Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self-Regulation of Performance: Goal Establishment and Goal Revision Processes in Athletes

The processes by which individuals establish, strive for, and revise personal performance goals were examined in a longitudinal study of track and field athletes. Participants were followed over the course of their competitive season and completed goal-progress questionnaires after each competition. Hypotheses regarding initial goal choice and goal revision were drawn from control theory and social cognitive theory, and comparisons of the two theories were conducted. Results supported social cognitive theory's assertion that self-regulation involves both discrepancy-production and discrepancy-reduction processes. The majority of athletes created positive goal-performance discrepancies by setting initial goals higher than previous best performance. In addition, goal revision during the season served to maintain, rather than eliminate, goal discrepancies. Goal revision was predicted by the size of the discrepancy between one's goal and current performance, moderated by performance attributions and phase of season. Large discrepancies that were attributed to uncontrollable causes or that occurred later in the season resulted in downward goal revision. Goals were increased when discrepancies were small and attributed to controllable causes. Implications of these results for theory and research on self-regulation of goals and performance are discussed.
The EBF/Olf/Collier Family of Transcription Factors: Regulators of Differentiation in Cells Originating from All Three Embryonal Germ Layers

One major mechanism for achieving cell-type-specific functions in somatic cells is the differential usage of stage- and tissue-specific genes. This is in large part regulated by transcription factors that interact directly with DNA elements controlling transcription of these genes. Several groups of transcription factors with key roles in cellular differentiation and function have been characterized, and the list of transactivating proteins with crucial functions in vivo is continuously growing. One group of evolutionarily conserved proteins with defined roles in a large variety of species are the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins (42, 44). These factors are involved in a large number of differentiation processes, including such diverse events as sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster and B-lymphopoiesis in mice (9, 15, 38, 42, 48). In 1993, two independent reports presented a novel type of HLH protein with a dimerization domain containing two helices with homology to the second helix of the classical bHLH protein dimerization domain, but with a different type of DNA binding domain (DBD). This factor was cloned both in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae one-hybrid experiment designed to identify factors interacting with the olfactory-restricted olfactory marker protein-1 (OMP-1) promoter (69), and by biochemical purification of a factor interacting with the B-lymphocyte-restricted mb-1 promoter (27). It was accordingly named Olf-1, or early B-cell factor (EBF), which in turn led to the designation of the factor as O/E-1. Later reports showed that mice expressed at least three more members of this family, EBF2 (mMot1/O/E-3), EBF3 (O/E-2) (23, 40, 71), and O/E-4 (70), with a high degree of similarity in the DNA-binding and dimerization domains. Isolation of the O/E homologue Collier from D. melanogaster (12) provided a proof of principle for the existence of a new family of evolutionarily conserved proteins, and family members have now been cloned in several species (7, 17, 24, 27, 46, 52, 69) (Table ​(Table1). 1). The biological roles of this protein family are beginning to be unraveled, and here we are compiling some of the available information about the roles of Collier/Olf/EBF (COE) proteins to give an overview of the known functions of this protein family in specific model systems and in different model species. TABLE 1. COE proteins identified to datea
Establishment of a pharmacoepidemiological database in Germany: methodological potential, scientific value and practical limitations

We present a new population‐based pharmacoepidemiological (PE) database obtained from statutory health insurances (SHIs) that is able to generate signals, to monitor prescribed drugs and to describe drug utilisation. We discuss methodological features of the database and we assess to which degree this database reflects basic demographic characteristics and hospitalisation rates of the general population.
Effects of Nucleotide Analogs at the P2X3 Receptor and Its Mutants Identify the Agonist Binding Pouch

In this study, we investigated the effects of single alanine substitutions of amino acid residues in the supposed ATP binding site of the human P2X3 receptor on the agonistic effect of nucleotide analogs. The wild-type and mutant receptors were expressed in HEK293 cells, and the nucleotide effects were measured by means of the whole-cell patch-clamp method. Modifications in the receptor binding site changed the concentration-response relationship, the current kinetics, and the recovery from desensitization during fast, pulsed, local agonist applications. On the basis of this fact, we were able to distinguish binding from other effects, such as gating/desensitization, by using a hidden Markov model that describes the complete channel behavior with a matrix of rate constants. The binding energies of the nucleotide analogs were calculated and compared with the binding energies of ATP at both the wild-type receptor and its alanine mutants. Changes in the binding energies caused by alterations in the receptor and/or agonist structures were concluded to be attributable to the preferential binding of certain structural constituents of ATP to certain amino acid moieties of the receptor. The results were also checked for consistency with a P2X3 homology model that we developed from the known zebrafish P2X4 crystal structure in the closed state. The functional data correlated well with the predictions of the agonist dockings to the structural model.
Decentring the new protectors: transforming Aboriginal heritage in South Australia

Disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology and history exercise a seemingly disproportionate influence on race relations in settler democracies. In South Australia, this influence has complex and unbroken genealogies linked to the beginnings of British settlement and the Protectors of Aborigines. This colonising character survives, and we argue that researchers working in Aboriginal heritage can be positioned as the new Protectors of Aborigines, reinvigorating a colonising network of power relations that remains critical in determining Indigenous interests and futures. In response Ngarrindjeri are theorising and strategising a transformative programme for decentring the new Protectors that avoids contexts where authenticity is at question or fundamental to the negotiations. Mapping actor networks revealed in everyday meetings and performances, and understanding local/global cultures of governmentality, have been necessary to safely bring Indigenous interests into Aboriginal heritage research, planning and policy, without activating the colonial archive and recycling Aboriginalist myths.
The changing structure and culture of english rugby union football

In 1995, the International Rugby Football Board (IRB) declared rugby union an 'open' sport and thus formally legitimized professionalism in what had previously been a 'shamateur' game. Whilst others have examined what this has meant in individual clubs,' our aim here is to attempt a broad examination of the ways in which the game has since changed in response to full professionalism. Our analysis of this modern period is partly an extension of work conducted in the 1970s which dealt with earlier crisis periods in the game. It draws, too, upon work presently being conducted into the socio-historical development of Gloucester RFC, and also upon the results of a survey carried out by the authors during the summer of 1997. This survey, which was initiated after the first season of 'open' rugby, was based on a postal questionnaire (with a response rate of 41%) sent to the head coaches/directors of rugby of the 68 clubs who had formed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd National Divisions and the 4th North and South Divisions of the English Courage League in the 1996/7 season. The purpose of this questionnaire was to ascertain how the game of rugby had changed at the top levels during the preceding 12 months and, more specifically, to examine those changes which had been introduced concomitantly with the advent of 'open' rugby.
Mortality of live export cattle on long-haul voyages: pathologic changes and pathogens

The cause of death in 215 cattle on 20 long-haul live export voyages from Australia to the Middle East, Russia, and China was investigated between 2010 and 2012 using gross, histologic, and/or molecular pathology techniques. A quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was used to detect nucleic acids from viruses and bacteria known to be associated with respiratory disease in cattle: Bovine coronavirus (Betacoronavirus 1), Bovine herpesvirus 1, Bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 and 2, Bovine respiratory syncytial virus, Bovine parainfluenza virus 3, Histophilus somni, Mycoplasma bovis, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Pasteurella multocida. The most commonly diagnosed cause of death was respiratory disease (107/180, 59.4%), followed by lameness (n = 22, 12.2%), ketosis (n = 12, 6.7%), septicemia (n = 11, 6.1%), and enteric disease (n = 10, 5.6%). Two thirds (130/195) of animals from which lung samples were collected had histologic changes and/or positive qRT-PCR results indicative of infectious lung disease: 93 out of 130 (72%) had evidence of bacterial infection, 4 (3%) had viral infection, and 29 (22%) had mixed bacterial and viral infections, and for 4 (3%) the causative organism could not be identified. Bovine coronavirus was detected in up to 13% of cattle tested, and this finding is likely to have important implications for the management and treatment of respiratory disease in live export cattle. Results from the current study indicate that although overall mortality during live export voyages is low, further research into risk factors for developing respiratory disease is required.
Wealth, Race, and Inter-Neighborhood Migration

Racial differences in wealth have often been thought to underlie racial differences in residential segregation and neighborhood attainment, but research supporting this claim is limited. The authors of this article use data from the 1989–2001 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), in conjunction with tract-level decennial census data, to examine the effects of household and parental wealth on the migration of black and non-Hispanic white families between neighborhoods comprised of varying percentages of Anglos (i.e., non-Hispanic whites). They find generally modest effects of wealth on these patterns of inter-neighborhood migration. Consistent with one version of the place-stratification model of locational attainment, the effects of both household and parental wealth are stronger among blacks than among non-Hispanic whites, with the sharpest racial difference emerging among renters. Racial differences in household and parental wealth, however, can account for only a trivial portion of the pronounced racial difference in migration into neighborhoods containing larger percentages of Anglo residents. The authors conclude that explanations for the racially stratified inter-neighborhood migration streams that underlie and reinforce black-Anglo residential segregation will need to look beyond the influence of wealth and other socioeconomic resources.
The dual modulatory effect of folic acid supplementation on indomethacin-induced gastropathy in the rat.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Folic acid modulates several disorders in humans. We investigated the effects of folic acid supplementation at varying doses on ulcer formation in the rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS Male Wistar rats were treated with 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg diet of folic acid for 21 days. Gastric ulceration was induced by indomethacin, scored, and assayed to determine the concentration of mucus, malondialdehyde, catalase, and superoxide dismutase in homogenized samples. Normal saline- and ranitidine-treated groups served as negative and positive control, respectively. RESULTS Indomethacin caused severe damage to the glandular portion of the rats' stomachs with increase in malondialdehyde concentration and reduction in mucus, catalase and superoxide dismutase concentration (p < 0.001). Folic acid supplementation at 2 mg/kg diet reduced significantly the formation of gastric lesions by indomethacin, while at 3 mg/kg, potentiation of the lesions was observed (p < 0.05). Malondialdehyde concentration significantly decreased and superoxide dismutase activity increased in the 2 mg/kg folic acid pre-treated group, while 3 mg/kg folic acid significantly increased the malondialdehyde concentration and decreased both catalase and superoxide dismutase. Mucus concentration was increased in the 2 mg/kg folic acid pretreated group, but decreased in the 3 mg/kg folic acid pretreated group when compared with controls. Pre-treatment with 1 mg/kg diet of folic acid produced no significant changes. Histopathological studies underlined differences in the indomethacin-induced alterations in gastric mucosal structure following pre-treatment with a 2 mg/kg or 3 mg/kg diet of folic acid. CONCLUSIONS Folic acid is gastroprotective at the basal requirement supplemental dose; high dose may be dangerous to the integrity of the stomach.
Molecular dynamics simulation revealed binding of nucleotide inhibitors to ZIKV polymerase over 444 nanoseconds

In the year 2015, new Zika virus (ZIKV) broke out in Brazil and spread away in more than 80 countries. Scientists directed their efforts toward viral polymerase in attempt to find inhibitors that might interfere with its function. In this study, molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) was performed over 444 ns for a ZIKV polymerase model. Molecular docking (MD) was then performed every 10 ns during the MDS course to ensure the binding of small molecules to the polymerase over the entire time of the simulation. MD revealed the binding ability of four suggested guanosine inhibitors (GIs); (Guanosine substituted with OH and SH (phenyl) oxidanyl in the 2′ carbon of the ribose ring). The GIs were compared to guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and five anti‐hepatitis C virus drugs (either approved or under clinical trials). The mode of binding and the binding performance of GIs to ZIKV polymerase were found to be the same as GTP. Hence, these compounds were capable of competing GTP for the active site. Moreover, GIs bound to ZIKV active site more tightly compared to ribavirin, the wide‐range antiviral drug.
Non-fragile H∞ consensus of linear multi-agent systems with interval-bounded variations

This paper studies the distributed non-fragile H∞ consensus problems for linear multi-agent systems with external disturbances and unknown initial disturbances under switching weighted balanced directed topologies. The designed controllers are insensitive to multiplicative controller coefficient variations. Sufficient conditions for the existence of the proposed control strategy are also obtained by using linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique. It is worth mentioning that instead of requiring the coupling strength among neighboring agents to be larger than a threshold value as in previous literature, the coupling strength in this paper can be determined by solving some LMIs. Finally, a numerical example is presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
‘Dumb Blonde’ and ‘Temperamental Redhead’: The Effect of Hair Colour on Some Attributed Personality Characteristics of Women

In a person perception study examining stereotypes based on physical appearance, 150 subjects were presented with 5 photographs of equally physically attractive females whom they rated on each of 5 characteristics: ‘shy’, ‘aggressive’, ‘intelligent’, ‘popular’ and ‘temperamental’. Three groups (25 males and 25 females per group) rated a different photograph of the same woman – as a brunette, as a blonde or as a redhead – as one of the 5 photographs, and rated 4 other photographs that were the same for all 3 groups. It was found that a ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype exists among males, but not females, while ‘temperamental redhead’ is a stereotype found among both males and females.
From Democrazia Cristiana to Forza Italia and the Popolo della Libertà: Partisan change in Italy

The general question underlying this article is how much have parties changed in Italy in the transition from the First to the Second Republic? The disintegration of the Christian Democrats (DC) in the early 1990s created a large opening on the centre-right of the political spectrum, which was promptly occupied by Forza Italia (FI). A totally new party organisationally speaking, FI, with its centralisation, its personalisation and its charismatic leadership, marked a clear break with all that the DC had represented in terms of its unrestricted pluralism based on strong factions. However, the franchise model adopted by Berlusconi's party, characterised by the co-existence of unity of command at the top, and differentiated and quasi-autonomous bodies locally, may facilitate the convergence of the parties representing the various interests and outlooks on the centre-right in the new rassemblement party that is the PdL. Through the latter, and given the new systemic conditions, Italy may achieve a transformation in the nature of the centre from Christian Democratic to conservative, enabling it to integrate most of the political right as well.
Intermittency and roughening in the failure of brittle heterogeneous materials

Stress enhancement in the vicinity of brittle cracks makes the macro-scale failure properties extremely sensitive to the micro-scale material disorder. Therefore, (i) fracturing systems often display a jerky dynamics, so-called crackling noise, with seemingly random sudden energy release spanning over a broad range of scales, reminiscent of earthquakes; (ii) fracture surfaces exhibit roughness at scales much larger than that of material microstructure. Here, I provide a critical review of experiments and simulations performed in this context, highlighting the existence of universal scaling features, independent of both the material and the loading conditions, reminiscent of critical phenomena. I finally discuss recent stochastic descriptions of crack growth in brittle disordered media that seem to capture qualitatively—and sometimes quantitatively—these scaling features.
Predicting the Unpredictable: Interpreting Neutralized Segments in Dutch

Among the most fascinating data for phonology are those showing how speakers incorporate new words and foreign words into their language system, since these data provide cues to the actual principles underlying language. In this article, we address how speakers deal with neutralized obstruents in new words. We formulate four hypotheses and test them on the basis of Dutch word-final obstruents, which are neutral for [voice]. Our experiments show that speakers predict the characteristics of neutralized segments on the basis of phonologically similar morphemes stored in the mental lexicon. This effect of the similar morphemes can be modeled in several ways. We compare five models, among them STOCHASTIC OPTIMALITY THEORY and ANALOGICAL MODELING OF LANGUAGE; all perform approximately equally well, but they differ in their complexity, with analogical modeling of language providing the most economical explanation.
Effects of a Brief Office-Based Intervention to Facilitate Diabetes Dietary Self-Management

OBJECTIVE There is a pressing need for brief practical interventions that address diabetes management. Using a randomized design, we evaluated a medical office-based intervention focused on behavioral issues relevant to dietary self-management. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS There were 206 adult diabetes patients randomized to usual care or brief intervention, which consisted of touchscreen computer-assisted assessment to provide immediate feedback on key barriers to dietary self-management, and goal setting and problem-solving counseling for patients. Follow-up components to the single session intervention included phone calls and interactive video or videotape instruction as needed. RESULTS Multivariate analyses of covariance revealed that the brief intervention produced greater improvements than usual care on a number of measures of dietary behavior (e.g., fewer calories from saturated fat, fewer high-fat eating habits and behaviors) at the 3-month follow-up. There were also significant differences favoring intervention on changes in serum cholesterol levels and patient satisfaction but not on glycosylated hemoglobin. The intervention effects were relatively robust across a variety of patient characteristics, the two participating physicians, and intervention staff members. CONCLUSIONS If the long-term results are equally positive and generalize to other setting, this intervention could provide a prototype for a feasible cost-effective way to integrate patient views and behavioral management into office-based care for diabetes.
Word-Specific Knowledge, Word-Recognition Strategies, and Spelling Ability

Abstract The study investigated good and poor adult spellers. Idiosyncratic words whose spellings require word-specific knowledge were those which most clearly discriminated between the groups in spelling production (Experiment 1). In the lexical decision task, poor spellers often made their decisions on the basis of a partial analysis of the letter sequence (Experiments 2 and 3). While poor spellers were just as good as good spellers in matching symbol and random consonant sequences, they were worse at matching word and nonword stimuli (Experiment 4). The results indicate that poor spellers′ inefficient processing is confined to orthographically structured stimuli. It is argued that their failure to retain detailed knowledge of spellings results from their partial-analysis strategy of word recognition.
Language Use in Families with Parents of Different Native Languages: An Investigation of Japanese-non-English and Japanese-English Families

Cross-native/community language (CNCL) families are defined as those in which the parents have different native languages, one of which is the major language of the community. The present study compares how bilingualism is perceived and how languages are used in two different groups of CNCL families: Japanese-non-English CNCL families and Japanese-English CNCL families. An analysis of the data collected via a questionnaire survey found some differences between the two groups. Regarding perception of bilingualism, it was found that more Japanese-English families than Japanese-non-English families think that bilingualism in their native languages is perceived positively by mainstream Japanese. As a basis for such perceptions, some subjects claim to detect a certain hierarchy of language esteem among mainstream Japanese. In regard to language use among family members, it was found that the non-Japanese parent's native language is less used by children as well as Japanese parents in the Japanese-non-English families than in Japanese-English families. It was also found that while none of the Japanese-English families use languages other than the parental native languages, Japanese-non-English families employ, either exclusively or complementarily, a language not native to either of the parents, especially when the non-Japanese parent is involved.