Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Yoga-Based Personality Development Program on Psychomotor Performance and Self-efficacy in School Children

Selective attention and efficacy are important components of scholastic performance in school children. While attempts are being made to introduce new methods to improve academic performance either as part of curricular or extracurricular activities in schools, the success rates are minimal. Hence, this study assessed the effect of yoga-based intervention on psychomotor performance and self-efficacy in school children. Two hundred ten school children with ages ranging from 11 to 16 years (mean age ± SD; 13.7 ± 0.8 years) satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited for the 10-day yogä program. An equal number of age-matched participants (n = 210; mean ± SD; 13.1 ± 0.8 years) were selected for the control group. Participants were assessed for attention and performance at the beginning and end of 10 days using trail making task (TMT) A and B, and self-efficacy questionnaire. The yoga group showed higher self-efficacy and improved performance after 10 days of yoga intervention. The performance in TMT-A and -B of the yoga group showed a significantly higher number of attempts with a reduction in time taken to complete the task and a number of wrong attempts compared with control group. Results suggest that yoga practice enhances self-efficacy and processing speed with fine motor coordination, visual–motor integration, visual perception, planning ability, and cognitive performance.
Disrupted neural responses to phonological and orthographic processing in dyslexic children: an fMRI study

Developmental dyslexia, characterized by difficulty in reading, has been associated with phonological and orthographic processing deficits. fMRI was performed on dyslexic and normal-reading children (8–12 years old) during phonological and orthographic tasks of rhyming and matching visually presented letter pairs. During letter rhyming, both normal and dyslexic reading children had activity in left frontal brain regions, whereas only normal-reading children had activity in left temporo-parietal cortex. During letter matching, normal-reading children showed activity throughout extrastriate cortex, especially in occipito-parietal regions, whereas dyslexic children had little activity in extrastriate cortex during this task. These results indicate dyslexia may be characterized in childhood by disruptions in the neural bases of both phonological and orthographic processes important for reading.
Application of Isotope Dilution Technique in Vitamin A Nutrition

The isotope dilution technique involving deuterated retinol has been developed to quantitatively estimate total body reserves of vitamin A in humans. The technique provided good estimates in comparison to hepatic vitamin A concentrations in Bangladeshi surgical patients. Kinetic studies in the United States, Bangladesh, and Guatemala indicated the mean equilibration time of 17 to 20 days irrespective of the size of hepatic reserves. Due to the controversy surrounding the efficacy of a carotene-rich diet on improvement of vitamin A status, the isotope dilution technique was proposed to pursue this research question further (IAEA's coordinated research program). In the Philippines, schoolchildren with low serum retinol concentrations showed significant improvement in total body vitamin A stores following intake of carotene-rich foods (orange fruits and vegetables), using a three-day deuterated-retinol-dilution procedure. When Chinese kindergarten children were fed green and yellow vegetables during the winter, their total body vitamin A stores were sustained as compared to a steady decline of vitamin A stores in the control children. Likewise, daily consumption of purified beta-carotene or a diet rich in provitamin A carotenoids were shown to prevent a loss in total body vitamin A stores among Thai lactating women during the rice-planting season. These studies demonstrate potentials of the isotope dilution technique to evaluate the impact of provitamin A carotenoid intervention programs.
The PPAR&agr;/p16INK4a Pathway Inhibits Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation by Repressing Cell Cycle–Dependent Telomerase Activation

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)&agr;, the molecular target for fibrates used to treat dyslipidemia, exerts pleiotropic effects on vascular cells. In vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), we have previously demonstrated that PPAR&agr; activation suppresses G1→S cell cycle progression by targeting the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16INK4a (p16). In the present study, we demonstrate that this inhibition of VSMC proliferation by PPAR&agr; is mediated through a p16-dependent suppression of telomerase activity, which has been implicated in key cellular functions including proliferation. PPAR&agr; activation inhibited mitogen-induced telomerase activity by repressing the catalytic subunit telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) through negative cross-talk with an E2F-1–dependent trans-activation of the TERT promoter. This trans-repression involved the recruitment of the retinoblastoma (RB) family proteins p107 and p130 to the TERT promoter resulting in impaired E2F-1 binding, an effect that was dependent on p16. The inhibition of cell proliferation by PPAR&agr; activation was lost in VSMCs following TERT overexpression or knockdown, pointing to a key role of telomerase as a target for the antiproliferative effects of PPAR&agr;. Finally, we demonstrate that PPAR&agr; agonists suppress telomerase activation during the proliferative response following vascular injury, indicating that these findings are applicable in vivo. In concert, these results demonstrate that the antiproliferative effects of PPAR&agr; in VSMCs depend on the suppression of telomerase activity by targeting the p16/RB/E2F transcriptional cascade.
ATTENTION AND MEMORY FUNCTIONING IN ADULT PERSONS WITH THE APPEARANCE OF HYPERACTIVITY DISORDERS

Until recently, hyperactivity disorders have been associated mainly with a growth period. It is more often stressed, however, that many persons do not grow out of ADHD but become adults with persistent disorders. This research aimed at answering the question of the differences in the attention and memory functioning in adults with hyperactivity symptoms in comparison to persons without ADHD symptoms. Two groups of adults took part in the research: a group with ADHD symptoms and no other diagnosed disorders (N=34) and a control group without hyperactivity symptoms or other disorders (N=32). We used: a behaviour questionnaire – an experimental version, the Attention and Perceptiveness Test, the Trail Making Test A&B, the Digit Span and Digit Symbol WAIS-R subtests (Polish standardization), the d2 Test of Attention, and the Benton Visual Retention Test. The results of the analysis showed a lower ability in perceptive field search and a lower ability to focus attention, a worse functioning of working memory and deficits in psychomotor speed in the group with ADHD symptoms in comparison to the control group. There was no difference between the groups, however, regarding the ability to switch to a new criterion for response. It was revealed, that persons with an ADHD function were worse in regard to visual and auditory working memory in comparison to those persons without ADHD symptoms. A reduced ability to focus attention was shown, though these difficulties were visible mainly in the progress speed and not in performance efficacy. The assumptions about difficulties in switching to a new response criterion among persons with hyperactivity disorder symptoms were not confirmed.
Real‐Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Real‐time PCR is the state‐of‐the‐art technique to quantify nucleic acids for mutation detection, genotyping and chimerism analysis. Since its development in the 1990s, many different assay formats have been developed and the number of real‐time PCR machines of different design is continuously increasing. This review provides a survey of the instruments and assay formats available and discusses the pros and cons of each. The principles of quantitative real‐time PCR and melting curve analysis are explained. The quantification algorithms with internal and external standardization are derived mathematically, and potential pitfalls for the data analysis are discussed. Finally, examples of applications of this extremely versatile technique are given that demonstrate the enormous impact of real‐time PCR on life sciences and molecular medicine.
A Comparison of an Assessment/Information-Based Group versus an Assessment-Only Group

Abstract The use/abuse of alcohol leading to impaired driving, accidents and even fatalities is a major social concern. National data sets demonstrate that college students abuse alcohol. This research paper outlines a program designed to reduce levels of drinking and presents a format for evaluating its effectiveness. An experimental study (n = 55) was conducted to examine drinking patterns among full-time college students at four-year institutions to observe whether exposure to a personalized feedback pamphlet would reduce the amount of alcohol consumption between a treatment and nontreatment control group. The posttreatment drinking, as defined by the number of times a week participants consumed five or more drinks per setting, between groups was not statistically significant. However, posttreatment drinking, as defined by the average number of drinks consumed in a sitting, between groups was significant. While the treatment group demonstrated a greater decrease in the number of subscales, this difference was not statistically significant.
p62/Sequestosome-1 Associates with and Sustains the Expression of Retroviral Restriction Factor TRIM5α

ABSTRACT TRIM5 proteins mediate a potent block to the cross-species transmission of retroviruses, the most well known being the TRIM5α protein from rhesus macaques, which potently inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. This restriction occurs at an early stage in the replication cycle and is mediated by the binding of TRIM5 proteins to determinants present in the retroviral capsid. TRIM5α, as well as other TRIM family proteins, has been shown to be regulated by interferons (IFN). Here we show that TRIM5α associates with another IFN-induced gene, sequestosome-1/p62 (p62). p62 plays a role in several signal transduction cascades that are important for maintaining the antiviral state of cells. Here we demonstrate that p62 localizes to both human and rhesus macaque TRIM5α cytoplasmic bodies, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis demonstrates that these proteins closely associate in these structures. When p62 expression was knocked down via small interfering RNA (siRNA), the number of TRIM5α cytoplasmic bodies and the level of TRIM5α protein expression were reduced in cell lines stably expressing epitope-tagged versions of TRIM5α. In accordance with these data, p62 knockdown resulted in reduced TRIM5α-mediated retroviral restriction in cells expressing epitope-tagged TRIM5α or expressing endogenously expressed human TRIM5α. p62 may therefore operate to enhance TRIM5α-mediated retroviral restriction, contributing to the antiviral state of cells following IFN treatment.
Sequential knowledge-driven scene recognition model

Eye movements are an important aspect of human visual behavior. The temporal and space-variant nature of sampling a visual scene requires frequent attentional gaze shifts, saccades, to fixate onto different parts of an image. Experimental evidence suggests that fixations are often directed towards the most informative regions in the visual scene. We develop a model and its simulation that can select such regions based on prior knowledge of similar scenes. Having representations of scene categories as a probabilistic combination of hypothetical objects, i.e., prototypical regions with certain properties, it is possible to assess the likely contribution of each image region to the successive recognition process. Using conditional probabilities for each region given the scene category, the model can then predict its informative value and initiate a sequential spatial information-gathering algorithm, analogous to an eye movement saccade to a new fixation. This algorithm establishes the most likely scene category for a given image.
D-branes on a Noncompact Singular Calabi-Yau Manifold

We investigate D-branes on a noncompact singular Calabi-Yau manifold by using the boundary CFT description, and calculate the open string Witten indices between the boundary states. The B-type D-branes turn out to be characterized by the properties of a compact positively curved manifold. We give geometric interpretations to these boundary states in terms of coherent sheaves of the manifold.
Constrained Codes as Networks of Relations

We address the well-known problem of determining the capacity of constrained coding systems. While the one-dimensional case is well understood to the extent that there are techniques for rigorously deriving the exact capacity, in contrast, computing the exact capacity of a two-dimensional constrained coding system is still an elusive research challenge. The only known exception in the two-dimensional case is an exact (however, not rigorous) solution to the -run-length limited (RLL) system on the hexagonal lattice. Furthermore, only exponential-time algorithms are known for the related problem of counting the exact number of constrained two-dimensional information arrays. We present the first known rigorous technique that yields an exact capacity of a two-dimensional constrained coding system. In addition, we devise an efficient (polynomial time) algorithm for counting the exact number of constrained arrays of any given size. Our approach is a composition of a number of ideas and techniques: describing the capacity problem as a solution to a counting problem in networks of relations, graph-theoretic tools originally developed in the field of statistical mechanics, techniques for efficiently simulating quantum circuits, as well as ideas from the theory related to the spectral distribution of Toeplitz matrices. Using our technique, we derive a closed-form solution to the capacity related to the Path-Cover constraint in a two-dimensional triangular array (the resulting calculated capacity is ). Path-Cover is a generalization of the well known one-dimensional -RLL constraint for which the capacity is known to be .
From Stakeholder Engagement to the Collective-Impact Approach for Sustainability Paths in Complex Problems

Purpose of the paper : Stakeholder engagement is becoming the preferred approach for implementing sustainability paths. However, it is not always sufficient to develop responsible behaviours. Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination and the commitment of a group of important actors (Kania and Kramer, 2011). Such change can be considered from the perspective of ‘collective impact’. This paper analyses the case of an area named Agro Caleno, which belongs to the territory that has recently been dubbed ‘The Land of Fires’ in Campania, Italy. A succession of environmental and health crises have afflicted this area for the past eight years, creating serious difficulties for the structural stability of many businesses that produce protected designation of origin (PDO) food items, as well as the entire community. Methodology : This research uses qualitative analysis. It employs documentary research and a direct survey of the businesses and local municipalities of the case-study area. In particular, this paper addresses the experience of some businesses that are implementing initiatives to adopt collaborative sustainable behaviours. Findings : This research demonstrates the strong strategic importance of the decision to create a network to address the consequences of the environmental problems faced by businesses in Agro Caleno. However, while it was found that there is a good level of cooperation between business and local institutions, the network has not produced the estimated results. Practical Implications : To produce consistent and effective results that will solve a complex problem such as environmental pollution, it is not only necessary to create cross-sector public and private partnerships, but also to initiate a systematic approach focused on the relationships between different stakeholders and a progression towards shared goals that maintain the perspective of collective impact. Limitations : This research did not conduct exhaustive investigation of all categories of stakeholders. Originality of the paper : This paper provides an in-depth examination of the importance of social capital in creating sustainable business behaviours and proposes the theoretical approach of collective impact for solving complex problems from the perspective of sustainability.
Exposure to Community Violence and Trauma Symptoms in Late Adolescence: Comparison of a College Sample and a Noncollege Community Sample

This paper presents a comparison for two samples (college and noncollege) of older, urban African-American adolescents of correlations between two measures of exposure to community violence (victim and witness) and four types of psychological trauma symptoms (anger, anxiety, depression, and dissociation). The central issue is the generalizability of previous findings about these relationships obtained from beginning college students of traditional age. The two samples did not differ in the magnitude of either the zero-order correlations or the multiple correlations between the two types of exposure to community violence and the four types of symptoms of trauma. The conclusion is that findings regarding the relationship of exposure to community violence with psychological symptoms of trauma obtained from college students may tentatively be generalized to older adolescents who are not in college.
An Improved Solar Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (IS-LEACH) Technique

in the recent years, the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has grown dramatically in many fields such as military applications, environmental applications, and health assistant applications. However, there are numerous problems associated with applying the WSNs. Such problems are related to power consumption, performance, reliability, installation cost, and hardware cost. Thus, many algorithms in the WSNs context have been considered to propose an improved solar Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) technique for maximizing the lifetime, increasing the performance, increasing the reliability, and decreasing the costs. This proposed technique improves the selecting Cluster Heads (CHs) process and powering it with a renewable energy (solar cell). The OMNeT++ tool has been employed to simulate such technique. After many scenarios have taken place with different data sets, this study finds that the lifetime of WSNs has been maximized, the performance has been improved, the reliability has also been improved, and finally the cost has been decreased.
The effects of internal and external imagery on muscular and ocular concomitants

Mahoney and Avener's (1977) categorization of imagery into “internal” (first-person visual and kinesthetic) and “external” (third-person visual) perspectives suggested a viable means to quantifiably test Jacobson's (1931) finding that “visualizing” a biceps “curl” produced only ocular responses while “muscularly imagining” the same movement just generated localized biceps activity. A significant within-subjects main effect (p < .001) revealed that the internal imagery condition produced more integrated biceps activity than the external imagery condition as predicted by Lang's (1979) bio-informational theory of emotional imagery.
Endothelial Cells from Umbilical Vein and a Hemangioendothelioma Secrete Basement Membrane Largely to the Exclusion of Interstitial Procollagens

The biosynthesis of extracellular matrix proteins by primary cultures of endothelial cells from human umbilical vein, and by clones from a murlne hemangioendothelioma, was studied and compared to that reported for endothellum cultured from other sources. Umbilical vein endothelial cells secreted two glycoproteins – flbronectln and thrombospondin – which comprise the major proportion of the protein In the culture media of bovine aortic, venous, and corneal endothelial cells. These blosynthetlc products were absent from hemangioendothelioma cultures. However, In contrast to bovine endothellum from large vessels and cornea, which secrete primarily Type III procollagen Into the culture medium, both the umbilical vein and hemangioendothelioma cultures secrete Type IV (basement membrane) procollagen. In addition, EC, a novel endothelial collagen type that has been characterized in bovine endothelial cell supernates, was not present In the umbilical vein or tumor-derived endothellum. The production of basement membrane procollagen as the major collagen type In the medium of these cultures probably reflects the nature of the vascular bed from which the endothelial cells originated, rather than differences In species or In cellular Isolation and subculture. We suggest that endothelial cells from different vascular environments could display variations In growth, migration, morphology, and response to exogenous blood-borne factors as a result of their relationship to an extracellular matrix/subendothellum composed of diverse structural glycoproteins.
Increased Numbers of Low-Oxygenated Pancreatic Islets After Intraportal Islet Transplantation

OBJECTIVE No previous study has measured the oxygenation of intraportally transplanted islets, although recent data suggest that insufficient engraftment may result in hypoxia and loss of islet cells. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS After intraportal infusion into syngeneic mice, islet oxygenation was investigated in 1-day-old, 1-month-old, or 3-month-old grafts and compared with renal subcapsular grafts and native islets. Animals received an intravenous injection of pimonidazole for immunohistochemical detection of low-oxygenated islet cells (pO2 <10 mmHg), and caspase-3 immunostaining was performed to assess apoptosis rates in adjacent tissue sections. RESULTS In the native pancreas of nontransplanted animals, ∼30% of the islets stained positive for pimonidazole. In 1-day-old and 1-month-old grafts, the percentage of pimonidazole-positive islets in the liver was twice that of native islets, whereas this increase was abolished in 3-month-old grafts. Beneath the renal capsule, pimonidazole accumulation was, however, similar to native islets at all time points. Apoptosis rates were markedly increased in 1-day-old intrahepatic grafts compared with corresponding renal islet grafts, which were slightly increased compared with native islets. One month posttransplantation renal subcapsular grafts had similar frequencies of apoptosis as native islets, whereas apoptosis in intraportally implanted islets was still high. In the liver, islet graft vascular density increased between 1 and 3 months posttransplantation, and apoptosis rates simultaneously dropped to values similar to those observed in native islets. CONCLUSIONS The vascular engraftment of intraportally transplanted islets is markedly delayed compared with renal islet grafts. The prolonged ischemia of intraportally transplanted islets may favor an alternative implantation site.