Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Electrophysiological Test of Directed Forgetting: The Role of Retrieval Inhibition

A central issue in the research of directed forgetting is whether the differential memory performance for to-be-remembered (TBR) and to-be-forgotten (TBF) items is solely due to differential encoding or whether retrieval inhibition of TBF items plays an additional role. In this study, recognition-related event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were used to examine this issue. The spatio-temporal distributions of the old/new ERP effects obtained in Experiment 1 that employed a directed forgetting paradigm were compared with those recorded in Experiment 2 in which the level of processing was manipulated. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to remember or to forget words by means of a cue presented after each word. ERPs recorded in the recognition test revealed early phasic frontal and parietal old/new effects for TBR items, whereas TBF items elicited only a frontal old/new effect. Moreover, a late right-frontal positive slow wave was more pronounced for TBF items, suggesting that those items were associated with a larger amount of post-retrieval processing. In Experiment 2, the same cueing method and the same stimulus materials were used, and memory encoding was manipulated by cueing participants to process the words either deeply or shallowly. Both deeply and shallowly encoded items elicited phasic frontal and parietal old/new effects followed by a late right-frontal positive slow wave. However, in contrast to TBR and TBF items, these effects differed only quantitatively. The results suggest that differential encoding alone cannot account for the effects of directed forgetting. They are more consistent with the view that items followed by an instruction to forget become inhibited and less accessible, and, therefore, more difficult to retrieve.
Two-Stage Economic Operation of Microgrid-Like Electric Vehicle Parking Deck

This paper addresses a two-stage framework for the economic operation of a microgrid-like electric vehicle (EV) parking deck with on-site renewable energy generation (roof-top photovoltaic panel). This microgrid-like EV parking deck is a localized grouping of distributed generation (solar), energy storage (EV batteries), and load (EV charging load). Although EV parking decks can enable greater adoption of renewable energy sources by scheduling charging loads to coincide with periods of strong sun, the inherent intermittency of renewable energy resources and variable EV parking behaviors complicates the economic operation. In this paper, the proposed first stage of this framework provides the parking deck operators with a stochastic approach for dealing with the uncertainty of solar energy so as to make an optimal price decision (marginal electricity sale price and parking fee rebate) at the day-ahead time scale. The second stage introduces a model predictive control-based operation strategy of EV charging dealing with the uncertainty of parking behaviors within the real-time operation. Case studies demonstrate the better performance of the proposed framework, offering an effective day-ahead marginal electricity price for tomorrow's operation and increasing the microgrid-like EV parking deck's revenue during the real-time operation.
Instructional leadership and school improvement

Contemporary educational reform places a great premium on the effective leadership and management of schools. The logic of this position is that an orderly school environment, that is efficient and well managed, provides the preconditions for enhanced student learning. Empirical backing for a relationship between leadership and higher levels of student outcomes is often claimed, and the school effects research is usually cited in support. At one level this contention is self-evidently true. However, the correlational nature of the research evidence that is often cited in support inevitably masks the exact relationship between leadership and enhanced student learning. Consequently, policy initiatives that focus solely on leadership and management have difficulty in achieving more than a generalised impact on student learning. The purpose of this paper is to sketch out more precisely the relationship between leadership and learning.
Alcohol Use Disorders: Translational Utility of DSM-IV Liabilities to the DSM-5 System

Objectives:Young adults have some of the highest rates of problem drinking and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) relative to any other age. However, recent evidence suggests that the DSM-IV hierarchical classification system of AUDs does not validly represent symptoms in the population; instead, it evinces a unitary, dimensional classification scheme. The DSM-5 has been altered to fit this changing, evidence-based conceptualization. Nevertheless, little is understood about the degree to which known risk factors for DSM-IV AUD diagnoses will transfer to the new DSM-5 guidelines in this group of high-risk drinkers. The current study built a coherent model of liabilities for DSM-IV AUDs in young adults and tested for transferability to DSM-5. Methods:College students (N=496) (51.10% male) were assessed on a variety of factors related to AUD risk, including demographics, substance use (past 90 d), and drinking motives. Liability models were created using all variables in Structural Equation Modeling to test direct and indirect effects on DSM diagnostic status. The best model under the DSM-IV was chosen based on fit and parsimony. This model was then applied to the DSM-5 system to test for transferability. Results:The best fitting model for DSM-IV included direct influences of drug use, quantity-frequency of alcohol consumption, and social and coping drinking motives. Improved model fit was found when the DSM-5 system was the outcome. Conclusions:Knowledge of risk factors for AUDs seem to transfer well to the new diagnostic system.
Evaluation of Respirator Filters for Asbestos Fibers

Fiber aerosols are known to have different aerodynamic behaviors than spherical particles and usually carry higher electrostatic charges. We investigated the effects of flow rate and charge status of filter cartridges on the penetration of spherical and fiber aerosols. Four types of test respirator filters were selected: two for passive respirators, one for a powered respirator, and one disposable respirator. Surface charges on respirator filters were determined using a noncontact field electrostatic field meter. Penetration tests were performed for filter cartridges before and after charge neutralization. The surface charge measurements on the respirator filters showed that some filters, including those used in disposable face masks, are charged to enhance the collection efficiency. Only high-efficiency particulate air filters performed consistently for both spherical test aerosols and the three types of asbestos fibers. The surface charge potential of filter cartridges and flow rate did not appear to affect the performance of these filters. In contrast to the high-efficiency filters, the aerosol penetration performance of low-efficiency filters and face masks deteriorated when the charge potential on the filter was removed. Our data also showed that the surface charges decreased in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment and disappeared after 1 week. Deposition of spherical particles and fibers in the charged disposable facemask filter was enhanced. For charged-neutralized, low-efficiency filter cartridges, asbestos fibers may penetrate more than spherical particles with a mean particle size of 0.3 μ m diameter.
Transduction-Like Gene Transfer in the MethanogenMethanococcus voltae

ABSTRACT Strain PS of Methanococcus voltae (a methanogenic, anaerobic archaebacterium) was shown to generate spontaneously 4.4-kbp chromosomal DNA fragments that are fully protected from DNase and that, upon contact with a cell, transform it genetically. This activity, here called VTA (voltae transfer agent), affects all markers tested: three different auxotrophies (histidine, purine, and cobalamin) and resistance to BES (2-bromoethanesulfonate, an inhibitor of methanogenesis). VTA was most effectively prepared by culture filtration. This process disrupted a fraction of the M. voltae cells (which have only an S-layer covering their cytoplasmic membrane). VTA was rapidly inactivated upon storage. VTA particles were present in cultures at concentrations of approximately two per cell. Gene transfer activity varied from a minimum of 2 × 10−5 (BES resistance) to a maximum of 10−3 (histidine independence) per donor cell. Very little VTA was found free in culture supernatants. The phenomenon is functionally similar to generalized transduction, but there is no evidence, for the time being, of intrinsically viral (i.e., containing a complete viral genome) particles. Consideration of VTA DNA size makes the existence of such viral particles unlikely. If they exist, they must be relatively few in number;perhaps they differ from VTA particles in size and other properties and thus escaped detection. Digestion of VTA DNA with the AluI restriction enzyme suggests that it is a random sample of the bacterial DNA, except for a 0.9-kbp sequence which is amplified relative to the rest of the bacterial chromosome. A VTA-sized DNA fraction was demonstrated in a few other isolates of M. voltae.
REPOSITIONING SOCIAL STUDIES FOR DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA

Social studies is a veritable instrument for attainment of national integration and a true democracy in Nigeria. The emphasis of social studies is on all round development of the individual and the society. In this paper, issues bordering on social studies and democratic challenges are discussed. Specifically, it dwelt on the challenges of social studies in attaining a true democracy in Nigeria.
Respiratory symptom relief related to reduction in cigarette use

AbstractINTRODUCTION: Many smokers reduce their cigarette consumption during failed attempts to quit. We report the impact of changes in consumption on smoking-related respiratory symptom severity (SRRSS). METHODS: Between February 2002 and May 2004 we recruited 383 smokers from 5 methadone maintenance programs for a randomized trial of nicotine replacement plus behavioral treatment versus nicotine replacement alone for smoking cessation. Cigarette use in the 28 days prior to the interview, and severity of SRRSS using a 7-item respiratory index, were assessed at baseline and at 3-month follow-up. OUTCOME: Baseline minus 3-month assessment difference in SRRSS score. RESULTS: Follow-up of 319 participants (83.3%), mean age 40.4 years, 51.4% male, who smoked 26.4 cigarettes per day, demonstrated a mean reduction of 16.7 cigarettes per day. A reduction in cigarette use was positively and significantly (b=0.29, t=5.16, P<.001) associated with a reduction in smoking-related symptom severity after adjusting for age, gender, race, years of regular smoking, baseline nicotine dependence, and history of treatment for asthma or emphysema. A 1 standard deviation reduction in average daily smoking (about 14.1 cigarettes) was associated with a 0.28 standard deviation decrease in smoking-related symptom severity. CONCLUSION: Reduction in symptom severity increases as absolute reduction in daily smoking increases. This is the first study to demonstrate an association between subjective short-term health changes and reduction in smoking.
A Novel Antifibrotic Mechanism of Nintedanib and Pirfenidone. Inhibition of Collagen Fibril Assembly

&NA; Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, in particular, collagens. Two IPF therapeutics, nintedanib and pirfenidone, decelerate lung function decline, but their underlying mechanisms of action are poorly understood. In this study, we sought to analyze their effects on collagen synthesis and maturation at important regulatory levels. Primary human fibroblasts from patients with IPF and healthy donors were treated with nintedanib (0.01‐1.0 &mgr;M) or pirfenidone (100‐1,000 &mgr;M) in the absence or presence of transforming growth factor‐&bgr;1. Effects on collagen, fibronectin, FKBP10, and HSP47 expression, and collagen I and III secretion, were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. The appearance of collagen fibrils was monitored by scanning electron microscopy, and the kinetics of collagen fibril assembly was assessed using a light‐scattering approach. In IPF fibroblasts, nintedanib reduced the expression of collagen I and V, fibronectin, and FKBP10 and attenuated the secretion of collagen I and III. Pirfenidone also down‐regulated collagen V but otherwise showed fewer and less pronounced effects. By and large, the effects were similar in donor fibroblasts. For both drugs, electron microscopy of IPF fibroblast cultures revealed fewer and thinner collagen fibrils compared with untreated controls. Finally, both drugs dose‐dependently delayed fibril formation of purified collagen I. In summary, both drugs act on important regulatory levels in collagen synthesis and processing. Nintedanib was more effective in down‐regulating profibrotic gene expression and collagen secretion. Importantly, both drugs inhibited collagen I fibril formation and caused a reduction in and an altered appearance of collagen fibril bundles, representing a completely novel mechanism of action for both drugs.
Mitochondrial dysfunction after fetal alcohol exposure.

Specific mitochondrial enzyme activities and mRNA levels were measured in the heart, brain, and liver tissues of a group of 1-day-old neonatal rats whose mothers were alcohol-fed during pregnancy and compared with a control group. The results show a significant decrease in mitochondrial ATP synthase activity in both the brain and liver, as well as a decrease in complex III activity in the liver of rats exposed to alcohol. Other mitochondrial enzymes activities (e.g., citrate synthase, cytochrome c oxidase, and complex I), as well as specific mitochondrial transcript levels, were not significantly affected. Heart mitochondrial enzyme activities were not significantly affected. These data reveal that a tissue-specific response occurs after fetal exposure to alcohol and may explain some of the cellular events occurring in fetal alcohol syndrome resulting in abnormal growth and neurological development.
Sunlight exposure, pigmentation factors, and risk of nonmelanocytic skin cancer. II. Squamous cell carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (SCC), a common cancer in white populations, is related to sunshine exposure; however, relatively little information is available on how timing and character of exposure affect the relationship. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the relationship of SCC to individual solar UV exposure after control for phenotype and pigmentary factors. All newly diagnosed cases of SCC were in men aged 25 through 79 years, ascertained in the province of Alberta from January 1, 1983, through December 31, 1984, who were approached for participation; 80% completed a standardized etiologic interview that was conducted in their homes by a trained interviewer. Control subjects were chosen at random from the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan subscribers list, matched only by sex (male) and age (within a 5-year age group). The response rate among controls was 71%. RESULTS Subjects with pale skin and red hair had an elevated risk of SCC. Subjects whose mother was of southern European ancestry had a reduced risk of SCC. After accounting for pigmentary factors, no association was seen between risk of SCC and cumulative lifetime sun exposure. However, a strong trend toward increasing risk was seen with increasing chronic occupational sun exposure in the 10 years prior to diagnosis. CONCLUSION The results suggest that recent sun exposure (in the 10 years prior to diagnosis) may be important in accounting for individual risk of SCC.
Sustained rolling of microparticles in shear flow over an electrostatically patchy surface.

This paper explores the particle-level dynamics involved in the capture of gently flowing microparticles on adhesive planar surfaces, governed by electrostatic interactions. The work focuses on conditions which produce sustained microparticle rolling, useful for the development of microfluidic devices which steer analyte particles and cells for manipulation and separation. In the regime where particle-surface interactions dominate particle-particle interactions, capture of individual negative silica microspheres, for thousands of microspheres, is studied on three model surfaces: negative silica, a flat polycation layer adsorbed on silica producing a strong positive charge, and an electrostatically patchy surface containing 6% areal coverage of flat 10 nm polycation coils. The patchy surface possesses a net negative charge close to that of bare silica. On the patchy surface, sustained rolling is observed for a substantial population of 1 microm silica particles, the ones which happened to diffuse close to the surface. Here, the velocity is near 2 microm/s (for a wall shear of 22 s(-1). ) Run lengths for particle rolling exceed several hundred micrometers (usually exceeding the length of the microscopic field of view), with more particles escaping diffusively from the interface than permanently arresting. By contrast, firm particle arrest, with very few instances of rolling and a short run length when rolling did occur, was observed on the fully cationic surface. On the bare silica surface, a small rolling population was observed; however, the average run length was shorter than on the patchy surface. This study demonstrated how a patchy surface that produces adhesion through localized attractions can facilitate rolling in a shear field. The physicochemical heterogeneity acts like a surface roughness or a rapidly binding ligand-receptor pair, transferring stress and imparting torque across the interface.
The association of apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms with atherosclerosis susceptibility: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the association of apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism with atherosclerosis risk. METHODS Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase and Springer link) were used to search for relevant articles addressing on the association of APOE gene polymorphism with atherosclerosis. Meta-analysis was performed for 7 genotype models: ε2/ε2 vs. ε3/ε3, ε2/ε3 vs. ε3/ε3, ε2/ε4 vs. ε3/ε3, ε3/ε4 vs. ε3/ε3, ε4/ε4 vs. ε3/ε3, ε2 vs. ε3, and ε4 vs. ε3. The pooled odds ratios and 95% conﬁdence intervals were used to assess relationship between alleles, as well as genotypes and susceptibility of atherosclerosis. Subgroup analysis was performed based on ethnicities and clinical phenotypes of atherosclerosis (clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis). Sensitivity analysis was performed to check the effects of one study on other studies. RESULTS The overall analysis and subgroup analysis based on ethnicities showed no significant correlation between APOE polymorphisms and the susceptibility of atherosclerosis. However, subgroup analysis based on clinical phenotypes of atherosclerosis showed that, compared with APOE3 gene, APOE4 gene carriers were prone to clinical atherosclerosis incidence. Sensitive analysis did not change the overall effect in this study. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis demonstrates that there is no significant association between APOE polymorphism (APOE2, APOE3) and the susceptibility of atherosclerosis, while APOE4 gene may be a risk factor for the clinical atherosclerosis. However, further studies based on larger sample sizes are still needed.
Fair wages and effort: Evidence from a field experiment

The presence of workers who reciprocate higher wages with greater effort can have important consequences for firms and labor markets. Knowledge about the extent and determinants of reciprocal effort choices is, however, incomplete. We investigate the role of fairness perceptions and social preferences in a field experiment in which workers were hired for a one-time job. We show that workers who perceive being underpaid at the base wage increase their performance if the hourly wage increases, whereas those who feel adequately paid or overpaid at the base wage do not change their performance. Moreover, we find that only the workers who display reciprocity in a choice experiment show reciprocal effort responses in the field. The workers who lack reciprocity in the choice experiment do not respond to the wage increase, even if they feel underpaid at the base wage. Our findings suggest that fairness perceptions and social preferences are key in workers' performance response to wage increases. In our study, the wage increase affects effort mainly through the removal of perceived unfairness, i.e., the elimination of negative reciprocity toward the firm, rather than positive reciprocity. These results are the first direct evidence of the fair-wage effort hypothesis in the field and also help interpret previous contradictory findings in the literature.
An Examination of Organizational Commitment and Intention to Stay in the Timeshare Industry: Variations Across Generations in the Workplace

ABSTRACT This study examines differences among individual generations’ organizational commitment and intention to stay in the timeshare industry. The timeshare segment is worthy of study due to expected growth and increase in worldwide lodging brands’ presence. Responses from more than 1,000 survey respondents reveal generational differences that highlight the variations in employee commitment and intention to stay. In addition to the contributions to literature for contemporary study among generational attitudes and behaviors, the implications may provide Human Resources practitioners insight into employee retention drivers relating to organizational commitment. Finally, this study adds to literature and practice by further clarifying generational differences.
A topology of the multi-port DC circuit breaker for multi-terminal DC system fault protection

Hybrid DC circuit breaker, a combination of disconnector and multiple power electronic devices, has gained popularity for its low-loss at normal operation and its quick and effective circuit breaking during fault protection. However, its bulkiness threatens to limit its application in multi-terminal DC system, where the terminal is usually connected to more than one transmission lines and hence the circuit breaker tends to appear in clusters. In this context, a multi-port DC circuit breaker topology is proposed here. The circuit breakers at one terminal is integrated into one. Through this, it is able to cut down by half the number of power electronic devices needed, greatly reducing the size and cost for circuit breaking. The effectiveness of the proposed topology is verified by simulation results.