Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acid Sphingomyelinase Deficiency Exacerbates LPS-Induced Experimental Periodontitis.

BACKGROUND Mutation of the gene for acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) causes Niemann-Pick disease. However, the effect of ASMase deficiency on periodontal health is unknown. Periodontal disease is a disease resulting from infection and inflammation of periodontal tissue and alveolar bone that support the teeth. The goal of this study was to determine the role of ASMase deficiency in periodontal inflammation and alveolar bone loss. METHODS We induced periodontitis in wild-type and ASMase-deficient (ASMase-/-) mice with periodontal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection and compared the alveolar bone loss and periodontal inflammation between these mice. RESULTS Results showed that ASMase deficiency did not significantly change metabolic parameters, but exacerbated LPS-induced alveolar bone loss, osteoclastogenesis and periodontal tissue inflammation. To understand the mechanisms by which ASMase deficiency aggravates LPS-induced periodontitis, we analyzed sphingolipids in periodontal tissues. Results showed that ASMase deficiency led to increases in not only sphingomyelin, but also ceramide (CER), a bioactive sphingolipid known to promote inflammation. Results further showed that ASMase deficiency increased CER de novo synthesis. CONCLUSION ASMase deficiency exacerbated LPS-induced alveolar bone loss and periodontal inflammation. ASMase deficiency leads to an unexpected CER increase by stimulating de novo synthesis CER, which is likely to be involved in the ASMase deficiency-exacerbated periodontitis.
ERP AND MEG CORRELATES OF VISUAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Two decades of event-related potential (ERP) research have established that the most consistent correlates of the onset of visual consciousness are the early visual awareness negativity (VAN), a negative component in the N2 time range over posterior electrode sites, and the late positivity (LP), a positive component in the P3 time range over fronto-parietal electrode sites. A review by Koivisto & Revonsuo (2010) had looked at 39 studies and concluded that the VAN is the earliest and most reliable correlate of visual phenomenal consciousness, whereas the LP probably reflects later processes associated with reflective/access consciousness. However, an “early” vs. “late” debate still persists. This thesis provides an update to that earlier review. All ERP and MEG studies that have appeared since 2010 and directly compared ERPs of aware and unaware conditions are considered. The result corroborates the view that VAN is the earliest and most consistent signature of visual phenomenal consciousness, and casts further doubt on the LP as an ERP correlate of consciousness. Important new methodological, empirical, and theoretical developments in the field are described, and the empirical results are related to the theoretical background debates.
A momentum‐consistent stabilization algorithm for Lagrangian particle methods in the thermo‐mechanical friction drilling analysis Xiaofei Pan1 · C. T. Wu1 · Wei Hu1 · Youcai Wu1

This paper introduces a new stabilization algorithm to Lagrangian particle methods for the coupled thermal mechanical analysis in the friction drilling simulation. Different from the conventional penalty method which utilizes a direct smoothing of velocity fields in the weak formulation, the proposed algorithm introduces the smoothed velocity fields through linear momentum equations for stabilization. Particle approximations are used for the discretization of coupled thermal mechanical discrete equations. The coupled system is solved by the explicit and staggered time marching scheme. In comparison to the conventional penalty method which requires at least one extra integration point for stabilization, the proposed algorithm needs only one integration point per particle in computation. The essential features of linear and angular momentum conservations are preserved in the explicit dynamic analysis. A bridging scheme is also developed to couple the particle formulation with finite element formulation for practical industrial applications. Several benchmark tests are performed to examine the effectiveness of this new method. Furthermore, a friction drilling application is studied, and the results are compared with the experimental data.
Using Social Media Data to Study People’s Per- ception and Knowledge of Environments

Increasing availability of online social network and mediasharing services (e.g. Facebook, Foursquare and Flickr) has led to the accumulation of large volumes of social media data, such as text-based messages, check-ins, reviews/ratings, images, videos, and so on. Many of these data are tagged with geographic location information, e.g. latitude/longitude, and often reflect how people perceive, experience and behave in various environments. This paper explores the potential of geotagged social media data for understanding people’s perception and knowledge of environments, especially urban environments.
ANALYSIS OF CATFISH FARMING SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON NET FARM INCOME IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined catfish farming system and its impact on net farm income in Anambra State, Nigeria. A total of 256 respondents were selected through a multistage random sampling technique and interviewed for the study. However, 204 returned useful copies of questionnaire used to collate primary data for analysis. Both non-parametric and parametric statistical tools were employed for data analysis. A mean net farm income of N734, 850 proved catfish farming a profitable enterprise in the study area. Majority of the farmers (76%) favoured the practice of catfish farming using concrete ponds, flow-through water supply method and intensive feeding technique. Net farm income was significantly influenced by age, cost of feed, farm area, pond type and stock size. Measures that would encourage the establishment of more concrete ponds, such as the expansion of extension services and provision of cheap credits, must be pursued to create more employment opportunities and retard the increasing rate of unemployment in the area.
A confirm factor analysis of innovative organization in basic education institutions: A case study in Thailand

This paper reports the innovative organization’s components in basic education institutions in Thailand and the results of confirmatory factor analysis to validate those components. The data for analysis were collected from the samples of 84 school directors, 332 deputy school directors, and 84 heads of ICT department in schools of the Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education in Thailand for the academic year of 2018, using stratified randomized technique. The tool for data collection was approved questionnaire with high content validity at 0.97. The statistics used to analyze the data included means (M), standard deviation (S.D.), and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The results revealed that (1) there were eight components and the highest level of the opinions of its importance was on the components of information and communications technology (ICT) management at 4.67. and S.D. at 0.31, and (2) there was a significant resemblance between the theory and the empirical data examined by a confirmatory factor analysis.
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING IN A HIGHER EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT: DO PRE-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND LEARNING STYLES PLAY A ROLE?

The majority of students undergoing the medical programme at the International Medical University (IMU) transfer to partner medical schools worldwide after the phase 1 programme. Thus it is desirable to inculcate self-directed learning (SDL) skills to enable them to adapt to the varied learning strategies of these schools. As learner characteristics importantly influence successful SDL, the effect of learning styles and pre-university education on the appreciation of SDL in relation to the learning resources was assessed in 708 students undergoing IMU’s medical curriculum. Male students rated appreciation of SDL significantly higher than females. The ratings were consistently higher for SDL as a good learning method compared to the utilisation of resources for all the semesters with a positive correlation. The majority of students entering IMU have experienced STPM, (Malaysian equivalent of matriculation), South Australian matriculation (SAM) and GCE-A level. Although difference in responses is seen among the various pre-university education groups, this is not significant. Generally, there are more reflective than active, sensing than intuitive, visual than verbal and sequential than global learners. Appreciation of SDL and utilisation of IMU resources are positive irrespective of learning style. These findings indicate that the majority of students, irrespective of learning style and pre-university education appreciate the need to develop SDL. The study identified “receiving”, “adaptation” and “acceptance” phases in students as they progress and adapt through a higher education environment. Importantly, providers of higher education must be aware of these phases and address them accordingly.
Subjective Immediate Experiences during Large-Scale Cultural Events in Cities: A Geotagging Experiment

Cities are increasingly exploiting new activities such as large-scale cultural events in public open spaces. Investigating the subjective immediate experiences of visitors is valuable to reflect on these events and their configuration in the city. Therefore the aim of this study is twofold: (i) to demonstrate a data collection methodology to measure subjective immediate experiences of visitors and (ii) to test different types of factors that influence visitors’ subjective immediate experiences at cultural events by means of the new methodology. A quantitative research that is enabled by geotagging, paper surveys and secondary data (location characteristics and weather conditions) is applied at the Dutch Design Week event in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. After data collection, a binary logit model is estimated. It is found that apart from age and intended duration of stay, visitor characteristics do not influence the subjective immediate experiences while temporal, physical environmental and weather conditions do. Specifically, it is found that subjective immediate experiences at outdoor locations are mainly influenced by location characteristics. This study shows that the proposed data collection methodology is useful for gathering insights especially on the influence of physical characteristics on subjective immediate experiences. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research and with suggestions to policy makers and event managers.
THE OLDEST “SUBAQUATIC FLYING” REPTILE IN THE WORLD-PISTOSAURUS LONGAEVUS MEYER, 1839 (SAUROPTERYGIA) FROM THE MIDDLE TRIASSIC OF EUROPE

Nothosaurus baruthicus Geissler, 1895 represents the postcranial skeleton of the Middle Triassic sauropterygian pistosaur Pistosaurus longaevus Meyer, 1839, which is based upon a skull from the same locality near Bayreuth, Germany. Over 200 isolated postcranial bones, predominantly from Bindlach, Laineck and Bad Sulza (Germany), and other European sites, are depicted here as referred speciemens. The bones were found in glauconitic, brachiopod-rich, bioclastic, shallow marine carbonate facies types, and in transgressive or maximum flooding surface layers (bonebeds). The three-dimensionally preserved referred specimens allow an almost complete skeletal reconstruction that is important in resolving the phylogenetic relationship and the origin of plesiomorphic locomotion mode of Early Jurassic plesiosaurs. The limb anatomy in Pistosaurus indicates primitive flippers (between Triassic stem sauropterygians and post-Triassic plesiosaurs) with main propulsion in the front, and less in the hindlimbs. Pistosaurus is demonstrated to be the earliest “subaquatic flying” reptile on the Pangean globe, which emigrated during the Middle Illyrian (Middle Triassic) from the Tethys Ocean into the Central Germanic intracontinental Basin, with its peak extension and abundance during the maximum transgression in the Fassanian (Middle Triassic), and extinction with the regression at the Longobardian. The dentition and locomotion indicate a primary diet of fish or smallto medium-sized reptiles.
The Rise of the Economic Technocracy in Rwanda: A Case of a Bureaucratic Pocket of Effectiveness or State-Building Prioritisation?

The Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) is recognised as the most effective organisation in the Rwandan state. The objective of the paper is to understand the organisational and political factors influencing MINECOFIN’s performance since the genocide and link them to the wider conversation on the role of pockets of effectiveness (PoEs) in state-building in Africa. It argues that, because of the Rwandan political settlement and elite vulnerability, MINECOFIN is not a PoE but only a good performer in a generally well functioning state. The Ministry overperforms first because, unsurprisingly, the nature of its tasks is specific, requires little embeddedness and allows a great exposure to donors, making its mandate easier to deliver in comparison to other organisations. MINECOFIN also performs better than other state organisations because it is, more than others, at the frontline of the elite legitimation project since it is the organisation through which resources are channelled, priorities decided, and developmental efforts coordinated. Given the rulers’ need for an effective state as a whole, MINECOFIN appears only as the lead climber in a wider dynamics of systematic state building.
Modeling and Simulation of High-Current Constricted Vacuum Arcs Driven by a Strong Magnetic Field in 3D

Constricted Vacuum arcs are metal vapor arcs occurring in vacuum gaps at high currents (larger than 10kA). Such arcs are found typically in vacuum interrupters making use of the TMF (transverse magnetic field) arc control, i.e., a mechanism which moves the arc over the contact surfaces by the strong magnetic field, which is generated from the current and the shape of the contacts. The heating as well as the material erosion of the electrode surfaces are important processes influencing the interruption capabilities of these vacuum interrupters. We discuss the model underlying the simulation of these arcs. Especially the microscopic processes occurring at the two arc-foots at the cathode and the anode, that is, the attachment layer between plasma and metal surface, are considered in detail. They are the basis to calculate the different fluxes at the boundary of the gap for the simulation of the plasma. The model is able to describe a self-sustained arc moving under the influence of the self-generated magnetic field. We show results of the simulation in a 3D geometry. The motion is dominated by the heating of the electrode surface in front of the arc, leading to new arc-foots.
Age-related neural correlates of facial trustworthiness detection during economic interaction.

Some economic transactions require people to trust strangers, whose trustworthiness is unknown. In these circumstances, behavioral studies have shown that adults (but not young adolescents) seem to have some minimal ability to detect the trustworthiness of adult strangers based on their facial features. In this study, we explored the neural correlates of this facial trustworthiness detection. A group of adolescents and adults played a series of economic Trust Games with adult trustees of which we had previously recorded the strategy. Results showed that when adult investors were looking at the picture of a trust-abusing trustee, the left amygdala was relatively more activated than when they were looking at a trust-honoring player. Younger adolescents did not show this pattern and responded with a more pronounced deactivation when facing a trust-abusing trustee. An exploratory whole-brain analysis detected a similar age shift for mentalizing regions of the brain. Our results fit with an emerging model suggesting that the amygdala is implicated in an associative learning process that progressively refines a mapping of faces onto trustworthy behavior and may result in avoiding to be exploited by untrustworthy strangers.
CENTRE FOR ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS CEA@Cass

We use stochastic volatility models with Markov regime changing state equation to investigate the important properties of volatility, high persistence and smoothness. With the quasi-maximum likelihood approach, we show that volatility is far less persistent and smooth than the GARCH or stochastic volatility models suggest. Our further analysis shows that volatility is less persistent in high volatility regimes than in low volatility regimes. These results indicate that the extreme persistence we frequently observe from daily index returns is led by structural breaks as well as persistent low volatility regimes.
International Journal of Instruction

In the Iranian context, the contribution that job satisfaction might have on English Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ job performance has largely remained unexplored. The current mixed-method study, hence, aims to investigate the possible relationship between EFL teachers’ job satisfaction and job performance. For this aim, a total of 440 EFL male and female teachers were selected using stratified random sampling from state schools and private language schools in Tehran, Isfahan, Arak, and Lorestan Provinces. They responded two questionnaires, one assessing the teachers’ job satisfaction and the second gauging the teachers’ job performance. To triangulate the data gathered from the questionnaires, semi-structured interviews were administered with 40 participants. The collected data were analyzed through running Pearson correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and thematic analysis. Results revealed that there exists a moderate positive correlation between the EFL teachers’ job satisfaction and their job performance. In addition, it was found that dimensions of pay and benefits, contingent reward, work itself, supervision, and advancement/promotion appeared to be significant predictors of EFL teachers’ job performance.
Heat tolerance and acclimation capacity in subterranean arthropods living under common and stable thermal conditions

Abstract Cave‐dwelling ectotherms, which have evolved for millions of years under stable thermal conditions, could be expected to have adjusted their physiological limits to the narrow range of temperatures they experience and to be highly vulnerable to global warming. However, most of the few existing studies on thermal tolerance in subterranean invertebrates highlight that despite the fact that they show lower heat tolerance than most surface‐dwelling species, their upper thermal limits are generally not adjusted to ambient temperature. The question remains to what extent this pattern is common across subterranean invertebrates. We studied basal heat tolerance and its plasticity in four species of distant arthropod groups (Coleoptera, Diplopoda, and Collembola) with different evolutionary histories but under similar selection pressures, as they have been exposed to the same constant environmental conditions for a long time. Adults were exposed at different temperatures for 1 week to determine upper lethal temperatures. Then, individuals from previous sublethal treatments were transferred to a higher temperature to determine acclimation capacity. Upper lethal temperatures of three of the studied species were similar to those reported for other subterranean species (between 20 and 25°C) and widely exceeded the cave temperature (13–14°C). The diplopod species showed the highest long‐term heat tolerance detected so far for a troglobiont (i.e., obligate subterranean) species (median lethal temperature after 7 days exposure: 28°C) and a positive acclimation response. Our results agree with previous studies showing that heat tolerance in subterranean species is not determined by environmental conditions. Thus, subterranean species, even those living under similar climatic conditions, might be differently affected by global warming.
Reconstructing Disruptive Life Events Using the RE-LIFE Questionnaire: Further Validation of the ‘Narrative Meaning Making of Life Events’ Model Using Multiple Mediation Analysis

The theoretical model: ‘Narrative meaning making and integration of life events’ hypothesizes that life events such as falling ill may result in an ‘experience of contingency’. Through narrative meaning making, this experience may be eventually integrated into patients’ life stories, which, in turn, may enhance their quality of life. To contribute to our understanding of this existential dimension of falling ill and to further validate the theoretical model, we examined the relationships among the concepts assessed with the RE-LIFE questionnaire. Two hypothesized mediation models were assessed using regression-based serial multiple mediation analysis. Model 1, assessing the influence of ‘experience of contingency’ on ‘acknowledging’, was significant and showed partial mediation by indirect influences through ‘negative impact on life goals’ and ‘existential meaning’. Model 2, assessing the influence of ‘experience of contingency’ on ‘quality of life’, was also significant, with a full mediation by the variables ‘negative impact on life goals’, ‘existential meaning’ and ‘acknowledging’. In conclusion, several hypothesized relationships within the theoretical model were confirmed. Narrative meaning making and integration significantly influence people’s self-evaluation of their quality of life.
Accountability via Delegation in Dynamic Elections

We study the possibility that elections achieve desirable policy outcomes by bringing the incentives of politicians in line with those of a representative voter, in the context of a general dynamic environment. As our normative benchmark, we take the solution of the dynamic programming problem facing the voter, as if she chose policy directly. We show that when politicians are highly office motivated, there exist equilibria in which all politician types implement an optimal policy rule of the voter. More generally, there exist equilibria in which the politician type corresponding to the representative voter acts as a “faithful delegate” by implementing an optimal rule when elected. We then show that when voters are patient or politicians are highly office motivated, the presence of such a faithful delegate allows the voter to achieve, asymptotically or exactly, optimal policies. Finally, we demonstrate the possibility of multiple equilibria with undesirable normative properties, and we provide relatively narrow conditions that preclude the possibility of such equilibria.
A study on biochemical properties of different parts of three Opuntia species (Opuntia ficus-indica, O. microdasys, and O. basilaris)

Cacti are thorny plants originated from America that grow in most parts of the world. It isused as an ornamental plant thanks to its unique fleshy and beautiful appearance. The fruitsof Opuntia are rich in antioxidants, which makes it possible for this species to tolerategrueling adverse environments. The biochemical properties of fruits and stems of threeOpuntia species (Opuntia ficus-indica, O. microdasys, and O. basilaris) were studied in atrial based on a completely randomized design with three replications. The intended traitswere estimated for the tissues of stems and fruits. They included total protein, dissolvedsugar, enzymatic antioxidants like catalase and peroxidase, anthocyanin content,carotenoid, chlorophyll, pH, total acidity, vitamin C and Brix degrees content in the juice.The results revealed that the stems and fruits of O. ficus-indica had the highest carotenoidand chlorophyll a, the stems of O. microdasys had the highest antioxidant capacity,anthocyanin, carotenoid, chlorophyll, peroxidase, and protein, and the fruits of O. basilarishad the lowest antioxidant capacity, anthocyanin, catalase, peroxidase, and Brix.