Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complex functions of Mef2 splice variants in the differentiation of endoderm and of a neuronal cell type in a sea anemone

In triploblastic animals, mesoderm gives rise to many tissues and organs, including muscle. By contrast, the representatives of the diploblastic phylum Cnidaria (corals, sea anemones, jellyfish and hydroids) lack mesoderm but possess muscle. In vertebrates and insects, the transcription factor Mef2 plays a pivotal role in muscle differentiation; however, it is also an important regulator of neuron differentiation and survival. In the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, an organism that lacks mesoderm but has muscles and neurons, Mef2 (Nvmef2) has been reported in single ectodermal cells of likely neural origin. To our surprise, we found that Nvmef2 is alternatively spliced, forming differentially expressed variants. Using morpholino-mediated knockdown and mRNA injection, we demonstrate that specific splice variants of Nvmef2 are required for the proliferation and differentiation of endodermal cells and for the development of ectodermal nematocytes, a neuronal cell type. Moreover, we identified a small conserved motif in the transactivation domain that is crucially involved in the endodermal function of Nvmef2. The identification of a crucial and conserved motif in the transactivation domain predicts a similarly important role in vertebrate Mef2 function. This is the first functional study of a determinant of several mesodermal derivatives in a diploblastic animal. Our data suggest that the involvement of alternative splice variants of Mef2 in endomesoderm and neuron differentiation predates the cnidarian-bilaterian split.
What’s Happening in Supervision of Student Teachers in Secondary Physical Education

This study describes the supervisory behaviors and practices of cooperating teachers in secondary physical education. Subjects were 18 cooperating teachers supervising student teachers from five colleges/universities in the Northwest. Two data collection instruments were used: a daily log and a weekly wrap-up report. Frequencies and percentages were computed on selected supervisory behaviors. Results indicated that cooperating teachers provided minimum feedback, held few supervisory conferences, and spent little time observing teaching.
Differentiation of Influenza B Virus Lineages Yamagata and Victoria by Real-Time PCR

ABSTRACT Since the 1970s, influenza B viruses have diverged into two antigenically distinct virus lineages called the Yamagata and Victoria lineages. We present the first real-time PCR assay for virus lineage differentiation to supplement classical antigenic analyses. The assay was successfully applied to 310 primary samples collected in Germany from 2007 to 2009.
The midpoint between ventilatory thresholds approaches maximal lactate steady state intensity in amateur cyclists

The aim was to determine whether the midpoint between ventilatory thresholds (MPVT) corresponds to maximal lactate steady state (MLSS). Twelve amateur cyclists (21.0 ± 2.6 years old; 72.2 ± 9.0 kg; 179.8 ± 7.5 cm) performed an incremental test (25 W·min-1) until exhaustion and several constant load tests of 30 minutes to determine MLSS, on different occasions. Using MLSS determination as the reference method, the agreement with five other parameters (MPVT; first and second ventilatory thresholds: VT1 and VT2; respiratory exchange ratio equal to 1: RER = 1.00; and Maximum) was analysed by the Bland-Altman method. The difference between workload at MLSS and VT1, VT2, RER=1.00 and Maximum was 31.1 ± 20.0, -86.0 ± 18.3, -63.6 ± 26.3 and -192.3 ± 48.6 W, respectively. MLSS was underestimated from VT1 and overestimated from VT2, RER = 1.00 and Maximum. The smallest difference (-27.5 ± 15.1 W) between workload at MLSS and MPVT was in better agreement than other analysed parameters of intensity in cycling. The main finding is that MPVT approached the workload at MLSS in amateur cyclists, and can be used to estimate maximal steady state.
Family ties: Abundances in Terzan 7, a Sgr dSph globular cluster

Istituto Nazionale di Astroﬁsica – Osservatorio Astronomi co di Roma Via Frascati 33, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Rome,ItalyReceived ; acceptedAbstract. We study the chemical composition of 5 giant stars in the globular cluster Terzan 7 associated with the Sagittariusdwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph), based on high resolution UVES-VLT spectra. We conﬁrm the metallicity found by previoushigh resolution investigations: [Fe/H]∼ −0.6. We also show that this cluster displays the same low α−element to iron ratio foundin Sgr dSph ﬁeld stars of similar metallicity, as well as the s ame low Ni/Fe ratio. These chemical signatures are characteristicof the Sgr dSph system, and appear to be shared both by the globular cluster Pal 12, which was most likely stripped from Sgrby tidal interaction, and by Pal 5, which may also have belonged in the past to the Sgr dSph system. Intriguingly even globularcluster Ruprecht 106, although not associated to Sgr, displays similar characteristics.
Why Observing Violence Increases the Risk of Violent Behavior by the Observer

Severe violent behavior is almost always the product of predisposing individual differences and precipitating situational factors (Huesmann, 1998). One important environmental experience that contributes both to predisposing a person to behave more violently in the long run and to precipitating violent behavior in the short run is exposure to violence. Psychological theories that have emerged over the past few decades now explain the short-term precipitating effects mostly in terms of priming, simple imitation, and excitation transfer. However, the long-term predisposing effects involve more complex processes of observational learning of cognitions and of emotional desensitization. In this chapter these theories are elaborated, and the compelling empirical evidence in support of these theories from experiments and longitudinal field studies is reviewed. We explain why the processes operate equally well from exposure to reallife violence or exposure to dramatic violence in the mass media. We focus particularly on the role of low emotional arousal and diminished emotional reactions to violence as consequences of exposure to violence and precursors of violent behavior. We argue that anticipated emotional responses play an important role in the cognitive processing that controls violent behavior. Abnormal violent behavior is not viewed as a consequence of “deficient” processing, but rather as a consequence of “different” processing.
Cannabis and the law — high time for reform?

Cannabis is the most widely used illegal recreational drug in Europe; up to 5% of the total population are regular users in some countries. Smoking cannabis can damage the lungs, and some users may become psychologically dependent on the drug. Heavy cannabis use may also be associated with an increased risk of psychiatric illness — although no cause and effect relationship has been established. Nevertheless, there is a general consensus among medical and scientific experts that the health hazards of cannabis have been exaggerated. European countries differ widely in their attitude to enforcing the 1961 UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which declared cannabis to be an illegal narcotic. In the Netherlands the so-called ‘Dutch Experiment’ has decriminalized cannabis use for almost 30 years without any serious adverse social or public health consequences. On the other hand, most Scandinavian countries maintain a fiercely punitive legal regime, while other countries in Europe are moving towards a relaxation of the criminal penalties for possession and use. There is an urgent need for more debate about the need to reform the cannabis laws and for more consistency across Europe.
Single Participant Studies in Positive Behaviour Support for Parents of Individuals With Brain Injuries

Abstract Three single participant studies examined effects of in-home parent-implemented Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) interventions on behaviour of individuals with brain injuries. Parental and independent observations of morning routine behaviour or problem behaviour (viz., noncompliance during meals or morning routines, yelling, kicking, swearing, and so on) were taken during baselines and PBS interventions, which consisted of person-centred functional assessments of behaviour, emphasis on changing behavioural antecedents, parent participation in assessing, treating, and evaluating behaviour change, and in-home parent coaching and support. Results show decreased problem behaviour or improved morning routine behaviour, which corroborate and add to the few studies that applied similar parent-implemented interventions. Future comparative studies between PBS and out-patient interventions are indicated.
Phosphorylase recognition and phosphorolysis of its oligosaccharide substrate: answers to a long outstanding question

Phosphorylases are key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism. Structural studies have provided explanations for almost all features of control and substrate recognition of phosphorylase but one question remains unanswered. How does phosphorylase recognize and cleave an oligosaccharide substrate? To answer this question we turned to the Escherichia coli maltodextrin phosphorylase (MalP), a non‐regulatory phosphorylase that shares similar kinetic and catalytic properties with the mammalian glycogen phosphorylase. The crystal structures of three MalP–oligosaccharide complexes are reported: the binary complex of MalP with the natural substrate, maltopentaose (G5); the binary complex with the thio‐oligosaccharide, 4‐S‐α‐D‐glucopyranosyl‐4‐thiomaltotetraose (GSG4), both at 2.9 Å resolution; and the 2.1 Å resolution ternary complex of MalP with thio‐oligosaccharide and phosphate (GSG4‐P). The results show a pentasaccharide bound across the catalytic site of MalP with sugars occupying sub‐sites −1 to +4. Binding of GSG4 is identical to the natural pentasaccharide, indicating that the inactive thio compound is a close mimic of the natural substrate. The ternary MalP–GSG4‐P complex shows the phosphate group poised to attack the glycosidic bond and promote phosphorolysis. In all three complexes the pentasaccharide exhibits an altered conformation across sub‐sites −1 and +1, the site of catalysis, from the preferred conformation for α(1–4)‐linked glucosyl polymers.
Amino acid mutations in Ebola virus glycoprotein of the 2014 epidemic

Zaire Ebola virus (EBOV) is an enveloped non‐segmented negative strand RNA virus of 19 kb in length belonging to the family Filoviridae. The virus was isolated and identified in 1976 during the epidemic of hemorrhagic fever in Zaire. The most recent outbreak of EBOV among humans, was that occurred in the forested areas of south eastern Guinea, that began in February 2014 and is still ongoing. The recent Ebola outbreak, is affecting other countries in West Africa, in addiction to Guinea: Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. In this article, a selective pressure analysis and homology modeling based on the G Glycoprotein (GP) sequences retrieved from public databases were used to investigate the genetic diversity and modification of antibody response in the recent outbreak of Ebola Virus. Structural and the evolutionary analysis underline the 2014 epidemic virus being under negative selective pressure does not change with respect to the old epidemic in terms of genome adaptation. J. Med. Virol. 87:893–898, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Children's Participation Rights in Research

This article explores children's participation in research, from the perspectives of researchers who have conducted research with children. Researchers' reports, gained using an email interviewing method, suggest that children's participation rights are particularly compromised when the potential child participants are considered vulnerable and the topic of the research is regarded as sensitive. Such perceptions result in stringent gatekeeping procedures that prevent some children from participating in research. This article concludes that children should be viewed, not as vulnerable passive victims, but as social actors who can play a part in the decision to participate in research. Such a view would result in more careful attention to communicating effectively with children about research, and ensuring that they may have a more central role in decision-making about participation.
Civil Society and Control of Corruption: Assessing Governance of Romanian Public Universities

This article investigates the public perception of corruption in Romanian higher education. It reviews the governance practices of public universities in Romania through a survey of governance practices organized by the Romanian Coalition for Clean Universities (CCU), an alliance of NGOs, professional associations and student and teacher unions. CCU systematically monitored and investigated 42 Romanian state universities during the academic years 2007-2009. The goal of the survey was to assess the Romanian public universities’ governance, checking for the integrity, fairness and ability to control corruption of their procedures. The methodology of the project will be explained in detail in the second part of this paper. In the first, we shall review the meanings, causes and consequences of corruption and bad governance in the field of education and the particular context of postcommunist Europe. In the third (and last) section the results of the survey and some lessons learned will be presented.
ANÁLISE DO COMPORTAMENTO E O ESTUDO DO ENVELHECIMENTO HUMANO: REVISÃO DOS ESTUDOS DE APLICAÇÃO

Teaching skills and applied behavioral-based procedures have yielded effective care of dependent aging people, and improving and/or maintaining functional skills and avoiding institutionalization. The present paper consists of a literature review of behavior analytic procedures applied to the treatment of behavioral disorders in the aging population. Behavior Analysis journals were searched, focusing the articles that had aging participants as their target population, their caregivers and also institutions that provide services to the aging population. 16 articles were found and analyzed. These articles presented research on memory, wandering behavior, reduction of urinary incontinence and control of disruptive speech. The results highlighted behavioral procedures as effective forms of treatment of the aging population and the need for further studies using more rigorous experimental designs and measures of social validity. As far as caring for the aging population goes, it should be considered that acquisition, maintenance, or recovering skills brings about personal benefits, such as: greater autonomy, increase of self-esteem, better command of their physical and social environment. Keywords: gerontology, behavior analysis, functional skills, aging people independence.
The Effect of Meta-cognitive Learning Strategies on English Learning

It is generally recognized that success in language learning lies partly in the possession of certain skills or learning strategies which will make language leaning more successful, autonomous, pleasurable, efficient and transferable to new situation. Based on an empirical study, this paper aims to illustrate to what degree learning strategies will affect language learning and how strategies are used among high-achieving students and lower scoring ones. The findings of the study reveals the positive effect of learning strategies as well as the importance and necessity of applying strategies training to English teaching.
Six Turkish Personality Factors and the HEXACO Model of Personality Structure

This article examines the six largest dimensions of the Turkish personality lexicon, as derived from the personality-descriptive terms of Goldberg and Somer's (2000) data set. The six Turkish lexical factors show close correspondences of content to all six dimensions observed in several other languages. In a new data set, the authors then correlate factor scores representing these indigenous Turkish dimensions with the scales of the HEXACO Personality Inventory, which operationalize the six cross-language factors. Results show a pattern of strong convergent and weak discriminant correlations. Overall, findings suggest that the cross-language six-dimensional structure of personality description does generalize to the Turkish lexicon. The Turkish structure also reveals some interesting emic features, particularly with regard to the content of the Openness to Experience factor.
Examining the effect of ‘entre-tainment’ as a cultural influence on entrepreneurial intentions

Little is known about the effect that cultural media has in influencing attitudes and behaviours towards entrepreneurship. In addressing this research gap this article employs a neologism – ‘entre-tainment’ – briefly defined as televisual media that stage and perform entrepreneurship for entertainment purposes. This study surveyed university students to test three hypotheses which examine the relationship between perceptions of ‘entre-tainment’ and entrepreneurial intent (multiple regression model using ordinary least squares). The findings conclude that there is a positive relationship between the skills that students believe they ascertain when they watch ‘entre-tainment’, and entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, the social legitimacy that they attach to this cultural media has a similar positive effect. Finally, the greater the social legitimacy attached to ‘entre-tainment’, the stronger the relationship between perceived skills and entrepreneurial intention. The analysis focuses on the broader implications of these findings of potential effects of entre-tainment in transmitting narrow messages of what it means to behave entrepreneurially.
A Comparison of two Methods of Test Equating in the Rasch Model

Two approaches to equating, the common item equating method (weighted and unweighted) and the one-step, missing data calibration method, used with Rasch (1960/1980) measurement models are compared. The data used in the analysis were taken from six equivalent forms of a perceptual ability test administered as part of the Dental Admission Test. Simulated data patterned after the observed item difficulties were also analyzed to form a frame of reference against which to judge the accuracy of the equating. The results indicate that there is very little difference among the three methods of equating even in the presence of measurement disturbances such as guessing.
Acetylcholinesterase Expression in Muscle Is Specifically Controlled by a Promoter-Selective Enhancesome in the First Intron

Mammalian acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gene expression is exquisitely regulated in target tissues and cells during differentiation. An intron located between the first and second exons governs a ∼100-fold increase in AChE expression during myoblast to myotube differentiation in C2C12 cells. Regulation is confined to 255 bp of evolutionarily conserved sequence containing functional transcription factor consensus motifs that indirectly interact with the endogenous promoter. To examine control in vivo, this region was deleted by homologous recombination. The knock-out mouse is virtually devoid of AChE activity and its encoding mRNA in skeletal muscle, yet activities in brain and spinal cord innervating skeletal muscle are unaltered. The transcription factors MyoD and myocyte enhancer factor-2 appear to be responsible for muscle regulation. Selective control of AChE expression by this region is also found in hematopoietic lineages. Expression patterns in muscle and CNS neurons establish that virtually all AChE activity at the mammalian neuromuscular junction arises from skeletal muscle rather than from biosynthesis in the motoneuron cell body and axoplasmic transport.
Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in the Treatment of PTSD: A Systematic Review

The use of Information and Communication Technologies, such as virtual reality, has been employed in the treatment of anxiety disorders with the goal of augmenting exposure treatment, which is already considered to be the first-line treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) in the treatment of PTSD, we performed a systematic review of published articles using the following electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, and PILOTS. Eligibility criteria included the use of patients diagnosed with PTSD according to DSM-IV, the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the use of virtual reality for performing exposure. 10 articles were selected, seven of which showed that VRET produced statistically significant results in comparison to the waiting list. However, no difference was found between VRET and exposure treatment. Of these 10, four were randomized, two were controlled but not randomized and four were non-controlled. The majority of the articles used head-mounted display virtual reality (VR) equipment and VR systems specific for the population that was being treated. Dropout rates do not seem to be lower than in traditional exposure treatment. However, there are a few limitations. Because this is a new field of research, there are few studies in the literature. There is also a need to standardize the number of sessions used. The randomized studies were analyzed to assess the quality of the methodology, and important deficiencies were noted, such as the non-use of intent-to- treat-analysis and the absence of description of possible concomitant treatments and comorbidities. Preliminary data suggest that VRET is as efficacious as traditional exposure treatment and can be especially useful in the treatment of patients who are resistant to traditional exposure.
A fully polar transmitter for efficient software-defined radios

While polar modulation is a transmitter technique that is known to maximize energy efficiency, it also has no circuit linearity and traditionally is unable to produce signals that contain envelope zeros such as QAM and LTE. This polar transmitter solves this weakness and is modulation agnostic across the decade-wide tuning bandwidth of 200–2500 MHz. In particular, a conventional Nyquist filtered 256QAM signal is generated with error vector magnitude (EVM) less than 1.5% across the frequency range, and is below 1% across the bottom decade of frequency — without use of digital predistortion (DPD) linearization. Peak output power is 2.5 watts.
Beyond intentional processes: The role of action and coping planning in explaining exercise behaviour among adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which action planning, coping planning and the interaction with past behaviour explain additional variance over and above that predicted by behavioural intention in a sample of 210 Swiss high school students (160 boys, 150 girls, mean age = 17.43 years). Participants filled in a questionnaire designed to assess exercise intention, action planning coping planning, past and current exercise behaviour at baseline and after three months. The findings show that adolescents’ exercise participation was predominantly regulated by exercise intention. Stronger exercise intentions were found among adolescents with positive outcome expectancies, high self-efficacy and self-determination scores. Spontaneous implementation intentions had no substantial influence on exercise participation. No significant interactions occurred between intention × Action Planning and Intention × Coping Planning. The effects of exercise intentions were stronger among students with high baseline exercise levels. In summary, action and coping planning explained little variance in adolescents’ exercise behaviour. More research is warranted to distinguish between organized and non-organized sport participation and to find out whether implementation intentions can be manipulated experimentally in this age group.