Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining Differences between Homebound Older Adult Pet Owners and Non-pet Owners in Depression, Systemic Inflammation, and Executive Function

ABSTRACT Homebound older adults are prone to depression, which is linked to systemic inflammation that promotes executive function decline. A companion animal may reduce the negative biobehavioral processes asso- ciated with depression, inflammation, and reduced executive function in homebound older adults. The primary aim of this study was to examine dif- ferences between homebound older adult pet owners and non-pet owners in depression, salivary C-reactive protein (CRP), and executive function. The secondary aim was to determine if the level of attachment to pets was as- sociated with depression, salivary CRP, and executive function. The study was cross-sectional and investigated homebound older adult pet owners and non-pet owners (n = 88) using psychometrically reliable and valid instru- ments (Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form and CLOX 1). Salivary CRP was assessed with immunoassay. Level of attachment to pets was measured using a Likert scale (0–10). Mean age for the total sample was 75 years (SD = 9). Forty-eight (55%) participants owned pets (56% dogs, 25% cats, 4% other pets, 15% both cats and dogs). Pet owners reported a high level of attachment to pets (Median = 10). Pet owners had significantly higher ex- ecutive function than non-pet owners (t = –2.07; p = 0.04) but there were no significant differences in executive function between cat owners and dog owners (t = 1.53; p = 0.14). Pet owners and non-pet owners were similar in depression (t = –1.80, p = 0.08) and salivary CRP levels (t = 0.27, p = 0.79). Level of attachment to pets was significantly and positively correlated with executive function (r = 0.30; p = 0.04) but was not significantly correlated with depression (r = 0.04, p = 0.77) or salivary CRP (r = –0.04, p = 0.80). Compared with non-pet owners, pet owners had better executive function but similar depression and salivary CRP levels. Reasons for these findings are unclear. Significant positive correlation be- tween pet attachment and executive function suggests further investigation in this area. Future studies with larger samples and a longitudinal design are needed to investigate the biobehavioral changes over time in relation to pet ownership, level of attachment to pets, and executive func- tion in homebound older adults.
Relationship between Turbulence and Drizzle in Continental and Marine Low Stratiform Clouds

Turbulence and drizzle-rate measurements from a large dataset of marine and continental low stratiform clouds are presented. Turbulence peaks at cloud base over land and near cloud top over the ocean. For both regions, eddy dissipation rate values of 10−5–10−2 m2 s−3 are observed. Surface-based measurements of cloud condensation nuclei number concentration NCCN and liquid water path (LWP) are used to estimate the precipitation susceptibility S0. Results show that positive S0 values are found at low turbulence, consistent with the principle that aerosols suppress precipitation formation, whereas S0 is smaller, and can be negative, in a more turbulent environment. Under similar macrophysical conditions, especially for medium to high LWP, high (low) turbulence is likely to lessen (promote) the suppression effect of high NCCN on precipitation. Overall, the turbulent effect on S0 is stronger in continental than marine stratiform clouds. These observational findings are consistent with recent analytical prediction for a turbulence-broadening effect on cloud droplet size distribution.
Research Article Toxicity Studies and Evaluation of Phyllanthus amarus and Phyllanthus fraternus Extracts on the Central Nervous System and Musculoskeletal Function

Ethnopharmacological relevance: A great number of preclinical and clinical studies have not only confirmed but have also extended the medicinal uses of species of the genus Phyllanthus mentioned in traditional medicine. Aim of the study: In the present study we have conducted the toxicity studies of the extracts of Phyllanthus amarus & Phyllanthus fraternus and also examined their effects on CNS and skeletal muscle function (motor coordination). Materials and methods: The toxicity studies of the extracts of P. amarus & P. fraternus was carried out by adopting the OECD Guideline 420 (Fixed Dose Procedure) as the first alternative to the conventional acute and chronic toxicity tests. The Locomotor activity was tested by using the digital actophotometer, while the rotarod test was used to evaluate motor coordination. Results: The extracts of P. amarus & P. fraternus showed CNS depressant effect at high doses. The extracts of P. amarus & P. fraternus had no effect on the motor coordination. Conclusions: The current study suggests that the extracts of P. amarus & P. fraternus showed no significant signs of toxicity and have CNS depressive property without affecting the motor coordination.
Adjuvants in malaria vaccine development strategies: a review

Globally, malaria is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity where the brunt of the disease burden is borne by children under five years of age and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. According to WHO, the cases of malaria in 2014 declined, despite cases of parasite resistance to available anti-malarial drugs and anopheline mosquitoes resistant to insecticides being reported. Therefore, there is need for an improved malaria control strategy including an effective malaria vaccine which can confer blood stage immunity and prevent development of clinical malaria. This venture has been explored for several decades resulting in discovery of promising antigen candidates but we lack appropriate adjuvants for human use capable of boosting immunogenicity of this antigens. In this review, we highlight limitations of various antigens in conjunction with adjuvants used and provide insight on new strategies of improving vaccine immunogenicity by incorporating immunomodulatory molecules and epitopes.
Parental Preferences for Primary School Characteristics

Abstract Free school choice has often been argued to be a tide that lifts school quality through increased competition. This paper analyzes the underlying assumption that school quality is an important choice criterion for parents. Using a large and representative data set of over 15,000 Dutch primary school starters, we estimate models of school demand that incorporate heterogeneity in school preferences. Our results show that traditional measures for school quality matter, but other characteristics, such as school denomination and educational philosophy, are more important predictors of choice. Preferences for these school characteristics are strongly heterogeneous across parents.
Freezing Drizzle Formation in Stably Stratified Layer Clouds: The Role of Radiative Cooling of Cloud Droplets, Cloud Condensation Nuclei, and Ice Initiation

Abstract This study evaluates the role of 1) low cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) conditions and 2) preferred radiative cooling of large cloud drops as compared to small cloud drops, on cloud droplet spectral broadening and subsequent freezing drizzle formation in stably stratified layer clouds. In addition, the sensitivity of freezing drizzle formation to ice initiation is evaluated. The evaluation is performed by simulating cloud formation over a two-dimensional idealized mountain using a detailed microphysical scheme implemented into the National Center for Atmospheric Research–Pennsylvania State University Mesoscale Model version 5. The height and width of the two-dimensional mountain were designed to produce an updraft pattern with extent and magnitude similar to documented freezing drizzle cases. The results of the model simulations were compared to observations and good agreement was found. The key results of this study are 1) low CCN concentrations lead to rapid formation of freezing drizzle. This .
Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies Global Governance Programme Creating Legitimacy for Private Rules : Explaining the Choice of Legitimation Strategies in Transnational Non-State Governance

Transnational non-state governance supplies a growing proportion of the rules and regulations that govern the global economy, raising pressing questions about its legitimacy. Cutting across established perspectives, this article adopts the empirical approach of legitimation research to explain variation in the choice of normative strategies to create legitimacy for private rules. To this end, it reviews existing explanations of institutional design in private governance research and integrates them into a common framework of analysis. This framework is put to work in three in-depth case studies, tracing the formation of multi-stakeholder governance in the field of sustainable agriculture – currently the most dynamic site of transnational non-state institution building. The case studies reveal that a full explanation of variation in the use of participation-, expert-, and procedural fairness-based strategies needs to consider both the internal mechanisms of institutional choice as well as differences in the political environments in which these choices are taken.
Socio-economic determinants for alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking in a Ugandan student population

Stafstrom, M. & Agardh, A. (2012). Socio-economic determinants for alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking in a Ugandan student population. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 1 (1), 57-67. doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v1i1. 40 ( http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v1i1.40 ) Aims: To examine whether the socio-economic determinants of alcohol use found in high-income university student settings are also true of Uganda. Design: Two cross-sectional surveys, conducted in 2005 and 2010, combined into a single dataset. Setting: Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in southwestern Uganda. Participants: 2,934 students (N in 2005 = 980; N in 2010 = 1,954). Total response rate = 76.8%. Results: Multivariate logistic regression showed the following socio-economic determinants to be positively associated with alcohol consumption: having attended boarding school (for males only); being Catholic; religion not playing a big role while growing up; head of household having had secondary education or higher (for females only); being a student of development studies, tropical forest conservation or computer science (the latter two for males only). Being Muslim or, for males, being a non-Anglican Protestant were negatively related to alcohol use. Different patterns were found for heavy episodic drinking. Being a male Muslim or a male student of development studies was positively related to heavy episodic drinking; while among females, being of a non-classified faith, having had a head of the household with a secondary education, not being raised by both parents, or being a student of development studies or science were positively related to heavy episodic drinking. Conclusion: Alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking on a monthly basis among the students at MUST seem linked to a student’s socio-economic background, with varying patterns for male and female students.
Study on the microbial quality of experimentally washed eggs.

This study was performed to investigate the effects of washing on the microbial quality of table eggs and on the cuticle structure. Data are needed to qualify the risk for the consumers and to evaluate the marketing ability of washed eggs. For that 1500 fresh laid hen ́s eggs were examined. The total viable count on the egg shell was determined from washed and unwashed eggs. Washed eggs showed significantly lower counts than the unwashed control group. The air cell height and the penetration of microorganisms into the egg content of washed and unwashed eggs was examined after a storage of 18 and 28 days at 20°C combined with 70 and 85% relative humidity respectively. There was no statistical significance between the air cell height of both washed and unwashed eggs and no significant difference between percentage of bacterial penetration of washed and unwashed eggs. The effect of washing on the cuticle was detected using Evans Blue and scanning electron microscopy. Washing the eggs with warm water resulted in slight damages but using of disinfecting agents leads to complete removal of the cuticle.
Older crust underlies Iceland

SUMMARY The oldest rocks outcropping in northwest Iceland are ∼16 Myr old and in east Iceland ∼13 Myr. The full plate spreading rate in this region during the Cenozoic has been ∼ 2c m a −1 , and thus these rocks are expected to be separated by ∼290 km. They are, however, ∼500 km apart. The conclusion is inescapable that an expanse of older crust ∼210 km wide underlies Iceland, submerged beneath younger lavas. This conclusion is independent of any considerations regarding spreading ridge migrations, jumps, the simultaneous existence of multiple active ridges, three-dimensionality, or subsidence of the lava pile. Such complexities bear on the distribution and age of the older crust, but not on its existence or its width. If it is entirely oceanic its maximum age is most likely 26‐37 Ma. It is at least 150 km in north‐south extent, but may taper and extend beneath south Iceland. Part of it might be continental—a southerly extension of the Jan Mayen microcontinent. This older crust contributes significantly to crustal thickness beneath Iceland and the ∼40 km local thickness measured seismically is thus probably an overestimate of present-day steady-state crustal production at Iceland.
Keterkaitan Teknologi Informasi, Pembelajaran Organisasi, Kemampuan Manajemen Pengetahuan, Dan Kinerja Perusahaan

The purpose of the study was to test empirically the influence of information technology relatedness and organizational learning on knowledge management ability and company performance either directly or indirectly. Research was expected to provide theoretical and practice contributions in banking management. The research instrument used a questionnaire that given to the head of bank branches in Palembang. Sampling technique used purposive sampling with the number of respondents 199 respondents. The result of the study showed that: the influence of information technology relatedness on organizational learning, the influence of organizational learning on knowledge management ability, the influence of knowledge management ability on company performance, to produce positive and significant influence, while the influence of information technology relatedness to knowledge management ability, the influence of information technology relatedness on corporate performance, the influence of organizational learning on company performance produced negative influence. The limitations of the study did not distinguish the market share and the level of banking competition.
The perceived importance of person-job fit and person-organization fit between and within interview stages

This study explored the perceived importance of person-job fit and person-organization fit between and within three interview stages (i.e., initial, final, and single stage). The initial and final interviews refer to the sequential interviews conducted in a multiple-stage selection process and the single interview refers to the only interview conducted before a final decision is made. Using 446 campus recruiters, it was shown that: 1) P-J fit was perceived as more important than P-O fit in the initial interview; 2) the importance of P-J fit becomes lower from the initial interview to the single interview and from the initial interview to the final interview; and 3) the importance of P-O fit becomes higher from the initial interview to the single interview and from the initial interview to the final interview. Empirical implications and future directions are discussed.
Economists and the Economy: The Evolution of Economic Ideas

Economists and the Economy combines economic history and a history of economics. The work covers both major historical events, such as the English Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the Great Depression, and intellectual developments in economic thought. Among the theories examined are neoclassical growth theory, the Harrod-Domar model, the Cambridge capital controversy, and statistical research. Backhouse seeks to explain how economic theories are formed in response to specific incidents affecting economic events. Backhouse claims that although advances in economic theory have been very important in helping economists to understand the world better, excessive prestige has been attached to work on economic theory. By telling the story in terms of attempts to tackle real-world problems, such as inflation, privatization, and deregulation, this book presents a dramatic new perspective on the history of economic thought, showing that it is not necessary to give pride of place to theories of value and distribution. Economics and the Economy was originally published in 1988. For this second edition, the author has added a new introduction and has substantially revised and updated other chapters. While it will be especially helpful to students of economics, Economics and the Economy is written in such a way that it will be accessible to readers with only a limited background in economics. Historians, economists, and scholars interested in the history of ideas will all find this work to be an important resource. According to David Colander of Middlebury College, "Economics and the Economy is a nice blend of history of economic thought and economic history.Backhouse organizes the presentation by topic, tying the developments in economic ideas with the historical happenings in the economy. " Adrian Darnell of the University of Durham, in praise of this book, notes that "this most readable, enjoyable and informative book is, perhaps, Roger Backhouse's most ambitious project to date. "
Electron knock-on cross section of carbon and boron nitride nanotubes

We present a theoretical description of electron irradiation of single-walled carbon and boron nitride nanotubes. In a first step, the anisotropy of the atomic emission energy threshold is obtained within extended molecular-dynamics simulations based on the density-functional tight-binding method. In a second step, we numerically derive the total Mott cross section for different emission sites as a function of the incident electron energy. Two regimes are then described: at low irradiation energies (below 300 keV), the atoms are preferentially ejected from the upper and lower parts of the tube, while at high energies (above 300 keV), the atoms are preferentially ejected from the side walls. Typical values from a fraction of barn (at side wall for 150 keV electron) up to around 20 barn (for 1 MeV electrons) are obtained for the total cross section of knock-on processes for both C and BN nanotubes. These values are smaller than those previously reported using isotropic models and the main reasons for the discrepancies are discussed. Finally, in boron nitride nanotubes, we report that the emission energy threshold maps show boron sputtering to be more favorable for low irradiation energies, while nitrogen sputtering is more favorable at high energies. These calculations ofmore » the total knock-on cross section for various nanotubes can be used as a guideline for transmission electron microscopy experimentalists using high energy focused beams to shape nanotubes, and also more generally if electron irradiation is to be used to change nanotube properties such as their optical behavior or conductivity. « less
Journey-to-Work Patterns in the Age of Sprawl: Evidence from Two Midsize Southern Metropolitan Areas*

Abstract Among others, one commonly identified negative consequence of urban sprawl is an increase in the length of the journey to work. However, there has been more discussion of this than serious scrutiny, hence the relationship between urban sprawl and commuting patterns, especially at the intraurban level, remains unclear. Using the 2000 Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) data for two Southeastern metropolitan areas, this research investigates the extent to which workers living in sprawl areas commute farther to work than those living in higher density areas. The analysis of variance confirms that workers commuting from sprawl areas to urban areas experience a longer commute in terms of time as well as mileage, though this varies when workplace and home locations are taken into account. However, multivariate statistical results suggest that there are limits to the utility of sprawl as a predictor of travel behavior compared to workers' socioeconomic characteristics, as other factors appear to be equally or more important.
Enhancement of Gaseous BTEX Adsorption on RH-MCM-41 by Chlorosilanes (Peningkatan Penjerapan Gas BTEX pada RH-MCM-41 oleh Klorosilana)

In this research, the surface hydrophobicity of a mesoporous molecular sieve synthesized from rice husk silica, called RH-MCM41 was improved via silylation techniqueto enhance the adsorption efficiency of non-polar volatile organic compound. The effect of chlorosilane leaving on was analyzed with three silanes containing different numbers of chloride leaving group; trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), dimethyldichlorosilane (DMDCS) and methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS). The unmodified RH-MCM-41 was soaked in 100 mL of 5% v/v of silane reagent at 30oC for 24 h. The results showed that the silane loading on the RH-MCM-41 was in the order of increasing number of leaving groups as MTCS > DMDCS > TMCS. The crystallinity results studied by X-ray diffractometry indicated that the silylation did not affect the hexagonal pattern of RH-MCM-41. However, the porosity of the silylated RH-MCM-41 was significantly decreased after silylation, especially by MTCS, due to pore blocking. After silylation, the adsorption performance of gaseous BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) on the silylated RH-MCM-41 was determined by gas chromatography equipped with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). From the results of humidity effect on adsorbability, the BTEX adsorption capacity of the unsilylated RH-MCM-41 was dropped a half, conversely the BTEX adsorption capacity of all silylated RH-MCM-41 was decreased in range of 2030% when the relative humidity increased from 25 to 99%. This was indicated that the influence of humidity on the BTEX adsorption was relieved after silylation. In additions, the maximum BTEX adsorption capacity belonged to RH-MCM-41 silylated by TMCS which was recommended for the enhancement of non-polar volatile organic compounds adsorption.
Association Between STAT4 rs7574865 Polymorphism and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Debate Unresolved

Background: STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism has been evidently associated with susceptibility to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in European and Eastern Asian populations, whereas studies in other countries reported otherwise. Objective: We investigated the distribution of STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism in a group of Syrian RA patients. Methods: Eighty-one RA patients and forty healthy controls were enrolled and STAT4 rs7574865 was genotyped by direct sequencing. RA patients were stratified according to Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies (ACPA) status for analysis. Results: Minor T allele frequencies were 30.4%, 16.7%, and 23.8% in ACPA-positive RA patients, ACPA-negative RA patients, and healthy controls, respectively. No significant differences in STAT4 rs7574865 allele/genotype frequencies were found between ACPA-positive RA patients, ACPA-negative RA patients, and healthy controls (P>0.05). Conclusion: STAT4 rs7574865 TT genotype showed a potential impact on ACPA positivity in Syrian RA patients. However, STAT4 rs7574865 effect on RA onset and severity is minor compared to other genetic factors such as HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles.