Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Middle-class cultivation out of tune? Challenges to intensive parenting in Singapore

Abstract This article explores how conceptions of responsible parenting are re-negotiated in present-day Singapore. It discusses how policy changes in the pre-school area have affected parental practices and notions of morally worthy parenting. Pre-school reform promoting children’s holistic development and less intensive parenting is part of a wider process of education reform, which has been on-going for the last 20 years. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, we examine how parents and pre-school teachers negotiate these changes in the context of making pre-school children ready for formal schooling. Our main finding is that the changes associated with reform have created a situation, in which well-educated middle-class parents are increasingly insecure when it comes to education. Rather, they are caught off-balance and are struggling hard to figure out which modes of parenting will be counted as responsible and will turn out to be rewarding in terms of their children’s educational success and wholesome development.
Food for Thought: Parent-Child Face-to-Face Communication and Mobile Phone Use in Eateries

ABSTRACT It has become increasingly common for parents and children to engage in individual digital activities which disconnect them from each other while remaining in each other’s presence. Accordingly, this paper examines how parent-child face-to-face communication is associated with mobile phone use during a family meal in eateries. The study included unobtrusive observations of 58 families with children approximately three to six years of age in various eateries. We identified four parent-child face-to-face interaction patterns that occurred when a parent and/or a child used a mobile phone: (1) Communication discouragement during parents’ phone use; (2) Communication discouragement during children’s phone use; (3) Communication facilitation via family photos; and (4) Communication facilitation via a shared phone use. Mobile phone use during family mealtimes in public is thus another example of both the positive and the negative outcomes of media use in family communication.
Pollination ecology and floral scent chemistry of Philodendron fragrantissimum (Araceae)

ABSTRACT In French Guiana, Philodendron fragrantissimum (Hook.) G.Don was specifically pollinated by a single species of night-active cyclocephaline scarab, Cyclocephala simulatrix Höhne. Its inflorescences exhibited short-lasting anthesis (~30 h) and characteristic floral traits such as floral thermogenesis, edible/nutritious floral tissues, and profuse floral scent emission. Our insect exclusion experiments indicate that entomophilous cross-pollination is obligatory for P. fragrantissimum, with olfactory signalling playing a pivotal role in pollinator attraction. Three volatile organic compounds – methyl benzoate, (Z)-jasmone, and dehydrojasmone – dominate the floral scent of pistillate phase inflorescences (84–99%), but their relative proportions were different according to the headspace sampling method used, dynamic or static. Local pollination services provided by both female and male C. simulatrix are effective, as evidenced by a high visitation rate (>70%) that resulted in 55% of the inflorescences maturing into infructescences. Moreover, pollination was highly efficient, since 2–3 beetles sufficed to pollinate an average 94% of the pistillate flowers.
Factors Associated with Parenting Stress among Mothers of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Cross-sectional Study

ABSTRACT Introduction Parents of children with developmental disabilities, particularly mothers, are likely to suffer from stress. Nevertheless, the association between parenting stress and the type and extent of disability is far from evident. Methods To examine the relationship between parenting stress, and type and extent of disability, we collected demographic details and the Parenting Stress Scale from 250 mothers of children with a developmental disability attending special-education schools in Karachi. Type and extent of disability were diagnosed by the school’s psychologist based on DSM criteria. Adjusted beta-coefficients along with a 95% confidence interval were reported using multiple linear regression. Results The overall mean parenting stress score among mothers was found to be 43.2 (95% CI: 42.3–44.1). A total of 80 mothers (32%) had a child with Intellectual disability (ID), 60 (24%) with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 41 (16%) with Autism, and 69 (28%) with Down syndrome. A large proportion of these children (41%) had mild symptoms and around 26% had severe disability. Multivariable analysis showed that the estimated mean parenting stress score was higher for mothers of children with severe autism (β: 8.09, 95% CI: 3.07, 13.11), severe ID (β: 7.45, 95% CI: 3.71, 11.19) and severe ADHD (β: 7.03, 95% CI: 2.62, 11.44) compared to mothers of children with mild autism, ID, and ADHD. Conclusion Nurturing a child with special care needs is challenging for mothers. Appropriate clinical services aiming to support parents of children with various disabilities should offer resources to educate and enable mothers to manage their child’s disabilities and needs. Tailored parenting interventions must also be introduced to reduce the levels of stress among mothers.
Are Parents Doing It Right? Parent and Child Perspectives on Parental Mediation in Singapore

ABSTRACT This study examines how parents and their children differ in their perceptions of parental mediation strategies implemented to supervise and monitor children’s digital media use. Focusing on the Asian context, we explore reasons for parents to set rules as well as parental roles and strictness in relation to children’s digital media use. In-depth qualitative interviews with parents and their children (n = 41 from 20 families) showed that children and parents had divergent opinions on the parental mediation strategies deployed. While some parents felt that they communicated with their children about digital media and were actively involved in mediating their children’s digital media use, children generally perceived these conversations as instructional, one-way communication. Children and parents in the sample stated that prioritizing scholastic pursuit was a major reason for parents’ restricting and reducing of children’s digital media use. Children also perceived differences between fathers and mothers in their strictness and mediating roles when regulating digital media use. Insights gained from the research will help policymakers develop educational platforms for parents to incorporate more effective communication-based mediation strategies. The findings will also encourage parents to consider children’s reactions and perceptions when employing parental mediation, while reevaluating the over-reliance on restrictive strategies.
Riders on the storm? A short note on the biology of Severinia turcomaniae (Saussure, 1872) (Mantodea: Toxoderidae)

Summary New data are presented on the nymphal biology of a praying mantis, Severinia turcomaniae (Saussure, 1872), which has recently spread to the deserts of the Lower Volga Region. Nymphs of 3rd and 4th instars can be encountered in masses in August, suggesting a very short egg development period. They display a clear habitat preference for the tumbleweeds of Ceratocarpus arenarius L. It is hypothesized that the latter may serve for S. turcomaniae nymphs as a unique and efficient means for long-range dispersal and colonization of new localities, which would explain the fast colonization of the territories west of the Volga by S. turcomaniae, but not by Rivetina nana Mistshenko, 1967, another recent invader.
Joint Provision of Non-audit Services to Audit Clients: Empirical Evidences from India

Executive Summary The provision of non-audit services (NAS) by an incumbent auditor has remained a highly contentious issue. One school argues that the joint provision does not impair an auditor’s independence. Instead, it reduces total costs, enhances the ability to detect material misstatements, increases technical competence due to knowledge spillovers and leads to intense competition. However, a substantial tranche of an audit firms’ income is derived from NAS, and the joint provision increases economic ties with the client. Therefore, another school of thought perceives that the joint provision impairs auditor independence. It is also alleged that auditors expect non-audit work after finishing the auditing job. Their independence is also affected by the risks of self-review. Extant literature reveals that the majority of the studies on the issue are archival and experimental. The studies are concentrated in the US, UK, Australia, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Africa, China, and some of the European Union Nations. The article examines the perspective of chartered accountants (CAs) on the joint provision of NAS in India. The study samples 119 CAs. The reliability of the survey result was measured using Cronbach’s α, and a score of 0.77 indicated acceptable internal consistency reliability. The data were analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann Whitney U test statistic. The summary of their suggestions for ensuring auditor independence is presented separately. The findings reflect that existing prohibitions imposed by the Companies Act, 2013, are not enough to ensure auditor independence, and the Management Services u/s 144 of the Act needs to be clearly defined. Practitioners do not support the proposition that joint provision should end and a separate category of professionals be mandated to render NAS. However, the recommendations include strengthening provisions to reduce the conflict of interest.
Downregulation of RAB7 and Caveolin-1 increases MMP-2 activity in renal tubular epithelial cells under hypoxic conditions

Abstract Tubulointerstitial fibrosis leads to tubular basement membrane thickening and accumulation of interstitial extracellular matrix (ECM). Matrix metallopeptidase-2 (MMP-2) is involved in the breakdown of ECM. Chronic hypoxia often occurs in the kidney tissues of patients with chronic kidney disease. Our previous study reported the effect of autophagy and endocytosis on MMP-2 activity in hypoxia-treated HK-2 cells. In this study, the relationship between the Ras-related protein Rab-7a (RAB7) and MMP-2 activity was further investigated. RAB7 overexpression decreased MMP-2 activity. In contrast, the results for RAB7 knockdown displayed the opposite pattern. Short hairpin RNA technology was used to knockdown Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) or Beclin-1 (Bec-1) in HK-2 cells. The two genes displayed differential effects on MMP-2 activity. Cav-1 and RAB7 interference increased MMP-2 activity. This study suggested that autophagy and endocytosis, RAB7, Cav-1, and Bec-1 may serve as potential mediators for altered MMP-2 activity.
The Transcriptomic Signature of Cyclical Parthenogenesis

Cyclical parthenogenesis, where females can engage in sexual or asexual reproduction depending on environmental conditions, represents a novel reproductive phenotype that emerged during eukaryotic evolution. The fact that environmental conditions can trigger cyclically parthenogens to engage in distinct reproductive modes strongly suggests that gene expression plays a key role in the origin of cyclical parthenogenesis. However, the genetic basis underlying cyclical parthenogenesis remains understudied. In this study we characterize the female transcriptomic signature of sexual vs. asexual reproduction in the cyclically parthenogenetic microcrustacean Daphnia pulex and D. pulicaria. Our analyses of differentially expressed genes, pathway enrichment, and GO term enrichment clearly show that compared to sexual reproduction the asexual reproductive stage is characterized by both the under-regulation of meiosis and cell-cycle genes and the up-regulation of metabolic genes. We suggest that the under-regulation of meiosis and cell-cycle genes is responsible for the origin of parthenogenesis from meiosis, whereas differentially expressed metabolic genes may mediate choice of asexual vs. sexual reproductive pathway. Furthermore, our analyses identify some cases of divergent expression among gene family members (e.g., doublesex, NOTCH2) associated with asexual or sexual reproductive stage, suggesting potential functional divergence among gene family members.
Inhibition of Kallikrein-related peptidases 7 restrains pancreatic tumor growth through induction of ferroptosis

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and lethal malignancies with extremely poor prognosis, and KLK7 was considered as a potential therapeutic target. In this study, we analyzed the expression of KLK7 in TCGA and GTEx databases and found that KLK7 had a negative correlation to long-term survival rate (>1.5 years) of pancreatic cancer patients. Compound 42 is a coumarinic derivative, a suicide substrate inhibitor of KLK7, which has been proved to inhibit the proliferation of PANC-1 cells in vitro effectively in our previous study. In this study, we further investigated the inhibition ability of Compound 42 in tumor formation and development in CDX and PDX tumor models of pancreatic cancer subsequently. Besides, we studied the inhibitory mechanism of Compound 42 and the result showed that Compound 42 arrested the pancreatic cancer cell cycle in G0/G1 phase and induced ferroptosis through down-regulation of GPX4 protein level and accumulation of iron ion. Thus, these experiments demonstrate that Compound 42, suppressing pancreatic cancer in vivo, is expected to become a novel drug for pancreatic cancer treatment.
Ecological and social pressures interfere with homeostatic sleep regulation in the wild

Sleep is fundamental to the health and fitness of all animals. The physiological importance of sleep is underscored by the central role of homeostasis in determining sleep investment – following periods of sleep deprivation, individuals experience longer and more intense sleep bouts. Yet, most studies of sleep have been conducted in highly controlled settings, disconnected from the ecological and social context that may exert pressures on sleep patterns in conflict with homeostatic regulation. Using tri-axial accelerometry and GPS to track the sleep patterns of a group of wild baboons (Papio anubis) at multiple temporal and spatial scales, we found that ecological and social pressures indeed interfere with homeostatic sleep regulation. Baboons sacrificed time spent sleeping when in less familiar locations and when sleeping in proximity to more group-mates, regardless of how much they had slept the prior night or how much they had physically exerted themselves the preceding day. Moreover, we found that the collective dynamics characteristic of social animal groups persist into the sleep period, as baboons exhibited synchronized patterns of waking throughout the night, particularly with nearby group-mates. Thus, for animals whose fitness depends critically on avoiding predation and developing social relationships, maintaining sleep homeostasis may be only secondary to remaining vigilant when sleeping in risky habitats and interacting with group-mates during the night. Our results highlight the importance of studying sleep in ecologically relevant contexts, where the adaptive function of sleep patterns directly reflect the complex trade-offs that have guided its evolution.
Cell and circuit origins of fast network oscillations in the mammalian main olfactory bulb

Neural synchrony generates fast network oscillations throughout the brain, including the main olfactory bulb (MOB), the first processing station of the olfactory system. Identifying the mechanisms synchronizing neurons in the MOB will be key to understanding how network oscillations support the coding of a high-dimensional sensory space. Here, using paired recordings and optogenetic activation of glomerular sensory inputs in MOB slices, we uncovered profound differences in principal mitral cell (MC) vs. tufted cell (TC) spike-time synchrony: TCs robustly synchronized across fast- and slow-gamma frequencies, while MC synchrony was weaker and concentrated in slow-gamma frequencies. Synchrony among both cell types was enhanced by shared glomerular input but was independent of intraglomerular lateral excitation. Cell-type differences in synchrony could also not be traced to any difference in the synchronization of synaptic inhibition. Instead, greater TC than MC synchrony paralleled the more periodic firing among resonant TCs than MCs and emerged in patterns consistent with densely synchronous network oscillations. Collectively, our results thus reveal a mechanism for parallel processing of sensory information in the MOB via differential TC vs. MC synchrony, and further contrast mechanisms driving fast network oscillations in the MOB from those driving the sparse synchronization of irregularly-firing principal cells throughout cortex.
Convergent Coding of Recent and Remote Fear Memory in the Basolateral Amygdala

Background In both rodents and humans, the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is essential for encoding and retrieving conditioned fear memories. Although the BLA is a putative storage site for these memories, recent evidence suggests that they become independent of the BLA with the passage of time. Methods We systematically examined the role for the BLA in the retrieval of recent (1 day) and remote (2 weeks) fear memory using optogenetic, electrophysiological, and calcium imaging methods in male and female Long-Evans rats. Critically, we used a behavioral design that permits within-subjects comparison of recent and remote memory at the same time point; freezing behavior served as the index of learned fear. Results We found that BLA c-Fos expression was similar after the retrieval of recent or remote fear memories. Extracellular single-unit recordings in awake, behaving animals revealed that single BLA neurons exhibit robust increases in spike firing to both recent and remote conditional stimuli (CSs). Fiber photometry recordings revealed that these patterns of activity emerge from principal neurons. Consistent with these results, optogenetic inhibition of BLA principal neurons impaired conditioned freezing to both recent and remote CSs. There were no sex differences in any of the measures or manipulations. Conclusions These data reveal that BLA neurons encode both recent and remote fear memories, suggesting substantial overlap in the allocation of temporally distinct events. This may underlie the broad generalization of fear memories across both space and time. Ultimately, these results provide evidence that the BLA is a long-term storage site for emotional memories.
Developing New Thevenin Impedance Determination Technique and Voltage Stability Assessment Index for Online Application

In Thevenin impedance determination techniques, which are used for voltage stability assessment, approximations are common. The approximations produce erroneous results during critical operating times. This paper has solved the approximation problems and comes up with new Thevenin impedance determination technique suitable for online voltage stability assessment. The Technique is tested on a simple three bus test system, and produced results that match with the actual values. Using this new Thevenin impedance determination Technique, a new voltage stability index is also developed. The index is tested on IEEE 14 bus system and it has, effectively, identified weakest and strongest buses. The test is also compared with the result from other methods, and its effectiveness for online voltage stability assessment is shown.
Comprehensive method for modeling uncertainties of solar irradiance for PV power generation in smart grids

Due to their intrinsic intermittent and random nature, renewable energy sources can dramatically influence the short-term scheduling of distributed energy resources (DER) and if their uncertainties are not properly handled, the operation strategies of DER may deviate from the optimal ones. In order to overcome this issue, this paper presents a comprehensive method for modeling uncertainties of solar power generation through a scenario-generation approach and historical data for a specific area of interest. The proposed approach is particularly suitable to be used in smart grid environment for stochastic operation optimization of DER. The Roulette Wheel mechanism has been used for generating an initial set of scenarios, and a reduction process based on Fast Forward method has been then applied in order to preserve the most representative ones, while reducing the computational efforts of next potential stochastic optimization phase. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to evaluate the effects of key parameters on the solar irradiance generated scenarios. The results could be useful as a guide to tune scenarios' generation process aimed at obtaining scenarios with specific characteristics. Moreover, case study results show that the proposed method allows generating plausible scenarios for solar power generation to be used as input for DER stochastic optimization purposes. Moreover, its high flexibility allows to estimate the behavior of stochastic operation optimization of DER in the presence of more fluctuating, but ever plausible, solar irradiance patterns.
Hot-Electron-Induced Punch-Through (HEIP) Effect in p-MOSFET Enhanced by Mechanical Stress

Hot-carrier-induced degradation of short p-channel field-effect transistors in the presence of externally applied vertical mechanical force is investigated. The mechanical stress was induced in the devices by applying a normal load with a nanoindenter. Using finite element modeling, the induced stress to the channel was estimated to reach GPa range. It is shown that compressive mechanical stress considerably enhances the impact ionization rate and the generation of secondary electron-hole pairs. These can be trapped in the gate oxide and cause a hot-electron-induced punch-through effect and effective p-channel length reduction even after both mechanical and electrical stresses are removed. The presented findings indicate the importance of mechanical stress control and engineering for improving the device reliability.
α-MeanShift++: Improving MeanShift++ for Image Segmentation

MeanShift is one of the popular clustering algorithms and can be used to partition a digital image into semantically meaningful regions in an unsupervised manner. However, due to its prohibitively high computational complexity, a grid-based approach, called MeanShift++, has recently been proposed and succeeded to surprisingly reduce the computational complexity of MeanShift. Nevertheless, we found that MeanShift++ still has computational redundancy and there is room for improvement in terms of accuracy and runtime; thus, we propose an improvement to MeanShift++, named <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula>-MeanShift++. We first attempt to minimize the computational redundancy by using an additional hash table. Then, we introduce a speedup factor (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula>) to reduce the number of iterations required until convergence, and we use more neighboring grid cells for the same bandwidth to improve accuracy. Through intensive experiments on image segmentation benchmark datasets, we demonstrate that <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula>-MeanShift++ can run 4.1-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4.6\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> faster on average (but up to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$7\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula>) than MeanShift++ and achieve better image segmentation quality.