Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT OF THE PROCESS OF PERSPECTIVE SHIFT IN THE MENTAL IMAGERY OF TEST ANXIETY

Research on the relative effects of imagining an event from a field vs. observer perspective on emotional experience has mostly relied on the subjective and retrospective self-reports. The main goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of the process of perspective shift on the experience of test anxiety by using physiological responses. Forty seven participants were asked to imagine themselves in a test anxiety situation. Once the original perspective (field or observer) was established, they shifted to the other perspective and then back to the original one. Results indicated that heart rate decreased significantly when those starting with a field perspective shifted to an observer perspective and increased significantly when shifted back to the field perspective. Investigation of the relative effects of perspective shift in high vs. low groups in emotional dispositions might further advance understanding whether perspective adherence might be considered as a legitimate trait. Keywords: Mental imagery; imagery perspective; physiological measures; test anxiety
Synthesis and Characterization of Microporous Aluminophosphates of AFI Topology

Aluminophosphates of the AFI (aluminophosphate-5) topology were synthesized and characterized in order to study the influence of acid strength and distribution for the possibility of both conversion and selectivity for oligomerization reactions. It is well known that weaker acid sites lead to a product shift to hydrocarbons of lower carbon chain length and a lower conversion, and a reduction in acid site concentration has a similar effect. However, when a silylating agent modifies the surface acidity, the overall conversion drops, associated with a reduction in sticking probability of an olefin on the silicoaluminophosphate's (SAPO) crystal surface. This is associated with a reduced ability of the surface acid sites to crack the products upon exiting the internal pore system. This research reports on the synthesis and charactizeration of microporous aluminophates of AFI topology. Catalysts’ properties were characterized by a series of spectroscopic and diffraction techniques, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All catalysts were characterized in calcined form.
Shear Failure of RC Dapped-End Beams

Reinforced concrete dapped-end beams (RC-DEBs) are mainly used for precast element construction. RC-DEBs generally are recessed at their end parts and supported by columns, cantilevers, inverted T-beams, or corbels. The geometric discontinuity of dapped-end beams evokes a severe stress concentration at reentrant corners that may lead to shear failure. Therefore, stress analysis is required at the reentrant vicinity for design requirement of these beams. Four large-scale RC-DEBs specimens were prepared, cast, and tested up to failure. Three parameters were investigated: amount of nib reinforcements, main flexural reinforcements, and concrete type at the dapped-end area. Finite element analysis using Vec2 was also conducted to predict the behavior of RC-DEBs. It has been found that highest stresses concentration factors occur at the reentrant corners and its vicinity. By using engineered cementitious composite (ECC) in the dapped-end area, the failure load has increased by 51.9%, while the increment in the failure load was 62.2% and 46.7% as the amount of nib reinforcement and main flexural reinforcement increased, respectively. In addition, Vec2 analysis has been found to provide better accuracy for predicting the failure load of RC-DEBs compared to other analysis approaches.
Fungi associated with esca and young grapevine decline in Greece.

In the period 1998–2001 significant numbers of vine samples of different varieties, grafted onto different rootstocks, ready for out-planting or planted and declined a few months or years later, were collected or sent to our laboratory to investigate the presence of phytopathogenic fungi. Three hundred eighty rooted cuttings ready for outplanting, 1250 young vines planted and exhibiting decline symptoms in the first year of establishment, 82 vines two to nine years old and 27 old vines exhibiting the classical esca symptoms were examined. Isolations yielded the fungi Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, Fomitiporia punctata and Stereum hirsutum, as well as other fungi of the genera Phaeoacremonium, Cylindrocarpon and Botryosphaeria. The low incidence of these fungi isolated in a low percentage of samples suggested that they could not by themselves be the cause of young grapevine decline. Abiotic causes, such as lesions from improperly healed rootstock disbudding sites and graft unions made in the nursery, as well as improper storage and transportation conditions of the propagated material must also have played a role and made the decline more acute. The occurrence of the isolated fungi as endophytes and their role in the outbreak of grapevine decline remain to be investigated.
Soil sealing degree as factor influencing urban soil contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Abstract The objective of the study was to determine role of soil sealing degree as the factor influencing soil contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The study area included four sampling sites located within the administrative boundaries of the Toruń city, Poland. Sampling procedure involved preparing soil pits representing three examples of soil sealing at each site: non-sealed soil as a control one (I) and two degrees of soil sealing: semi-pervious surface (II) and totally impervious surface (III). Together with basic properties defined with standard procedures (particle size distribution, pH, LOI, content of carbonates) content of selected PAHs was determined by dichloromethane extraction using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS). Obtained results show that urban soils in the city of Toruń are contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Soil sealing degree has a strong influence on the soil contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Totally sealed soils are better preserved from atmospheric pollution including PAHs. Combustion of grass/wood/coal was the main source of determined PAHs content in examined soils.
The nature of the relationships between personality and cognitive characteristics

In the current study we investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and nonverbal intelligence assessed with Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices. The sample included a total of 290 people: 59 monozygotic (MZ) and 86 dizygotic (DZ, 58 same-sex and 28 opposite-sex) twin pairs aged 14 to 20 years (mean age = 15.84, SD = 1.05). The phenotypic correlations between the traits and intelligence scores were non-significant, except for Openness. This relationship was largely explained by shared environmental influences (65%).
DEVELOPMENT OF MULTILAYER ANALYSIS MODEL FOR TIE-BALLAST TRACK STRUCTURES

A multilayer analysis model for tie-ballast track structures has been developed. The model includes the effects of rail bending, rail-fastener stiffness, tie bending, variable ballast and subgrade material types, and variable tie spacing and ballast depth. The results predicted by using the model are compared with experimental results and excellent agreement is shown. The model offers the advantages of simplicity of use and reduced computer run time when compared with the finite-element codes currently used.
The Long-Term Effects of Posttraumatic Growth on Coping: The Roles of Self-Efficacy and Ruminative Thought

Research shows that traumatic events occur frequently within the general population. Posttraumatic growth (PTG), defined as personal and interpersonal improvements following the experience of traumatic events, has been the focus of positive psychologists for more than a decade. Few studies have asked how experiencing growth post-trauma relates to coping with later life stressors. The current study tested this relation and aimed to discover whether self-efficacy and rumination acted as mediators within a path model. Undergraduate students completed surveys regarding reactions to past traumatic events and coping strategies used for current stressors. The hypothesized model was found to be an adequate fit for the data. PTG predicted task-focused coping related to current stressors as well as recent rumination about a past traumatic event. Self-efficacy also positively predicted task coping, but was negatively impacted by rumination. The present findings will guide future research on recovery from trauma and practical outcomes of growth.
Exact Eulerian Solutions of the Cylindrical Bidirectional Vortex

*In this work, new types of Eulerian motions are investigated as potential flow candidates for describing the bidirectional vortex field in a right-cylindrical chamber. These basic solutions apply to industrial cyclone separators and to idealized representations of either liquid or hybrid rocket engines. The latter correspond to a bidirectional vortex chamber with weak sidewall permeability. As usual, we take the bulk motion to be isentropic along streamlines, with no concern for reactions, heat transfer, viscosity, compressibility, or unsteadiness. Our mathematical approach is anchored on the cylindrical Bragg-Hawthorne equation which is concurrently applied in its spherical form to the treatment of the conical cyclone (Barber, T. A., and Majdalani, J., “Exact Eulerian Solution of the Conical Bidirectional Vortex,” AIAA Paper 2009-5306, August 2009). Among the unique characteristics of the new solutions, we cite the axial dependence of the swirl velocity, the Trkalian and Beltramian characters of the helical motions, the appreciable sensitivity to the outlet radius, the alternate location of the mantle, and the increased axial and radial velocity magnitudes, including the rate of mass transfer across the mantle, for which explicit approximations are obtained. Our results are compared to one another and to an existing, complex lamellar solution in which the swirl velocity collapses into a free vortex. In this vein, we find the strictly Beltramian flows to share virtually identical pressure variations and radial pressure gradients with those associated with the complex lamellar motion. By the same token, both families necessitate an asymptotic treatment to overcome their endpoint deficiencies caused by their dismissal of viscous stresses. From a broader perspective, the work delineates a logical framework through which self-similar, axisymmetric solutions to bidirectional and multidirectional vortex motions may be rigorously pursued. Furthermore, it illustrates the manner through which multiple configurations may be arrived at depending on the types of boundary conditions imposed. For example, both the slip condition at the sidewall and the inlet flow pattern at the headwall may be enforced or relaxed. Our analysis is carried out in the context of a right-cylindrical chamber first without and then with allowance for sidewall injection. The latter enables us to model the basic flow in the socalled Vortex Injection Hybrid Rocket Engine (VIHRE). Finally, the alternate mantle location and swirl velocity are verified in the light of existing measurements and numerical simulations performed with the Reynolds Stress-transport Model (RSM).
SEDIMENT GEOCHEMISTRY AND USE OF THE SEAFLOOR OF THE GULF OF FINLAND

Vallius, H. 2011. Sediment geochemistry and use of the seafloor of the gulf of Finland. Geological Survey of Finland, Special Paper 49, 305–313, 7 figures. The Gulf of Finland has during the second half of the last century been under such stress as never seen before. Human activity in its catchment has introduced large amounts of harmful substances and nutrients into the water column. These substances can still be found in the offshore modern soft sediments of the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, all marine activities, except fishing, have expanded many-fold. The shift from the command economy of Soviet times to the current open market economy in Russia has increased marine activities many-fold, but at the same time it has initiated a slow recovery of the seafloor. The condition of the seafloor during the last two decades has clearly improved from the worst times in the early 1980s, but it takes a long time for the submarine environment to fully recover. In particular, submarine works in connection with various types of new infrastructure, such as pipelines, cables, wind parks and submarine mining, are a new threat for the shallow and sensitive Gulf of Finland.
Quality Managers’ Estimates of Quality Management Principles Application in Certified Organisations in Transitional Conditions - Is Serbia Close to TQM?

For this research, an ad hoc questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of quality managers in Serbian certified organisations to determine their estimate of the quality management principles application (QMPA) as an overall estimate of management commitment to quality management practice. In a stable business environment, high impact of TQM elements application to the QMPA is likely to be expected. Objective parameters (number of employees, form of ownership of organisation, etc.) are not likely to form significant variations in managers’ perceptions of TQM elements. It is determined that only a few of the selected TQM elements are predictors of a subjective estimate of the QMPA (estimates of QMS, changes after certification, human resource management and process management). Observed objective parameters (number of employees and whether an organisation is employing a network administrator or not) showed statistically significant variations in estimates of TQM elements. Research results point to the conclusion that Serbia is yet to take the long journey towards raising awareness about the management commitment to QM and TQM practice. It is possible that other economies in transition also have similar problems in this area.
Continuous hydrothermal synthesis of inorganic materials in a near-critical water ̄ ow reactor ; the one-step synthesis of nano-particulate Ce 1 2 x Zr x O 2 ( x ~ 0 ± 1 ) solid solutions {

Ce12xZrxO2 solid solutions are produced continuously by hydrolysis of mixtures of cerium ammonium nitrate and zirconium acetate in near-critical water at ca. 300 3C and 25 MPa using a ̄ow reactor. Rapid hydrothermal coprecipitation leads to nano-particulate Ce12xZrxO2 (x~0±1), the composition of which is largely determined by the initial relative concentrations of Ce and Zr ions in the starting solution. The freshly prepared materials are crystalline, possess very small particle sizes, and have high surface areas. The effects of calcining the products in air at high temperature have been studied. Apart from the 1 : 1 Ce : Zr solid solution, the phases of Ce12xZrxO2 remain stable on calcining to 1000 3C, but the particles sinter and the surface areas decrease signi®cantly. The materials have been characterised by Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXD), IR and Raman Spectroscopy, microanalysis, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and BET (surface area measurements). In selected cases, high resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images were recorded to examine the particle morphology.
Empirical Tools in Contemporary Violin Making: Part I. Analysis of Design, Materials, Varnish, and Normal Modes

The perfection of the violin by the famed old masters is attributed to a long history of passionate innovative empirical work that has been replaced in modern times by a devotion to traditional prototypes. Improvements in violin design and performance during the 17 th and 18 th Centuries can be correlated with the development of progressively more demanding playing styles by composers, including Monteverdi, Corelli, and Torelli. The successful empirical approach of the old masters can be applied today using careful measurements, recordings, and documentation that allow us to relate specific changes in design to specific change in sound. Our work has documented the major aspects of instrument design (arching, thickness graduation pattern, and body outline shape) and modal characteristics of about 90 fine reference instruments, including many old Italians. We have also measured the materials in old Italian instruments, which generally are similar to modern materials. For example, the density of an entire top plate from a Stradivari cello is 0.39 g/cm 3 , which is not unusual. Further, our measurements indicate that the damping properties and modal characteristics of old and contemporary fine instruments are of comparable magnitude. Tools available to the violin maker include selection of design, materials, varnish treatments, sound analysis, and modal analysis. Successive varnish layers can enhance or denigrate material quality. Making “tonal copies” using modal analysis at many steps of the working process allows the maker to change the geometry of the copy to compensate for material differences between the reference instrument and the copy.
Essence and merits of David Ricardo’s proof of comparative advantage

Due to a precise definition of comparative advantage and a deeper understanding of the logical interrelationships between this proposition and the two other main elements in David Ricardo’s famous numerical example – the classical rule of specialization and the proposition regarding the non-appliance of the labor theory of value in international exchanges –, it is possible to fully appreciate the merits of his proof of comparative advantage in chapter seven of the Principles. This has important consequences for the longstanding authorship-debate over comparative advantage, because it leads to a more accurate account of the crucial omissions and shortcomings in Robert Torrens’ competing statement in his Essay on the External Corn Trade (1815). Since Torrens fell short of formulating a full proof of the comparative-advantage proposition prior to the publication of the Principles, he is not entitled to the same amount of merit as Ricardo.
Book Review A post-queer study of postsocialism Francesca Stella (2015) Lesbian Lives in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. Post/Socialism and Gendered Sexualities. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Until recently, social scientists and historians have paid little attention to nonheterosexual “modes of existence” (Bech, 1997) during state socialism in the Eastern Bloc. Important exceptions include the work of Dan Healey (2001) and Josie McLellan (2011) – and from now on the present volume of Glasgow based sociologist, Francesca Stella (whose first degree is in Russian language and literature, enabling her to conduct real participant observation and empirical data collection in Russia/n). Stella’s work is especially important if we consider that in 19-20 century Europe women with non-heteronormative desires and sexual practices were not persecuted in the same way as men, thus there are less obvious ways to explore their historical traces, and consequently their narratives still remain a rather under-researched topic. The empirical base of this book is ethnographic research focussing on the experiences, practices and identities of non-heterosexual women in Soviet and postSoviet Russia. Stella decided to refer to them as lesbian, bisexual or non-heterosexual women, while avoiding the example of Laurie Essig who used the ‘queer’ adjective to translate goluboi (literally ‘light blue’ in Russian) as ‘queer man’ and rozovaia (‘pink’) as ‘queer woman’ in her book on Queer in Russia. The fieldwork that involved interviewing 61 women (aged between 18 and 56) was conducted during 2004-2005 in Moscow (the capital city of the Russian Federation with more than 12 million residents) and Ul’ianovsk (a regional centre in the Central Volga region with a population of 650,000). Transgender issues were not explored in this study because gender identity related issues remained marginal in the empirical data collection. Nevertheless, trans women were present in the examined lesbian social networks of Moscow and Ul’ianovsk, and were encouraged to take part in the study: “two interviewees openly talked about the discrepancy they felt about their bodies and their gender identity. Nonetheless, an element of self-selection operated: two male-identified women declined the invitation to take part in the study, as they felt that their experiences would not be captured by the notion of ‘lesbian’ or same-sex desire” (161).
Cyproterone acetate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs): preparation and optimization

Due to limited water solubility of cyproterone acetate and also limited skin permeation; lipid base nanocarriers with different size ranges were considered for topical delivery of cyproterone acetate. Lipid nanoparticles were prepared by solvent diffusion evaporation technique. Different variables including; surfactant/lipid ratio, mixing rate and addition time of organic phase to aqueous phase were utilized in optimization process in order to fabricate nanoparticle at specified particle size ranges to target the particle to hair follicles. Statistical data showed that the model is significant (p-value of 0.0001) to prepare lipid based nanoparticle having specified size ranges. The results showed that there is interaction between different parameters and 3-D graphs indicated the optimum point of interactions between various parameters. Drug entrapment efficiency was 99.03% and loading capacity was 1.91%. Release studies showed that 50- 75% of drug will be releasable from the nanoparticles within the first 24 hours depend on the size range of the nanoparticles. The R-square value of 0.9839 indicated that there is a good relationship between experimental data and the fitted models suggested by Design-Expert software. Cyproterone acetate release from these lipid-based nanoparticles, was significantly slower than the permeation of the free drug from dialysis tubing, which confirm that this delivery system is capable to control the release rate of the cyproterone acetate. Drug release pattern from nanoparticles was best fitted to Higuchi model which is a suitable model for matrix based delivery systems.
New cell extraction procedure applied to deep subsurface sediments

A new method is presented for the separation of cells from a marine sediment matrix. Different methods and reagents were tested for detaching microbial cells from sediment particles; the highest yields were achieved in a solution of EDTA, Tween 80, sodium‐pyrophosphate, and methanol plus gentle ultrasonic treatment, followed by density centrifugation through a cushion of Nycodenz. If present, carbonates were dissolved before extraction. Comparison with untreated sediments and pure cultures verified that this technique minimizes cell lysis. The new procedure was tested on seafloor sediment from several locations and water depths (<1 to >4000 m) and subseafloor sediment from the Arctic Ocean (IODP Expedition 302). Cell extraction efficiency was relatively high (65% to 100%) and consistent for each sediment type, with significantly (P < 0.01) lower variability of counts of separated cells compared with conventional counts on slurried sediments. Concentrating cells before enumeration allows for a much lower minimum detection limit and lower uncertainty than the conventional approach of simply slurrying sediment. Resolving relatively small differences in the distribution of microorganisms will allow for comparisons to other parameters (porewater chemistry, lithology, etc). Additionally, this method has potential for the use of molecular techniques that were previously difficult owing to coelution of interfering compounds from the sediment matrix.