Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microstructural and geochemical perspectives on planktic foraminiferal preservation: “Glassy” versus “Frosty”

In recent years it has become apparent that the “cool tropic paradox” of Paleogene and Cretaceous “greenhouse” climates arises because of the diagenetic alteration of tropical planktic foraminiferal calcite near the seafloor, yielding artificially high δ18O values. Because the Mg/Ca compositions of foraminiferal and inorganic calcite are thought to be quite different, Mg/Ca measurements should be a sensitive way of monitoring diagenetic alteration. Here we examine the extent of diagenetic alteration of Eocene planktic foraminiferal calcite using scanning electron microscope imaging of foraminiferal test microstructures and geochemical (δ18O and Mg/Ca) analyses. We compare microstructural and geochemical characteristics between given species exhibiting two contrasting states of preservation: those that appear “frosty” under reflected light and those that appear “glassy. ” Microstructural evidence reveals extensive diagenetic alteration of frosty foraminiferal tests at the micron scale, while δ18O analyses document consistently higher δ18O (and therefore lower paleotemperatures) in this material. Yet we find that δ18O offsets between species in these frosty foraminiferal assemblages appear to be generally preserved, suggesting that frosty foraminifera remain valuable for generating relatively short (approximately ≤1 Myr) paleoceanographic time series that do not demand absolute estimates of paleotemperature. We also find that the observed increase in Mg/Ca for planktic foraminifera exhibiting diagenetic alteration (compared to glassy taphonomies) is far smaller than would be expected from the addition of inorganic calcite based on laboratory‐derived Mg2+ partition coefficients. Our findings imply that a much lower Mg2+ partition coefficient controls inorganic calcite formation in deep sea sedimentary sections, in accordance with the findings of Baker et al. (1982).
Evaluation of a Portable Automated Serum Chemistry Analyzer for Field Assessment of Harlequin Ducks, Histrionicus histrionicus

A portable analytical chemistry analyzer was used to make field assessments of wild harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in association with telemetry studies of winter survival in Prince William Sound, Alaska. We compared serum chemistry results obtained on-site with results from a traditional laboratory. Particular attention was paid to serum glucose and potassium concentrations as potential indicators of high-risk surgical candidates based on evaluation of the field data. The median differential for glucose values (N = 82) between methods was 0.6 mmol/L (quartiles 0.3 and 0.9 mmol/L) with the median value higher when assayed on site. Analysis of potassium on site returned a median of 2.7 mmol/L (N = 88; quartiles 2.4 and 3.0 mmol/L). Serum potassium values were too low for quantitation by the traditional laboratory. Changes in several serum chemistry values following a three-day storm during the study support the value of on site evaluation of serum potassium to identify presurgical patients with increased anesthetic risk.
Nostalgia and Self-Enhancement

We addressed phenotypic and genetic research questions regarding nostalgia and self-enhancement. At the phenotypic level (178 university students; Study 1), we found that nostalgia was moderately associated with self-enhancement. At the genotypic level (232 twin pairs; Study 2), we found that nostalgia, self-enhancement, and their relation were largely heritable. Our findings shed light on two heavily investigated traits and open up exciting research directions.
<1032> DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL ASSAYS

BRIEFING 1 2 <1032> Design and Development of Biological Assays. This General Chapter 3 Design and Development of Bioassays <1032> is one of an integrated group of new 4 General Chapters that provide guidance across several complementary bioassay topics. 5 The others include Biological Assay Validation <1033>; Analysis of Biological Assay 6 <1034>; and an as-yet unnumbered " roadmap " chapter that will include a glossary 7 applicable to General Chapters <1032>–<1034>. The group arose from one source, 8 General Chapter Design and Analysis of Biological Assays <111>, that is now official in 9 the US Pharmacopeia (USP). The partitioning of chapters to different aspects of 10 biological assays allows both greater focus and clarity and the opportunity to expand on 11 issues. As the group of General Chapters evolves, General Chapter <111> will remain 12 in modified form. Thus the entire group when completed will consist of five USP General 13 Chapters. 14 15 The Bioassay Development ad hoc Advisory Panel of the Statistics Expert Committee 16 encourages input from all interested parties regarding the proposed <1032>. USP's 17 intent is to reflect the best contemporary practices regarding the design and 18 development of bioassays. This will be achieved when members of the bioassay 19 community take advantage of this opportunity to engage in <1032>'s development by 20 responding to this In-Process Revision. Comments regarding <1032> should be sent to 21 Tina S. Morris, PhD (tsm@usp.org). 24 25 1. INTRODUCTION 26 27 1.1 Purpose 28 29 General Chapter Design and Development of Biological Assays <1032> presents 30 methodology for the development of bioassay procedures that have sound experimental 31 design, that provide data that can be analyzed using well-founded statistical principles, 32 and that are fit for their specific use. 33 34 General Chapter <1032> is one of a group of five planned General Chapters that focus 35 on relative potency assays, in which the activity of a Test material is quantified by 36 comparison to the activity of a Standard material. However, many of the principles can 37 be applied to other assay systems. 38 39 This General Chapter is intended to guide the design and development of a bioassay for 40 a drug product intended for commercial distribution. Although adoption of this chapter's 41 recommended methods may be resource intensive during initial drug development, 42 early implementation may yield benefits. 43 44 1.2 Audience 45 46
Distributing the power of a government to enhance the privacy of voters

In this paper, we distribute the functions of the government in the cryptographic election scheme of [CoFi85]. In so doing, we are able to achieve privacy of individual votes in a much stronger sense without giving up any of the previously at ta ined properties of robustness or verifiability. This gives an electronic mechanism for holding a large-scale election amongst untrusted part ies which is far more useful in "real-world" applications than the previous scheme. The combinat ion Qf distr ibuted comput ing and cryptography has become increasingly impor tant . Applications of c ryptography to distr ibuted computing have been seen recently in [Sro85], [FeMi85], and [CGMA85]. Secret-ballot elections seem to be a natural problem in distr ibuted computing. [DLM82], [Mer83], and [Yao821 proposed completely distr ibuted board room election schemes in which part icipants pass encrypted messages around a room and then decrypt the messages to reveal the election tally. These schemes suffer f rom a lack of robustness in tha t if any of the part icipants fails or otherwise misbehaves during the election process, the scheme fails to produce any tally whatsoever. Chaum in [ChaS1] proposed a centralized scheme using a "mix" which scrambles messages to protect the identities of the senders. C h a u m also comments
Media Use Preference: The Mediating Role of Communication on Political Engagement

This study examined the impact of media use on political engagement among South Korean voters. The two major strengths of the current study were the examination of multiple dimensions of media use and citizen communication, and the consideration of mediating variables. Multigroup structural equation modelling was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of media use on political engagement via mediator online citizen communication. The present study used data from the 19th General Election Survey in Korea conducted by the Korean Social Data Center. A nationally representative sample of 829 Korean voters (age range: 21–59) was included for analysis. Results indicated: (1) for those in the 20–30 year age group, political efficacy positively predicted online media use and this, in turn, was related to political engagement via mediator online citizen communication; and (2) for those in the 40–50 year age group, political efficacy positively predicted both offline and online media use, with online media use affecting political engagement directly.
Characterization of Bc-hch, the Botrytis cinerea homolog of the Neurospora crassa het-c vegetative incompatibility locus, and its use as a population marker

The Botrytis cinerea homolog (Bc-hch) of Nc-het-c and Pa-hch (vegetative incompatibility loci of Neurospora crassa and Podospora anserina respectively) was cloned and sequenced. The gene structure of Bc-hch is very close to those of Nc-het-c and Pa-hch. A PCR-RFLP approach on a 1171 bp fragment was used to screen polymorphism at this locus among 117 natural isolates of B. cinerea. Restriction patterns by the restriction enzyme HhaI fell into two allelic types. Moreover, haplotypes at the Bc-hch strictly corresponded to the resistance phenotypes to fenhexamid, a novel Botryticide. The use of Bc-hch as a population marker thus reveals a new structuring of B. cinerea natural populations into two groups (I and II). This result was confirmed by genic differentiation tests performed with five other markers on a sample of 132 B. cinerea isolates from the French region of Champagne.
Methanogenic and other strictly anaerobic bacteria in desert soil and other oxic soils

Strictly anaerobic bacteria such as methanogenic, sulfate-reducing, and homoacetogenic bacteria could be enriched from all five oxic soils tested. The number of cells was lower than that in typical anoxic habitats. Spores did not always dominate the population of sulfate-reducing bacteria. In all soils, the methanogenic population displayed a long lag phase after anoxic conditions were imposed before methane production began.
Functional Interplay between Type I and II Interferons Is Essential to Limit Influenza A Virus-Induced Tissue Inflammation

Host control of influenza A virus (IAV) is associated with exuberant pulmonary inflammation characterized by the influx of myeloid cells and production of proinflammatory cytokines including interferons (IFNs). It is unclear, however, how the immune system clears the virus without causing lethal immunopathology. Here, we demonstrate that in addition to its known anti-viral activity, STAT1 signaling coordinates host inflammation during IAV infection in mice. This regulatory mechanism is dependent on both type I IFN and IFN-γ receptor signaling and, importantly, requires the functional interplay between the two pathways. The protective function of type I IFNs is associated with not only the recruitment of classical inflammatory Ly6Chi monocytes into IAV-infected lungs, but also the prevention of excessive monocyte activation by IFN-γ. Unexpectedly, type I IFNs preferentially regulate IFN-γ signaling in Ly6Clo rather than inflammatory Ly6Chi mononuclear cell populations. In the absence of type I IFN signaling, Ly6Clo monocytes/macrophages, become phenotypically and functionally more proinflammatory than Ly6Chi cells, revealing an unanticipated function of the Ly6Clo mononuclear cell subset in tissue inflammation. In addition, we show that type I IFNs employ distinct mechanisms to regulate monocyte and neutrophil trafficking. Type I IFN signaling is necessary, but not sufficient, for preventing neutrophil recruitment into the lungs of IAV-infected mice. Instead, the cooperation of type I IFNs and lymphocyte-produced IFN-γ is required to regulate the tissue neutrophilic response to IAV. Our study demonstrates that IFN interplay links innate and adaptive anti-viral immunity to orchestrate tissue inflammation and reveals an additional level of complexity for IFN-dependent regulatory mechanisms that function to prevent excessive immunopathology while preserving anti-microbial functions.
Re-evaluating benefits of body-based rotational cues for maintaining orientation in virtual environments: men benefit from real rotations, women don't

Relying exclusively on visual information to maintain orientation while traveling in virtual environments is challenging. However, it is currently unclear how much body-based information is required to produce a significant improvement in navigation performance. In our study participants explored unfamiliar virtual mazes using visual-only and physical rotations. Participants's ability to remain oriented was measured using a novel pointing task. While men consistently benefitted from using physical rotations versus visual-only rotations (lower absolute pointing errors, configuration errors, and absolute ego-orientation errors), women did not. We discuss design implications for locomotion interfaces in virtual environments. Our findings also suggest that investigating individual differences may help to resolve apparent conflicts in the literature regarding potential benefits of physical rotational cues for effective spatial orientation.
Understanding user experience in stereoscopic 3D games

Recent advances in digital game technology are making stereoscopic games more popular. Stereoscopic 3D graphics promise a better gaming experience but this potential has not yet been proven empirically. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study that evaluates player experience of three stereoscopic games in comparison with their monoscopic counterparts. We examined 60 participants, each playing one of the three games, using three self-reporting questionnaires and one psychophysiological instrument. Our main results are (1) stereoscopy in games increased experienced immersion, spatial presence, and simulator sickness; (2) the effects strongly differed across the three games and for both genders, indicating more affect on male users and with games involving depth animations; (3) results related to attention and cognitive involvement indicate more direct and less thoughtful interactions with stereoscopic games, pointing towards a more natural experience through stereoscopy.
In‐groups, Out‐groups, and Their Contrasting Perceptions of Values among Generational Cohorts of Australians

Objective Personal values guide, and are used to justify, behaviours both within and beyond organisational contexts. Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y are purported to vary in the values they espouse and hence their behaviours. The aim of this research was to examine and compare self‐ratings and out‐group perceptions of the importance of the four overarching clusters of values in Schwartz's circumplex model by generation. Method A convenience sample of 157 participants (49 Baby Boomers, 47 Generation X, and 61 Generation Y) completed an online survey of self‐rated values and perceptions of another generation's values. Results Multivariate analyses identified that self‐ratings of self‐enhancement, openness to change, and conservation value clusters varied between generations (medium effect size), but self‐transcendence did not. Out‐group perceptions of generations varied across all four value clusters (very large effect size). We then compared each generation's self‐ratings of value importance with perceptions of value importance provided by other generations (in‐group/out‐group comparisons). There were significant variations between self‐ratings and perceived importance ratings provided by other generations for all three generations (large effect). Conclusions Larger differences in other‐ascribed than self‐ascribed value importance across generations highlights the need to avoid actions based on generation value stereotypes, both within and beyond the workplace. Further research on a representative sample of the Australian population using a mixed‐methods approach is recommended.
CONSTRUCTING ACTION-ORIENTED ORGANIZATIONS: EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY

Sanchez, Virginia. M. A. , Purdue University, December 2015. Constructing ActionOriented Organizations: Examining the Relationship between Individual and Organizational identity. Major Professor: Dr. Stacey Connaughton. A majority of the research on social entrepreneurship focuses on stories about individual entrepreneurs (Bornstein & Davis, 2010) and the characteristics that make entrepreneurs and their nascent organizations successful (Renko, 2012); this study instead puts the focus on organizational founders and members in an attempt to analyze how they made sense of critical moments in the organization’s early history and stories that helped to shape the organization’s identity and individual members’ identities. A total of 8 interviews were conducted with members of two organizations. Cultivadores (pseudonym) is an organization focused on the creation of psychosocial processes within the rural community of San Martin in Mexico. Viewfinder (pseudonym) aims to increase and create employment opportunities for adults on the autism spectrum. Cultivadores and Viewfinder are presented as case studies to examine the process of sensemaking, specifically the notion of retrospection, for members of social entrepreneurial organizations. Publicly available artifacts were also included to supplement each case study. At the time data were collected, both organizations had undergone major organizational shifts which changed the way each one works to address social issues. This study provides support for the idea that organizational members’ identities change as
Adoption of Cloud Computing by South African Firms: The Role of Institutional Forces, Absorptive Capacity, and Top Management

Cloud computing offers a number of advantages for organisations looking to rent on-demand IT resources as a service. However, there are also uncertainties and challenges to cloud computing use that are tempering the rate of adoption. This paper contributes to our understanding of cloud computing adoption within South African firms by developing and testing a research model. Our model hypothesizes mimetic and normative institutional pressures, top management support, and the absorptive capacity of the firm as factors influencing cloud computing adoption. Data collected from 87 South African firms confirmed most hypothesized relationships, and supported institutional and absorptive capacity theories as explanations for adoption behavior. Top management support was found to be the most important factor influencing adoption and also partially mediated the effects of institutional pressures.
Hierarchical and Serial Processing in the Spatial Auditory Cortical Pathway Is Degraded by Natural Aging

The compromised abilities to localize sounds and to understand speech are two hallmark deficits in aged individuals. The auditory cortex is necessary for these processes, yet we know little about how normal aging affects these early cortical fields. In this study, we recorded the spatial tuning of single neurons in primary (auditory cortex, A1) and secondary (caudolateral field, CL) auditory cortical areas in young and aged alert rhesus macaques. We found that the neurons of aged animals had greater spontaneous and driven activity, and broader spatial tuning compared with those of younger animals. Importantly, spatial tuning was not sharpened between A1 and CL in aged monkeys as it is in younger monkeys. This implies that a major effect of normal aging is a degradation of the hierarchical processing between serially connected cortical areas, which could be a key contributing mechanism of the general cognitive decline that is commonly observed in normal aging.
Green tea extract as a treatment for patients with wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis: an observational study

Background Causative treatment of patients with wild-type transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (wtATTR-CM) is lacking. Recent reports indicate the potential use of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant catechin in green tea, to inhibit amyloid fibril formation. We sought to investigate changes of cardiac function and morphology in patients with wtATTR-CM after consumption of green tea extract (GTE). Methods Twenty-five male patients (71 [64; 80] years) with wtATTR-CM were submitted to clinical examination, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) (n=14), and laboratory testing before and after daily consumption of GTE capsules containing 600 mg epigallocatechin-3-gallate for at least 12 months. Results A significant decrease of left ventricular (LV) myocardial mass by 6% (196 [100; 247] vs 180 [85; 237] g; P=0.03) by cMRI and total cholesterol by 8.4% (191 [118; 267] vs 173 [106; 287] mg/dL; P=0.006) was observed after a 1-year period of GTE consumption. LV ejection fraction by cMRI (53% [33%; 69%] vs 54% [28%; 71%]; P=0.75), LV wall thickness (17 [13; 21] vs 18 [14; 25] mm; P=0.1), and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (10 [5; 23] vs 8 [4; 13] mm; P=0.3) by echocardiography remained unchanged. Conclusion This study supports LV mass stabilization in patients with wtATTR-CM consuming GTE potentially indicating amyloid fibril reduction.
Invasion of the Black Sea by the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi and recent changes in pelagic community structure

A short synthesis of the present state of the ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi, invasion in the Black Sea is given, together with a brief review of its status in other areas of the Mediterranean basin. The impact of M. leidyi on the main components of the pelagic community, mesozooplankton, ichthyoplankton and fish resources, based on published data and new field studies (1992‐1997) are analysed. This assessment showed sharp fluctuations in the interannual abundance of M. leidyi. The main factors controlling the spatial distribution of M. leidyi were temperature and, to a lesser degree, salinity, whereas its abundance was controlled by food availability. An analysis of the main constituents of the pelagic ecosystem of the Black Sea before the M. leidyi outbreak showed that a reduction in numbers of planktivorous fishes, the main competitors of M. leidyi, could be a possible reason for the upsurge in abundance of M. leidyi. Following the increase of M. leidyi, there was a decline in the abundance and species diversity of ichthyoplankton and mesozooplankton. An assessment of data collected during the period 1992‐1997 showed that the number of fish eggs and larvae and of zooplankton was negatively related to M. leidyi abundance. After the recent decrease of M. leidyi in the period 1995‐1997, there has been an increase in abundance and diversity of fish eggs, fish larvae, and zooplankton, which together with an increased catch of planktivorous fish indicates that there has been a recovery of the ecosystem.
Exploring the uptake and application of electronic procurement to central and local government

In recent years, the private sector has witnessed a surge of interest in the potential of the Internet as a medium for managing procurement and purchasing. As a result, many commercial organisations have already reported very significant benefits. Some governmental agencies have also recognised the potential benefits of e-procurement, but relatively little progress has been made towards its wider adoption, within the public sector. The research presented in this paper attempts to help remedy this situation by presenting and empirically testing an embryonic e-procurement adoption model, for use in the public sector. The model has been derived from the extant literature, and draws heavily on institutional theory, and the testing of the model has been accomplished using the detailed case study of a UK-based governmental department. The use of Institutional theory has been particularly useful, as it helps to show how the adoption of e-procurement can be framed as a competition between the internal forces of inertia pitted against the external pressure for change.