Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Warrior Society: Data From 30 Countries Show That Belief in a Zero-Sum Game Is Related to Military Expenditure and Low Civil Liberties

The aim of this paper was to investigate the relationship between a perceived antagonistic view of social relations (as a struggle for limited resources), measured by the Belief in a Zero-Sum Game (BZSG) Scale, national military expenditure, and civil liberties. We used multi-level modeling to analyze data on 5,520 participants from 30 countries, testing the hypothesis that a country’s level of militarization and civil liberties would be associated with its people’s belief in a zero-sum game. We hypothesized that BZSG is more typical of countries that try to gain more resources or defend their interests and thus have high military expenditure but low civil liberties. The results confirmed the stated hypothesis and showed that a country’s high military expenditure and low level of civil liberties correlates positively with citizens’ BZSG. The use of multi-level modeling to account for within- and across-country variation is a main contribution of the study. In conclusion, the reported triad of individual beliefs, military expenditure, and civil liberties seems to be beneficial in linking individual-level data with national-level indices that have major importance for the wellbeing of the world.
The Case for the Entourage Effect and Conventional Breeding of Clinical Cannabis: No “Strain,” No Gain

The topic of Cannabis curries controversy in every sphere of influence, whether politics, pharmacology, applied therapeutics or even botanical taxonomy. Debate as to the speciation of Cannabis, or a lack thereof, has swirled for more than 250 years. Because all Cannabis types are eminently capable of cross-breeding to produce fertile progeny, it is unlikely that any clear winner will emerge between the “lumpers” vs. “splitters” in this taxonomical debate. This is compounded by the profusion of Cannabis varieties available through the black market and even the developing legal market. While labeled “strains” in common parlance, this term is acceptable with respect to bacteria and viruses, but not among Plantae. Given that such factors as plant height and leaflet width do not distinguish one Cannabis plant from another and similar difficulties in defining terms in Cannabis, the only reasonable solution is to characterize them by their biochemical/pharmacological characteristics. Thus, it is best to refer to Cannabis types as chemical varieties, or “chemovars. ” The current wave of excitement in Cannabis commerce has translated into a flurry of research on alternative sources, particularly yeasts, and complex systems for laboratory production have emerged, but these presuppose that single compounds are a desirable goal. Rather, the case for Cannabis synergy via the “entourage effect” is currently sufficiently strong as to suggest that one molecule is unlikely to match the therapeutic and even industrial potential of Cannabis itself as a phytochemical factory. The astounding plasticity of the Cannabis genome additionally obviates the need for genetic modification techniques.
The Cost of Prospective Memory in Children: The Role of Cue Focality

Prospective memory (PM) is an essential ability in daily life, since it involves remembering to perform an intention. While PM largely develops during childhood and adolescence, its underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. In general, age differences in PM have been found with tasks in which the prospective cues are not part of the ongoing activity (non-focal PM tasks). In the present study, we evaluated the cognitive cost produced by a PM task over the ongoing activity by comparing the performance of a single-task condition with that of an ongoing activity condition involving a prospective intention. Specifically, to determine the impact of cue focality on performance as a function of age, we tested two groups of children (6 and 11 years old) in three experimental conditions: single, focal and non-focal prospective cues. In the single-task condition, children were only asked to perform the ongoing task (to categorize images as animal or non-animal). In the focal condition, in addition to performing the ongoing activity, participants were asked to press different keys whenever the image appearing on the screen was a kite or a ball. In the non-focal condition, children were to press the keys if the color of the frame of the screen changed to magenta or gray. Although reaction times were greater for the non-focal conditions in both age groups, the results showed worse performance on the ongoing activity for both the focal and the non-focal conditions (relative to the single-task condition) in the younger children. This difference was less pronounced in older children so that response times for focal and non-focal cues differed from the single condition, but the difference in performance between focal and single task conditions was not reliable. These findings, which are partly in line with the dual process framework (McDaniel et al., 2015), suggest that while non-focal prospective cues compromise attentional control in younger and older children, focal cues seem to rely on less effortful processes in older children.
The Development of Motor and Pre-literacy Skills by a Physical Education Program in Preschool Children: A Non-randomized Pilot Trial

It is known in the literature that fundamental motor skill acquisition is strongly associated with the development of neuromotor, cognitive, social, and emotional aspects in childhood. Unfortunately, in Italy, the physical education teacher is not included in the school’s core personnel, and it is very hard to find a specific physical education program (PEP) that could improve preschool children’s motor and cognitive status. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the quotient of gross motor development (QGMD) and pre-literacy skills concerning visual analysis and spatial orientation abilities changed after 16 weeks of PEP (2 h/week) in preschool children. We conducted a school-based non-randomized pilot trial. It involved 119 preschool children, clustered in a control group [CG, n = 29, body mass index (BMI): 16.90 ± 3.16 Kg/m2] and an intervention group (IG, n = 90, BMI: 16.00 ± 1.75 kg/m2). Participants were assessed for literacy readiness, locomotor and object control skills before and after the experimental period. IG increased the locomotor, object-control skills and QGMD in response to PEP. As concerns the pre-literacy domain, no significant difference was found in visual analysis and spatial orientation skills between IG and CG groups. However, we detected improvements from baseline to post-test in IG children. In conclusion, this study contributes additional evidence suggesting how a PEP could affect not only motor skills, but also cognitive ones. Consistently with the growing research, interventions based on structured ludic-motor activities ensure health benefits for preschool children. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials. gov, identifier NCT01274117.
Variation in Membrane Trafficking Linked to SNARE AtSYP51 Interaction With Aquaporin NIP1;1

SYP51 and 52 are the two members of the SYP5 Qc-SNARE gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana. These two proteins, besides their high level of sequence identity (85%), have shown to have differential functional specificity and possess a different interactome. Here we describe a unique and specific interaction of SYP51 with an ER aquaporin, AtNIP1;1 (also known as NLM1) indicated to be able to transport arsenite [As(III)] and previously localized on PM. In the present work we investigate in detail such localization in vivo and characterize the interaction with SYP51. We suggest that this interaction may reveal a new mechanism regulating tonoplast invagination and recycling. We propose this interaction to be part of a regulatory mechanism associated with direct membrane transport from ER to tonoplast and Golgi mediated vesicle trafficking. We also demonstrate that NIP1;1 is important for plant tolerance to arsenite but does not alter its uptake or translocation. To explain such phenomenon the hypothesis that SYP51/NIP1;1 interaction modifies ER and vacuole ability to accumulate arsenite is discussed.
A Cell-Based Metabonomics Approach to Investigate the Varied Influences of Chrysophanol-8-O-β-D-Glucoside With Different Concentrations on L-02 Cells

In this study, the effects of different concentrations of chrysophanol-8-O-β-D-glucoside (C-8-O-β-D-glu) on L-02 liver cells were analyzed by high content analysis (HCA) and metabonomics to explore the potential mechanism involved. The results showed that low concentrations (12 and 24 μM) of C-8-O-β-D-glu increased the cells viability significantly, while high concentration (96 μM) showed significant cytotoxicity on L-02 cells. HCA was applied to analyze the changes of nuclei and mitochondria after the cells being exposed to C-8-O-β-D-glu for 24 h. The results showed high concentration (96 μM) of C-8-O-β-D-glu significantly reduced the number of living cells, increased average nucleus area, DNA content and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Then non-target metabonomics was carried out to identify potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways of L-02 cells impacted by C-8-O-β-D-glu. Eleven important potential biomarkers associated with four metabolic pathways were identified in this analysis. Dysregulation of alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism were observed in both LCG and HCG. In addition, low concentration (24 μM) of C-8-O-β-D-glu would impact arginine and proline metabolism. High concentration (96 μM) of C-8-O-β-D-glu would impact phenylalanine metabolism and beta-alanine metabolism. Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism were involved in different effects of C-8-O-β-D-glu on L-02 cells.
The Alteration of Subtelomeric DNA Methylation in Aging-Related Diseases

The telomere is located at the end of the chromosome and consists of a non-coding, repetitive DNA sequence. As the cell divides, the length of telomere gradually decreases. A very short telomere can terminate mitosis, and thus telomere length becomes a hallmark of cellular aging. The 500 kb region of each autosomal arm terminal is the so-called subtelomeric region. Both telomere and subtelomere have high-density DNA repeats. Telomeres do not contain genes or CpG sequences, while subtelomeres contain small amounts of genes and high-density CpG sequences, and DNA methylation often occurs in subtelomeres. Previous studies have shown that aberrant methylation of subtelomeric DNA exists in many diseases, and it has a certain effect on the regulation of telomere length. In this review, we focus on the correlation between subtelomeric DNA methylation and aging-related diseases. We also summarize the relationship between subtelomeric methylation and telomere length in different diseases.
Schistosoma mansoni rSm29 Antigen Induces a Regulatory Phenotype on Dendritic Cells and Lymphocytes From Patients With Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

The immune response induced by Schistosma mansoni antigens is able to prevent immune-mediated diseases. Conversely, the inflammatory response in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), although responsible for controlling the infection, is also associated with the pathogenesis of disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of the S. mansoni Sm29 antigen to change certain aspects of the profiles of monocyte derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) and lymphocytes from subjects with CL in vitro. Expression of surface molecules and intracellular cytokines in the MoDCs and lymphocytes as well as the proliferation of Leishmania braziliensis were evaluated by flow cytometry. Levels of cytokines were evaluated in culture supernatants by ELISA. It was observed that stimulation by rSm29 increased the frequency of expression of CD83, CD80, CD86, and IL-10R in MoDCs compared to non-stimulated cultures. Additionally rSm29 decreased the frequency CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing CD28 and increased the frequency of CD4+CD25hi and CD4+CTLA-4+ T lymphocytes. Addition of rSm29 to cultures increased IL-10 levels and decreased levels of IL-12p40 and IFN-γ, while not altering TNF levels compared to non-stimulated cultures. This study showed that rSm29 induced a regulatory profile in MoDCs and lymphocytes and thereby regulated the exaggerated inflammation observed in CL. Considering that there are few therapeutic options for leishmaniasis, the use of rSm29 may be an alternative to current treatment and may be an important strategy to reduce the healing time of lesions in patients with CL.
The Influence of Bt Maize Cultivation on Communities of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Revealed by MiSeq Sequencing

The cultivation of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has received worldwide attention since Bt crops were first released. Its ecological risks on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been widely studied. In this study, after cultivation for five seasons, the AMF diversity and community composition of two Bt maize varieties, 5422Bt1 (event Bt11) and 5422CBCL (event MO10), which both express Cry1Ab protein, and their isoline non-Bt maize 5422, as well as Bt straw after cultivation had been returned to subsequent conventional maize variety, were analyzed using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. A total of 263 OTUs (operational taxonomic units) from 511,847 sequenced affiliated with the AMF which belonged to Mucoromycota phylum Glomeromycotina subphylum were obtained. No significant difference was detected in the AMF diversity and richness (Shannon, Simpson, ACE, and Chao 1 indices) and community composition in rhizosphere soils and roots between Bt and non-Bt treatment revealed by NMDS (non-metric multidimensional scaling) and NPMANOVA (non-parametric multivariate analysis). Moreover, Glomus was the most dominant genus in all samples. Although there was no significant difference in the AMF community in roots and rhizosphere soils between the Bt and non-Bt maize treatments, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), organic carbon (OC), and pH were driving factors affecting the AMF community, and their composition varied between rhizosphere soils and roots during the maturity period of the fifth season. Compared to our previous study, the results were identical. In conclusion, no significant difference was observed between the Bt and non-Bt treatments, and the Illumina MiSeq method had higher throughput and higher quality read cover, which gave us comprehensive insight into AMF communities in agro-ecosystems.
Verbal Working Memory Processes in Students With Mild and Borderline Intellectual Disabilities: Differential Developmental Trajectories for Rehearsal and Redintegration

In verbal working memory, two processes serve to retain a fading memory trace: subvocal rehearsal and lexical redintegration. While recent studies on students with mild and borderline intellectual disabilities (MBID) have yielded mixed results on rehearsal, redintegration has not been researched in MBID, yet. Furthermore, most studies have used a group-matched design which, due to methodological constraints, can only distinguish between two different development patterns. Thus, we study both rehearsal and redintegration in students with MBID using developmental trajectories that have greater potential for identifying differential developmental patterns than traditional group-matching approaches. We investigate whether three aspects in working memory develop differently in students with MBID in comparison to typically developing students: (a) the general capacity of the phonological loop, and the effectiveness of (b) rehearsal, and (c) redintegration. We use three different developmental indicators to compare trajectories: chronological age, cognitive capacity, and vocabulary size. N = 210 students (87 students with MBID, 123 typically developing students) completed working memory span tasks with short and long (1- vs. 3-syllable) real words and pseudowords. The effect for word length (short vs. long) measures rehearsal, and the lexicality effect (real words vs. pseudowords) measures redintegration. Results show that developmental trajectories reveal an intercept difference but no slowed rate in rehearsal, and no impairment in redintegration. However, concerning the developmental relation between redintegration and vocabulary size, students with MBID reveal a differential pattern as redintegration appears higher for students with small vocabulary size, but unexpectedly decreases as vocabulary size increases. We conclude that students with MBID show a delayed onset in the development of capacity of the phonological loop and rehearsal and that they do not catch up in their development. Redintegration does not seem to be impaired in relation to age and cognitive capacity. However, the differential relation of redintegration with vocabulary size calls for further research. While impaired subvocal rehearsal appears to be connected to the developmental problems of students with MBID, lexical redintegration seems to be intact in relation to chronological age and cognitive capacity, making it a possible area of strength.
Predicting Public Attitudes Toward Gene Editing of Germlines: The Impact of Moral and Hereditary Concern in Human and Animal Applications

Background and Objective: New and more efficient methods of gene editing have intensified the ethical and legal issues associated with editing germlines. Yet no research has separated the impact of hereditary concern on public attitudes from moral concern. This research compares the impact these two concerns have on public attitudes across five applications including, the prevention of human disease, human and animal research, animals for the use of human food and the enhancement of human appearance. Methods: A sample of 1004 Australians responded to either a telephone (n = 501; randomly selected) or online survey (n = 503; sourced by Qualtrics). Both samples were representative in terms of States and Territories as well as gender (51% female), though the online sample was younger (M = 40.64, SD = 16.98; Range = 18–87) than the telephone sample (M = 54.79, SD = 18.13; Range = 18–96). A 5 (application) by 3 (type of cell) within groups design was utilized, where all respondents reported their level of approval with scientists editing genes across the 15 different contexts. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the impact of moral (embryo vs. germ) and hereditary (germ vs. somatic) concern on attitudes across all applications. Results: Australians were comfortable with editing human and animal embryos, but only for research purposes and to enhance human health. The effect of moral concern was stronger than hereditary concern, existing in all applications except for the use of animals for human purposes. Hereditary concern was only found to influence attitudes in two applications: improving human health and human research. Moral concern was found to be accentuated amongst, women, more religious individuals and those identifying as Australian, while hereditary concern was strongest amongst non-Australians, those with stronger trust in scientists, and more religious respondents. Conclusion: Moral and hereditary concerns are distinct, and require different approaches to public education, engagement and possibly regulation. Further research needs to explore hereditary concern in relation to non-human applications, and the reasons underlying cultural and gender differences.
Draft Genome Analysis Offers Insights Into the Mechanism by Which Streptomyces chartreusis WZS021 Increases Drought Tolerance in Sugarcane

Drought directly affects sugarcane production. Plant growth-promoting bacteria have gained attention as growth promoters of plants under abiotic stresses. The present study focused on genome assessment of the plant-beneficial endophyte Streptomyces chartreusis WZS021 and its vital role in sugarcane plants under drought stress. Based on in vitro plant growth-promoting trait analyses, WZS021 had multiple abilities, including tolerance to drought and production of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic deaminase, siderophores, and indole acetic acid. We confirmed root colonization of sugarcane transplants by WZS021 by a sterile sand assay and scanning electron microscopy. Plants inoculated with strain WZS021 had a positive influence on the root parameters such as length and biomass when compared to the control plants. A comparative study of the responses of two sugarcane varieties (ROC22 and B8) to different levels of drought stress in the presence or absence of WZS021 was conducted by assessing the plant chemistry. The expression of antioxidants in sugarcane leaves varied with water stress level. WZS021 inoculation improved the contents of chlorophyll, proline, and phytohormones, revealing some potential for the mechanisms by which this strain improves drought tolerance in sugarcane plants. We identified several genes that might be involved in the plant growth- and drought tolerance-promoting effects of this strain.
The Relationship Between Extroversion and the Tendency to Anthropomorphize Robots: A Bayesian Analysis

Personality variables play an important role in how individuals relate to the world around them, including how they view their peers. Such peers now include machine entities, such as robots. This study examined the relationship between the personality trait of extroversion and the tendency to view a robot as anthropomorphic in an experimental setting. To evaluate this relationship, 486 participants were required to complete measures of the big five personality traits (The Mini IPIP) and Negative Attitudes to Robots Scale (NARS). Participants then viewed videos and images of robots performing common jobs (i.e., warehouse technician, IED detection), and then rated these robots via an assessment instrument scaling anthropomorphism. A significant positive relationship between extroversion and the tendency toward anthropomorphization of the robots was found. A Bayesian regression analysis was performed, which indicated the strength of extroversion as a predictor of the tendency to anthropomorphize. We conclude that personality dimensions influence how an individual views the robot that they interact with. These findings are important, as the relationship between personality and the tendency to anthropomorphize robots is likely to influence the acceptance and use of robots.