Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biochemical and Immunohistochemical Studies on Tropomyosin and Glutamate Dehydrogenase in the Chicken Liver

Abstract Recently, we have reported a novel tropomyosin (TM) -binding protein, glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and demonstrated by affinity column chromatography that chicken liver TM interacts with GDH in an ATP-dependent manner. To elucidate the physiological roles of the interaction between TM and GDH, we performed co-sedimentation assays of TM and GDH with F-actin, because it is known that TM exerts its physiological functions by associating with actin filaments. The results showed that TM and GDH co-pelleted with F-actin. GDH alone also co-precipitated with F-actin, but the amount of GDH sedimenting with F-actin was increased in the presence of chicken liver TM, suggesting that GDH is involved in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. We also prepared crude GDH from the nuclear and mitochondrial fractions obtained by subcellular fractionation of the chicken liver cells. Semi-nondenaturing 2D-PAGE revealed that partially purified GDH from the nuclear fraction was associated with TM, but not GDH from the mitochondrial fraction, suggesting preferential binding of TM to GDH. We determined the nucleotide sequence of chicken GDH cDNA and showed that the GDH transcript was widely expressed in the chicken organs. We examined the localization of TM and GDH by immunohistochemistry and revealed that they were distributed in the cytoplasm of the adult chicken liver. From these results, we propose two hypotheses on the physiological roles of the interaction between TM and GDH in nonmuscle cells.
Whitening a diverse Dutch classroom: white cultural discourses in an Amsterdam primary school

Diverse schools have become the norm throughout much of what is considered the West. Many urban classrooms feature few white European children but are located in nations dominated by Eurocentric epistemologies and discourses that oppress minority students by devaluing their cultures. Most European scholarship fails to analyse cultures of whiteness in educational settings. This paper addresses this gap by documenting cultural discourses of whiteness infusing a diverse primary school classroom in Amsterdam. Discourses reflecting white cultural norms of order, time, cleanliness, and Western and Christian superiority dominated a classroom containing only one white Dutch child. These discourses contribute to diverse students' explicit racialization while promoting the supremacy of white Dutch culture. They are both assimilationist and exclusionary, suggesting that many students, because of their backgrounds, will never be considered fully Dutch. Findings are of relevance to all nations dominated by white cultures with large populations of students of colour.
The role of parents’ distancing strategies in the development of five-year-old children’s Theory of Mind

The aim of this study was to analyse the relation between parents’ distancing strategies and the performance of five-year-old children (N = 70) in Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks. The children’s performances were assessed during individual sessions held at school. The distancing strategies practiced by the parents (cognitive and linguistic scaffolding, contingency rule and decontextualisation strategies, among others) were assessed through systematic observation carried out in the family home. The results support the relationship between some of these variables (linguistic scaffolding, decontextualisation and contingency rule) and ToM development. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the need of educational and family intervention programmes which enhance the development of this ability.
How credibility affects eWOM reading: The influences of expertise, trustworthiness, and similarity on utilitarian and social functions

In online information settings, a few people tend to contribute, while the majority of people consume. For this latter group of readers, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) provides information about products or service experiences that rarely are available from manufacturer-controlled sources, which makes this source of information especially helpful. In turn, eWOM influences readers' attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Manufacturers also hope to monitor and positively influence eWOM content, such as by supporting and building brand communities. But eWOM readers might doubt the credibility of information if it is mostly positive, and the usefulness of eWOM information depends on its credibility. This study offers an empirical and theoretical validation of how specific utilitarian and social functions of eWOM affect attitudes toward and intentions to read eWOM. In particular, trustworthiness is the most important credibility dimension; it affects both functions. Perceived expertise also enhances the utilitarian while similarity improves the social function of eWOM.
Re: Exposure to indoor tanning without burning and melanoma risk by sunburn history.

Vogel et al. (1) provide another demonstration that the risk from sunbed use is not limited to skin-sensitive populations and shows increased risk even in those not having experienced sunburns in their lifetimes. It counters the argument frequently put forward by the indoor tanning industry that indoor tanning prevents sunburn and adds further evidence of the carcinogenicity of indoor tanning. We are, however, concerned that those who consider vitamin D as a protective agent for cancer and thus defend sunbed use, might misinterpret the decline in odds ratio for increasing burns and consider that the increasing burns diminished the effect of sunbed use, hence providing “protection. ”
Efficient automatic 3D-reconstruction of branching neurons from EM data

We present an approach for the automatic reconstruction of neurons from 3D stacks of electron microscopy sections. The core of our system is a set of possible assignments, each of which proposes with some cost a link between neuron regions in consecutive sections. These can model the continuation, branching, and end of neurons. The costs are trainable on positive assignment samples. An optimal and consistent set of assignments is found for the whole volume at once by solving an integer linear program. This set of assignments determines both the segmentation into neuron regions and the correspondence between such regions in neighboring slices. For each picked assignment, a confidence value helps to prioritize decisions to be reviewed by a human expert. We evaluate the performance of our method on an annotated volume of neural tissue and compare to the current state of the art [26]. Our method is superior in accuracy and can be trained using a small number of samples. The observed inference times are linear with about 2 milliseconds per neuron and section.
International media coverage of North Korea: study of journalists and news reports on the six-party nuclear talks

This study examines what factors influence journalists’ perceived importance of different attributes of North Korea. In particular, this study analyzes the degree to which journalists’ perceived credibility of their sources influences their perceptions of different attributes of North Korea, even after controlling for individual, organizational, and social-system factors. To examine these issues, this study conducts a survey of South Korean and Western journalists who covered North Korea and a content analysis of media reports on North Korea. The results show that the influence of factors at different levels can vary depending on the issues or aspects of issues that journalists deal with. In the case of North Korea issues, sources at the institutional level had significant influence on journalists’ perceived importance of the rogue state dimension of North Korea. In comparison, journalists’ nationality at the social-system level best predicted journalists’ perceived importance of the dialogue partner dimension of North Korea.
On the dual nature of maternal aggression in rats

Presentation of a natural predator, a cat, was used to differentiate elements of maternal attack by female rats on a male intruder. Following exposure (without direct physical contact) of post-partum females to a cat or to a toy stuffed cat (control group), the females were replaced in their home cages and presented with a male intruder rat. Cat exposure reliably decreased lateral attack to the intruder, as well as locomotion, but had no effect on either jump attack or an upright defensive posture (boxing). Since predator exposure produces a somewhat durable increase in defense, along with inhibition of nondefensive behavior, these results suggest that maternal aggression represents a mixture of offensive, usually related to competition, and defensive (protective) behaviors. The results indicate that maternal aggression, as a parental care behavior, appears to be at least partially resistant to fear.
Does attentional selectivity in global/local processing improve discretely or gradually?

Some results suggest that attentional selection in global/local processing occurs at two stages: an early stage, where global and local information of a hierarchical stimulus is filtered or weighted according to the current goal, and a late stage, where the contents of the stimulus are bound to their respective level. Because it is assumed that binding improves attentional selectivity, accuracy should increase with response time. To see whether this prediction holds, a global/local experiment was conducted with hierarchical letters as stimuli, and where selection difficulty was varied by blocking vs. randomizing the target levels. The results show that accuracy indeed increased with response time, although to a lesser extent under randomized levels. Because an increasing accuracy is also compatible with a gradually improving selectivity, corresponding sequential sampling models were fit to the distributional data. The results show that a discretely improving attentional selectivity accounts better for the data. Moreover, the parameters of the corresponding model indicate that randomizing the target level impaired the efficiency of early selection as well as that of content-to-level binding.
Learning and Performance Goal Orientation of Salespeople Revisited: The Role of Performance-Approach and Performance-Avoidance Orientations

This study revisits the conceptualization and operationalization of salesperson goal orientation, a mid-level construct in the achievement motivation model. Goal orientation has, in recent sales studies, been conceptualized to be comprised of a learning and a performance goal orientation. However, studies examining goal orientation’s relationship with salesperson performance and behavior have found inconsistent results. Guided by seminal studies in achievement motivation theory, this study proposes that performance goal orientation is comprised of two distinct components: a performanceapproach goal orientation and a performance-avoidance goal orientation, the latter of which is grounded in fear of failure. The contemporary model of goal orientation is tested and compared with the classic model. The results indicate that the classic model more accurately captures salesperson goal orientation and its relationship with salesperson performance. Notably, a performance-avoidance goal orientation is negatively related to salesperson performance.
If Looks Could Kill: Digital Manipulation of Fashion Models

This study is concerned with the moral dilemma that stems from the digital manipulation of magazine ads to render models thinner. Exposure to the "thin ideal" has been linked to such damaging psychological responses as body dissatisfaction, loss of self-esteem, and ultimately to disordered eating behaviors. However, the artistic freedom of photo editors is a cherished value that conflicts with the concern for public health. Findings suggest that, although aware of the prevalence of digital editing, readers disapprove of its use in rendering models thinner, and judge it to be unethical and unfair. Findings are discussed with regard to the role of education in helping readers discount manipulated images.
An Internet survey of demographic and health factors associated with risk of sexual dysfunction in women who have sex with women.

INTRODUCTION There has been scant attention to predictors of sexual dysfunction in women who have sex with women (WSW). AIM To investigate the associations of high risk for sexual dysfunction in an Internet cohort of WSW. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE A modified version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to quantify each subject's sexual function. METHODS Women who have sex with women were invited to participate in an Internet-based survey by invitations posted on e-mail listservs and on social media sites catering to WSW. Ethnodemographic, health status, and sexual/relationship data were collected. RESULTS The study was completed by 2,433 adult women. Of these, 1,566 participants had complete data on the FSFI and comprised the study cohort; 388 (24.8%) met the FSFI criteria for high risk of female sexual dysfunction (HRFSD). On multivariable analysis, the following variables were found to be independently associated with the HRFSD; moderate or severe subjective bother regarding sexual function (OR 4.8, 95% CI 3.0-7.9 and 13.7, 95% CI 7.5-25.1, respectively), overactive bladder (OAB) (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.0-4.5), having a nonfemale or no partner (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-4.7 and 3.2, 95% CI 2.0-5.2, respectively). A history of pregnancy was associated with lower odds of HRFSD (OR 0.567, 95% CI 0.37-0.87). Mean FSFI domain scores for all domains except desire were negatively impacted by partner factors and OAB. CONCLUSIONS A single-item question on sexual bother is strongly predictive of potentially distressing sexual problems in the WSW. A number of health and social factors are associated with risk of sexual problems in the WSW. Assessment of sexual well-being in the WSW is a priority for practicing healthcare providers.
Hemochromatosis in Italy in the last 30 years: Role of genetic and acquired factors

The clinical presentation of hereditary hemochromatosis has changed markedly in recent years. The aim of this study was to analyze a large series of consecutive Italian patients with hemochromatosis diagnosed between 1976 and 2007 to determine whether the genetic background and the presence of acquired risk factors influenced the severity of iron overload and the natural history of the disease. A cohort of 452 Italian patients with iron overload—338 HFE‐related (C282Y homozygotes or compound C82Y/H63D heterozygotes) and 114 non–HFE‐related—were followed prospectively for a median of 112 months. Alcohol intake, smoking habits, and iron removed to depletion were similar in patients with and without HFE‐related iron overload. Hepatitis B virus (4% and 9%; P = 0.04) and hepatitis C virus (6% and 19%; P = 0.002) infections were more frequent in patients with non–HFE‐related iron overload. Seventy‐three percent of patients with HFE and 61% of patients with non–HFE‐related disease had no acquired risk factor. Cirrhosis was significantly more frequent in non‐HFE patients independent of the presence of acquired risk factors (P = 0.02). Sex, alcohol intake, prevalence of smoking, hepatitis C virus infection, glucose, lipids, iron‐related parameters, and prevalence of C282Y/H63D differed significantly over the years. At enrollment, cirrhosis was present in 145 cases and was significantly more frequent in the first decade (80%, 47%, and 13%; P = 0.001). Survival did not differ across the decades in cirrhotic patients; hepatocellular carcinoma occurred similarly in HFE and non‐HFE patients. Conclusion: Patients with HFE and non–HFE‐related iron overload have comparable iron overload and similar clinical history. Patients who were diagnosed during the last 10 years and were not identified as cirrhotic at enrollment have less severe disease and lower prevalence of acquired risk factors, independent of genetic background. (HEPATOLOGY 2010;51:501–510.)
Factors Influencing Parental Engagement in a Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service: A Qualitative Comparison of Completers and Non-Completers

Attrition is a significant problem in child mental health services. Research investigating the factors associated with attrition has produced conflicting results, and failed to consider clients' own decision to terminate treatment prematurely. This study investigated parental accounts of why they completed or discontinued treatment. Completers and non-completers were interviewed using an open-ended interview schedule. All completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) before beginning treatment, but the sample size was too small to yield meaningful results. Core differences were found in the accounts of parents who completed treatment and parents who discontinued treatment. Completers' accounts were more focused on the child's problem and identified more factors that facilitated the effectiveness of the intervention; whereas non-completers' accounts were more focused on family problems and identified more obstacles that interfered with the effectiveness of the intervention. The findings have implications for the way in which non-completers are conceptualized for understanding the process of engagement.
E. H. Gombrich in 1968: Methodological Individualism and the Contradictions of Conservatism

E. H. Gombrich in 1968: Methodological Individualism and the Contradictions of Conservatism The commonalities Gombrich affirmed between his own positions on science, politics, and art and those of his friend Karl Popper are key to understanding both his work on the history of style and the conservative fulminations on method he published from the early 1950s onwards. United with Popper by their shared experience of exile from fascism, Gombrich failed to register the amateurish character of Popper's political theory and that his aversion to notions of social determination disabled the historian. Popper's skepticism regarding the ontological status of social collectivities and rejection of the concept of totality reinforced Gombrich's suspicions of holistic analysis and led him to fall back on naturalistic descriptions of individuals acting in a social world glued together by such commonsensical categories as "traditions" and "institutions". In this regard he is representative of the common aversion to sociology of the British intellectual establishment in the early Cold War.
Reaction of synapses on motoneurones to section and restoration of peripheral sensory connexions in the cat.

1. Monosynaptic excitatory post‐synaptic potentials (e.p.s.p.s.) were recorded from triceps surae motoneurones of the cat 2‐8 months after section of the medial gastrocnemius nerve whose regeneration into the muscle was prevented. In other animals, the cut nerve was reunited to the muscle with a post‐denervation delay varying from 2 to 6 months, and the e.p.s.p.s were recorded 2 months later. The e.p.s.p.s were evoked by stimulation of the medial gastrocnemius nerve central to the site of the section or reunion. 2. The mean amplitudes of the e.p.s.p.s decreased with time after nerve section, virtually disappearing by the eighth post‐operative month. The decrement of the e.p.s.p. amplitude occurred more quickly in soleus motoneurones than in medial or lateral gastrocnemius motoneurones. 3. The e.p.s.p.s evoked in medial or lateral gastrocnemius motoneurones from the cut medial gastrocnemius nerve returned to normal levels 2 months after reunion of the cut nerve even following a post‐denervation delay of 6 months. However, in soleus motoneurones the e.p.s.p. recovery was incomplete. 4. The degree of functional motor reinnervation of the medial gastrocnemius muscle depended upon the post‐denervation delay preceding the reunion operation. With a delay of 6 months before the reunion, the muscle showed no or only weak contractions in response to nerve stimulation. 5. Axotomized medial gastrocnemius motoneurones showed a significant decrease in conduction velocity and significant increase in the amplitude of overshoot of action potentials. The changes persisted even when the cut nerve was reunited to the muscle 2‐6 months after denervation. 6. When the cut medial gastrocnemius nerve was reunited to the muscle 4 months after denervation, most of the sensory fibres, tested 2 months later, failed to respond to muscle stretch. 7. It is concluded that recovery of monosynaptic e.p.s.p.s following reconnexion of the cut nerve with its muscle does not require recovery of muscle activity, full restoration of sensory activity or the recovery of normal motoneurone properties. 8. It is also suggested that the degree to which central synaptic efficacy declines and recovers following section and regeneration of a peripheral nerve depends partly upon the type of motoneurone (fast phasic or slow tonic) with which the sensory fibres form synaptic connexions.
The use of imagery by soccer players

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the motivational and cognitive use of imagery by soccer players of various skill levels. The instrument developed and employed in this study was the Imagery Use Questionnaire for Soccer Players (IUQ-SP). It was based on the original IUQ developed by Hall, Rodgers and Barr (1990) and, in part, on Paivio's (1985) framework of how imagery functions in motor skills. The items examined when players use imagery and whether or not it is used to assist with game strategies, individual skills, motivation levels and goal-oriented responses. The questionnaire was completed by 362 players at the national, provincial and local levels. The results from the questionnaire indicated that soccer players tended to use imagery more in conjunction with competition than training. Players also reported using imagery more for its motivation function than its cognitive function. In general, the elite athletes reported employing more imagery than non-elite athletes regardless o.
Benign Miliary Osteoma Cutis of the Face: A Common Incidental CT Finding

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Osteoma cutis of the face represents a primary or secondary formation of ossific foci in the facial skin. Its primary form has been sparsely described in the plastic surgery and dermatology literature. As radiologists, we routinely encounter incidental, very small facial calcified nodules on CT studies performed for a variety of unrelated reasons. We hypothesized that this routinely encountered facial calcification represents primary miliary osteoma cutis and is a common, benign, age-related finding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1315 consecutive sinus CTs obtained during an 8-month period and their associated demographics. The number of dermal radiopaque lesions with Hounsfield units of >150 was counted, and we analyzed the association between the prevalence of these lesions and patients' demographics with logistic regression methods. RESULTS: Five hundred ninety-nine males and 716 females from 4 to 90 years of age were included in the study (mean, 52 versus 51 years; P = .259). Among these, 252 males and 301 females had small facial calcified nodules (42.1% versus 42.0%, P = .971). The patient's age was a statistically significant predictor for having facial calcified nodules (odds ratio = 1.02, P < .001), while the patient's sex was not (P = .826). CONCLUSIONS: Facial calcified nodules, observed in routine head and face CT imaging, are common, benign, age-related findings, which have been largely overlooked in the radiology literature. It is a manifestation of primary miliary osteoma cutis.