Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Refining the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI-SF) in Chinese Parents

The Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI-SF) is a popular brief assessment of parenting stress. However, its latent structure and psychometric properties have not been extensively addressed, in particular in non-Western cultures. The present study is the first to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the PSI-SF in parents from Mainland China (683 mother–father dyads; mean age of mothers = 37.10 years, SD = 3.68; mean age of fathers = 39.81 years, SD = 4.13). Initial analyses revealed that previously proposed factor structure of the PSI-SF did not fit the data well. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were then conducted to develop a psychometrically sound and efficient abbreviated version of the PSI-SF. In this new version of 15 items (PSI-SF-15), there are three factors (i.e., parental distress, parent–child dysfunctional interaction, and difficult child). This abbreviated scale showed strict measurement invariance across sex of parent and satisfactory internal consistency. The convergent validity of the PSI-SF-15 were supported by its expected relations with the original PSF-SF measures, the multitrait–multimethod procedure, and its expected relations with scores on parenting behavior, parental depressiveness, and children’s conduct problems. In conclusion, these results suggest that the PSI-SF-15 is a valid measure of parenting stress in Chinese parents, and that it holds promise as an informative and reliable alternative to the original PSI-SF when administration time is limited.
Stress in business relationships

Purpose – One of the causes of change in business relationships comes from incidents that deviate in a positive or negative way from the expected and normal relationship pattern. This introduces the concept of stress that captures the effect of negatively deviating incidents in business relationships.Design/methodology/approach – Presents a technique, the negative critical incident mapping (NCIM), for measuring this kind of stress. The technique is used in an industrial service and a business service setting to measure stress in a dyadic manner.Findings – The results show that not only were all studied relationships burdened with stress to a varying extent but there were also substantial differences in the degree and content of stress. The relationships showed significant differences when seller‐buyer pairs of stress perceptions were matched. Operator‐level perceptions of stress in the relationships corresponded better than manager‐level perceptions. Research and management implications from the new relat.
Public Transportation Environment and Medical Choice for Chronic Disease: A Case Study of Gaoyou, China

Current research on the built environment and medical choice focuses mainly on the construction and optimization of medical service systems from the perspective of supply. There is a lack of in-depth research on medical choice from the perspective of patient demand. Based on the medical choice behaviour of patients with chronic diseases, this article identifies the spatial distribution and heterogeneity characteristics of medical choice and evaluates the balance between medical supply and demand in each block. On this basis, we explored the mechanism of patient preferences for different levels of medical facilities by considering the patient’s socioeconomic background, medical resource evaluation, and other built environment features of the neighbourhood by referring to patient questionnaires. In addition to socioeconomic characteristics, the results show that public transportation convenience, medical accessibility, and medical institution conditions also have significant influences on patient preferences, and the impact on low-income patients is more remarkable. The conclusions of the study provide a reference for the promotion and optimization of the functions of urban medical resources and the guidance of relevant public health policies.
The Changing Information Environment and Disclosure Deregulation : Evidence from the 2005 Securities Offering Reform

In 2005, the SEC enacted the Securities Offering Reform (Reform), which relaxes restrictions on the release of forward-looking information before equity offerings. The SEC argues that a richer information environment in recent years has rendered these disclosure restrictions unnecessary, as it prevents timely and broad information flow when recent disclosure rules provide sufficient investor protection. We examine whether managers use forecast announcements to hype their firm’s stock price before equity offerings. We also investigate the impact of the improved information environment and the Reform on this behavior. We find that managers provide more good news during forecast announcements in the months before an offering. Moreover, the preoffering good news is negatively associated with post-offering returns, indicating that at least some of the forecast announcement news is hype. In contrast, we find no evidence of hyping after 2002, suggesting that the richer information environment may play a disciplining role on hyping behavior. Finally, we continue to find no evidence of hyping after the 2005 Reform, despite an increase in the number of pre-offering forecast announcements. Overall, these results indicate that while managers may have engaged in hyping in earlier years, these actions have been mitigated in a richer information environment, allowing the SEC to relax disclosure constraints on firms before offerings. JEL Classification: G14; M41
Photoluminescence Characteristics of Sn2+ and Ce3+-Doped Cs2SnCl6 Double-Perovskite Crystals

In recent years, all-inorganic lead-halide perovskites have received extensive attention due to their many advantages, but their poor stability and high toxicity are two major problems. In this paper, a low toxicity and stable Cs2SnCl6 double perovskite crystals were prepared by aqueous phase precipitation method using SnCl2 as precursor. By the XRD, ICP-AES, XPS, photoluminescence and absorption spectra, the fluorescence decay curve, the structure and photoluminescence characteristics of Ce3+-doped and undoped samples have been investigated in detail. The results show that the photoluminescence originates from defects. [SnSn4+2++VCl] defect complex in the crystal is formed by Sn2+ substituting Sn4+. The number of defects formed by Sn2+ in the crystal decreases with Ce3+ content increases. Within a certain number of defects, the crystal luminescence is enhanced with the number of [SnSn4+2++VCl] decreased. When Ce3+ is incorporated into the crystals, the defects of [Ce3+Sn4++VCl] and [SnSn4+2++VCl] were formed and the crystal show the strongest emission. This provides a route to enhance the photoluminescence of Cs2SnCl6 double perovskite crystals.
Effect of pore size in bone regeneration using polydopamine-laced hydroxyapatite collagen calcium silicate scaffolds fabricated by 3D mould printing technology.

OBJECTIVE The pore size of the scaffold is a critical factor in repairing large bone defect. Here, we investigated the potential of bone regeneration using novel nanocomposite polydopamine-laced hydroxyapatite collagen calcium silicate (HCCS-PDA) scaffolds with two different pore sizes, 250 and 500 μm. SAMPLES/SETTING A total of 12 male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with HCCS-PDA scaffold with pore size of either 250 or 500 μm into surgically created critical-sized defect (CSD). METHODS HCCS-PDA scaffolds were fabricated using mould printing technique. The effect of pore size on mechanical strength of the scaffolds was assessed by compression testing. After seeding with rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs), the scaffolds were implanted, and new bone formation was evaluated using microCT and histomorphometric analysis after 8 weeks. RESULTS MicroCT and histology analysis demonstrated restricted peripheral new bone formation in either dural or periosteal side and limited new bone formation in the 250 μm pore scaffold. Conversely, the 500-μm pore scaffold showed more penetration of new bone into the scaffold and greater bone regeneration in the rat CSD. CONCLUSION Based on our results, which demonstrated improved new bone formation in 500 μm pores scaffold, we can conclude that effective scaffold pore size that induces osteointegration and bone regeneration is around 500 μm for HCCS-PDA nanocomposite scaffold.
X-ray diffraction imaging of dislocation generation related to microcracks in Si wafers

The nucleation of dislocations at indents in silicon following rapid thermal annealing (RTA) has been examined by X-ray diffraction imaging (topography). For indentation loads below 200 mN, no slip bands were generated from the indent sites following RTA at 1000 °C under spike conditions. Upon plateau annealing at 1000 °C, slip dislocations were propagated from some indents but not all. Slip was also observed from edge defects not associated with indentation. For 500-mN indentation load, large scale dislocation sources were generated from the indent sites propagating on two of the four {111} slip planes. These dislocations multiplied into macroscopic-scale slip bands. A significant change in morphology was observed in the 60° dislocation segments after the screw segment reached the rear surface of the wafer. Dislocations changed line direction and in some cases appeared to leave the Peierls trough during glide.
Modelling the trading behaviour in high-frequency markets

We use an agent-based approach to model trading behaviour in high-frequency markets. This study focuses on the Foreign Exchange (FX) market. The initial part of this study is to observe the micro-behaviour of traders to define the stylized facts of their trading activities. This is performed using a high-frequency dataset of anonymised individual traders' historical transactions on an account level, provided by OANDA Ltd. This dataset is considered to be the biggest available high-frequency dataset dealing with the individual FX market traders' trading activities. The second step is to build agent-based models of traders. The traders are modelled to respond to physical time to account for the different market seasonalities. The key elements in modeling the traders are zero-intelligence directional-change events trading strategy, historical prices, actual FX market traders' behaviour, limit orders, FX market trading sessions and market holidays. Using the identified stylized facts of FX market trading activity, we evaluate the trading agents' collective trading behaviour. The results of this comparison indicate that the trading agents' collective trading behaviour resembles, to a certain extent, the collective trading behaviour of FX market traders.
Development and Evaluation of Stability of a Gel Formulation Containing the Monoterpene Borneol

Borneol is a bicyclic monoterpenoid alcohol commonly used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine. It is extracted from the essential oil of various medicinal plants. It has antibacterial, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory action proven in studies that used oral and intraperitoneal applications of this monoterpene in mice. The current study was designed to develop a topical gel formulation containing the monoterpene borneol using carbopol as gel base and to evaluate its stability. The prepared formulation was subjected to physical characterization and physical-chemistry assessment. The gel was prepared from carbopol and 5% of borneol. The prepared gel was subjected to pharmacotechnical tests such as its pH, viscosity, conductivity, spreadability, centrifugation, and accelerated stability with freezing-thaw cycle. The borneol was successfully incorporated into the carbopol formulation. Borneol gel (BG5) showed good stability after eight months of its development and after 12 days in the freeze-thaw cycle, not showing statistical difference in pH value, conductivity, and viscosity before and after test. Furthermore, the formulation showed a good spreadability. Therefore, it was concluded that the formulation could be very promising alternative for the topical or transdermal treatment of skin diseases.
Beyond Burgernomics and MacParity: Exchange Rate Forecasts Based on the Law of One Price

Cumby (1996) suggests that (i) deviations from MacParity are stationary, (ii) relative Big Mac prices converge rapidly and (iii) provide significant information on likely future exchange rate movements. This paper examines to what extent these results can be generalised to other micro-level price data such as those provided in the UBS surveys Prices and Earnings round the Globe. In many respects, the MacParity findings do not constitute a special case, although they are sensitive to sample period and numeraire currency. Surprisingly, estimates based on aggregate CPI data for the same sample periods provide qualitatively similar results.
Alpha interferon-induced antiretroviral activities: restriction of viral nucleic acid synthesis and progeny virion production in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected monocytes

Alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) restricts multiple steps of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) life cycle. A well-described effect of IFN-alpha is in the modulation of viral nucleic acid synthesis. We demonstrate that IFN-alpha influences HIV-1 DNA synthesis principally by reducing the production of late products of reverse transcription. The magnitude of IFN-alpha-induced downregulation of HIV-1 DNA and/or progeny virion production was dependent on the IFN-alpha concentration, the duration of cytokine administration, the multiplicity of infection, the viral strain, and the cycles of viral infection. Interestingly, reductions in viral DNAs could not fully account for the observed IFN-alpha-induced abrogation of progeny virion production. These data, by our investigation of both single-cycle and spreading viral infections, support a predominant but not exclusive effect of IFN-alpha on viral DNA synthesis.
Interactive Effects of [CO2] and Temperature on Plant Chemistry of Transgenic Bt Rice and Population Dynamics of a Non-Target Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) under Different Levels of Soil Nitrogen

Gaining a better understanding of the interactive effect of projected atmospheric CO2 level increase and the Earth’s rising temperature on plant chemistry (nutritional and defensive characteristics) of transgenic crops is essential when attempting to forecast the responses of target and non-target insects to climate change. In this study, effects of carbon dioxide (CO2; elevated versus ambient), temperature (T; high versus low), and their interactions on leaf nitrogen content (N%) and C:N ratio of transgenic Bt rice and its non-Bt isoline grown under low- and high-N fertilizer were systematically analyzed together with the resulting insect population dynamics of a non-target planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Stâl) in open-top-chamber experiments. The results indicated that under low-N treatment, elevated CO2 at low T (i.e., eCO2) (compared to ambient CO2 at low T, i.e., CK) significantly decreased N% and Bt-toxin content and significantly increased C:N ratio in leaf sheath and leaf of Bt rice, especially during the tillering stage, whereas inverse effects of high T were shown on the plant chemistry of Bt rice, especially during heading stage. The combination of elevated CO2 and high T (i.e., Combined) (in contrast to CK) significantly increased N% and decreased C:N ratio in leaf sheath of Bt rice during the heading stage under low-N fertilizer, while significantly decreased N% and increased C:N ratio in leaf of Bt rice during the tillering stage, regardless of fertilizer-N level, and significantly increased Bt-toxin content in leaf sheath and leaf during the tillering stage under both low- and high-N. Moreover, no discernable relationships between Bt-toxin content and N% or leaf C:N ratio were observed at any CO2 or N levels evaluated. Furthermore, transgenic treatment, temperature and fertilizer-N level interactions, and CO2 and fertilizer-N level interactions all significantly affected the population dynamics of N. lugens. Specifically, high-N significantly enhanced the population dynamics of N. lugens fed on non-Bt rice grown under eTemp and Bt cultivar significantly reduced the population dynamics of N. lugens under eCO2 regardless of N fertilizer levels. The study demonstrates that the planting of transgenic Bt rice would not increase the risk of increased N. lugens severity under the combined condition of elevated CO2 and increased temperature, particularly under moderate level of N fertility.
Preventive Effect of an Infusion of the Aqueous Extract of Chaya Leaves (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) in an Aberrant Crypt Foci Rat Model Induced by Azoxymethane and Dextran Sulfate Sodium.

Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) is the precursor lesion of colorectal carcinogenesis (CRC), one of the most common malignancies in the world. Many studies have reported that people with higher phytochemical intake are at a reduced risk of developing ACF. One example of the botanical potential of preventive plant products is Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (CA), commonly known as Chaya. This study evaluated the phenolic profile of CA and the effects of the daily consumption of CA leaf infusion on the formation of ACF, histopathological lesions, and molecular biomarkers after azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced premalignant colon lesions in rats treated with for 16 and 32 weeks. The phenolic composition of the CA infusion was identified by reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (RP-HPCC-DAD). After sacrifice, a 4 cm segment was collected from the distal part of the colon and stained with methylene blue to look for ACF. Furthermore, 4 μm of colon, liver, and kidney was collected and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological analysis, along with 7 μm of colon for immunohistochemistry analysis. Eleven phenolic compounds were identified in the infusions, and ACF formation was reduced by 29.5% at the subchronic and by 64.6% at chronic stages. Lesions on kidney, liver, and colon tissue were also reduced. Our data suggest that CA treatment has preventive effects against AOM-/DSS-induced premalignant colon lesions in colon rats at the promotion level, inhibiting the cell proliferation of early neoplastic lesions and colonic inflammation through the decrease of β-catenin by 41.8% at the subchronic stage and 29% at the chronic stage, along with a 46.2% reduction of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) at long term, despite a high expression of NF-κB (30.3% at the subchronic stage and 22.8% at the chronic stage).
A review of geomorphic processes and landforms in the Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land: implications for evaluating climate change and ice-sheet stability

Abstract The Dry Valleys are subdivided into three microclimate zones on the basis of summertime measurements of atmospheric temperature, soil moisture, relative humidity and wind-speed/ direction. Subtle variations in these climate parameters result in considerable differences in process geomorphology and in the development of unique landforms within each zone. The mapped zones include a coastal thaw zone, an inland mixed zone and a stable upland zone. Landforms within each zone are subdivided into macroscale features (e.g. valleys, slopes and gullies), mesoscale features (e.g. polygons and viscous-flow features) and microscale features (e.g. rock and near-surface soil features, including the effects of salt weathering, wind erosion and pitting). We present a review of landscape development in the Dry Valleys with implications for long-term climate change and ice-sheet stability. Chronological control is afforded by 40Ar/39Ar dating of volcanic ash-fall deposits and cosmogenic nuclide analyses of surface boulders. Collectively, the data call for persistent cold and dry conditions in the stable upland zone for approximately the last 14 Ma, although some level of climatic amelioration and landform modification may have occurred within low-lying regions and in the inland mixed zone.
A clinical dose of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and heterozygous ACE deletion exacerbate Alzheimer's disease pathology in mice

Inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a strategy used worldwide for managing hypertension. In addition to converting angiotensin I to angiotensin II, ACE also converts neurotoxic β-amyloid protein 42 (Aβ42) to Aβ40. Because of its neurotoxicity, Aβ42 is believed to play a causative role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), whereas Aβ40 has neuroprotective effects against Aβ42 aggregation and also against metal-induced oxidative damage. Whether ACE inhibition enhances Aβ42 aggregation or impairs human cognitive ability are very important issues for preventing AD onset and for optimal hypertension management. In an 8-year longitudinal study, we found here that the mean intelligence quotient of male, but not female, hypertensive patients taking ACE inhibitors declined more rapidly than that of others taking no ACE inhibitors. Moreover, the sera of all AD patients exhibited a decrease in Aβ42-to-Aβ40–converting activity compared with sera from age-matched healthy individuals. Using human amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice, we found that a clinical dose of an ACE inhibitor was sufficient to increase brain amyloid deposition. We also generated human amyloid precursor protein/ACE+/− mice and found that a decrease in ACE levels promoted Aβ42 deposition and increased the number of apoptotic neurons. These results suggest that inhibition of ACE activity is a risk factor for impaired human cognition and for triggering AD onset.
Simvastatin Attenuates H2O2-Induced Endothelial Cell Dysfunction by Reducing Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Atherosclerosis is the pathological basis of cardiovascular disease, whilst endothelial dysfunction (ED) plays a primary role in the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis. Simvastatin has been shown to possess significant anti-atherosclerosis activity. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of simvastatin on endothelial cells under oxidative stress and elucidated its underlying mechanisms. Simvastatin was found to attenuate H2O2-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) dysfunction and inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin pathway; however, when this pathway was activated by lithium chloride, endothelial dysfunction was clearly enhanced. Further investigation revealed that simvastatin did not alter the expression or phosphorylation of LRP6, but reduced intracellular cholesterol deposition and inhibited endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Inducing ER stress with tunicamycin activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, whereas reducing ER stress with 4-phenylbutyric acid inhibited it. We hypothesize that simvastatin does not affect transmembrane signal transduction in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, but inhibits ER stress by reducing intracellular cholesterol accumulation, which blocks intracellular signal transduction in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction.
Closing-the-loop in NVisionIP: integrating discovery and search in security visualizations

The field of security visualization is in need of a paradigm shift in order to allow visualization tools to be practically used by security engineers. Security engineers must complete two different tasks, that of discovery of a pattern, and that of searching for a pattern in a data set. Current security visualizations do not aid the user in creating symbolic rules that represent visual patterns. Transforming visual patterns to symbolic rules requires effort by the security engineer and detracts from their main task of discovering interesting patterns. In this paper we describe the idea of closing-the-loop, a system where symbolic rules are created from visual patterns.