Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LETM1-Mediated K+ and Na+ Homeostasis Regulates Mitochondrial Ca2+ Efflux

Ca2+ transport across the inner membrane of mitochondria (IMM) is of major importance for their functions in bioenergetics, cell death and signaling. It is therefore tightly regulated. It has been recently proposed that LETM1—an IMM protein with a crucial role in mitochondrial K+/H+ exchange and volume homeostasis—also acts as a Ca2+/H+ exchanger. Here we show for the first time that lowering LETM1 gene expression by shRNA hampers mitochondrial K+/H+ and Na+/H+ exchange. Decreased exchange activity resulted in matrix K+ accumulation in these mitochondria. Furthermore, LETM1 depletion selectively decreased Na+/Ca2+ exchange mediated by NCLX, as observed in the presence of ruthenium red, a blocker of the Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uniporter (MCU). These data confirm a key role of LETM1 in monovalent cation homeostasis, and suggest that the effects of its modulation on mitochondrial transmembrane Ca2+ fluxes may reflect those on Na+/H+ exchange activity.
Analysis of Triggered Self-Excitation in Induction Generators and Experimental Validation

In self-excited induction machines, a power generating mode of operation can often be attained only by precharging at least one of the capacitors connected to the windings. The paper shows how a carefully derived state-space model with nonlinear magnetic characteristics enables the assessment of all possible operating regimes including their stability properties. In particular, the analysis reveals the possible existence of an unstable operating regime, which creates a barrier that must be overcome through precharged capacitors. In such case, the analytical results of the paper yield a simple formula that predicts the voltage needed to trigger self-excitation. Close to the boundary, voltages can be generated for extended periods of time before growing to a stable operating regime, or collapsing to zero. Experimental results validate the results of the paper on the transient properties of self-excited induction generators.
IL-7 and SCF Levels Inversely Correlate with T Cell Reconstitution and Clinical Outcomes after Cord Blood Transplantation in Adults

Recovery of thymopoiesis is critical for immune reconstitution after HSCT. IL-7 and SCF are two major thymotropic cytokines. We investigated whether the kinetics of circulating levels of these cytokines might provide insight into the prolonged immunodeficiency after double umbilical cord blood transplantation (dUCBT) in adults. We examined plasma levels of IL-7 and SCF, T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circle (TREC) levels and T cell subsets in 60 adult patients undergoing dUCBT. Median levels of IL-7 increased by more than 3-fold at 4 weeks and remained elevated through 100 days after dUCBT. SCF showed a less than 2-fold increase and more protracted elevation than IL-7. IL-7 levels inversely correlated with the reconstitution of various T cell subsets but not with TRECs. SCF levels inversely correlated with reconstitution of CD4+T cells, especially the naïve CD4+CD45RA+ subset, and with TRECs suggesting that SCF but not IL-7 had an effect on thymic regeneration. In Cox models, elevated levels of IL-7 and SCF were associated with higher non-relapse mortality (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01) and worse overall survival (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001). Elevated IL-7 but not SCF was also associated with development of GvHD (p = 0.03). Thus, IL-7 and SCF are elevated for a prolonged period after dUCBT and persistently high levels of these cytokines may correlate with worse clinical outcomes.
On the Role of the Striatum in Response Inhibition

Background Stopping a manual response requires suppression of the primary motor cortex (M1) and has been linked to activation of the striatum. Here, we test three hypotheses regarding the role of the striatum in stopping: striatum activation during successful stopping may reflect suppression of M1, anticipation of a stop-signal occurring, or a slower response build-up. Methodology/Principal Findings Twenty-four healthy volunteers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a stop-signal paradigm, in which anticipation of stopping was manipulated using a visual cue indicating stop-signal probability, with their right hand. We observed activation of the striatum and deactivation of left M1 during successful versus unsuccessful stopping. In addition, striatum activation was proportional to the degree of left M1 deactivation during successful stopping, implicating the striatum in response suppression. Furthermore, striatum activation increased as a function of stop-signal probability and was to linked to activation in the supplementary motor complex (SMC) and right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) during successful stopping, suggesting a role in anticipation of stopping. Finally, trial-to-trial variations in response time did not affect striatum activation. Conclusions/Significance The results identify the striatum as a critical node in the neural network associated with stopping motor responses. As striatum activation was related to both suppression of M1 and anticipation of a stop-signal occurring, these findings suggest that the striatum is involved in proactive inhibitory control over M1, most likely in interaction with SMC and rIFC.
Educational diversity and group effectiveness: a social network perspective

Purpose – This paper sets out to test the mediating role of internal network density and external network range in the relationship between educational diversity (i.e. separation and variety) and group effectiveness.Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed 267 employees in 54 organizational groups.Findings – The study's results show that educational separation has a U‐shaped relationship with the advice network density. Moreover, educational variety moderates the relation of educational separation with external network range in such a way that for groups with high educational variety, the relationship between educational separation and external network range is U‐shaped, while for groups with low educational variety the relationship has an inverted U shape. The results also show that internal network density and external network range mediate the relationship between educational diversity and group effectiveness.Research limitations/implications – The paper extends the literature on group divers.
Replication, falsification, and the crisis of confidence in social psychology

The (latest) crisis in confidence in social psychology has generated much heated discussion about the importance of replication, including how it should be carried out as well as interpreted by scholars in the field. For example, what does it mean if a replication attempt “fails”—does it mean that the original results, or the theory that predicted them, have been falsified? And how should “failed” replications affect our belief in the validity of the original research? In this paper, we consider the replication debate from a historical and philosophical perspective, and provide a conceptual analysis of both replication and falsification as they pertain to this important discussion. Along the way, we highlight the importance of auxiliary assumptions (for both testing theories and attempting replications), and introduce a Bayesian framework for assessing “failed” replications in terms of how they should affect our confidence in original findings.
Genetic diversity and accession structure in European Cynara cardunculus collections

Understanding the distribution of genetic variations and accession structures is an important factor for managing genetic resources, but also for using proper germplasm in association map analyses and breeding programs. The globe artichoke is the fourth most important horticultural crop in Europe. Here, we report the results of a molecular analysis of a collection including globe artichoke and leafy cardoon germplasm present in the Italian, French and Spanish gene banks. The aims of this study were to: (i) assess the diversity present in European collections, (ii) determine the population structure, (iii) measure the genetic distance between accessions; (iv) cluster the accessions; (v) properly distinguish accessions present in the different national collections carrying the same name; and (vi) understand the diversity distribution in relation to the gene bank and the geographic origin of the germplasm. A total of 556 individuals grouped into 174 accessions of distinct typologies were analyzed by different types of molecular markers, i.e. dominant (ISSR and AFLP) and co-dominant (SSR). The data of the two crops (globe artichoke and leafy cardoon) were analyzed jointly and separately to compute, among other aims, the gene diversity, heterozygosity (He, Ho), fixation indexes, AMOVA, genetic distance and structure. The findings underline the huge diversity present in the analyzed material, and the existence of alleles that are able to discriminate among accessions. The accessions were clustered not only on the basis of their typology, but also on the basis of the gene bank they come from. Probably, the environmental conditions of the different field gene banks affected germplasm conservation. These outcomes will be useful in plant breeding to select accessions and to fingerprint varieties. Moreover, the results highlight the particular attention that should be paid to the method used to conserve the Cynara cardunculus germplasm and suggest to the preference of using accessions from different gene banks to run an association map.
Perceptions of Cutting Edge Research in UK Social Science 1

Research that is deemed to be at the 'cutting edge' occupies a privileged position within the academic community. It enjoys the highest status and is very attractive to funding agencies. This article explores the possible meanings of the term 'cutting edge' and the descriptive and evaluative uses to which it is put in the social sciences. The views of significant academic gatekeepers on current developments in UK social science are presented. Included are estimations of the amount of research output that deserves the 'cutting edge' sobriquet, along with specific examples of areas, issues and types of cutting edge research. New developments are identified, and judgements are collated in relation to globalization, gender and postmodernism. The emergent ingredients of cutting edge research are enunciated and analysed, and the article concludes with comments on the practical value of the concept.
Horse Play: A Brief Psychological Intervention for Disengaged Youths

This pilot study examined a brief psychological intervention delivered to a group of disengaged youths (n = 16) using horse-related activities to improve their levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale were administered (preintervention and postintervention). Participants’ case managers also completed a survey to assess their perception of the young people’s behaviors and attitudes to life. Participants showed a significant increase in their levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy following the intervention. There was also evidence of a positive shift in overall attitude toward life. The findings indicated that equine-facilitated therapy might provide a viable option for youths who have not responded to other interventions and who have disengaged from traditional institutions.
Association of syncytium‐inducing phenotype of HIV‐1 with CD4 cell count, viral load and sociodemographic characteristics

Objectives:To study whether syncytium-inducing (SI)/non-SI (NSI) phenotype of HIV-1 is associated with CD4+ lymphocyte count, plasma HIV RNA level, clinical stage and sociodemographic characteristics in antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected patients. Design:Cross-sectional analysis of single centre cohort study data. Methods:SI/NSI phenotype was determined using a cocultivation assay using patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells and MT2 cells. Standard procedures were used for CD4+ cell counts and viral load measurements in plasma. Univariate and multivariate analyses of association of CD4+ cell counts, viral load, clinical stage, age, sex and mode of HIV transmission were performed. Results:In univariate analysis, SI phenotype was significantly associated with lower CD4+ cell counts, higher HIV RNA plasma levels, symptomatic HIV disease, male sex and age 32–36 years (middle tercile). In multivariate analysis, only lower CD4+ cell counts were associated with SI phenotype (odds ratio per increase of 100 × 106/l, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.38–0.78). Conclusions:HIV-1 SI phenotype was associated with lower CD4+ cell counts but not with higher plasma viral load, clinical stage or sociodemographic variables.
Summary of an Analysis of Student Evaluations of Faculty and Courses

In this brief summary of a very detailed study, Professor Lumsden reports on an analysis of nearly 5,000 questionnaire responses from students in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. The student's opinion of the instructor was found to be the most important factor influencing overall opinion of the course. Among the other variables considered were reading materials, class discussions, exams, papers, projects, computer exercises, case materials, and student time spent on the course. Opinion of the course seemed to have an effect on the final examination score.
MASTERING THE INTANGIBLE THROUGH LANGUAGE *

For many years, psychological research in the area of language and cognition was guided by the idea that language, in particular the language of labeling, was a key tool in the child’s acquisition of c ~ n c e p t s j ~ Recently, there has been a dramatic reversal of this view. Influenced strongly by the Piagetian model, researchers have increasingly adopted the idea that language does not determine the formation of concepts. Instead, language is seen to reflect the concepts that the child has acquired prior to, and hence independent of, the acquisition of language? -1° The current view is captured in the statement by Nelson11 that “a new approach. is necessary because current and traditional models of concept formation are not designed to solve the problem at issue: How does the child match words to his concepts? They are, rather, designed to answer a different question: How does the child form a concept to fit the word? ” The latter conceptualization of the problem has been deemed inadequate because it supposes that “the child learns meaning from his encounters with the language rather than from encounters with the physical and social world” (p. 268). This new formulation has been of value in redressing a long imbalance in the language-thought controversy. In its turn, however, it stands in danger of recreating the imbalance, albeit in the opposite direction. Specifically, many current statements are worded so as to suggest that this view is applicable to almost all of language functioning. In this form, it represents a major overextension of an idea that evolved in the context of studying the young child’s earliest linguistic performance. During this initial period of language mastery, the child does seem to direct his efforts toward finding the semantic equivalents of relationships he has long since mastered on the preverbal, sensorimotor level. As Brown12 has pointed out, these include relations such as “the nominative (e.g., “That ball”), expressions of recurrence (e.g., “More ball”). expressions of disappearance or nonexistence (e.g., “All gone ball”). the possessive (e.g., “Daddy chair”), two sorts of locative (e.g., “Book table” and “Go store”), and the attributive (e.g., “Big house”) (p. 101). A significant feature of analyses such as these is that they are confined largely to words that denote clear perceptual referents-i.e., to terms that McNeill’) has described as representing “portrayable correlates. ” Essential to the notion of a portrayable correlate is the idea that the referent in question can be perceived through the sense of vision, touch, and hearing, with vision playing an almost overwhelmingly dominant role. Given the known proficiency of even the very young child in the visual sphere,I4 it seems reasonable to accept the idea that the child’s mastery of the protrayable can proceed well, without language, and accord-
Shared leadership and gender: all members are equal … but some more than others

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of shared leadership on the gap between male and female leadership influence in groups. Design/methodology/approach – The leadership influence of 231 members from 28 committees was studied using a social networks methodology. Gender differences in committee members’ directive and supportive leadership influence were analyzed through two ANCOVA tests. Findings – Results confirm significant differences between men and women’s leadership influence, as rated by their peers, using directive and supportive leader behaviors. Surprisingly, shared leadership has no significant effect on reducing this gender gap. Research limitations/implications – Results cannot be extrapolated to all other types of groups, since the committees studied have very unique characteristics due to their low typical mutual interaction. Practical implications – Organizations may need to consider complementary strategies in their group leadership design to prevent the emergence o.
Roles and Competencies for Distance Education Programs in Higher Education Institutions

This study had three purposes: to identify the roles and competencies needed in distance education in higher education, to rate the importance of those competencies, and to compare the results to those of a competency study conducted five years previously. The research identified thirteen roles and thirty general competencies as well as role-specific competencies. The roles of leader/change agent and trainer emerged as significant for successful implementation of distance education programs. Interpersonal-related and communication-related skills were necessary across all roles and dominated the top ten general competencies. Institutions of higher education can use the results in the staffing of distance education programs and in the design of staff/faculty development.
Fugitive Salmon: Assessing the Risks of Escaped Fish from Net-Pen Aquaculture

Abstract The farming of salmon and other marine finfish in open net pens continues to increase along the world's coastlines as the aquaculture industry expands to meet human demand. Farm fish are known to escape from pens in all salmon aquaculture areas. Their escape into the wild can result in interbreeding and competition with wild salmon and can facilitate the spread of pathogens, thereby placing more pressure on already dwindling wild populations. Here we assess the ecological, genetic, and socioeconomic impacts of farm salmon escapes, using a risk-assessment framework. We show that risks of damage to wild salmon populations, ecosystems, and society are large when salmon are farmed in their native range, when large numbers of salmon are farmed relative to the size of wild populations, and when exotic pathogens are introduced. We then evaluate the policy and management options for reducing risks and discuss the implications for farming other types of marine finfish.
SENSORY AND INSTRUMENTAL EVALUATIONS OF TEXTURE IN CHEESES MADE FROM OVINE MILKS WITH DIFFERING FAT CONTENTS

The present study considers the influence of reducing the fat content of ovine milk on the sensory and instrumental texture characteristics of the resulting cheeses. Three manufacturing runs were performed. In each run three cheese batches were manufactured using milks with differing percentage fat contents (8%, 4%, and 2% fat). Analysis of cheese samples was performed at 60, 90, and 120 days of ripening. The instrumental method used to evaluate cheese texture was uniaxial compression at constant speed, taking readings of stress, strain, and modulus of elasticity (E). Statistical analysis revealed differences for both the different fat contents and the ripening times considered. Instrumental parameter values increased with lower cheese fat contents; with a 20% reduction in the fat to dry matter content from full-fat to reduced-fat cheeses, resulting in a 35% increase in maximum stress and in the slope of the stress-strain curve at the end of ripening. The greatest sensory differences between samples were recorded for firmness. L'influence d'une teneur reduite en matiere grasse du lait de brebis sur la qualite des fromages est etudiee. Les laits utilises sont a 8, 4 ou 2% de matiere grasse. les fromages sont analyses a 60, 90 ou 120 jours d'affinage. Les mesures de textures sont faites par compression uniaxiale a vitesse constante et par analyse sensorielle.
Plasma Carnitine Levels in Liver Cirrhosis: Relationship with Nutritional Status and Liver Damage

The plasma level of carnitine, a co-factor involved in many metabolic reactions, is high in alcoholic liver cirrhosis, due to an increased amount of esterified carnitine. To determine if this alteration is linked to alcoholic liver disease or to liver cirrhosis per se. total carnitine, free carnitine, total esterified carnitine, short chain acylcarnitine and long chain acylcarnitine were measured in 41 patients suffering from liver cirrhosis of different aetiology and severity. In 19 of these patients, acetylcarnitine was also measured. Moreover, multivariate analysis was performed to assess the association of carnitine plasma levels with nutritional and liver disease indices. Of the nutritional indices (creatinine/height ratio, mid upper arm muscle circumference and triceps skinfold) only triceps skinfold appeared to be weakly correlated with carnitine (with long chain acylcarnitine). Significantly high levels of acetylcarnitine, short chain acylcarnitine, total esterified carnitine and total carnitine were found in cirrhotics independently of the aetiology of cirrhosis, even though a trend towards higher levels of acetylcarnitine was evident in heavy drinkers. Direct correlations of gamma-glutamyltransferase with acetylcarnitine, acetylcarnitine/free carnitine, short chain acylcarnitine/free carnitine and total esterified carnitine/free carnitine were found. Carnitine plasma levels did not differ in the three Pugh-Child's classes; however, a trend towards higher levels of acetylcarnitine was found in Pugh-Child's class C. In conclusion, the high levels of acetylcarnitine, short chain acylcarnitine, total esterified carnitine and total carnitine found in cirrhosis were linked to liver disease. Alcohol abuse seemed only to be an exacerbating factor.
Race, brain size, and IQ: The case for consilience

Data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), autopsy, endocranial measurements, and other techniques show that: (1) brain size correlates 0.40 with cognitive ability; (2) average brain size varies by race; and (3) average cognitive ability varies by race. These results are as replicable as one will find in the social and behavioral sciences. They pose serious problems for Rose's claim that reductionistic science is inadequate, inefficient, and/or unproductive.
Climatic change and its possible impacts in the alpine region

Abstract : This paper provides a brief overview of climatic change as observed in the 20th century in the alpine region, and the shifts in mean and extreme climates that may occur in coming decades if so-called « global warming » is of the amplitude and speed projected by numerous climate models. The impacts of climatic change may be significant ea many fragile systems in the mountain environments, notably snow and ice, hydrology, vegetation, natural hazards, and of course on humans and their economic activities, and these will be briefly discussed. Finally, the overview paper is completed with some remarks concerning adaptation options in the face of climatic change, notably through the application of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.