Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical basis of large microtubule aster growth

Microtubule asters - radial arrays of microtubules organized by centrosomes - play a fundamental role in the spatial coordination of animal cells. The standard model of aster growth assumes a fixed number of microtubules originating from the centrosomes. However, aster morphology in this model does not scale with cell size, and we recently found evidence for non-centrosomal microtubule nucleation. Here, we combine autocatalytic nucleation and polymerization dynamics to develop a biophysical model of aster growth. Our model predicts that asters expand as traveling waves and recapitulates all major aspects of aster growth. As the nucleation rate increases, the model predicts an explosive transition from stationary to growing asters with a discontinuous jump of the growth velocity to a nonzero value. Experiments in frog egg extract confirm the main theoretical predictions. Our results suggest that asters observed in large frog and amphibian eggs are a meshwork of short, unstable microtubules maintained by autocatalytic nucleation and provide a paradigm for the assembly of robust and evolvable polymer networks.
Risk Factors For Sexual Victimization In Dating: A Longitudinal Study of College Women

In this longitudinal study of college women, nine risk characteristics assessed prior to the start of college were examined in the effort to identify predictors of sexual victimization in college dating. A total of 100 women were followed for 32 months, with information about personal history, behaviors, and attitudes collected at Time 1 and information about subsequent sexual victimization collected at Time 2. Although four risk factors were significantly associated with victimization, a logistic regression analysis revealed that the best prediction model contained only two variables: Precollege sexual victimization in dating was positively correlated with college victimization, and sexual conservatism was negatively correlated with college victimization. Discussion focused on the needs for improved sex education for teenagers, prevention programs aimed at the precollege level, and increased research and clinical attention to the phenomenon of revictimization.
Glutathione Redox System in β-Thalassemia/Hb E Patients

β-thalassemia/Hb E is known to cause oxidative stress induced by iron overload. The glutathione system is the major endogenous antioxidant that protects animal cells from oxidative damage. This study aimed to determine the effect of disease state and splenectomy on redox status expressed by whole blood glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and also to evaluate glutathione-related responses to oxidation in β-thalassemia/Hb E patients. Twenty-seven normal subjects and 25 β-thalassemia/Hb E patients were recruited and blood was collected. The GSH/GSSG ratio, activities of glutathione-related enzymes, hematological parameters, and serum ferritin levels were determined in individuals. Patients had high iron-induced oxidative stress, shown as significantly increased serum ferritin, a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio, and increased activities of glutathione-related enzymes. Splenectomy increased serum ferritin levels and decreased GSH levels concomitant with unchanged glutathione-related enzyme activities. The redox ratio had a positive correlation with hemoglobin levels and negative correlation with levels of serum ferritin. The glutathione system may be the body's first-line defense used against oxidative stress and to maintain redox homeostasis in thalassemic patients based on the significant correlations between the GSH/GSSH ratio and degree of anemia or body iron stores.
The Relationship between Efficacy Beliefs and Imagery Use in Coaches

This study examined the relationship between coaching efficacy and imagery use. Eighty-nine coaches completed the Coaching Efficacy Scale and a modified version of the Sport Imagery Questionnaire. Results showed significant positive correlations among the coaching efficacy subscales and imagery functions. Regression analyses showed that the significant predictor for game strategy efficacy was CG imagery. Predictors for motivation efficacy included career record and MG-M imagery. MG-M imagery and total years of coaching were the significant predictors for total efficacy scores and character building efficacy. The only significant predictor for teaching technique efficacy was CS. The results replicate and extend the relationships found between efficacy and imagery for athletes and show that imagery also may be an effective strategy to build and maintain coaching efficacy.
Stepping Out of the Shadows: Non-Suicidal Self-Injury as Its Own Diagnostic Category

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the repetitive and intentional act of causing injury to one’s own body without suicidal intent. NSSI is an extremely prevalent and pervasive phenomenon, affecting between 13.0 to 23.2% of individuals in the general population. There are significant negative outcomes that may result from engaging in NSSI including risk of serious physical injury, becoming addicted to the behavior, experiencing stigmatization and social rejection, and an increased risk for suicidality. There is also sufficient evidence in the literature supporting the distinction between NSSI and suicide as well as NSSI and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Creating a distinct diagnosis of NSSI in the DSM has many positive clinical implications such as developing a tailored treatment for individuals who engage in such behaviors, stimulating further research about NSSI, improving communication regarding behaviors of self-injury, and bringing awareness to this widespread behavior. This article evaluates each of these benefits to demonstrate that NSSI deserves to be a distinct diagnostic entity in the DSM.
The Impact of Adolescent Girls' Life Concerns and Leisure Activities on Body Dissatisfaction, Disordered Eating, and Self-Esteem

Abstract The aim of this study was to situate adolescent girls' body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and self-esteem in the context of their life concerns and leisure activities. Questionnaires containing measures of life concerns, leisure activities, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and self-esteem were administered to 306 girls with a mean age of 16 years. It was found that although academic success and intelligence were rated as the most important life concerns, an emphasis on slimness was most strongly linked to body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and global self-esteem. An emphasis on popularity with girls also was related to body dissatisfaction, and hours spent watching television were related to lower self-esteem. In contrast, emphasis on sport seemed to serve a protective function. It was concluded that adolescent girls who have a high concern for slimness should be assisted in decreasing this emphasis in order to improve their general well-being.
The mother‐offspring dyad and the immune system

A. The mother and the fetus. The mother's immune system reacts against the fetus and there is therefore a risk of destruction of or damage to the fetus. We are now beginning to understand some of the mechanisms that protect the fetus, but, when these are defective, intrauterine growth retardation or abortions may ensue. However, the cytokines of this maternal immune response to the fetus also monitor different phases of pregnancy, starting with effects on the ovarium and involving preparation of the decidua for the implantation of the fertilized egg, the growth of the trophoblasts, the production of hormones important for the pregnancy and finally of the prostaglandins that induce delivery. B. The mother and the child. Human milk contains anti‐idiotypic antibodies which after transfer to the offspring are capable of enhancing antibody responses. Human milk contains numerous leucocytes especially during early lactation. There is increasing evidence that milk lymphocytes are taken up by the breastfed infant, which seems to have become tolerant to maternal HLA. Breastfeeding mothers are therefore good donors of renal transplants to their breastfed offspring in adult age, too.
Reversible ubiquitination shapes NLRC5 function and modulates NF-κB activation switch

Reversible ubiquitination strictly controls NLRC5 function: K63-linked ubiquitination of NLRC5 at lysine 1,178 mediated by TRAF2/6 generates a coherent feedforward loop to sensitize switch-like activation of NF-κB, whereas USP14 specifically removes the polyubiquitin chains from NLRC5 to enhance NLRC5-mediated inhibition.
Drosophila Sperm Swim Backwards in the Female Reproductive Tract and Are Activated via TRPP2 Ion Channels

Background Sperm have but one purpose, to fertilize an egg. In various species including Drosophila melanogaster female sperm storage is a necessary step in the reproductive process. Amo is a homolog of the human transient receptor potential channel TRPP2 (also known as PKD2), which is mutated in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. In flies Amo is required for sperm storage. Drosophila males with Amo mutations produce motile sperm that are transferred to the uterus but they do not reach the female storage organs. Therefore Amo appears to be a mediator of directed sperm motility in the female reproductive tract but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings Amo exhibits a unique expression pattern during spermatogenesis. In spermatocytes, Amo is restricted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) whereas in mature sperm, Amo clusters at the distal tip of the sperm tail. Here we show that flagellar localization of Amo is required for sperm storage. This raised the question of how Amo at the rear end of sperm regulates forward movement into the storage organs. In order to address this question, we used in vivo imaging of dual labelled sperm to demonstrate that Drosophila sperm navigate backwards in the female reproductive tract. In addition, we show that sperm exhibit hyperactivation upon transfer to the uterus. Amo mutant sperm remain capable of reverse motility but fail to display hyperactivation and directed movement, suggesting that these functions are required for sperm storage in flies. Conclusions/Significance Amo is part of a signalling complex at the leading edge of the sperm tail that modulates flagellar beating and that guides a backwards path into the storage organs. Our data support an evolutionarily conserved role for TRPP2 channels in cilia.
Overexpression of Phosphorylated Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Predicts Lymph Node Metastasis and Prognosis of Chinese Patients with Gastric Cancer

Purpose: We determined the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its activated form, p-mTOR, in Chinese patients with gastric cancer and its clinical effects and underlying mechanisms. Experimental Design: Tissue microarray blocks containing gastric cancer tissue and matched noncancer gastric tissue specimens obtained from 1,072 patients were constructed. Expression of total mTOR and p-mTOR in these specimens was analyzed using immunohistochemical studies and confirmed by Western blotting. Results: The overall rates of total mTOR and p-mTOR overexpression were 50.8% (545 of 1,072) and 46.5% (499 of 1,072), respectively. The p-mTOR overexpression was significantly correlated with total mTOR overexpression. Overexpression of total mTOR protein was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation, T1/T2 tumors, and stage I/II/III disease, whereas p-mTOR overexpression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and all stage disease. The Cox proportional hazards model revealed that the overexpression of p-mTOR, but not total mTOR, was an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer. The overexpression of p-mTOR also predicted the angiogenic phenotype of human gastric cancer and regulated angiogenesis of gastric cancer cells. Conclusions: Increased activation of mTOR is frequent in human gastric cancer and overexpression of p-mTOR is an independent prognostic factor, suggesting that mTOR pathway could be a potential target for therapy of this malignancy.
Proximate Mechanisms and the Development of Adaptive Memory

Scientific investigations into the functional properties of memory have recently undergone a rapid increase. These studies have revealed that processing stimuli for its survival value results in superior memory performance in children and adults. In this article, we critically evaluate this claim and conclude that survival-processing advantages in childhood and adulthood are not an indication that fitness-relevant information has adaptive priority. Instead, we argue that general memory principles (e.g., item-specific and relational processing, self-referential processing, elaboration and distinctiveness processing) better explain the adaptive function of memory. We stress the importance of these memory processes because they characterize the evolutionary adaptations of memory, are present early in life, and are developmentally invariant.
Superiority of skinfold measurements and waist over waist-to-hip ratio for determination of body fat distribution in a population-based cohort of Caucasian Dutch adults.

OBJECTIVE To determine which anthropometric measurement is the most reliable alternative for fat distribution as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). DESIGN Population-based survey carried out in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 376 individuals (200 women) with a mean age of 36.5 years and mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.0 (+/-3.1) kg/m2 underwent various anthropometric and DXA measurements of central (CFM) and peripheral fat mass (PFM). Furthermore, for the assessment of apple-shaped body composition, CFM-to-PFM ratio was calculated. Anthropometric measurements were waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), BMI, waist/length and the skinfold thickness of biceps, triceps, suprailiacal (SI), subscapular (SS) and upper leg. We determined whether equations of combined anthropometrics were even more reliable for the assessment of fat mass. RESULTS In both women and men, reliable alternatives for CFM are central skinfolds and waist (Pearson's correlation (r) >or= 0.8). Peripheral skinfolds are the best predictors of PFM (r >or= 0.8). In contrast, WHR correlated only marginally with any of the DXA measurements. Equations based on several anthropometric variables correlate with CFM even better (R2 >or= 0.8). CFM-to-PFM ratio has the highest correlation with the ratio (SS+SI)/BMI in women (r = 0.66) and waist/length in men (r = 0.71). Equations are reasonable alternatives of CFM-to-PFM ratio (R2 >or= 0.5). CONCLUSION Waist and skinfolds are reliable alternatives for the measurement of body fat mass in a cohort of Caucasian adults. WHR is not appropriate for the measurement of fat distribution.
Hypothalamic melanin concentrating hormone neurons communicate the nutrient value of sugar

Sugars that contain glucose, such as sucrose, are generally preferred to artificial sweeteners owing to their post-ingestive rewarding effect, which elevates striatal dopamine (DA) release. While the post-ingestive rewarding effect, which artificial sweeteners do not have, signals the nutrient value of sugar and influences food preference, the neural circuitry that mediates the rewarding effect of glucose is unknown. In this study, we show that optogenetic activation of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons during intake of the artificial sweetener sucralose increases striatal dopamine levels and inverts the normal preference for sucrose vs sucralose. Conversely, animals with ablation of MCH neurons no longer prefer sucrose to sucralose and show reduced striatal DA release upon sucrose ingestion. We further show that MCH neurons project to reward areas and are required for the post-ingestive rewarding effect of sucrose in sweet-blind Trpm5−/− mice. These studies identify an essential component of the neural pathways linking nutrient sensing and food reward. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.01462. 001
Genetic studies in relation to kuru. 3. Distribution of the inherited serum group-specific protein (Ge) phenotypes in New Guineans: an association of kuru and the Gc Ab phenotype.

This paper describes the distribution of Gc phenotypes in selected New Guinea populations and reports an association between the GcAb gene and kuru. the group-specific serum protein and later presented evidence for the genetic control of the phenotypes by a pair of codominant autosomal genes, designated GcO of this genetic shown a widespread polymorphic system. These data, by Cleve and Reinskou have demonstrated the uni-versal distribution of the GcO and Gc2 alleles in the various populations as well as the occasional occurrence of variant alleles. One such genetic variant in the Gc system is the GCAboriglne (GcAb) gene. The phenotype was first observed in a population of Australian Aborigines by Cleve et al. [4]. The variant protein differed from the usual phenotypes in that on electrophoresis in agar and in starch it migrated more rapidly than Gc 1-1. Pedigree data indicated that the variant protein was determined by an allele codominant with GcO and Gc2 and termed GcAborigine (GcAb).
Age Trends in Daily Social Contact Patterns

Research on older adults’ social integration usually focuses on time-indefinite access to social support, community involvement, and network connectedness. Little research has examined the actual amount of social contact older adults have on a typical day. The author uses nationally representative data on 92,698 adults—collected in the 2003-2009 American Time Use Surveys—to examine age-related trends in rates of everyday contact. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyses reveal nonlinear relationships between age and rates of social contact. Older adults have substantially lower rates of social contact than younger and middle-aged adults—especially among women. A significant portion, but not all, of the age-related variation in contact patterns is attributable to life-course factors like living arrangements. The author closes by considering several potential explanations for these trends and by urging social gerontologists to pay closer attention to the causes and consequences of microsocial contact patterns among older adults.
COLDz: KARL G. JANSKY VERY LARGE ARRAY DISCOVERY OF A GAS-RICH GALAXY IN COSMOS

The broad spectral bandwidth at millimeter and centimeter wavelengths provided by the recent upgrades to the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) has made it possible to conduct unbiased searches for molecular CO line emission at redshifts, z > 1.31. We present the discovery of a gas-rich, star-forming galaxy at z = 2.48 through the detection of CO J = 1–0 line emission in the COLDz survey and through a sensitive, Ka-band (31–39 GHz) VLA survey of a 6.5 arcmin2 region of the COSMOS field. We argue that the broad line (FWHM ∼ 570 ± 80 km s−1) is most likely to be CO J = 1–0 at z = 2.48, as the integrated emission is spatially coincident with an infrared-detected galaxy with a photometric redshift estimate of zphot = 3.2 ± 0.4. The CO J = 1–0 line luminosity is K km s−1 pc2, suggesting a cold molecular gas mass of Mgas ∼ (2–8) × 1010 M☉ depending on the assumed value of the molecular gas mass to CO luminosity ratio αCO. The estimated infrared luminosity from the (rest-frame) far-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) is LIR = 2.5 × 1012 L☉ and the star formation rate is ∼250 M☉ yr−1, with the SED shape indicating substantial dust obscuration of the stellar light. The infrared to CO line luminosity ratio is ∼114 ± 19 L☉/(K km s−1 pc2), similar to galaxies with similar SFRs selected at UV/optical to radio wavelengths. This discovery confirms the potential for molecular emission line surveys as a route to study populations of gas-rich galaxies in the future.
AISHELL-1: An open-source Mandarin speech corpus and a speech recognition baseline

An open-source Mandarin speech corpus called AISHELL-1 is released. It is by far the largest corpus which is suitable for conducting the speech recognition research and building speech recognition systems for Mandarin. The recording procedure, including audio capturing devices and environments are presented in details. The preparation of the related resources, including transcriptions and lexicon are described. The corpus is released with a Kaldi recipe. Experimental results implies that the quality of audio recordings and transcriptions are promising.
Sport stacking motor intervention programme for children with developmental coordination disorder

The purpose of this study was to explore sport stacking as an alternative intervention approach with typically developing children and in addition to improve DCD. Sport stacking consists of participants stacking and unstacking 12 specially designed plastic cups in predetermined sequences in as little time as possible. Eighteen children (6 girls and 12 boys) classified with DCD, between the ages of 6 and 7 years, participated. A pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design with a control group was applied. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) was used to assess the motor proficiency levels of the children and to classify DCD. The sport stacking intervention consisted of an 8-week programme of 3 sessions per week, 30 minutes per session. During the intervention the children learned the various sport stacking sequences, as well as how to apply them to a variety of physical activities. The results indicate that prior to the intervention no significant differences occurred between the 2 groups. After the intervention, manual dexterity and balance showed a significant difference, while aiming and catching, showed no significant difference. The total test score revealed a significant difference in the overall motor proficiency levels of the experimental group. The results suggest that sport stacking can be used as an effective intervention programme for children with DCD.
Distinguishing irony from deception: Understanding the speaker's second-order intention

This study investigated how children detect the attitude behind irony and dis· tinguish it from the attitude conveyed by a white lie. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) the ability to distinguish the second-order intentions of the liar vs. ironist (i.e. what each wants the listener to know) should be a prerequisite for the ability to distinguish ironic from deceptive attitude; (2) the presence of distinctive intonations (sarcastic", sincere) should facilitate the distinction between ironic and deceptive attitude. hve- to 7-year-olds heard two stories which ended in either a deceptive or an ironic statement. Children distinguished between the stories in two ways: (a) in terms of whether the speaker wanted the listener to believe him or not (second­ order intention judgement); (b) in terms of whether the speaker was being mean or nice (attitude judgement). In one condition, the final utterances were distinguished by intonation (sarcastic for the irony, sincere for the lie); in the other condition, the utterances were spoken identically, without intonation, in the form of an indirect quote. Results supported the first but not the second hypothesis, Almost all children who failed to make correct second-order judgements also failed to distinguish which speaker was being mean (ironist) and which was being nice (white liar). However, those who succeeded on the second-order question but failed the attitude question were equally distributed across the intonation and no-intonation con­ ditions, Thus, for children of this age, intonation failed to facilitate the ability to distinguish the negative attitude conveyed by irony from the positive attitude conveyed by a white lie.