Ethnicity and Impressions of Personality Using the Five-Factor Model: Stereotyping or Cultural Sensitivity?

The current research investigates whether communities use ethnicity as a cue when forming personality impressions of others. Past research has shown that dress, smiling, hairstyle, and even facial symmetry of targets produce systematic differences in personality impressions across the domains of the Five Factor model of personality. We investigated whether the stated or apparent ethnicity of groups and individuals also produce stereotypic impressions of personality. This study compared impressions across members and non-members of the target groups and examined cue utility i.e. whether impressions of the groups agreed with aggregated self-impressions by group members. In all, the results clearly suggest that people utilize ethnicity as a cue when forming impressions of the personalities of groups and individuals, and although those impressions are exaggerated consistent with stereotype theory, they confer some utility in interpersonal perceptions across cultures. Stereotypes are a strategy used to interpret the complex social environment in the absence of more specific information. When that information is available, perceptions of others become more refined and accurate. Keywords: stereotyping, ethnicity, Five Factor model, Native Americans, cultural sensitivity, personalit

Semiautomated optical coherence tomography-guided robotic surgery for porcine lens removal.

PurposeTo evaluate semiautomated surgical lens extraction procedures using the optical coherence tomography (OCT)-integrated Intraocular Robotic Interventional Surgical System.SettingStein Eye Institute and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.DesignExperimental study.MethodsSemiautomated lens extraction was performed on postmortem pig eyes using a robotic platform integrated with an OCT imaging system. Lens extraction was performed using a series of automated steps including robot-to-eye alignment, irrigation/aspiration (I/A) handpiece insertion, anatomic modeling, surgical path planning, and I/A handpiece navigation. Intraoperative surgical supervision and human intervention were enabled by real-time OCT image feedback to the surgeon via a graphical user interface. Manual preparation of the pig-eye models, including the corneal incision and capsulorhexis, was performed by a trained cataract surgeon before the semiautomated lens extraction procedures. A scoring system was used to assess surgical complications in a postoperative evaluation.ResultsComplete lens extraction was achieved in 25 of 30 eyes. In the remaining 5 eyes, small lens pieces (≤1.0 mm3) were detected near the lens equator, where transpupillary OCT could not image. No posterior capsule rupture or corneal leakage occurred. The mean surgical duration was 277 seconds ± 42 (SD). Based on a 3-point scale (0 = no damage), damage to the iris was 0.33 ± 0.20, damage to the cornea was 1.47 ± 0.20 (due to tissue dehydration), and stress at the incision was 0.97 ± 0.11.ConclusionsNo posterior capsule rupture was reported. Complete lens removal was achieved in 25 trials without significant surgical complications. Refinements to the procedures are required before fully automated lens extraction can be realized

Moulting and Brooding patterns of the little spiderhunter (arachnothera longirostra) in Sarawak

Little spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) is a common Bornean bird that lives on lowland primary and secondary forest in both undisturbed and disturbed habitat. The annual cycle of moulting and brooding patterns by the Little spiderhunter is described. These are used to estimate the breeding season that fits into its annual cycle. Factors such as climatic patterns that influence their breeding season are analysed as well. The result showed that there is a distinct pattern between the amount of rainfall in relation with the breeding season of Little spiderhunter. The high amount of rainfall during the North-East (NE) monsoon season of Sarawak at the end till early of the year (November-February) flourish the plants that leads to the flowering and fruiting season during March and October. This increased the amount of food availability for nectarivorous species such as the Little spiderhunter. The population of frugivorous insects that feed on plant parts such as young leaves experience a population flush when the NE monsoon is over. Little spiderhunter that is known to be an opportunistic breeder took this conducive period as their breeding season on an annual cycle in Sarawak. This birds breeds from May to June, when the seasonal condition is conducive

Exciting spiral arms in protoplanetary discs from flybys

Spiral arms are observed in numerous protoplanetary discs. These spiral arms can be excited by companions, either on bound or unbound orbits. We simulate a scenario where an unbound perturber, i.e. a flyby, excites spiral arms during a periastron passage. We run three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of a parabolic flyby encountering a gaseous protoplanetary disc. The perturber mass ranges from $10\, \rm M_J$ to $1\, \rm M_{\odot}$. The perturber excites a two-armed spiral structure, with a more prominent spiral feature for higher mass perturbers. The two arms evolve over time, eventually winding up, consistent with previous works. We focus on analysing the pattern speed and pitch angle of these spirals during the whole process. The initial pattern speed of the two arms are close to the angular velocity of the perturber at periastron, and then it decreases over time. The pitch angle also decreases over time as the spiral winds up. The spirals disappear after several local orbital times. An inclined prograde orbit flyby induces similar disc substructures as a coplanar flyby. A solar-mass flyby event causes increased eccentricity growth in the protoplanetary disc, leading to an eccentric disc structure which dampens over time. The spirals' morphology and the disc eccentricity can be used to search for potential unbound stars or planets around discs where a flyby is suspected. Future disc observations at high resolution and dedicated surveys will help to constrain the frequency of such stellar encounters in nearby star-forming regions.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures, accepted to MNRA

The Landscape of Advanced Coursework Participation: Understanding Disparities and Intersectionality

This population-based study explored students\u27 participation in advanced coursework in elementary schools (gifted/talented programs), middle schools (Algebra I+), and high schools (Advanced Placement) to address enrollment equity. The study identified demographic disparities and the intersectionality of multiple identities to achieve two research aims: 1) to explore how advanced course-taking varies by student demographics, and 2) to understand how disparities in advanced course-taking vary by student demographics and intersectional identities. The findings indicate that disparities in advanced course-taking are related to students’ race, ethnicity, disability status, English learner (EL) status, socioeconomic status, as well as the intersection of these variables. The report includes implications for policies and practices that consider complex school system variables that affect advanced course enrollment. This report is part of the Equitable Access and Support for Advanced Coursework (EASAC) study by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium. Interpretations of findings as well as implications and recommendations have been drafted in partnership with PK-12 leaders and educators. To access an interactive version of the data in this report, including additional details about demographic comparisons for each academic year, please see our MERC data dashboard that accompanies this report

Sensibilidad a los antibióticos en bacterias Gram negativas de bulbos de cebolla en Tierra Blanca de Cartago

El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar géneros bacterianos en bulbos de cebolla sanos y bulbos que presentaban síntomas, de la zona de Tierra Blanca de Cartago y determinar la susceptibilidad a los antibióticos gentamicina y tetraciclina, dos de los antibióticos más usados en la agricultura en Costa Rica. El cultivo de la cebolla se practica en diferentes regiones del país, principalmente en la zona de Cartago. Este cultivo puede ser atacado por una gran variedad de plagas y enfermedades que pueden disminuir el crecimiento y la producción, causar daños y desfigurar los bulbos impidiendo su comercialización. Las bacterias que atacan los cultivos causan grandes pérdidas económicas, por eso se han buscado diversos métodos para controlarlas, entre ellos, el uso de antibióticos como tetraciclina y gentamicina. La selección y diseminación en la naturaleza de cepas resistentes a los antibióticos es una práctica que se debe controlar, con el fin de mantener un balance ecológico que favorezca el predominio de bacterias susceptibles y asegurar el tratamiento efectivo de las enfermedades infecciosas humanas

Depth-encoded optical coherence elastography for simultaneous volumetric imaging of two tissue faces

Australian Research Council (ARC); National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC); National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF); Department of Health, Government of Western Australia.Depth-encoded optical coherence elastography (OCE) enables simultaneous acquisition of two three-dimensional (3D) elastograms from opposite sides of a sample. By the choice of suitable path-length differences in each of two interferometers, the detected carrier frequencies are separated, allowing depth-ranging from each interferometer to be performed simultaneously using a single spectrometer. We demonstrate depth-encoded OCE on a silicone phantom and a freshly excised sample of mouse liver. This technique minimizes the required spectral detection hardware and halves the total scan time. Depth-encoded OCE may expedite clinical translation in time-sensitive applications requiring rapid 3D imaging of multiple tissue surfaces, such as tumor margin assessment in breast-conserving surgery.PostprintPeer reviewe

In vitro characterization of mitochondrial function and structure in rat and human cells with a deficiency of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase Ndufc2 subunit

Ndufc2, a subunit of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, plays a key role in the assembly and activity of complex I within the mitochondrial OXPHOS chain. Its deficiency has been shown to be involved in diabetes, cancer and stroke. To improve our knowledge on the mechanisms underlying the increased disease risk due to Ndufc2 reduction, we performed the present in vitro study aimed at the fine characterization of the derangements in mitochondrial structure and function consequent to Ndufc2 deficiency. We found that both fibroblasts obtained from skin of heterozygous Ndufc2 knock-out rat model showed marked mitochondrial dysfunction and PBMC obtained from subjects homozygous for the TT genotype of the rs11237379/NDUFC2 variant, previously shown to associate with reduced gene expression, demonstrated increased generation of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial damage. The latter was associated with increased oxidative stress and significant ultrastructural impairment of mitochondrial morphology with a loss of internal cristae. In both models the exposure to stress stimuli, such as high-NaCl concentration or LPS, exacerbated the mitochondrial damage and dysfunction. Resveratrol significantly counteracted the ROS generation. These findings provide additional insights on the role of an altered pattern of mitochondrial structure-function as a cause of human diseases. In particular, they contribute to underscore a potential genetic risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including stroke

Examining High and Low Value-Added Mathematics Instruction: Can Expert Observers Tell the Difference

The question of how to measure effective teachers and teaching has long been of interest to policymakers and school leaders. While recent policy initiatives have focused on the use of value-added measures (VAM) to assess teacher quality, there is a much longer tradition of using observations of practice to make such determinations. However, empirical evidence suggests these two indicators often identify different sets of teachers as effective. For example, the Measures of Effective Teaching project finds low correlations between teachers’ VAM scores and their quality of instruction as measured by observational metrics. Studies with the explicit intent of identifying differences in instruction between teachers with high and low VAM scores also have generally failed to uncover substantial differences across classrooms. In this study, we take advantage of a dataset containing both videotaped lessons and value-added scores to mount an exploratory study of the instruction of teachers with high- and low-value-added rankings. Specifically, we seek to answer two questions: First, what is the degree of convergence between observers’ impressions of mathematics instruction and teachers’ mathematics value-added scores? Second, are there a set of instructional practices that consistently characterize high but not low-value-added ranked teachers’ classrooms, and vice versa

Pre-existing virus-specific CD8+ T-cells provide protection against pneumovirus-induced disease in mice

Pneumoviruses such as pneumonia virus of mice (PVM), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV) or human (h)RSV are closely related pneumoviruses that cause severe respiratory disease in their respective hosts. It is well-known that T-cell responses are essential in pneumovirus clearance, but pneumovirus-specific T-cell responses also are important mediators of severe immunopathology. In this study we determined whether memory- or pre-existing, transferred virus-specific CD8 + T-cells provide protection against PVM-induced disease. We show that during infection with a sublethal dose of PVM, both natural killer (NK) cells and CD8 + T-cells expand relatively late. Induction of CD8 + T-cell memory against a single CD8 + T-cell epitope, by dendritic cell (DC)-peptide immunization, leads to partial protection against PVM challenge and prevents Th2 differentiation of PVM-induced CD4 T-cells. In addition, adoptively transferred PVM-specific CD8 + T-cells, covering the entire PVM-specific CD8 + T-cell repertoire, provide partial protection from PVM-induced disease. From these data we infer that antigen-specific memory CD8 + T-cells offer significant protection to PVM-induced disease. Thus, CD8 + T-cells, despite being a major cause of PVM-associated pathology during primary infection, may offer promising targets of a protective pneumovirus vaccine