Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent shortcuts: using recent interactions to support shared activities

We present an empirical study of teams that revealed the amount of extraneous individual work needed to enable collaboration: finding references to other people, finding files to attach to email, managing incoming email attachments, managing the variety of files used in shared activities, and tracking what work is owed to others. Much of this work involves finding recently accessed objects that are needed again in the user's current task focus. These observations led to the design of Recent Shortcuts, a tool to help support coordination by making recently used objects easily accessible. Recent Shortcuts enables quick access to people (including groups of people), received attachments, files, and file folders that the user interacted with recently for re-use in the user's current context. Recent Shortcuts makes it easy to use these objects across applications with no additional user input and minimal changes to the user's applications or work practice. Early user experiences with a working prototype led to an extension that integrates recently accessed objects across multiple devices.
A Different Approach to Investigating Social Inequalities. The Relationship Between Height and Education in Italy

This study focuses on the longitudinal relationship between height and years of school attendance, considering this association to be a measure of social inequality within the Italian population. In this regard, if we think that social inequalities in education have been progressively decreasing, we should expect this relation to attenuate. To test this hypothesis, we use data gathered from ISTAT “Multiscopo” and “Condizioni di Salute e Ricorso ai Servizi Sanitari” 1994, 1999, 2001-2007 and 2009-2010 surveys (we consider about 460 thousand individuals born from the 1930s to the 1980s). Hierarchical linear regression models applied in the analysis show an important increase in the education levels and the average height of the Italian population, and a slight decrease in the relationship between height and years of school attendance for males born in the 1950s and 1960s but substantial stability in the following years. The decrease is less marked for women. The findings add evidence of a partial attenuation of social inequalities in the post-war period, but their persistence in later years.
Creatine Kinase Levels During Preseason Camp in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Athletes

Objective:To investigate mean creatine kinase (CK) levels in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football athletes and the relationship between mean CK levels and demographic variables. Design:Observational cohort. Setting:NCAA Division I football program. Participants:NCAA Division I football athletes. Interventions:Blood and urine samples were obtained from 32 athletes on the first (time 1), third (time 2), and seventh (time 3) days of football camp. Main Outcome Measures:Mean CK levels. The hypotheses were formulated before the data were collected. Results:All urine samples tested negative for blood. Mean CK levels were 284.7 U/L at time 1, 1299.8 U/L at time 2, and 1562.4 U/L at time 3. The increases in means were statistically significant (P < 0.005 for all pairwise comparisons). Most demographic variables were not related to mean CK levels. The number of days in the precamp conditioning program was negatively associated with mean CK levels (P = 0.0284). Conclusions:Mean CK levels in NCAA Division I football athletes during camp were higher than the serological criteria for rhabdomyolysis commonly used in clinical practice. More data are needed to assess if the number of days of participation in precamp conditioning is related to lower CK levels in NCAA Division I football athletes during camp.
Assessing cognitive processes with diffusion model analyses: a tutorial based on fast-dm-30

Diffusion models can be used to infer cognitive processes involved in fast binary decision tasks. The model assumes that information is accumulated continuously until one of two thresholds is hit. In the analysis, response time distributions from numerous trials of the decision task are used to estimate a set of parameters mapping distinct cognitive processes. In recent years, diffusion model analyses have become more and more popular in different fields of psychology. This increased popularity is based on the recent development of several software solutions for the parameter estimation. Although these programs make the application of the model relatively easy, there is a shortage of knowledge about different steps of a state-of-the-art diffusion model study. In this paper, we give a concise tutorial on diffusion modeling, and we present fast-dm-30, a thoroughly revised and extended version of the fast-dm software (Voss and Voss, 2007) for diffusion model data analysis. The most important improvement of the fast-dm version is the possibility to choose between different optimization criteria (i.e., Maximum Likelihood, Chi-Square, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov), which differ in applicability for different data sets.
COPING WITH CONSUMER CULTURE: ELDERLY URBAN CONSUMERS IN POST-SOVIET ESTONIA

The article discusses representations of consumer culture in today’s Estonia by elderly urban consumers. The study, which draws on 30 original interviews with urban consumers over 45 years of age, outlines the clashes between the Soviet consumer culture and its current counterpart. We place the analysis within the framework of Simmel’s objective and subjective culture, as well as within that of several sociological and anthropological studies. Based on this, it may be concluded that, for this group of consumers, profusion of goods and free choice are often rendered illusory, as they foreshadow new scarcities that have to be coped with on individual level. This, in turn, generates critical representations on a continuum from micro level personal problems of financial need to a more macro level social divide, as well as on the level of Western consumer society at large. Keywords: consumer culture, objective and subjective culture, Soviet, post-Soviet, choice.
Acid-Sensing Ion Channel-1a Is Not Required for Normal Hippocampal LTP and Spatial Memory

Acid-sensing ion channel-1a (ASIC1a) is localized in brain regions with high synaptic density and is thought to contribute to synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory. A prominent hypothesis is that activation of postsynaptic ASICs promotes depolarization, thereby augmenting N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor function and contributing to the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). However, evidence for activation of postsynaptic ASICs during neurotransmission has not been established. Here, we re-examined the role of ASIC1a in LTP in the hippocampus using pharmacological and genetic approaches. Our results showed that a tarantula peptide psalmotoxin, which profoundly blocked ASIC currents in the hippocampal neurons, had no effect on LTP. Similarly, normal LTP was robustly generated in ASIC1a-null mice. A further behavioral analysis showed that mice lacking ASIC1a had normal performance in hippocampus-dependent spatial memory. In summary, our results indicate that ASIC1a is not required for hippocampal LTP and spatial memory. We therefore propose that the role of ASIC1a in LTP and spatial learning should be reassessed.
Solar and Planetary Oscillation Control on Climate Change: Hind-Cast, Forecast and a Comparison with the Cmip5 Gcms

Global surface temperature records (e.g. HadCRUT4) since 1850 are characterized by climatic oscillations synchronous with specific solar, planetary and lunar harmonics superimposed on a background warming modulation. The latter is related to a long millennial solar oscillation and to changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere (e.g. aerosol and greenhouse gases). However, current general circulation climate models, e.g. the CMIP5 GCMs, to be used in the AR5 IPCC Report in 2013, fail to reconstruct the observed climatic oscillations. As an alternate, an empirical model is proposed that uses: (1) a specific set of decadal, multidecadal, secular and millennial astronomic harmonics to simulate the observed climatic oscillations; (2) a 0.45 attenuation of the GCM ensemble mean simulations to model the anthropogenic and volcano forcing effects. The proposed empirical model outperforms the GCMs by better hind-casting the observed 1850–2012 climatic patterns. It is found that: (1) about 50–60% of the warming observed since 1850 and since 1970 was induced by natural oscillations likely resulting from harmonic astronomical forcings that are not yet included in the GCMs; (2) a 2000–2040 approximately steady projected temperature; (3) a 2000–2100 projected warming ranging between 0.3°C and 1.6°C, which is significantly lower than the IPCC GCM ensemble mean projected warming of 1.1°C to 4.1°C; (4) an equilibrium climate sensitivity to CO2 doubling centered in 1.35°C and varying between 0.9°C and 2.0°C.
Interleukin-21 promotes osteoclastogenesis in humans with rheumatoid arthritis and in mice with collagen-induced arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Bone destruction is a critical pathology involved in the functional disability caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoclasts, which are specialized bone-resorbing cells regulated by cytokines such as RANKL, are implicated in bone destruction in RA. The aim of this study was to determine whether interleukin-21 (IL-21), a potent immunomodulatory 4-α-helical bundle type 1 cytokine, has osteoclastogenic activity in patients with RA and in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS The expression of IL-21 in synovial tissue was examined using immunohistochemistry. The concentrations of IL-21 in serum and synovial fluid were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The levels of RANKL and osteoclastogenic markers were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. CD14+ monocytes from patients with RA or mouse bone marrow cells were cocultured with fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from patients with RA or CD4+ T cells from mice with CIA in the presence of IL-21 and subsequently stained for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity to determine osteoclast formation. RESULTS IL-21 was up-regulated in the synovium, synovial fluid, and serum of patients with RA and in the synovium and serum of mice with CIA. IL-21 induced RANKL expression in mixed joint cells and CD4+ T cells from mice with CIA and in CD4+ T cells and FLS from patients with RA. Moreover, IL-21 enhanced in vitro osteoclastogenesis without the presence of RANKL-providing cells and by inducing RANKL expression in CD4+ T cells and FLS. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that IL-21 promotes osteoclastogenesis in RA. We believe that therapeutic strategies targeting IL-21 might be effective for the treatment of patients with RA, especially in preventing bone destruction.
Project-Based Learning Environments: Challenging Preservice Teachers to Act in the Moment

In this design study, the authors documented means by which preservice teachers experienced mathematics and science associated with understanding the Moon and sky as they participated in project work within their mathematics and science methods course. The authors examined the way preservice teachers applied mathematics needed to accomplish project tasks in an astronomical context and compared project work of 6 groups. The groups experienced difficulties applying basic mathematics such as scaling, ratios, and sine curves, requiring just-in-time scaffolding lessons to facilitate project progress. In their analysis of participants' pre- and post-scientific and mathematical understandings needed to grasp lunar concepts, authors found that preservice teachers made significant gains in both areas.
The Selective Antagonism of P2X7 and P2Y1 Receptors Prevents Synaptic Failure and Affects Cell Proliferation Induced by Oxygen and Glucose Deprivation in Rat Dentate Gyrus

Purinergic P2X and P2Y receptors are broadly expressed on both neurons and glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS), including dentate gyrus (DG). The aim of this research was to determine the synaptic and proliferative response of the DG to severe oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) in acute rat hippocampal slices and to investigate the contribution of P2X7 and P2Y1 receptor antagonism to recovery of synaptic activity after OGD. Extracellular field excitatory post-synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in granule cells of the DG were recorded from rat hippocampal slices. Nine-min OGD elicited an irreversible loss of fEPSP and was invariably followed by the appearance of anoxic depolarization (AD). Application of MRS2179 (selective antagonist of P2Y1 receptor) and BBG (selective antagonist of P2X7 receptor), before and during OGD, prevented AD appearance and allowed a significant recovery of neurotransmission after 9-min OGD. The effects of 9-min OGD on proliferation and maturation of cells localized in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of slices prepared from rats treated with 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) were investigated. Slices were further incubated with an immature neuron marker, doublecortin (DCX). The number of BrdU+ cells in the SGZ was significantly decreased 6 hours after OGD. This effect was antagonized by BBG, but not by MRS2179. Twenty-four hours after 9-min OGD, the number of BrdU+ cells returned to control values and a significant increase of DCX immunofluorescence was observed. This phenomenon was still evident when BBG, but not MRS2179, was applied during OGD. Furthermore, the P2Y1 antagonist reduced the number of BrdU+ cells at this time. The data demonstrate that P2X7 and P2Y1 activation contributes to early damage induced by OGD in the DG. At later stages after the insult, P2Y1 receptors might play an additional and different role in promoting cell proliferation and maturation in the DG.
Adoption of electronic banking : underlying consumer behaviour and critical success factors

The emergence of electronic banking has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years for both academics and practitioners, as the changes taking place in the field are clearly observable. However the growing interest has not been matched well enough with relevant studies that would give insight into the processes and behaviours underlying the rapid adoption of new channels. Estonia is internationally renowned for being a pioneer in the acceptance of new technologies. Currently 22.3% of the Estonian population is using Internet bank services and over 50% of private transactions are done over the Internet. Only about 10% of the transactions are done via nonelectronic channels. The primary aim of the study is to further the understanding how do consumers perceive electronic banking in the heyday of interactive channels. The motivation of the research is to move away from the innovation concept and analyse Internet banking as a mainstream transaction and service delivery platform. The main questions addressed in the research are: 1. Which factors influence the customers' propensity to use electronic banking as a primary banking channel. The most important issue in exploring the first problem is comparing the influence of demographic factors and attitudes towards banking-related issues to the selection of the main banking channel. 2. What are the main characteristics of the heavy users of electronic banking and what are the main obstacles for further adoption of electronic banking. Why some customers find the new channels unacceptable and which obstacles should be eliminated in order to convince the customers about the advantages of using Internet banking. 3. What are the critical success factors of the Estonian Internet banking? Comprehensive analysis of the framework of consumer behaviour, economic environment, government policies and banks' activities will be presented. The necessary data will be gathered through a survey conducted among the bank customers and interviews conducted with the leading banking professionals and industry experts. The research is based on the innovation diffusion theory formulated by Everett M. Rogers in 1965 (Rogers 1995). The theory has been used widely in analysing the adoption of Internet (Wolcott et al 2001), various Internet related applications (Black et al 2001, p 391, Polatoglu et. al. 2001, p.157), and also software products (Kautz 2000). The relevance of the chosen theory for the research of Internet banking adoption has been proved via introductory qualitative research on the subject by several authors. 1. The Background of Estonian Electronic Banking. Estonia is currently belonging to the country group of medium internet penetration on the global scale outnumbering its Baltic neighbours and Eastern-European countries but being somewhat behind from the Scandinavian countries, USA, Canada, leading European countries and some Asian countries (TNS 2002).
Molecular Epidemiology of Sequential Outbreaks of Acinetobacter baumannii in an Intensive Care Unit Shows the Emergence of Carbapenem Resistance

ABSTRACT The molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was investigated in the medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital in Italy during two window periods in which two sequential A. baumannii epidemics occurred. Genotype analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of A. baumannii isolates from 131 patients identified nine distinct PFGE patterns. Of these, PFGE clones B and I predominated and occurred sequentially during the two epidemics. A. baumannii epidemic clones showed a multidrug-resistant antibiotype, being clone B resistant to all antimicrobials tested except the carbapenems and clone I resistant to all antimicrobials except ampicillin-sulbactam and gentamicin. Type 1 integrons of 2.5 and 2.2 kb were amplified from the chromosomal DNA of epidemic PFGE clones B and I, respectively, but not from the chromosomal DNA of the nonepidemic clones. Nucleotide analysis of clone B integron identified four gene cassettes: aacC1, which confers resistance to gentamicin; two open reading frames (ORFs) coding for unknown products; and aadA1a, which confers resistance to spectinomycin and streptomycin. The integron of clone I contained three gene cassettes: aacA4, which confers resistance to amikacin, netilmicin, and tobramycin; an unknown ORF; and blaOXA-20, which codes for a class D β-lactamase that confers resistance to amoxicillin, ticarcillin, oxacillin, and cloxacillin. Also, the blaIMP allele was amplified from chromosomal DNA of A. baumannii strains of PFGE type I. Class 1 integrons carrying antimicrobial resistance genes and blaIMP allele in A. baumannii epidemic strains correlated with the high use rates of broad-spectrum cephalosporins, carbapenems, and aminoglycosides in the ICU during the study period.
Asynchrony: Intuitively valid and theoretically reliable

The Columbus Group definition of giftedness is considered within a wider framework of theories of self. Traditions of environmental influence on development, together with motivational drive, conceptualize the experience of children of high intellectual potential. It is argued that, as described in the definition, asynchrony represents this interaction, with implications for self‐definition. This article analyzes archival data collected on 535 high IQ children (IQ ≥ 126) at the CHIP (Children of High Intellectual Potential) Foundation (Australia). The purpose was to identify patterns of behavior that could be interpreted as evidence of asynchronous development. Five such patterns were found related to home/school contexts. These were anxiety, self‐critical, overly sensitive, easily upset and easily frustrated, with depression evident in adolescents. Although the analysis is limited and exploratory only, some further research directions are suggested.
Aspartate aminotransferase activity is required for aspartate catabolism and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Rhizobium meliloti

A mutant of Rhizobium meliloti, 4R3, which is unable to grow on aspartate has been isolated. The defect is specific to aspartate utilization, since 4R3 is not an auxotroph and grows as well as its parent strain on other carbon and nitrogen sources. The defect was correlated with an inability to fix nitrogen within nodules formed on alfalfa. Transport of aspartate into the mutant cells was found to be normal. Analysis of enzymes involved in aspartate catabolism showed a significantly lower level of aspartate aminotransferase activity in cell extracts of 4R3 than in the wild type. Two unrelated regions identified from a genomic cosmid bank each complemented the aspartate catabolism and symbiotic defects in 4R3. One of the cosmids was found to encode an aspartate aminotransferase enzyme and resulted in restoration of aspartate aminotransferase activity in the mutant. Analysis of the region cloned in this cosmid by transposon mutagenesis showed that mutations within this region generate the original mutant phenotypes. The second type of cosmid was found to encode an aromatic aminotransferase enzyme and resulted in highly elevated levels of aromatic aminotransferase activity. This enzyme apparently compensated for the mutation by its ability to partially utilize aspartate as a substrate. These findings demonstrate that R. meliloti contains an aspartate aminotransferase activity required for symbiotic nitrogen fixation and implicate aspartate as an essential substrate for bacteria in the nodule.
Systemic mastocytosis with associated clonal hematological non‐mast‐cell lineage disease: Analysis of clinicopathologic features and activating c‐kit mutations

The majority of patients with systemic mastocytosis with associated clonal, hematological non‐mast cell lineage disease (SM‐AHNMD) have a myeloid stem cell malignancy including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative disorders, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), or chronic myeloproliferative disease. The clinicopathologic features of SM‐AHNMD have not been fully characterized. We describe seven cases of this entity: 3 with MDS, 3 with AML, and 1 with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. In the majority of cases, SM was diagnosed concurrently with the myeloid malignancy and aberrant mast cell morphology was observed. The commonly described c‐kit enzymatic site mutation Asp816Val was detected only in 2 cases, while 3 patients carried the Asp816His mutation. Among the 3 cases with AML, 2 patients carried the translocation t(8;21). On the basis of our results and other reported cases, there appears to be a specific association between SM and AML with t(8;21). Concurrent occurrence of SM may define a subset of patients with de novo AML and other myeloid malignancies who have an adverse prognosis. As clinically effective tyrosine kinase inhibitors that inhibit enzymatic‐type c‐kit mutations are being developed, detection of mast cell proliferation associated with myeloid malignancy may have important therapeutic implications. Am. J. Hematol. 73:12–17, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
User Satisfaction and Web Portal Use

This study examines whether behavioral and demographical factors such as previous web use experience, type of web portal used, age, and gender influence user satisfaction with web portals, and whether user satisfaction influences usage of portals. A total of 340 undergrad and graduate students participated in a survey on their usage and satisfaction with different portals. The results show that the more people use the web, the more satisfied they are with web portals. Age has a negative effect on satisfaction with portals. Gender doesn’t seem to influence user satisfaction with portals. And users of different types of portal usually have different levels of satisfaction. User satisfaction, however, doesn’t seems to affect the actual use of web portals. This study addresses a gap in literature and is relevant to web portal companies and other IS practitioners.