Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Involvement of BMPs/Smad Signaling Pathway in Mechanical Response in Osteoblasts

Background/Aims: Mechanical strain plays an important role in osteoblasts differentiation and bone formation but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs)/Smad signaling pathway is involved in mechanical response in osteoblasts. Methods: MC3T3-E1 cells were exposed to mechanical strain via a four-point bending system. mRNA levels and protein levels of BMP-2, BMP-4, Smad1, Smad5, Smurf1, and Smurf2 were assessed using RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Protein levels of BMP-2 and BMP-4 in the culture medium were also determined using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Pretreatment with Noggin and transfection with Smad4 siRNA were carried out to block the BMPs/Smad signaling pathway and MG132 was used to inhibit the proteasome pathway. Results: We found that mechanical strain enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression and activated BMPs/Smad signaling pathway. Mechanical strain induced expression of ALP was attenuated by Noggin and by Smad4 siRNA. The protein levels of Smad1 and Smad5, but not their mRNA levels, were up-regulated by mechanical strain. This finding could be explained by the down-regulation of Smurf1. The protein degradation of Smad might be inhibited by mechanical strain through down-regulation of Smuf1 expression. The addition of MG132 further enhanced the mechanical strain induced activation of Smad proteins and the increased expression of ALP. Conclusions: Mechanical strain might promote osteoblasts differentiation through BMPs/Smad signaling pathway. The strain causes a drop in Smurf1 levels, leading to accumulation of Smad proteins and, subsequently, to enhanced BMPs/Smad signaling.
Dimensions of Social Capital in Trifling Event Administration in Kenya

This paper examines indicators that measure social capital in small event management undertakings. This study enhances understanding of social capital and contributes significantly to literature on by providing pragmatic knowledge. Descriptive research design was employed in the study. Sample size of 271 industrialists formed the sample size. Census sampling was used where all the event management industrialists in Nairobi, Kisumu and Uasin Gishu counties in Kenya were included in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires containing closed-ended questions. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. Exploratory factor analysis grouped the constructs into two components namely positive exchange and sharing. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to measure the extent to which the observed variables (positive exchange and sharing) explain the unobserved variable (social capital). The results showed that both variables adequately explained social capital of event management ventures. Keywords: Event Administration; Industrialists; Trifling; Kenya; Social Capital; Factor analysis.
In the Blink of an Eye

In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought -- provoking essay on film editing. Starting with what might be the most basic editing question -- Why do cuts work? -- Murch treats the reader to a wonderful ride through the aesthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. Along the way, he offers his unique insights on such subjects as continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming, and reality; criteria for a good cut; the blink of the eye as an emotional cue; digital editing; and much more. In this second edition, Murch reconsiders and completely revises his popular first edition's lengthy meditation on digital editing (which accounts for a third of the book's pages) in light of the technological changes that have taken place in the six years since its publication.
An Approach to Rough Terrain Autonomous Mobility

Off-road autonomous navigation is one of the most difficult automation challenges from the point of view of constraints on mobility, speed of motion, lack of environmental structure, density of hazards, and typical lack of prior information. This paper describes an autonomous navigation software system for outdoor vehicles which includes perception, mapping, obstacle detection and avoidance, and goal seeking. It has been used on sev- eral vehicle testbeds including autonomous HMMWV's and planetary rover prototypes. To date, it has achieved speeds of 15 km/hr and excursions of 15 km. We introduce algorithms for optimal processing and computational stabilization of range imagery for terrain map- ping purposes. We formulate the problem of trajectory generation as one of predictive control searching trajectories in command space. We also formulate the problem of goal arbitration in local autonomous mobility as an optimal control problem. We emphasize the modeling of vehicles in state space form. The resulting high fidelity models sta- bilize coordinated control of a high speed vehicle for both obstacle avoidance and goal seeking purposes. An intermediate predictive control layer is introduced between the typical high-level strategic or artificial intelli- gence layer and the typical low-level servo control layer. This layer incorporates some deliberation, and some envi- ronmental mapping as do deliberative AI planners, yet it also emphasizes the real-time aspects of the problem as do minimalist reactive architectures.
Exploring a behavioral role for presynaptic inhibition at spinal sensory-motor synapses

Exploring a behavioral role for presynaptic inhibition at spinal sensory-motor synapses Andrew Jacob Pixley Fink The precision of mammalian movement relies on excitatory sensory feedback supplied by proprioceptors, and its context-dependent refinement by spinal inhibitory microcircuits. One microcircuit that has been implicated in the regulation of sensory input establishes inhibitory synapses directly on the central terminals of sensory neurons. To date, however, the difficulty in gaining selective access to discrete classes of inhibitory interneurons within local microcircuits has left unresolved the contribution of presynaptic inhibition, if any, to motor behavior. Here I have used mouse genetics to gain access to the set of GABAergic interneurons that provide direct input to sensory terminals, and show that their activation evokes the defining physiological features of presynaptic inhibition. Genetic ablation of this set of interneurons in the adult severely perturbs goal-directed reaching movements, and uncovers a pronounced forelimb motor oscillation that appears to have its basis in an enhancement in the gain of sensory feedback. Together, these findings uncover an essential motor behavioral role for this specialized set of presynaptic inhibitory interneurons, and emphasize the relevance of sensory gain control in the neural programming of skilled movement.
HIV testing and high risk sexual behaviour among London’s migrant African communities: a participatory research study

Objectives: To describe the demographic and behavioural factors associated with HIV testing among migrant Africans in London. Methods: A cross sectional survey of migrants from five sub-Saharan African communities (Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) resident in London was carried out. The study formed part of a larger community based participatory research initiative with migrant African communities in London—the MAYISHA project. Trained, ethnically matched interviewers recruited study participants in a variety of community venues. A brief self completion questionnaire collected data on demographic characteristics, utilisation of sexual health services, HIV testing history, sexual behaviour, and attitudes. Results: Valid questionnaires were obtained from 748 participants (396 men and 352 women), median ages 31 and 27 years, respectively. Median length of UK residence was 6 years. 34% of men and 30% of women reported ever having had an HIV test. HIV testing was significantly associated with age and previous STI diagnosis among women; and additionally, nationality, education, employment, and self perceived risk of acquiring HIV among men. After controlling for significant demographic variables, previous diagnosis of an STI (adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for men: 2.96, 1.63 to 5.38, and women 2.03, 1.06 to 3.88) and perceived risk of acquiring HIV for men (adjusted OR 2.28, 95%CI 1.34 to 3.90) remained independently associated. Conclusion: Among these high HIV prevalence migrant communities, these data suggest that HIV testing remains largely associated with an individual’s STI history or self perceived risk. This strategy may be inappropriate given the potential for onward and vertical transmission. Antenatal HIV testing combined with proactive targeted HIV testing promotion should be prioritised.
Increased Resting-State Perfusion after Repeated Encoding Is Related to Later Retrieval of Declarative Associative Memories

Electrophysiological studies in animals have shown coordinated reactivation of neuronal ensembles during a restricted time period of behavioral inactivity that immediately followed active encoding. In the present study we directly investigated off-line processing of associative memory formation in the human brain. Subjects' regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) as a surrogate marker of neural activity during rest was measured by MR-based perfusion imaging in a sample of 14 healthy male subjects prior to (Pre2) and after (Post) extensive learning of 24 face-name associations within a selective reminding task (SR). Results demonstrated significant Post-Pre2 rCBF increases in hippocampal and temporal lobe regions, while in a control comparison of two perfusion scans with no learning task in-between (Pre2-Pre1) no differences in rCBF emerged. Post perfusion scanning was followed by a surprise cued associative recall task from which two types of correctly retrieved names were obtained: older names already correctly retrieved at least once during one of the SR blocks, and recent names acquired during the last SR block immediately prior to the Post scan. In the anterior hippocampus individual perfusion increases were correlated with both correct retrievals of older and recent names. By contrast, older but not recently learned names showed a significant correlation with perfusion increases in the left lateral temporal cortex known to be associated with long-term memory. Recent, but not older names were correlated with dopaminergic midbrain structures reported to contribute to the persistence of memory traces for novel information. Although the direct investigation of off-line memory processing did not permit concomitant experimental control, neither intentional rehearsal, nor substantial variations in subjects' states of alertness appear to contribute to present results. We suggest that the observed rCBF increases might reflect processes that possibly contribute to the long-term persistence of memory traces.
Electric Vehicle Charging in an Office Building Microgrid With Distributed Energy Resources

This paper discusses the charging of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in an existing office building microgrid equipped with a photovoltaic (PV) system and a combined heat and power (CHP) unit. Different charging strategies and charging power ratings for workplace charging are examined for their grid impact and their impact on the self-consumption of the locally generated electricity. The grid impact can be significantly reduced by using strategies that require limited future knowledge of the EV mobility behavior and limited communication infrastructure. These strategies allow a high number of EVs to be charged at an office building, even with a limited number of charging spots, due to the large standstill times.
Good man, you enjoy your beer! An investigation of online forum posts on binge drinking from a health belief perspective

VIII CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 3 2.1 Binge Drinking 3 2.1.1 Definition 3 2.1.2 Effects and Prevalence 6 2.2 Online forums 10 2.3 Health behaviour 15 2.3.1 Definition 15 2.3.2 Health Behaviour Models 15 2.3.2.1 Health Belief Model (HBM) 17 2.3.2.2 Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) 22 2.3.2.3 Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) 25 2.3.2.4 Trans-Theoretical model of behaviour (TTM/SOC) 27 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 39 3.1 Critical review of existing health models 39 3.2 Research Framework 41 3.2.1 HBCPM Constructs 41 3.2.1.1 Attitude Qualification (AQ) 42 3.2.1.2 Changing Behaviour (CB) 43 3.2.1.3 Extent of Influence (EOI) 43 3.2.2 Advantages of the integration 44 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY 48 4.1 Content Analysis 48
Handbook of social and emotional learning: Research and practice.

He directs the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Research Group and the Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice (2015). The burgeoning multidisciplinary field of social and emotional learning (SEL) now has a comprehensive and definitive handbook covering all aspects. Research, policy, practice and teacher education and designed to imbed social, emotional and civic learning into instruction as an integral component.
Psychology of women : a handbook of issues and theories

Introduction / Florence L. Denmark and Michele Paludi -- Historical development of the psychology of women / Florence L. Denmark . [et al.] -- Women of color : perspectives on "multiple identities" in psychological theory, research, and practice / June Chisholm and Beverly Greene -- International aspects of the development of the psychology of women and gender / Marilyn P. Safir and Kareen Hill -- Feminist perspectives on research methods / Jeri Sechzer and Vita Carulli Rabinowitz -- Meta-analysis in the psychology of women / Janet Shibley Hyde and Shelly Grabe -- Courses in the psychology of women : catalysts for change / Michele Paludi . [et al.] -- Gender stereotypes / Mary Kite, Kay Deaux, and Elizabeth L. Haines -- Girls to women : developmental theory, research, and issues / Pamela Trotman Reid, Shauna M. Cooper, and Kira Hudson Banks -- Women in the middle and later years / Claire Etaugh -- Theories of female personality / Phyllis Katz -- Women's friendships and romantic relationships / Donna Castaneda and Alyson L. Burns-Glover -- Women's health : biological and social systems / Cheryl Brown Travis and Andrea L. Meltzer -- The menstrual cycle in a biopsychosocial context / Joan Chrisler -- Women and mental health / Nancy Felipe Russo and Jessica Tartaro -- Diverse women's sexualities / Ruth E. Fassinger and Julie R. Arseneau -- Understanding and preventing rape / Courtney E. Ahrens . [et al.] -- Intimate partner violence : perspectives on research and intervention / Maureen C. McHugh, Nicole Livingston, and Irene H. Frieze -- Violence against women : international workplace sexual harassment and domestic violence / Janet Sigal and Vidal Annan Jr. -- Women and achievement / Martha Mednick and Veronica Thomas -- Work and family roles : selected issues / Julia R. Steinberg, Maren True, and Nancy Felipe Russo -- Women and leadership / Jean Lau Chin -- Women's career development / Nancy E. Betz.
Regret, Choice, and Outcome

— In two studies we challenged the well consolidated position in regret literature according to which the necessary condition for the emergence of regret is a bad outcome ensuing from free decisions. Without free choice, and, consequently, personal responsibility, other emotions, such as disappointment, but not regret, are supposed to be elicited. In our opinion, a main source of regret is being obliged by circumstance out of our control to chose an undesired option. We tested the hypothesis that regret resulting from a forced choice is more intense than regret derived from a free choice and that the outcome affects the latter, not the former. Besides, we investigated whether two other variables – the perception of the level of freedom of the choice and the choice justifiability – mediated the relationships between choice and regret, as well as the other four emotions we examined: satisfaction, anger toward oneself, disappointment, anger towards circumstances. The two studies were based on the scenario methodology and implied a 2 x 2 (choice x outcome) between design. In the first study the foreseen short-term effects of the choice were assessed; in the second study the experienced long-term effects of the choice were assessed. In each study 160 students of the Second University of Naples participated. Results largely corroborated our hypotheses. They were discussed in the light of the main theories on regret and decision making.
Linking the knowledge creation process to organizational theories

Purpose – The author aims to provide a macro (organization‐environment) view for knowledge creation (KC), a study traditionally considered to be a micro (individual‐organization) management issue.Design/methodology/approach – Literature review and literature integration are the main approaches used in this paper. Instead of providing a critique, the author reviews recent KC process studies and integrates them into a “process heuristic,” in which different phases of KC activity are embedded. The author then discusses how each phase of KC interacts with the change of an organization's external environment (the integration of change theories and the KC process heuristic). Findings – The author found that an organization needs the function and balance of three different momenta – imitation, rationality, and inertia – to proceed with KC when confronted with pressure from external environments. Knowledge feedback, prompted by the synergy of these momenta, ensures the fitness of an organization and its environmen.
Downregulation of Interferon a but Not y Receptor Expression In Vivo in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Interferons (IFN) elicit antiviral and antineoplastic activities by binding to specific receptors on the cell surface. In evaluat-ing the role of IFN as therapeutic agents in AIDS, we investigated the expression of IFNa and 'y receptors on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) from patients with AIDS, ARC, and heterosexual control subjects using radioiodinated IFNa2 and IFN-y. The binding characteristics of the 1"I-IFNa and y to PBM were analyzed to determine receptor numbers and dissociation constants. PBM from controls expressed 498±247 IFNa receptor sites/cell (n = 17). However, eight patients with ARC and seven patients with AIDS had a mean number of IFNa receptor/cell of 286±235 (P < 0.05) and 92±88 (P < 0.001), respectively. This was consistent with elevated levels of serum acid-labile IFNa and cellular 2-5A synthetase activity in patients. Treatment of PBM from the AIDS patients with exogenous IFNa in vitro resulted in minimal 2-5A synthetase induction in comparison to controls. In contrast, the expression of IFN'y receptors in ARC (a = 5) and AIDS (a = 4) patients remained normal. Thus the decrease in IFNa receptor expression and consequent hyporesponsiveness to IFNa raises the question of the usefulness of IFNa therapy in end-stage AIDS. The normal expression of IFN'y receptors in AIDS patients suggests that IFNy may prove useful in attempts to provide immune reconstitution. T, B, or monocytes) were incubated with indicated concentrations of 1251I-IFNa2 in triplicate, in a final volume of 200 ul in RPMI 1640 medium at 4VC for 4 h. The binding reactions were centrifuged over a layer of phthalate oil and cell pellets obtained were analyzed for cell bound radioactivity. Binding specificity was determined in parallel incubations including a 100-fold excess of unlabeled IFNa2 at each 1251-IFNa2 concentration. The nonspecific counts obtained were sub-tracted from the corresponding total cell bound radioactivity to calcu-late the specific binding activities reported. These specific binding data were plotted according to the method of Scatchard and analyzed by the LIGAND program of P. Munson and D. Rodbard (31, 32). The program computes binding parameters on the basis of the laws of mass-action binding and objectively determines the number of receptor sites and the dissociation constant, Kd, characterizing the binding reactions.
Infant Temperament and Maternal Anxiety and Depressed Mood in the Early Postpartum Period

Although difficult infant temperament has been associated with maternal postpartum anxiety and depressed mood in later infancy, the emergence of this association in the early postpartum period has not been explored. In a survey study of 296 mothers of healthy term newborns during the first postpartum month, the relationship of infant temperament with maternal anxiety and depressed mood was explored. Maternal ratings of infant temperament were measured by the Early Infancy Temperament Questionnaire. Postpartum anxiety was measured by the State Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and depressed mood by the Beck Depression Inventory. The State Scale and Beck Depression Inventory correlated positively with ratings of infant activity, rhythmicity, approach, distractibility, and overall temperamental difficulty. In addition, the State Scale correlated positively with ratings of adaptability and intensity. In regression analyses, controlling for other factors, ratings of overall temperamental difficulty were independently associated with both State Scale and Beck Depression Inventory scores. Associations of difficult infant temperament with maternal postpartum anxiety and depressive symptoms emerge early in the postpartum period. These associations are independent of other known contributors to postpartum mood.
1 2 Microgravity alters respiratory abdominal and rib cage motion 3 during sleep 4 5

24 The abdominal and rib cage contributions to tidal breathing differ between REM and NREM sleep. We 25 hypothesized that abdominal relative contribution during NREM and REM sleep would be altered in 26 different directions when comparing sleep on Earth with sleep in sustained microgravity (μG), due to 27 conformational changes and differences in coupling between the rib cage and the abdominal compartment 28 induced by weightlessness. We studied respiration during sleep in 5 astronauts before, during and after 29 two Space Shuttle missions. A total of 77 full night (8h) polysomnographic studies were performed; 30 abdominal and rib cage respiratory movements were recorded using respiratory inductive 31 plethysmography. Breath-by-breath analysis of respiration was performed for each class: awake, light 32 sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. Abdominal contribution to tidal breathing increased in μG, with the first 33 measure in space being significantly higher than pre-flight values, followed by a return towards pre-flight 34 values. This was observed for all classes. Pre-flight, rib cage and abdominal movements were found to be 35 in phase for all but REM sleep, for which an abdominal lead was observed. The abdominal leading role 36 during REM sleep increased while deep sleep showed the opposite behavior, the rib cage taking a leading 37 role in-flight. In μG, TI/TTot decreased for all classes considered when compared with pre-flight, while 38 normalized inspiratory flow – taking the awake values as referenceincreased in-flight for light sleep, 39 deep sleep and REM. Changes in abdominal-rib cage displacements probably result from a less efficient 40 operating point for the diaphragm and a less efficient coupling between the abdomen and the apposed 41 portion of the rib cage in μG. However the preservation of total ventilation suggests that short-term 42 adaptive mechanisms of ventilatory control compensate for these mechanical changes. 43 44