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In Crimes of obedience , Kelman and Hamilton argue that societies can be protected by the degeneration of authority only when citizenship is based on a strong values orientation. This reference to values may be the weakest point in their theory because they do not explicitly define these values. Nevertheless, their empirical findings suggest that the authors are referring to specific democratic principles and universal values (e.g., equality, fairness, harmlessness). In this article, a composite index known as the value-oriented citizenship (VOC) index is introduced and empirically analysed. The results confirm that the VOC index discriminates between people who relate to authority based on values rather than based on their role or on rules in general. The article discusses the utility of the VOC index to develop Kelman and Hamilton’s framework further empirically as well as its implications for the analysis of the relationship between individuals and authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erik Erikson's theory of human development defines generativity as the concern for the continuation of life after an individual's death. According to the theory, such a concern has a wide spectrum that ranges from the desire to procreate to the willingness to contribute for the sake of generations that have yet to come, and is thus closely related to concepts of social responsibility and agency. Although this is a well-known aspect of the theory it is only marginally measured in the common quantitative measures of generativity-e.g. the Loyola Generativity Scale. In this study we present the Social Generativity Scale (SGS), which is focused on responsibility for future generation. Correlational analysis showed that the SGS is more consistently linked to future orientation than other generativity measures (i.e. measured with consideration of future consequences), inclusiveness, and political engagement, and negatively related to social dominance orientation and prejudice. The results suggest that the SGS better captures the social responsibility dimension of the generativity concept than previous measures, and for this reason it is complementary to those scales that comprehend generativity as the concern for personal continuation after death and desire of parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titania nanoparticles suspended in benzyl alcohol (BzOH) were generated by nonhydrolytic sol-gel process starting from titanium tetrachloride. The obtained suspensions were mixed with 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate epoxy resin, and the formulations were cured in the presence of ytterbium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate as cationic initiator. The thermally activated cationic ring-opening polymerization produced a three-dimensional network in which the suspending medium BzOH was covalently linked to the epoxy network according to the 'activated monomer' mechanism during the propagation step. The presence of titania nanoparticles resulted in a reinforcing and stiffening effect due to both their hydrodynamic effect and, most important, a significantly higher cross-linking density of the composite material with respect to the unfilled epoxy resin. A comparison with similar composites obtained by physical incorporation of preformed titania particles was also reported in order to compare the in situ and ex situ filler generation for preparing nanocomposites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:1689-1697, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increase in divorces after a long relationship, this trend remains a neglected research topic. The present contribution seeks to identify patterns of psychological adaptation to divorce after a long-term marriage. Data from a questionnaire study with 308 persons aged 45–65 years, who divorced after having been married for an average of 25 years, are presented. Exploratory latent profile analysis with various well-being outcomes revealed five groups: one with average adapted, one with resilients, and three small groups with seriously affected individuals. Discriminant variables between the groups were personality, time since separation, a new relationship, and financial situation. Age, gender, and length of marriage played a marginal role; satisfaction with the former marriage and initiator status were not relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

EPDM rubber was reinforced with titania in situ generated by using a nonhydrolytic sol-gel (NHSG) process starting from TiCl4 as titania precursor and tert-butanol as oxygen donor. Titania particles in anatase form and with average diameter of 6 nm were synthesized via NHSG route and then the same procedure was adopted in presence of EPDM rubber to obtain composites containing up to 30 wt% of filler. Extraction and equilibrium swelling tests suggested an interfering effect of the NHSG reaction on the vulcanization process of the rubber resulting to a crosslink density which decreased in the presence of titania. Quasi-static and dynamic-mechanical characterizations indicated that the presence of titania as rigid filler in both the unvulcanized and vulcanized EPDM matrix led to a significant increase in stiffness and stress at break. The experimental values of modulus were systematically higher than the values predicted by classical equations suggesting an additional stiffening contribution deriving from the molecular interaction between the rubber and the filler. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:2544-2552, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Innovative epoxy-titania nanocomposites were prepared starting from titania nanoparticles suspended in benzyl alcohol (BzOH) generated by nonhydrolytic sol-gel process from TiCl4. The obtained suspensions were mixed with an epoxy resin (bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, DGEBA) and the formulations were cured in the presence of ytterbium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate as cationic initiator. The thermally activated cationic ring-opening polymerization produced a three-dimensional network in which the suspending medium BzOH was covalently linked to the epoxy network according to the 'activated monomer' mechanism during the propagation step. The presence of titania nanoparticles resulted in a reinforcing and stiffening effect due to both their hydrodynamic effect and, most important, a significantly higher cross-linking density of the composite material with respect to the unfilled epoxy resin. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40470. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective This study aims to explore the psychosocial factors which influenced the undergoing of prenatal genetic testing (PGT) in a sample of pregnant women. Method An online questionnaire was emailed to a convenient sample of 105 pregnant women, recruited from among those attending two antenatal education programmes and via snowball sampling. Results A minority of respondents underwent chorionic villous sampling and amniocentesis (12 and 11, respectively). Advanced maternal age was related to undertaking PGT. The path analysis model (χ2 (16, N = 97) = 19.01, ns; TLI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.04; WRMR = 0.64) confirmed that three dimensions, namely having a more supporting attitude towards PGT ( β = 0.54, p < 0.001), perceiving PGT as reliable ( β = 0.29, p < 0.05) and the request for more scientific information ( β = 0.22, p < 0.01), related to test uptaking. Conclusion Empirical researches investigating pregnant women's beliefs and attitudes relating to actual test uptake could help genetic counsellors and policy makers to better understand their client's profile in relation to the determining factors affecting the undertaking of PGT. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we introduce spatially weighted context data as a new approach for studying the contextual dimension of factors that shapes social behavior and collective worldviews. First, we briefly discuss the current contribution of multilevel regression to the study of contextual effects. We subsequently provide a formal definition of spatially weighted context data, as a complement to and extension of the existing multilevel analyses, which allows the study of contextual influences that decrease with increasing distance, rather than contextual influences that are bound within discrete contexts. To show how spatially weighted context data can be generated and used in practice, we present a research application about the impact of the collective experiences of war across the former Yugoslavia. Using geographically stratified survey data from the Transition to Adulthood and Collective Experiences Survey (TRACES), we illustrate how empirical conclusions about the collective impact of war events vary as a function of the scale at which context effects are being modeled. Furthermore, we show how observed geographic patterns can be explained by underlying patterns of social proximity between the concerned populations, and we propose a procedure to estimate the part of spatial dependency explained by models applying specific definitions of social proximity. In the final section, we discuss the boundary conditions for the use of spatially weighted context data and summarize the contribution of the proposed approach to existing methods for the study of context effects in the social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article is concerned with the preparation of a filled elastomer by means the nonconventional bottom-up approach to polymer composites, alternatively with the conventional mechanical compounding of preformed filler particles with rubber. EPDM rubber was modified with in situ generated silica particles prepared by means of a sol-gel process adopting a solution process. The used synthetic procedure permitted the preparation of highly filled rubbers (up to 40 wt % of silica) with silica particle dimensions ranging from 0.2 to 2 μm. Equilibrium swelling and extraction tests indicated a hindering effect of the presence of in situ generated silica on the vulcanization process which reduced the cross linking degree of the rubber matrix. Both tensile tests and dynamic-mechanical analysis showed a significant improvement in the mechanical properties due to the presence of the reinforcing filler, with an enhancement more significant than that expected from a simple hydrodynamic reinforcing mechanism. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the present research is to investigate whether different representations of obedience and disobedience influence the support for democratic values and rights, accounting for contextual differences in post-materialistic values. A comparative study was conducted on two groups of Finnish and Italian undergraduate students. Results showed that obedience and disobedience were organized in similar and comparable semantic structures in the two countries. A latent class analysis highlighted that the links among the semantic structures differed slightly between the two countries: three groups (named anomic, responsible and submissive) were found to have the same representations of obedience and disobedience in both countries, while a fourth group (rebel) was only identified in Italy. An analysis of variance supported the hypothesis that when disobedience is linked to social responsibility its link with support for democratic rights and values is stronger. On the contrary, representations in which obedience is pivotal and disobedience is connoted as transgression were more linked to authoritarian attitudes and materialistic values, results also showed that universal aspects were offset by contextual differences; in Finland smaller differences concerning democratic rights and responsibility were found among respondents sharing different representations of obedience and disobedience than in Italy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Suspensions of titania nanoparticles in benzyl alcohol were synthesised from TiCl4 by means of non-hydrolytic sol–gel (NHSG) process. The stable suspensions were mixed with an aliphatic epoxy resin and subsequently photo-polymerised in the presence of a cationic photo-initiator to produce transparent composite films. The presence of titania didn’t influence significantly the polymerisation rate, while a progressive decrease in the maximum value of epoxy groups conversion was observed by increasing the titania content. Gel content analysis demonstrated that all organic species (benzyl alcohol and corresponding by-products) were covalently linked to the epoxy network, suggesting that both ‘active chain end’ and ‘activated monomer’ mechanisms were active during the propagation step in the cationic ring-opening polymerisation. The presence of titania increased significantly both glass transition temperature and modulus (in the rubbery region) confirming the reinforcing and stiffening effect due to both the presence of inorganic nanofillers and, most importantly, a higher cross-linking density of the composite material with respect to the pristine epoxy matrix. Nano-indentation and scratch tests also showed a systematic increase of hardness and scratch resistance by increasing the filler content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This research aims to contribute to an understanding of how and why certain people are able to display prosocial disobedience behaviors, overcome unjust situations, and withstand persecutions deployed by authority. This article presents a hermeneutic content analysis of the autobiographical speeches and texts of Gandhi, M. L. King, and Mandela. The results show that the importance given to parents' value orientation, experiences of injustice during childhood, and exploration of alternative viewpoints during adolescence plays a crucial role in structuring prosocial disobedience. The findings also show that social responsibility and ingroup communication are important conditions for facing persecution without forsaking original goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obedience has been thoroughly studied in social psychology, both in its positive and negative aspects. Nevertheless, in these empirical studies disobedience has been considered to be the opposite of obedience and indeed its negation. Instead, some recent studies suggest that if obedience to authority is important in ensuring the continuity of social and group life, disobedience is crucial, under some circumstances, in stopping the authority relationship from degenerating into an authoritarian relationship. In this perspective, disobedience may be conceived of as a protest undermining the legitimacy of authority, or else it can represent an instrument of the community for controlling the legitimacy of the authority's demands, becoming a factor safeguarding against authoritarianism. The aim of the present study was to empirically verify the dynamics existing between disobedience and obedience. The results show that people who attach importance to both obedience and disobedience in the relationship between the individual and society recognize the importance of democratic values and consider themselves responsible for the defence of human rights. Instead, people who only recognize the value of obedience and consider disobedience as a threat to the status quo are more authoritarian, individualistic people. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although daily hassles have been of interest since the 1980s, only a few tools have been developed to assess them. Most of them are checklists or open-ended questions that are demanding for participants in panel surveys. Therefore, to facilitate daily hassles integration into large surveys, the aim of this study was to present a new tool assessing daily hassles, the LIVES–Daily Hassles Scale (LIVES-DHS), and to examine its relation to life satisfaction, in a sample of 1,170 French- and German-speaking adults living in Switzerland. In a first random subsample, we conducted a principal axis factor analysis, and the results suggested a five-factor solution. Furthermore, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis on a second random subsample, and it supported the hierarchical factor structure of the scale. The LIVES-DHS consists of 18 items represented by five factors that describe five sources of daily hassles: financial, physical, relational, environmental, and professional. The bivariate correlations showed that the LIVES-DHS could differentiate the concept of daily hassles from associated concepts. Finally, the hierarchical regression showed that daily hassles negatively predicted life satisfaction and added a significant incremental variance beyond that accounted for by age, gender, household income, education level, and personality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking inspiration from plant tendril geometry, in this study, 4D bimorph coiled structures with an internal core of graphene nanoplatelets‐modified regenerated silk and an external shell of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) are fabricated by 4D printing. Finite element simulations and experimental tests demonstrate that integrating these biomaterials with different coefficients of thermal expansion results in the temperature induced self‐compression and torsion of the structure. The bimorph spring also exhibits reversible contractive actuation after exposure to water environment that paves its exploitation in regenerative medicine, since core materials also have been proven to be biocompatible. Finally, the authors validate their findings with experimental measurements using such springs for temperature‐mediated lengthening of an artificial intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To test the spinal cord injury adjustment model (SCIAM) by examining whether primary appraisals (threat or loss) and coping strategies (approach-oriented and denial) sequentially mediate the impact of functional independence, psychological resources, and social support on depressive and anxiety symptoms among individuals with spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation. Method: Path analyses of longitudinal data from a Swiss inception cohort study (N = 207). Models were implemented separately for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results: The initial models based on the SCIAM yielded poor fit and were respecified. Different from the SCIAM's assumptions, psychological resources and threat appraisal showed direct effects on depressive symptoms (β = -.28, SE = .07, p< .001 and β = .33, SE = .07, p < .001, respectively), while social support and threat appraisal showed direct effects on anxiety symptoms (β = -.23, SE = .06, p< .001 and β = .42, SE = .06, p < .001, respectively). Primary appraisals and coping strategies partially mediated the effects of psychological resources on depressive symptoms and fully mediated their effect on anxiety symptoms. However, this did not only happen via the SCIAM's sequential double mediation, since indirect effects were also observed via threat appraisal only. The final models explained 40 and 30% of the variance of depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Conclusions: The findings only partially supported the SCIAM's sequential double mediation mechanism. Psychological resources, social support, and primary appraisals can have direct effects on psychological adaptation outcomes and may be suitable intervention targets during inpatient rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel approach for the valorization of orange peel waste for the removal of aqueous organic pollutants is presented herein. The orange peel is combined with silk fibroin in order to obtain alcogels, which are successfully converted into highly porous biocomposite foams upon supercritical CO2 drying. The biocomposite shows a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area of 174.45 m2 g−1 and can absorb three times its weight in water. The resulting adsorbents can adsorb methylene blue from water with a maximum adsorption capacity of 113.8 ± 12.5 mg g−1, with the orange peel activity well preserved in the polymeric matrix. The spectroscopic studies performed show that the methylene blue molecules are adsorbed in the form of monomers on the surface of the biocomposite foams, forming a monolayer as suggested by the Langmuir isotherm model. Although the agrowaste powders are already confirmed to be promising biosorbents for the removal of pollutants from water, the difficulties caused by their recovery after the water treatment may limit their manageability and applicability. With this study, such limitations can be overcome thanks to the incorporation of the powder in a solid porous system, without significantly compromising the dye adsorption capacity of the incorporated orange peel. A sustainable adsorbent for water remediation is realized through the valorization of agricultural waste by using a low environmental impact strategy. Orange peel powder is successfully embedded in a silk fibroin matrix obtaining a highly porous biocomposite. Its effectiveness is then tested for the removal of methylene blue, reaching a high adsorption capacity toward the dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bio‐based polymeric ink for stereolithography developed through a two‐step solvent‐free process is herein proposed. Specifically, low‐molecular‐weight poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)‐diol oligomers are prepared via molten transesterification of bacterial PHB with 1,4‐butanediol. Transesterification conditions such as diol concentration, catalyst amount, and reaction time are studied for optimizing the final oligomers' molecular weight and structural features. In the second step, the oligomeric hydroxyl terminals are converted into methacrylate moieties through a solvent‐free end‐capping reaction and diluted in propylene carbonate in order to obtain a photo‐polymerizable ink with suitable viscosity. The ink is UV‐cured, and the obtained material properties are investigated by FT‐IR and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. The proposed method provides a valuable and environmentally friendly alternative to currently available synthetic routes, overcoming their typical disadvantages related to the used solvents and harsh conditions. Moreover, it opens up a sustainable route for converting polyesters into functionalized oligomeric derivatives, which can potentially find application in 3D printing of customized biomedical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a simple approach to fabricate porous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) membranes homogeneously decorated with exposed zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs). This fabrication method significantly overcomes the disadvantages of both conventional foaming processes and incorporation of inorganic NPs in polymeric matrices. In particular, the porous structure is simply self‐assembled by slowly evaporating a suitable solvent. The ZnO NPs are in situ formed by a thermally activated conversion of the zinc acetate precursor, previously embedded in the polymeric matrix. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy investigations show the formation of the desired self‐assembled highly porous structure and ZnO NPs with branched morphology, respectively. The wetting behavior of the membranes surface is studied as a function of the ZnO content and UV irradiation, exploiting the switchable wettability of ZnO. The obtained unexpected results are then tentatively rationalized taking into account the surface chemistry and the roughness that arises from both porous structure and the different NPs dimensions and content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant mechanical properties mismatch between natural bone and the material forming the orthopedic implant device can lead to its failure due to the inhomogeneous loads distribution, resulting in less dense and more fragile bone tissue (known as the stress shielding effect). The addition of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) to biocompatible and bioresorbable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is proposed in order to tailor the PHB mechanical properties to different bone types. Specifically, the proposed approach offers an effective strategy to develop a supporting material, suitable for bone tissue regeneration, where stiffness, mechanical strength, hardness, and impact resistance can be tuned. The desired homogeneous blend formation and fine-tuning of PHB mechanical properties have been achieved thanks to the specific design and synthesis of a PHB/PEG diblock copolymer that is able to compatibilize the two compounds. Moreover, the typical high hydrophobicity of PHB is significantly reduced when NFC is added in presence of the developed diblock copolymer, thus creating a potential cue for supporting bone tissue growth. Hence, the presented outcomes contribute to the medical community development by translating the research results into clinical practice for designing bio-based materials for prosthetic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By integrating the insights from social identity research on collective action, this article examines the social‐psychological mechanisms behind the emergence of the 2019–20 'Chile despertó' social movement, a major Latin American revolt against the government's price hikes. Using survey data collected among Chilean activists (N = 549) and non‐activists (i.e., members of broader society, N = 234), we analyse two major explanatory collective action frameworks: that is, the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA) and the encapsulation model of the social identity of collective action (EMSICA). Multi‐group SEM with latent variables revealed that the EMSICA was slightly better suited as compared to SIMCA to explain collective action on behalf of newly formed collective identities. As concerns prosocial disobedience, these attitudes predicted collective action intentions indirectly through social identification among both activists and non‐activists. The indirect effects of moral outrage were found to be more pronounced in non‐activists, whereas perceived collective efficacy had stronger direct mobilizing effects among activists. The discussion highlights the importance of studying individuals' prosocial disobedience attitudes within social identity models of collective action. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine average changes and individuals' patterns of change in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, general distress, and life satisfaction between admission to spinal cord injury inpatient rehabilitation and discharge; and to identify factors associated with change. Method: Longitudinal data collection as part of a national cohort study (N = 281). Changes in the psychological adaptation outcomes were analyzed using latent change score models. Reliable change indexes were calculated for each outcome to identify individuals' patterns of change. Biopsychosocial factors were examined as covariates of change. Results: On average, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and general distress decreased between admission and discharge, while life satisfaction increased. According to the reliable change indexes, several adaptation patterns were identified. The proportion of individuals following each pattern varied depending on the analyzed outcome: resilience (absence of clinically relevant symptoms at admission and discharge) was the most common for symptoms of depression (61.57%) and anxiety (66.55%), whereas vulnerability (clinically relevant symptoms at both measurement times) was the most common for distress (57.32%). Improvement patterns (statistically significant decreases) were identified for 6.41%, 4.27%, and 7.83% of participants in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and distress, respectively. For life satisfaction, improvement (statistically significant increases) was found for 8.54%. Male sex, tetraplegia, self-efficacy, optimism, and social support were associated with average changes in the psychological adaptation outcomes. Conclusions: On average, participants showed improvement in all analyzed outcomes. Still, there is substantial variability in change. Self-efficacy, social support, and optimism are potential intervention targets during inpatient rehabilitation to promote a favorable psychological adaptation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report the fabrication of two different three-dimensional (3D) architectures of regenerated silk (RS) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co -3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) with embedded functionalities. 3D printed cylinders with an internal layer of PHBV and an external of calcium ions (Ca++) or potassium nitrate (KNO 3) modified RS were designed to control the radial shrinkage, water uptake and compression strength. Such cylinders were then used as sutureless thermoresponsive clips, measuring the bursting resistance once applied on an anastomized porcine intestine. Experimental data are supported by finite element simulations that model the tube contraction, demonstrating the possibility to program the shape-changing behavior of 3D printed structures. Printing RS on PHBV, we obtained responsive 3D grids to external force with self-powering properties. The synergic effect obtained by combining materials on appropriate architectures paves the way to potential clinical applications ranging from monitoring of vital signs to sutureless sealant patches. Unlabelled Image • 3D printing of hybrid natural proteins and bio-based polymers • Digitally designed 3D objects with self-powering properties • Modeling the different thermal coefficient of expansion of the protein layer onto a biopolymer • Engineering strategy to seal an anastomosis without the aid of mechanical sutures [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Electrospinning of PHB, PHBV and their blend with formic acid as benign solvent. • Incorporation of bioactive glass particles in PHAs electrospun fibers obtained with benign solvent. • Promising results in terms of electrospinnability, cell adhesion and proliferation. Electrospinning (ES) technique allows the fabrication of nano/microfibers, relevant for tissue engineering (TE) applications. Several researches have been devoted to the use of benign solvents for ES, and in this work their use in combination with poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs) is reported. Among PHAs, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co -3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and their blend have been selected for their suitability for TE applications. The morphological and chemical properties of the electrospun mats, their degradation behaviour and cytocompatibility have been investigated, obtaining promising results and comparable properties with mats obtained using standard (not benign) solvents. Moreover, the fabrication of composite fibers incorporating bioactive glass (BG) particles is also reported as proof of concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social dominance theory (SDT; Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) hypothesizes that members of subordinate groups who are higher on social dominance orientation (SDO; desire for maintaining status hierarchies) coordinate with dominant ones in maintaining asymmetrical relationships. The present research tests this hypothesis in a higher education setting by examining whether SDO serves as an antecedent to subordinates' compliance with harsh power tactics. A longitudinal study asked students (N = 91) to imagine themselves in a subordinated condition doing specific tasks in which they were supervised by a professor. Respondents' SDO and compliance to harsh tactics were measured at two different times. A cross-lagged path analysis, using Bayesian estimation, supported the hypotheses. Students' SDO measured at time 1 predicted their compliance to harsh power tactics measured at time 2, controlling for their initial levels of compliance to harsh power tactics. There was no evidence for the converse; students' compliance to harsh power tactics at time 1 did not predict SDO measured at time 2 taking into account the initial levels of SDO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this study bioactive and bioresorbable porous scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration, based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), are presented. The porous structure is obtained by thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) technique, whereas the osteoinductivity and osteoconductivity are enhanced through the incorporation of hydroxyapatite (HA). The HA particles are generated in PHB using an innovative filler in situ synthesis, and the properties of the composite scaffolds are then compared to scaffolds obtained by conventional mechanical dispersion of ex situ synthesized HA particles. The in situ synthesis leads to composite materials with improved porosity, even at high filler content, without any degradation of the polymeric matrix as confirmed by GPC and DSC measurements. On the contrary, the samples prepared by ex situ method show a suppressed porosity by increasing the inorganic filler content, therefore limiting the amount of HA that can be loaded in PHB and the resulting bioactivity. The possibility to use PHB/HA porous composites as scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration, is assessed by preliminary cell viability in vitro studies. In particular, it is observed that the composites are fully cytocompatible and able to sustain MC3T3-E1 mouse pre-osteoblast cells adhesion and proliferation. Investigations on cell morphology reveal, for all PHB/HA scaffolds, the presence of differentiated cells with a predominance of osteocyte-like morphology, which are not observed for neat PHB scaffolds. Moreover, the MC3T3-E1 cells differentiation towards osteoblastic phenotype is further supported by the evaluation of the early osteogenic markers. In particular, samples loaded with HA in situ synthesized showed the highest ALP production and typical morphology of the terminal differentiation stages of osteoblasts. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. • The innovative two-step fabrication procedure is proposed. • Thermally induced phase separation was employed to obtain porous structure. • In situ synthesis of hydroxyapatite was used to obtain composite scaffold. • PHB/HA porous scaffolds can promote cells differentiation towards osteoblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epoxy resin/TiO nanocomposites prepared by both reactive suspension method, based on in situ synthesis, and conventional mechanical mixing are analysed by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and transmission electron microscopy in order to have a deeper insight into the nature of interactions at the polymer/particle interface and their effect on the nanoparticles dispersion. Specifically, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments showed that the nanoparticles, synthesized by reactive suspension method, can efficiently link the matrix by hydrogen bonds forming a hybrid organic-inorganic 3D network. Such evidences strongly supports our previously reported theory, in which the nanoparticles in situ synthesized by reactive suspension method act not only as rigid filler, but also as actual cross-linking points, dramatically improving the mechanical properties of the polymeric matrix. Moreover, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy investigations, the formation of such hydrogen bonds significantly affect also the nanoparticles distribution, thanks to a stabilizing effect on the nanoparticles' surface that prevents their aggregation and improves their dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of novel disruptive technologies represents a common requirement for the sustainable development as reported in the 2030 agenda established by United Nations. As demonstrated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and furtherly highlighted by the current global challenges, i.e. precision agriculture, decentralized testing, personalized medicine, the field of portable devices is growing day-by-day. Relatively to the electrochemical portable strips, globally represented by glucose strips for diabetes patients, the use of plastic-based products is still very high. In this work, two bacterial polymers have been deeply characterized and compared with the gold standard polyester that is the most used material to produce printed electrochemical strips. In particular, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and PHBV with micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC), namely PHBV/MFC, have been produced with different porosities and have been morphologically, mechanically and electrochemically characterized. Scanning electron microscopy, contact angle, tensil tests, cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, stripping voltammetry and chronoamperometry have been used to evaluate and confirm the suitability of PHBV-based substrates for future sustainable application in the (bio)electroanalytical field. In particular these novel substrates have been applied towards the development of two sensing platforms, namely iron ions and organophosphate pesticides. As shown, in comparison with the gold standard polyester for sensors and biosensors development, the use of PHBV-based substrates allowed to reach similar detection limit and repeatability. In particular, iron ions were detected down to 140 and 150 ppb and dichlorvos was detect with an inhibition biosensor down to 0.4 and 0.5 ppb, respectively for PHBV and PHBV/MFC. These novel substrates may represent a starting point towards the development of sustainable platforms for decentralized applications. • PHBV-based materials are 100% bio-compatible and bio-degradable. • Cellulose merging is able to provide new functionalities. • Polyester-based substrates can be replaced by more sustainable ones. • A novel starting point to make sustainable electrochemical (bio)sensors. • Facile detection of iron ions and organophosphate as the case of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas separation performance of biopolymers is still scarcely characterized, mostly because of their poor thermomechanical properties and high crystallinity which is associated to low permeability. In this work we characterize the gas transport in a poly(hydroxybutyrate- co -hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) random copolymer, that has a relatively low crystallinity and good mechanical properties, combined with a renewable origin, biodegradability and biocompatibility. In the study we also compared several solvents for membrane casting, with different toxicity levels. We found that dimethyl carbonate allows the production of polymer films with transport properties similar to those obtained with the more toxic CHCl 3 , and it leads also to stable crystallinity of the samples over time. PHBV films show a size-sieving gas separation behaviour, as the permeability decreases significantly with the gas kinetic diameter. However, the strong energetic interactions of CO 2 with the polymer matrix, confirmed by the Flory-Huggins model, induce a marked solubility-driven CO 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity, which could make the material potentially interesting for CO 2 removal processes. [Display omitted] • Films of a bio-based polyhydroxyalkanoate were obtained from different solvents. • Dimethyl carbonate can be a replacement solvent for the more toxic chloroform. • The membranes exhibit a CO 2 -selective behaviour with α(CO 2 /N 2)=46 and α(CO 2 /CH 4)=26. • CO 2 selectivity is based on the good solubility of CO 2 in the polymer. • The performance is comparable to currently used materials in terms of selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arab nations are decades behind many other previously colonized nations in developing stronger economies, more democratic institutions, and more autonomy and self-government, in part as a result of external interference. The year 2011 brought the potential for greater Arab autonomy through popular uprisings against autocratic governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, and through the Palestinian request for state recognition by the United Nations. We examined the psychology of support for Arab ascendancy among adults in 14 nations in the Balkans, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and North America. We predicted and found that people low on social dominance orientation endorsed forming an independent Palestinian state and desired that the Arab uprisings succeed. Rejection of ideologies that legitimize outside interference with Arabs mediated this support. Measures and model results were robust across world regions. We discuss theoretical implications regarding the advent of new ideologies and extending social dominance theory to address international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]