. HOG pathway activation leads to phosphorylation, activation and nuclear transduction of the HOG1 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). The activated HOG1 triggers several responses to osmotic stress, including up or down regulation of different genes, regulation of protein translation, adjustments to cell cycle progression and synthesis of osmolyte glycerol. This study investigated the role of the MAPK-encoding PfHog1 gene on osmotic stress adaptation and virulence of P. fijiensis. RNA interference-mediated gene silencing of PfHog1 significantly suppressed growth of P. fijiensis on potato dextrose agar media supplemented with 1 M NaCl, indicating that PfHog1 regulates osmotic stress. In addition, virulence of the PfHog1-silenced mutants of P. fijiensis on banana was significantly reduced, as observed from the low rates of necrosis and disease development on the infected leaves. Staining with lacto phenol cotton blue further confirmed the impaired mycelial growth of the PfHog1 in the infected leaf tissues, which was further confirmed with quantification of the fungal biomass using absolute- quantitative PCR. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that PfHog1 plays a critical role in osmotic stress regulation and virulence of P. fijiensis on its host banana. Thus, PfHog1 could be an interesting target for the control of black Sigatoka disease in banana.
Taxes, regulations, and the value of U.S. and U.K. corporations

We derive the quantitative implications of growth theory for U.S. corporate equity plus net debt over the period 1960{2001. There were large secular movements in corporate equity values relative to GDP, with dramatic declines in the 1970s and dramatic increases starting in the 1980s and continuing throughout the 1990s. During the same period, there was little change in the capital-output ratio or earnings share of output. We ask specically whether the theory accounts for these observations. We nd that it does, with the critical factor being changes in the U.S. tax and regulatory system. We nd that the theory also accounts for the even larger movements in U.K. equity values relative to GDP in this period.
Organizational Commitment as a Mediator of the Relationship between Islamic Work Ethic and Attitudes toward Organizational Change

This study investigates the role of organizational commitment as a mediator between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and attitudes toward organizational change. The study uses a sample of 474 employees from 30 organizations in five districts in the United Arab Emirates. The results of path analysis indicate that the IWE directly and positively influences various dimensions of both attitudes toward organizational change and organizational commitment. Furthermore, affective commitment mediates the influences of the IWE on both affective and behavioral tendency dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change. On the other hand, continuance and normative commitments mediate the influences of the IWE on cognitive dimension of attitudes toward change, while continuance commitment mediates the influences of the IWE on the behavioral tendency dimension of attitudes toward change. Implications, limitations and lines of future research are discussed.
A multisite study to examine the efficacy of the otoacoustic emission/automated auditory brainstem response newborn hearing screening protocol: introduction and overview of the study.

PURPOSE This article is the 1st in a series of 4 articles on a recently completed multistate study of newborn hearing screening. METHOD The study examined the efficacy of the 2-stage otoacoustic emission/automated auditory brainstem response (OAE/A-ABR) protocol for identifying hearing loss in newborns. RESULTS The study found that the 2-stage OAE/A-ABR protocol did miss a significant number of babies who exhibited a permanent hearing loss by 1 year of age. Three subsequent articles will describe the research design and results in detail, discuss the behavioral assessment of infants, and summarize the implications of the study for policy, practice, and research.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Photosystem 0 : A Postulated Primitive Photosystem that Generates ATP in Fluctuating

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Oligodendrocytes secrete exosomes containing major myelin and stress‐protective proteins: Trophic support for axons?

Oligodendrocytes synthesize the CNS myelin sheath by enwrapping axonal segments with elongations of their plasma membrane. Spatial and temporal control of membrane traffic is a prerequisite for proper myelin formation. The major myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) accumulates in late endosomal storage compartments and multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Fusion of MVBs with the plasma membrane results in the release of the intralumenal vesicles, termed exosomes, into the extracellular space. Here, we show that cultured oligodendrocytes secrete exosomes carrying major amounts of PLP and 2′3′‐cyclic‐nucleotide‐phosphodiesterase (CNP). These exosomes migrated at the characteristic density of 1.10−1.14 g/mL in sucrose density gradients. Treatment of primary oligodendrocytes with the calcium‐ionophore ionomycin markedly increased the release of PLP‐containing exosomes, indicating that oligodendroglial exosome secretion is regulated by cytosolic calcium levels. A proteomic analysis of the exosomal fraction isolated by sucrose density centrifugation revealed in addition to PLP and CNP, myelin basic protein (MBP) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) as constituents of oligodendroglial exosomes, together with a striking group of proteins with proposed functions in the relief of cell stress. Oligodendroglial exosome secretion may contribute to balanced production of myelin proteins and lipids, but in addition exosomes may embody a signaling moiety involved in glia‐mediated trophic support to axons.
Left Bundle-Branch Block Induced by Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Increases Risk of Death

Background— Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a novel therapy for treatment of severe aortic stenosis. Although 30% to 50% of patients develop new left bundle-branch block (LBBB), its effect on clinical outcome is unclear. Methods and Results— Data were collected in a multicenter registry encompassing TAVI patients from 2005 until 2010. The all-cause mortality rate at follow-up was compared between patients who did and did not develop new LBBB. Of 679 patients analyzed, 387 (57.0%) underwent TAVI with the Medtronic CoreValve System and 292 (43.0%) with the Edwards SAPIEN valve. A total of 233 patients (34.3%) developed new LBBB. Median follow-up was 449.5 (interquartile range, 174–834) days in patients with and 450 (interquartile range, 253–725) days in patients without LBBB (P=0.90). All-cause mortality was 37.8% (n=88) in patients with LBBB and 24.0% (n=107) in patients without LBBB (P=0.002). By multivariate regression analysis, independent predictors of all-cause mortality were TAVI-induced LBBB (hazard ratio [HR], 1.54; confidence interval [CI], 1.12–2.10), chronic obstructive lung disease (HR, 1.56; CI, 1.15–2.10), female sex (HR, 1.39; CI, 1.04–1.85), left ventricular ejection fraction ⩽50% (HR, 1.38; CI, 1.02–1.86), and baseline creatinine (HR, 1.32; CI, 1.19–1.43). LBBB was more frequent after implantation of the Medtronic CoreValve System than after Edwards SAPIEN implantation (51.1% and 12.0%, respectively; P<0.001), but device type did not influence the mortality risk of TAVI-induced LBBB. Conclusions— All-cause mortality after TAVI is higher in patients who develop LBBB than in patients who do not. TAVI-induced LBBB is an independent predictor of mortality.
Osteopontin and Other Regulators of Angiogenesis and Fibrogenesis in the Vitreous from Patients with Proliferative Vitreoretinal Disorders

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of the angiogenic and fibrogenic factors osteopontin (OPN), high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and the antiangiogenic and antifibrogenic pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) in the vitreous fluid from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with no PVR (RD). Vitreous samples from 48 PDR, 17 PVR and 30 RD patients were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. OPN, HMGB1, CTGF, and PEDF levels were significantly higher in PDR patients than in RD patients (P < 0.001; 0.002; <0.001; <0.001, resp.). CTGF and PEDF levels were significantly higher in PVR patients than in RD patients (P < 0.001; 0.004, resp.). Exploratory logistic regression analysis identified significant associations between PDR and high levels of HMGB1, CTGF and PEDF, between PDR with active neovascularization and high levels of CTGF and PEDF, and between PDR with traction retinal detachment and high levels of HMGB1. In patients with PDR, there were significant correlations between the levels of PEDF and the levels of OPN (r = 0.544, P = 0.001), HMGB1 (r = 0.719, P < 0.001), and CTGF (r = 0.715, P < 0.001). In patients with PVR, there were significant correlations between the levels of OPN and the levels of HMGB1 (r = 0.484, P = 0.049) and PEDF (r = 0.559, P = 0.02). Our findings suggest that OPN, HMGB1, and CTGF contribute to the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinal disorders and that increased levels of PEDF may be a response to counterbalance the activity of angiogenic and fibrogenic factors in PDR and PVR.
Age-related treatment response following non-surgical periodontal therapy.

BACKGROUND To date, no studies have evaluated the effect of patient age on the treatment response following non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). AIM To evaluate the outcomes of NSPT in two cohorts of patients with a substantial age difference. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two groups of periodontitis patients with a substantial age difference (younger group, Y, and older group, O) were retrospectively selected. The effectiveness of NSPT was assessed by evaluating the changes in the prevalence of sites with different pocket probing depths (PPD) as well as the changes in patient- and site-specific bleeding on probing (BoP) scores. RESULTS Y group comprised 57 patients, mean age: 34.7 +/- 4.4 years, and O group comprised 60 patients, mean age: 58.9 +/- 5.3 years (p<0.0001). NSPT resulted in a significant improvement of PPD and BoP in both age groups. No statistically significant inter-group differences were observed in the investigated clinical parameters as well as their changes with respect to pre-treatment. However, multiple regression analysis showed a significantly higher risk of showing residual pockets following treatment in group O. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study seem to indicate that age has a limited effect on treatment response following NSPT in periodontitis patients.
Changes in the Muscarinic Receptors on the Colonic Smooth Muscles of Rats with Spinal Cord Injury

Objective To investigate changes in (1) the colonic response to acetylcholine (Ach), (2) the muscarinic (M) receptors in the colon, and (3) the levels of colonic contraction-related proteins after a spinal cord injury (SCI). Method We divided 16 Sprague-Dawley rats into 2 groups: the control group and the SCI group. A spinal cord transection was performed surgically at the T10 vertebral level. After 1 week, the entire colon was divided into 2 segments, the proximal and distal colon. Each segment was mounted in a longitudinal or circular muscle direction in a 10-ml organ bath. We determined the intergroup differences as percentage changes in contractility after Ach treatment alone, Ach treatment with M2 receptor antagonist (AQ-RA741) pretreatment, and Ach treatment with M3 receptor antagonist (4-DAMP) pretreatment. Western blot analyses were performed to determine the expression level of RhoA, and heat shock protein 27 (HSP27). Results Compared to the control rats, the SCI rats showed an increased response to Ach along both the directions in the proximal colon (p<0.05). Compared to the control group, in the SCI group, the Ach response was significantly different in the proximal segment under AQ-RA741 pretreatment (p<0.05) and in the distal segment under 4-DAMP pretreatment (p<0.05). Findings of the western blot analyses showed a significant decrease in the level of protein gene product 9.5 in the proximal and distal colon and a significant increase in the level of RhoA and HSP27 in the proximal colon of the SCI rats. Conclusion Our results suggest that changes in colonic contractility after SCI are partly attributable to changes in the M receptor subtypes.
Multidimensional Self-Esteem and Test Derogation After Negative Feedback

The present study has advanced the literature on self-esteem and self-enhancement by examining the joint impact of global, academic, and physical ability self-esteems on self-serving biases after students received negative feedback on a word-association test. We hypothesised that global self-esteem and academic self-esteem would be positively correlated with test derogation after negative feedback, and physical ability self-esteem would be uncorrelated with test derogation after negative feedback. Three samples of undergraduate students (N 203; N 134; N 132) completed multidimensional self-esteem questionnaires. In Samples 1 and 2, participants then received negative feedback (a poor word-association test score) and were given an opportunity to self-enhance by derogating the test. In Sample 3 (N 132) participants viewed a difficult test, but did not receive feedback. Students with high academic self-esteem engaged in more test derogation in all 3 samples. Physical ability and global self-esteems were unrelated to test derogation. These results held when results were combined across all 3 samples using meta-analysis. Results for academic and physical self-esteem were consistent with theory on self-threat; however, results for global self-esteem were anomalous. Future researchers might use experimental methods or examine other key covariates to explore these findings more fully.
Young Children’s Conceptions of Rainfall: A Study of Their Oral and Pictorial Explanations

This study examines the conceptual understanding of the mechanisms of rainwater among elementary educational level children by means of two different experimental procedures: a semi-open questionnaire and drawings. The sample study comes from four different schools located in The Basque Autonomous Community (Spain) and is comprised of 124 children enrolled in two different educational levels: the final course of preschool education (5-6 year old children) and the first course of primary education (6-7 year old children). This paper describes the differences with regard to the performance in the drawing tasks among children from the different educational levels considered in the investigation. However, no difference was found concerning their verbal explanations. The results are discussed in the light of a socio-cultural standpoint. Therefore, the study attempts to contribute to the growing body of investigations that aim to understand the process of the comprehension of natural phenomena during the early education.