38 research outputs found
Comparison of Protective Effects of Melatonin and Amifostine on Radiation-Induced Renal Oxidative Stress in Rats
ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΗΨΗIn this study, we aimed to compare the protective effects of melatonin and amifostine on radiation-induced oxidative stress. Fifty female Wistar rats (3-4 months old, weighing 200±25 g) were divided into five groups (with ten rats each) and treated as follows: control (Cont), radiotherapy alone (RT), radiotherapy + amifostine (RT+AMI), radiotherapy + melatonin (RT+MEL), radiotherapy + amifostine + melatonin (RT+AMI+MEL). Rats were irradiated individually with a single dose of 8 Gy and amifostine (200 mg/kg) and melatonin (10 mg/kg) was administered to rats 30 minutes before irradiation. At the end of this follow-up period (72 hours) the rats were sacrificed. Spectrophotometric Analysis has been performed to kidney tissue samples. As a result of statistical comparison between groups after RT, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) decreased, total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) increased, although the statistically significant change was only for OSI (p = 0.030). Addition of AMI or MEL to RT increased TAC and OSI significantly (p = 0.000), but there was no additive effect for TAC and OSI when both drugs were given together (p = 1.000, p = 0.172, respectively). In terms of TOS, statistically significant increasing was only for AMI (p = 0.000). There was protective effect when both drugs were given together against on Radiation-Induced Renal Oxidative Stress
500,000 Years of Environmental History in Eastern Anatolia: The PALEOVAN Drilling Project
International Continental Scientific Drilling Program
(ICDP) drilled a complete succession of the lacustrine sediment
sequence deposited during the last ~500,000 years in
Lake Van, Eastern Anatolia (Turkey). Based on a detailed
seismic site survey, two sites at a water depth of up to 360 m
were drilled in summer 2010, and cores were retrieved from
sub-lake-floor depths of 140 m (Northern Basin) and 220 m
(Ahlat Ridge). To obtain a complete sedimentary section, the
two sites were multiple-cored in order to investigate the paleoclimate
history of a sensitive semi-arid region between the
Black, Caspian, and Mediterranean seas. Further scientific
goals of the PALEOVAN project are the reconstruction of
earthquake activity, as well as the temporal, spatial, and
compositional evolution of volcanism as reflected in the deposition
of tephra layers. The sediments host organic matter
from different sources and hence composition, which will be
unravelled using biomarkers. Pathways for migration of continental
and mantle-derived noble gases will be analyzed in
pore waters. Preliminary 40Ar/39Ar single crystal dating of
tephra layers and pollen analyses suggest that the Ahlat
Ridge record encompasses more than half a million years of
paleoclimate and volcanic/geodynamic history, providing
the longest continental record in the entire Near East to
date
Seismogenic faults, landslides, and associated tsunamis off southern Italy - Cruise No. M86/2, December 27, 2011 - January 17, 2012, Cartagena (Spain) - Brindisi (Italy)
Summary
The continental margins of southern Italy are located along converging plate boundaries, which
are affected by intense seismicity and volcanic activity. Most of the coastal areas experienced
severe earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis in historical and/or modern times. The most
prominent example is the Messina earthquake of Dec. 28, 1908 (Ms=7.3; 80,000 casualties),
which was characterized by the worst tsunami Italy experienced in the historical time (~2000
casualties). It is, however, still unclear, whether this tsunami was triggered by a sudden vertical
movement along a major fault during the earthquake or as a result of a giant marine slide
initiated by the earthquake. The recurrence rates of major landslides and therefore the risk
associated with landslides is also unknown. Based on detailed bathymetric data sets collected by
Italian colleagues in the frame of the MaGIC Project (Marine Geohazards along the Italian
Coast), we collected seismic data (2D and 3D) and gravity cores in three working areas (The
Messina Straits, off Eastern Sicily, the Gioia Basin). A dense grid of new 2D-seismic data in the
Messina Straits will allow to map fault patterns in great detail. One interesting outcome in this
context is the identification of a set of normal faults striking in an EW-direction, which is almost
perpendicular to the previously postulated faults. This EW-striking faults seem to be active. The
area off eastern Sicily is characterized by numerous landslides and a complex deformation
pattern. A 3D-seismic data set has been collected during the cruise using the so called P-cable in
order to investigate these deformation patterns in detail. The new data will be the basis for a risk
assessment in the working areas
How accurately can other people infer your thoughts -- and does culture matter?
This research investigated how accurately people infer what others are thinking after observing a brief sample of their behaviour and whether culture/similarity is a relevant factor. Target participants (14 British and 14 Mediterraneans) were cued to think about either positive or negative events they had experienced. Subsequently, perceiver participants (16 British and 16 Mediterraneans) watched videos of the targets thinking about these things. Perceivers (both groups) were significantly accurate in judging when targets had been cued to think of something positive versus something negative, indicating notable inferential ability. Additionally, Mediterranean perceivers were better than British perceivers in making such inferences, irrespective of nationality of the targets, something that was statistically accounted for by corresponding group differences in levels of independently measured collectivism. The results point to the need for further research to investigate the possibility that being reared in a collectivist culture fosters ability in interpreting others’ behaviour
Narcissism and the Strategic Pursuit of Short-Term Mating: Universal Links across 11 World Regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2
Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating
Narcissism and the strategic pursuit of short-term mating : universal links across 11 world regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2.
Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating
Narcisismo y búsqueda estratégica del emparejamiento a corto plazo a través de las culturas: Enlaces omnipresentes a través de 11 regiones mundiales del Proyecto de la descripción de la sexualidad internacional 2
Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating.Estudios previos, en primer lugar a través de las muestras de culturas occidentales, han documentado asociaciones sistemáticas del narcisismo subclínico con múltiples indicadores de estrategias del emparejamiento a corto plazo (p. ej. sociosexualidad ilimitada, infidelidad, caza de pareja). En este estudio se han usado respuestas de la encuesta transcultural de 30.470 personas de 53 naciones de 11 regiones mundiales (América del Norte, América del Sur/América Central, Europa del Norte, Europa del Oeste, Europa del Este, Europa del Sur, Oriente Próximo, África, Asia del Sur/Sudoeste de Asia, Asia del Este y Oceanía) para evaluar si el narcisismo (medido por el Inventario de Personalidad Narcisista; NPI) se asocia panuniversalmente con los indicadores del emparejamiento a corto plazo, tanto en la dirección, como en la intensidad. Los resultados sugieren que el narcisismo (incluidos muchos aspectos suyos medidos por el NPI) tiene las mismas asociaciones básicas con los rasgos de personalidad relacionados con el sexo (p. ej. extraversión alta) y con los resultados sexuales claves (p. ej. búsqueda más activa de las estrategias del emparejamiento a corto plazo) a través de las 11 mayores regiones mundiales del PDSI 2. La discusión se enfoca en las implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio actual