Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Putting Yourself in the Skin of In- or Out-Group Members: No Effect of Implicit Biases on Egocentric Mental Transformation

Previous studies suggest that visual encoding of ethnicity of in-group/out-group members might influence empathy and sensorimotor sharing. Here, we investigated whether mental perspective taking, presumably a precursor of empathy, is also influenced by in-group/out-group perception and the implicit attitudes toward it. We used an embodied egocentric visual-perspective taking task, the full body rotation task (FBR), in which participants were asked to mentally rotate themselves into the position of dark- or light-skinned bodies. FBR was contrasted to a pure sensorimotor task, the hand laterality task (HLT), in which participants were asked to mentally rotate their hand to the posture of seen light- or dark-skinned hands, which does not require mental simulation of another person’s perspective. We expected the FBR but not the HLT to be influenced by the skin color of the stimuli and by the individual implicit biases toward out-group members. Contrary to this hypothesis, we found that neither skin color nor implicit biases modulated reaction times (RTs) in either task. The data thus suggest that unlike other empathy tasks, skin color does not influence visuospatial perspective taking.
Careless Responding Threatens Factorial Analytic Results and Construct Validity of Personality Measure

The current research investigates the impact of careless responding on factorial analytic results and construct validity with real data. Results showed that inclusion of careless respondents in data analysis distorts factor loading pattern and hinders recovery of theoretical existing factors. Careless respondents also blur the distinction of theoretically distinct factors, resulting in higher inter-factor correlations. That careless responding may threaten convergent validity also receives limited support. Researchers are advised to exclude careless respondents before statistical analysis.
Exploring the level of information and communication technology applications and use in secondary school library media centres in Kuwait: An interpritive case study research

The integration of information technology in education has, in the last thirty years, changed from being non-existent to being a fundamental part of a developed education system. A successful School Library Media Centre (SLMC) is central to education. A typical SLMC aims to provide a broad range of printed and nonprinted resources. The technology phenomenon has a new, dynamic role in supporting the learning environment in the SLMC. Schools and school library media centres in developed countries have evolved widely and have an advanced level of ICT integration. On the other hand, educational organisations in Kuwait have, to date, failed to realise their ICT potential. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the provision and use of information and communication technology (ICT) applications and services in secondary schools, and especially in SLMCs, in Kuwait. The study focuses on the school community (teachers and pupils) and their skill with, and knowledge of, ICT. There has been no previous research that has investigated the availability and use of ICT in secondary schools in Kuwait, so this study aims to fill this gap. In order to thoroughly understand the phenomenon, an interpretive case study approach has been adopted and, therefore, multiple data gathering techniques have been utilised. In order to research the subject within its proper context, two bodies of pertinent literature were reviewed, from both developed and developing countries. The data gathering instruments showed remarkable findings. The research argues that the SLMCs were maintained as mere storehouses with meagre ICT integration. Overall, the results indicated there was a significant lack of ICT related services in Kuwaiti schools. Most of the teachers and pupils showed a reasonable knowledge of ICT. The results also showed that integration of ICT services into SLMCs was strongly advocated by headmasters, teachers and pupils alike. To conclude, the results highlight the need to better understand the importance of new environments in education. The research argues the need for Kuwaiti policymakers to provide a groundbreaking policy to improve the current situation. Although the research is limited to Kuwaiti secondary education, the study may be equally applicable to other educational organisations in many analogous developing countries.
Discursos sobre Gírias: Implicações para Aulas de Inglês no Brasil

Ha basicamente dois discursos no que diz respeito ao vocabulario girio: um e fundamentado na perspectiva purista de lingua (na qual a giria e considerada um vocabulario feio, pobre e/ou sujo); por outro lado, a perspectiva socio-historico-cognitiva entende a giria enquanto rico componente linguistico (BARRA, 2007; MATTIELLO, 2005; ZARBALIYEVA, 2012). Levando isso em consideracao, o presente estudo qualitativo-hermeneutico objetiva investigar que ideologia esta presente nos discursos de professores de ingles do Ensino Medio. Alem disso, o foco do presente estudo tambem diz respeito a investigacao de possiveis implicacoes da referida ideologia para as aulas de ingles no contexto brasileiro. Para as finalidades supracitadas, os professores foram entrevistados e seus discursos foram analisados sob a abordagem da Analise Critica do Discurso (MACHIN; MAYER, 2012), mais especificamente fundamentado na perspectiva sociocognitiva (WODAK & MEYER, 2009). Os resultados mostram que os discursos dos professores embasam-se em ambas as perspectivas (purista e socio-historico-cognitiva). Como consequencia, o uso e ensino de girias no Brasil sao limitados devido a diversos fatores, em especial, ao campo semântico.
Photonic Crystal Fibre: Developments, Properties and Applications in Optical Fiber Communication

: The increasing demand of demand for internet and high data rate is offered by optical technology but it faces some deficiencies like the flexibility in designing and efficient use of complete optical spectrum. Photonic crystal fibers comes in a new category of optical fiber system that reduces all the drawbacks of the conventional optical fibers. Photonic crystal fiber is fabricated with periodically arranged low index material in a background with high refractive index material. Light can be guided inside the PCF by either modified total internal reflection or photonic band gap guidance. PCFs are widely used in spectroscopy, meteorology, bio-medicine, imaging, telecommunication, industrial machinery etc. This review paper gives an overview on Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) & its applications. This paper discusses the importance of photonic crystal fibers,its, guided mechanism, its structural properties and its applications in optical fibre communication.
Mach-Zehnder interferometry with interacting trapped Bose-Einstein condensates

We theoretically analyze a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with trapped condensates and find that it is surprisingly stable against the nonlinearity induced by interparticle interactions. The phase sensitivity, which we study for number-squeezed input states, can overcome the shot noise limit and be increased up to the Heisenberg limit provided that a Bayesian or maximum-likelihood phase estimation strategy is used. We finally demonstrate the robustness of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer in the presence of interactions against condensate oscillations and a realistic atom-counting error.
Manipulation of Gut Microbiota Influences Immune Responses, Axon Preservation, and Motor Disability in a Model of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been implicated in MS and other immune diseases, although it remains unclear how manipulating the gut microbiota may affect the disease course. Using a well-established model of progressive MS triggered by intracranial infection with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV), we sought to determine whether dysbiosis induced by oral antibiotics (ABX) administered on pre-symptomatic and symptomatic phases of the disease influences its course. We also addressed the effects of microbiota recolonization after ABX withdrawn in the presence or absence of probiotics. Central and peripheral immunity, plasma acetate and butyrate levels, axon damage and motor disability were evaluated. The cocktail of ABX prevented motor dysfunction and limited axon damage in mice, which had fewer CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the CNS, while gut microbiota recolonization worsened motor function and axonal integrity. The underlying mechanisms of ABX protective effects seem to involve CD4+CD39+ T cells and CD5+CD1d+ B cells into the CNS. In addition, microglia adopted a round amoeboid morphology associated to an anti-inflammatory gene profile in the spinal cord of TMEV mice administered ABX. The immune changes in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes were modest, yet ABX treatment of mice limited IL-17 production ex vivo. Collectively, our results provide evidence of the functional relevance of gut microbiota manipulation on the neurodegenerative state and disease severity in a model of progressive MS and reinforce the role of gut microbiota as target for MS treatment.
Diez pasos para la construcción de un test

Antecedentes: los test son los instrumentos de medida más utilizados por los psicólogos para la obtención de muestras de comportamiento de las personas, tanto en contextos profesionales como en investigación. El objetivo del presente trabajo es sintetizar en diez pasos los aspectos fundamentales que hay que tener en cuenta a la hora de construir un test de forma rigurosa. Método: para la elaboración de las diez fases propuestas se revisó la literatura psicométrica especializada y se actualizaron trabajos previos de los autores sobre el tema. Resultados: se proponen diez pasos para la construcción objetiva de un test: delimitación del marco general, definición de la variable a medir, especificaciones, construcción de los ítems, edición del test, estudios piloto, selección de otros instrumentos de medida, aplicación de la prueba, propiedades psicométricas y desarrollo de la versión final. Conclusión: siguiendo los diez pasos propuestos, se pueden construir test objetivos con propiedades psicométricas adecuadas apoyadas en evidencias empíricas. &NA; Ten steps for test development. Background: Tests are the measurement instruments most used by psychologists to obtain data about people, both in professional and research contexts. The main goal of this paper is to synthesize in ten steps the fundamental aspects that must be taken into account when building a test in a rigorous way. Method: For the elaboration of the ten proposed phases, the specialized psychometric literature was revised, and previous works by the authors on the subject were updated. Results: Ten steps are proposed for the objective development of a test: delimitation of the general framework, definition of the variable to be measured, specifications, items development, edition of the test, pilot studies, selection of other measurement instruments, test administration, psychometric properties, and development of the final version. Conclusion: Following the ten proposed steps, objective tests can be developed with adequate psychometric properties based on empirical evidence.
Bergenin Activates SIRT1 as a Novel Therapeutic Agent for Osteogenesis of Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are important candidates for bone regeneration. The role of Bergenin, a C-glucoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid obtained from the species, Bergenia, in BMSC osteogenesis has not yet been elucidated. We therefore investigated the effects of Bergenin on the osteogenesis of BMSCs and found that Bergenin enhanced osteoblast-specific markers and downregulated the adipocyte-specific markers in vitro. Furthermore, using a rat calvarial defect model, we found that Bergenin significantly improved bone healing, as determined by imaging and histological analyses. Moreover, it also upregulated SIRT1 expression. A SIRT1 inhibitor (EX 527) decreased the enhanced bone mineral formation caused by Bergenin. Taken together, these findings show that Bergenin accelerated the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, at least partly through the activation of SIRT1.
EVOLUTIONARY LATTICE MODEL FOR THE 1 COMPACTION OF DEFORMABLE GRANULAR 2 MATERIAL

15 This paper presents a simplified model for the simulation of the compaction of 16 deformable granular materials, such as pervious concrete. The strategy is to use an 17 evolutionary Lattice system with local instability to simulate the intensive internal 18 rearrangement expected during compaction. This is associated with a bar layout and 19 material properties that vary with the time steps. Furthermore, a biphasic particle 20 composed by a rigid inner core involved by a deformable exterior layer is considered. 21 This versatile approach allows a simplified representation of complex granular media 22 made of very deformable particles or of rigid particles covered by a flexible binder. 23 Numerical and experimental comparisons were conducted to evaluate the capacity of 24 the method to predict the behavior of different materials. The results indicate that the 25 2 model may provide an estimation of the geometrical disposal of the media and provides 26 a prediction of the forces applied during the compaction, being suitable for a wide range 27 of applications. 28
The Alignment of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory

Currently the Advanced Photon Source (APS) is under construction at the Argonne National Laboratory. The APS is a 7-GeV synchrotron light source which will be used for basic research in material science, chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine to name a few of the participating disciplines. The commissioning phase for the APS is planned to start at the beginning of 1995. This paper describes the general parameters of the Advanced Photon Source, the required survey and alignment tolerances, and the alignment concept and instrumentation used to position storage ring beam components.
Association Between Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) and Outcomes of Cancer Patients Treated With PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitions: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) or programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitions are being strongly recommended for the treatment of various cancers, while the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitions varies from individuals. It is urgent to explore some biomarkers to screen the most appropriate cancer patients. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) as a potential alternative has been drawing more and more attention. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively explore the association between TMB and outcomes of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitions. Methods: We searched eligible studies that evaluated the association between TMB and the outcomes of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitions from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane database up to October 2018. The primary endpoints were the progression-free survival (PFS) and the overall survival (OS) in patients with high TMB or low TMB. The pooled hazard ratios (HR) for PFS and OS were performed by Stata. Results: In this analysis, a total of 2,661 patients from eight studies were included. Comparing PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitions to chemotherapy, the pooled HR for PFS and OS in patients with high TMB was 0.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50 to 0.88; P = 0.004] and 0.73 (95% CI 0.50 to 1.08; P = 0.114), respectively, while the pooled HR for PFS and OS in patients with low TMB was 1.38 (95% CI 0.82 to 2.31; P = 0.229) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.80 to 1.24; P = 0.970), respectively. Meanwhile, comparing patients with high TMB to patients with low TMB, the pooled HR for PFS in patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitions was 0.47 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.63; P = 0.000). Patients with high TMB showed significant benefits from PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitions compared to patients with low TMB. Conclusion: Despite the present technical and practical barriers, TMB may be a preferable biomarker to optimize the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitions.
Delivery Time Reliability Model of Logistics Network

Natural disasters like earthquake and flood will surely destroy the existing traffic network, usually accompanied by delivery delay or even network collapse. A logistics-network-related delivery time reliability model defined by a shortest-time entropy is proposed as a means to estimate the actual delivery time reliability. The less the entropy is, the stronger the delivery time reliability remains, and vice versa. The shortest delivery time is computed separately based on two different assumptions. If a path is concerned without capacity restriction, the shortest delivery time is positively related to the length of the shortest path, and if a path is concerned with capacity restriction, a minimax programming model is built to figure up the shortest delivery time. Finally, an example is utilized to confirm the validity and practicality of the proposed approach.
Advances of injectable hydrogel-based scaffolds for cartilage regeneration

Abstract Articular cartilage is an important load-bearing tissue distributed on the surface of diarthrodial joints. Due to its avascular, aneural and non-lymphatic features, cartilage has limited self-regenerative properties. To date, the utilization of biomaterials to aid in cartilage regeneration, especially through the use of injectable scaffolds, has attracted considerable attention. Various materials, therapeutics and fabrication approaches have emerged with a focus on manipulating the cartilage microenvironment to induce the formation of cartilaginous structures that have similar properties to the native tissues. In particular, the design and fabrication of injectable hydrogel-based scaffolds have advanced in recent years with the aim of enhancing its therapeutic efficacy and improving its ease of administration. This review summarizes recent progress in these efforts, including the structural improvement of scaffolds, network cross-linking techniques and strategies for controlled release, which present new opportunities for the development of injectable scaffolds for cartilage regeneration.
Workplace Violence Against Nurses in Psychiatric Hospital Settings

Objectives Workplace violence (WPV) has become a world-wide concern. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of WPV among nurses working in psychiatric hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at three psychiatric hospitals in Saudi Arabia between March and May 2017. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire which was used to measure the prevalence and explore the associated factors of WPV. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was also performed. Results A total of 310 nurses (response rate: 62%) were included in this study. The prevalence of WPV against nurses was 90.3%, of which 57.7% had been exposed to both physical and verbal abuse. More nurses were exposed to WPV during the morning shift than the evening shift (58.4% versus 42.3%). Violent behaviour was exhibited mostly by the patients themselves (81.3%). Over half of the nurses (57.4%) required medical intervention in such cases. The majority of nurses felt either stressed (64.2%) or anxious (53.5%) and 34.2% felt depressed after the incident. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that time of violence, source of violence, patient dissatisfaction with medical care and lack of organisational support for nurses were significantly associated with the occurrence of WPV in psychiatric units. Conclusion WPV has reached an alarming rate among nurses in psychiatric hospitals in Saudi Arabia. It is crucial to invest in the prevention of WPV by constant training of workers and a mutual policy with the police and the civic prosecutor in Saudi Arabia on how to respond to violent psychiatric patients.
Neuroinflammation and Glial Phenotypic Changes in Alpha-Synucleinopathies

The role of neuroinflammation has been increasingly recognized in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Many studies focusing on the glial cells involved in the inflammatory responses of the brain, namely microglia and astroglia, have over the years pointed out the dynamic and changing behavior of these cells, accompanied by different morphologies and activation forms. This is particularly evident in diseased conditions, where glia react to any shift from homeostasis, acquiring different phenotypes. Particularly for microglia, it has soon become clear that such phenotypes are multiple, as multiple are the functions related to them. Several approaches have over time revealed different facets of microglial phenotypic diversity, and advanced genetic analyses, in recent years, have added new insights into microglial heterogeneity, opening novel scenarios that researchers have just started to explore. Among neurodegenerative diseases, an important section is represented by alpha-synucleinopathies. Here alpha-synuclein accumulates abnormally in the brain and, depending on its pattern of distribution, leads to the development of different clinical conditions. Also for these proteinopathies, neuroinflammation and glial activation have been identified as constant and crucial factors during disease development. In the present review we will address the current literature about glial phenotypic changes with respect to alpha-synucleinopathies, as well as consider the pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of such a dynamic cellular behavior.
Drought-induced dieback of Pinus nigra: a tale of hydraulic failure and carbon starvation

Extreme summer droughts induced differential impacts in a population of Pinus nigra trees. We analyzed eventual physiological differences between desiccated and healthy trees. Desiccated trees were more vulnerable to drought-induced xylem embolism, and were also suffering from depletion of carbohydrate reserves. Our data suggest that genotypic or phenotypic intraspecific variability can play fundamental roles in defining individual drought responses/impacts, dictating the fate of single trees under global-change-type droughts.
Aerobic performance of two tropical cephalopod species unaltered by prolonged exposure to projected future carbon dioxide levels

Long-term exposure to projected future CO2 levels has no effect on the aerobic performance of two tropical cephalopod species. The resting oxygen uptake rates, maximal oxygen uptake rates, aerobic scope, and recovery time of both bigfin reef squid and two-toned pygmy squid were unaltered by elevated CO2.
A computer model of the evaporator and its sensors

For the implementation of a closed nuclear fuel cycle it is necessary to carr y out a series of experimental studies to justify the choice of technology. I n addition, the operation of the radiochemical plant is impossible without hi gh-quality automatic control systems. In the technologies of spent nuclear fu el reprocessing, the method of continuous evaporation is often used for a sol ution conditioning. Therefore, the effective continuous technological process will depend on the operation of the evaporation equipment. Its essential dif ference from similar devices is a small size.