Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exergames: neuroplastic hypothesis about cognitive improvement and biological effects on physical function of institutionalized older persons

Exergames can be considered a dual task because the games are performed by a man-videogame interface, requiring cognitive and motor functions simultaneously. Although the literature has shown improvements of cognitive and physical functions due to exergames, the intrinsic mechanisms involved in these functional changes have still not been elucidated. The aims of the present study were (1) to demonstrate the known biological mechanisms of physical exercise regarding muscle adaptation and establish a relationship with exergames; and (2) to present a neurobiological hypothesis about the neuroplastic effects of exergames on the cognitive function of institutionalized older persons. These hypotheses are discussed.
HST/WFPC2 imaging of the QDOT ultraluminous infrared galaxy sample

We present HST WFPC2 V-band imaging for 23 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) taken from the QDOT redshift survey. The fraction of sources observed to be interacting is 87 per cent. Most of the merging systems show a number of compact ‘knots’, whose colour and brightness differ substantially from their immediate surroundings. Colour maps for nine of the objects show a non-uniform colour structure. Features include blue regions located towards the centres of merging systems which are likely to be areas of enhanced star formation, and compact red regions which are likely to be dust shrouded starbursts or active galactic nuclei. The host galaxies of the quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) in the sample were found to be either interacting systems or ellipticals. Our data show no evidence that ULIRGs are a simple transition stage between galaxy mergers and QSOs. We propose an alternative model for ULIRGs based on the morphologies in our sample and previous N-body simulations. Under this model ULIRGs as a class are much more diverse than a simple transition between galaxy merger and QSO. The evolution of IR power source and merger morphology in ULIRGs is driven solely by the local environment and the morphologies of the merger progenitors.
A Comparative Proteome Analysis of Escherichia coli ΔrelA Mutant Cells

The bacterial RelA-dependent stringent response exerts a strong influence over various processes. In this work, the impact of the relA gene mutation in Escherichia coli cells was evaluated by a quantitative proteomics analysis, employing stable-isotope labeling and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Chemostat cultures of E. coli W3110 and ΔrelA mutant strains were performed at two dilution rates (0.1 and 0.2 h−1) to assess the influence of the relA gene mutation in steady-state protein levels. A total of 121 proteins showed significant alterations in their abundance when comparing the proteome of mutant to wild-type cells. The relA gene mutation induced changes on key cellular processes, including the amino acids and nucleotide biosynthesis, the lipid metabolism, transport activities, transcription and translation processes, and responses to stress. Furthermore, some of those changes were more pronounced under specific growth conditions, as the most significant differences in protein ratios were observed at one of the dilution rates. An effect of the relA gene mutation in the acetate overflow was also observed, which confers interesting characteristics to this mutant strain that could be useful in the production of recombinant proteins. Overall, these results provide a valuable insight into the E. coli stringent response under defined steady-state conditions, suggesting that this stress response might influence multiple metabolic processes like the acetate overflow or the catabolite repression.
Managing Diversity in Regression Ensembles

Ensembles are a widely used and effective technique in machine learning---their success is commonly attributed to the degree of disagreement, or 'diversity', within the ensemble. For ensembles where the individual estimators output crisp class labels, this 'diversity' is not well understood and remains an open research issue. For ensembles of regression estimators, the diversity can be exactly formulated in terms of the covariance between individual estimator outputs, and the optimum level is expressed in terms of a bias-variance-covariance trade-off. Despite this, most approaches to learning ensembles use heuristics to encourage the right degree of diversity. In this work we show how to explicitly control diversity through the error function. The first contribution of this paper is to show that by taking the combination mechanism for the ensemble into account we can derive an error function for each individual that balances ensemble diversity with individual accuracy. We show the relationship between this error function and an existing algorithm called negative correlation learning, which uses a heuristic penalty term added to the mean squared error function. It is demonstrated that these methods control the bias-variance-covariance trade-off systematically, and can be utilised with any estimator capable of minimising a quadratic error function, for example MLPs, or RBF networks. As a second contribution, we derive a strict upper bound on the coefficient of the penalty term, which holds for any estimator that can be cast in a generalised linear regression framework, with mild assumptions on the basis functions. Finally we present the results of an empirical study, showing significant improvements over simple ensemble learning, and finding that this technique is competitive with a variety of methods, including boosting, bagging, mixtures of experts, and Gaussian processes, on a number of tasks.
The Gene e.1 (nudE.1) of T4 Bacteriophage Designates a New Member of the Nudix Hydrolase Superfamily Active on Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide, Adenosine 5′-Triphospho-5′-adenosine, and ADP-ribose*

The T4 bacteriophage gene e.1 was cloned into an expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the purified protein was identified as a Nudix hydrolase active on FAD, adenosine 5′-triphospho-5′-adenosine (Ap3A), and ADP-ribose. Typical of members of the Nudix hydrolases, the enzyme has an alkaline pH optimum (pH 8) and requires a divalent cation for activity that can be satisfied by Mg2+or Mn2+. For all substrates, AMP is one of the products, and unlike most of the other enzymes active on Ap3A, the T4 enzyme hydrolyzes higher homologues including Ap4–6A. This is the first member of the Nudix hydrolase gene superfamily identified in bacterial viruses and the only one present in T4. Although the protein was predicted to be orthologous to E. coli MutT on the basis of a sequence homology search, the properties of the gene and of the purified protein do not support this notion because of the following. (a) The purified enzyme hydrolyzes substrates not acted upon by MutT, and it does not hydrolyze canonical MutT substrates. (b) The e.1 gene does not complement mutT1 in vivo. (c) The deletion of e.1 does not increase the spontaneous mutation frequency of T4 phage. The properties of the enzyme most closely resemble those of Orf186 of E. coli, the product of thenudE gene, and we therefore propose the mnemonicnudE.1 for the T4 phage orthologue.
Uncovering the Proteome Response of the Master Circadian Clock to Light Using an AutoProteome System*

In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the central circadian pacemaker that governs rhythmic fluctuations in behavior and physiology in a 24-hr cycle and synchronizes them to the external environment by daily resetting in response to light. The bilateral SCN is comprised of a mere ∼20,000 neurons serving as cellular oscillators, a fact that has, until now, hindered the systematic study of the SCN on a global proteome level. Here we developed a fully automated and integrated proteomics platform, termed AutoProteome system, for an in-depth analysis of the light-responsive proteome of the murine SCN. All requisite steps for a large-scale proteomic study, including preconcentration, buffer exchanging, reduction, alkylation, digestion and online two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem MS analysis, are performed automatically on a standard liquid chromatography-MS system. As low as 2 ng of model protein bovine serum albumin and up to 20 μg and 200 μg of SCN proteins can be readily processed and analyzed by this system. From the SCN tissue of a single mouse, we were able to confidently identify 2131 proteins, of which 387 were light-regulated based on a spectral counts quantification approach. Bioinformatics analysis of the light-inducible proteins reveals their diverse distribution in different canonical pathways and their heavy connection in 19 protein interaction networks. The AutoProteome system identified vasopressin-neurophysin 2-copeptin and casein kinase 1 delta, both of which had been previously implicated in clock timing processes, as light-inducible proteins in the SCN. Ras-specific guanine nucleotide-releasing factor 1, ubiquitin protein ligase E3A, and X-linked ubiquitin specific protease 9, none of which had previously been implicated in SCN clock timing processes, were also identified in this study as light-inducible proteins. The AutoProteome system opens a new avenue to systematically explore the proteome-wide events that occur in the SCN, either in response to light or other stimuli, or as a consequence of its intrinsic pacemaker capacity.
Comparison of the high-frequency magnetic fluctuations in insulating and superconducting La2-xSrxCuO4.

Inelastic neutron scattering performed at a spallation source is used to make absolute measurements of the dynamic susceptibility of insulating La{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} and superconducting La{sub 1.86}Sr{sub 0.14}CuO{sub 4} over the energy range 15{le}{h_bar}{omega}{le}350 meV. The effect of Sr doping on the magnetic excitations is to cause a large broadening in wave vector and a substantial change in the spectrum of the local spin fluctuations. Comparison of the two compositions reveals a new energy scale {sq_bullet}{Gamma}=22{plus_minus}5 meV in La{sub 1.86}Sr{sub 0.14}CuO{sub 4}. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society. }
Remote Sensing and Mapping of Tamarisk along the Colorado River, USA: A Comparative Use of Summer-Acquired Hyperion, Thematic Mapper and QuickBird Data

Tamarisk (Tamarix spp., saltcedar) is a well-known invasive phreatophyte introduced from Asia to North America in the 1800s. This report compares the efficacy of Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM5), QuickBird (QB) and EO-1 Hyperion data in discriminating tamarisk populations near De Beque, Colorado, USA. As a result of highly correlated reflectance among the spectral bands provided by each sensor, relatively standard image analysis methods were employed. Multispectral data at high spatial resolution (QB, 2.5 m Ground Spatial Distance or GSD) proved more effective in tamarisk delineation than either multispectral (TM5) or hyperspectral (Hyperion) data at moderate spatial resolution (30 m GSD).
Robust Backstepping Tracking Control Using Hybrid Sliding-Mode Neural Network for a Nonholonomic Mobile Manipulator with Dual Arms

This paper presents a methodology for trajectory tracking control of a wheeled dual-arm mobile manipulator with parameter uncertainties and external load variations. Based on backstepping technique, the proposed control laws comprise two levels: kinematic and dynamic. First, the auxiliary kinematic velocity control laws for the mobile robot and the two onboard arms are separately established. Second, a robust backstepping tracking control based on hybrid sliding-mode neural networks (HSMNN) is presented to ensure the velocity tracking ability in spite of the uncertainties. The proposed robust backstepping tracking controller is actually composed of a neural network controller, a robust controller, and a proportional controller. To achieve the overall trajectory tracking goal, a neural network controller is developed to imitate an equivalent control law in the sliding-mode control, a robust controller is designed to incorporate the system dynamics into the sliding surface for guaranteeing the asymptotical stability, and the proportional controller is designed to improve the transient performance for randomly initializing neural network. All the adaptive learning algorithms for the proposed controller are derived from the Lyapunov stability theory so that the close-loop asymptotical tracking ability can be guaranteed no matter the uncertainties taken place or not. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility as well as usefulness of the proposed control strategy in comparison with other conventional control methods.
Associations of smoking, body mass index, dietary lutein, and the LIPC gene variant rs10468017 with advanced age-related macular degeneration

Objective A novel locus in the hepatic lipase (LIPC) gene was found to be significantly related to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in our genome-wide association study. We evaluated its association and interaction with previously identified genetic variants and modifiable factors. Methods Participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study with advanced AMD (n=545 cases) or no AMD (n=275 controls) were evaluated. AMD status was determined using fundus photography. Covariates included cigarette smoking, body mass index (BMI), and dietary lutein. Individuals were genotyped for the rs10468017 polymorphism in LIPC as well as seven previously identified AMD genetic loci. Unconditional logistic regression analyses were then performed. Results The TT genotype of the LIPC variant was associated with a reduced risk of AMD, with odds ratios (OR) of 0.50 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20–0.90) and p=0.014 for the TT genotype versus the CC genotype, controlling for age, gender, smoking, body mass index (BMI), and nutritional factors. Controlling for seven other AMD genetic variants, the OR was 0.50, 95% (CI 0.20–1.1, p=0.077). The magnitude of the effect was similar for both atrophic and neovascular forms of AMD. Cigarette smoking and higher BMI increased the risk, while higher dietary lutein reduced the risk of advanced AMD, adjusting for genetic variants. There were no significant interactions between LIPC and smoking, BMI, or lutein. There was a possible association between LIPC and complement factor H (CFH) rs1410996, and a possible interaction effect between LIPC and both CFH rs10033900 and the complement factor I (CFI) variants in terms of risk of AMD. Conclusions LIPC is associated with reduced risk of advanced AMD, independent of demographic and environmental variables. Both genetic susceptibility and behavioral and lifestyle factors modify the risk of developing AMD.
Preincubation with the Proteasome Inhibitor MG‐132 Enhances Proteasome Activity via the Nrf2 Transcription Factor in Aging Human Skin Fibroblasts

Abstract: Strategies that lead to the upregulation of the proteasome are known to elicit beneficial consequences to the organism by countering oxidative stress–associated disorders, such as protein conformational diseases, cancer, and aging. Mild treatment with proteasome inhibitors has been previously demonstrated to stimulate proteasome activity and cellular resistance against oxidative injury. However, the mechanism for this action has not been clearly defined. We examined the role of the nuclear factor‐E2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) in fibroblasts, a key transactivator of the antioxidant response pathway, in the regulation of the proteasome by its inhibitor MG‐132. Here, we demonstrate that the stimulation of the proteasome by low levels of MG‐132 can be abrogated by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeted against Nrf2. Consistently, cells that constitutively express Nrf2 exhibit elevated levels of proteasome activities. We further investigate how its beneficial effects, that is, proteasome stimulation, are manifested in young and replicative‐senescent cells. Our data underscore that manipulation of Nrf2 by the administration of pharmacologically low levels of proteasome inhibitors may prove to be an alternatively potent strategy for inducing long‐term protective effects against oxidative stress.
Perceptions of Beginning Teachers, Their Mentors, and Administrators Regarding Preservice Music Teacher Preparation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preservice music teacher preparation program at a large midwestem university (in this article called “BTU” for “Big Ten University”) through an examination of the perceptions of beginning teachers and their mentors and administrators. Primary research participants included seven first-year teachers from BTU's class of 1999 and seven first-year teachers from the class of 2000. Data from these participants included individual interviews, focus group interviews, teacher journals, classroom observations by the researcher, mentor interviews, administrator interviews, and responses on an open-ended “End-of-Year Questionnaire. ”In addition, secondary participants (n = 11) completed the End-of Year Questionnaire regarding their first-year experiences and the teacher preparation program. Results and discussion include descriptions of the perceptions regarding the most valuable parts of preparation and the least valuable parts of preparation, as well as suggestions for preservice teacher preparation made by teachers, mentors, administrators, and the researcher. Issues of validity of results and transferability of findings to other settings are discussed in addition to possible implications for teacher education and music education program evaluation research.
Comparative study of sexual dimorphism of the innominate bone in rodents and amphibians

Sexual dimorphism in the shape of the innominate bone was demonstrated in the rat, mouse, Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus), frog (Ranna nigromaculata), and newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster) with a computer‐assisted morphometric technique. In the rat, mouse, and hamster, ratios of ischium and pubis widths to the innominate bone lenght (INL) were larger in the males than in the females; however, the ratio of pubis length to INL was larger in the females than in the males. In the frog, the ratio of distance between the upper edge of the acetabulum and the lower edge of the pubis to INL was larger in males than in females. In the newt, ratios of width of ischiopubis and the longitudinal length of the ischiopubis to INL were larger in females than in males. © Willey‐Liss, Inc.
Looking at picturebook covers multimodally: the case of two-Mum and two-Dad picturebooks

Picturebooks featuring same-sex parents, although growing in number, remain underexplored. In this article, the authors look at the covers of four such picturebooks, in particular at the representation of the co-parents and the multimodal workings of image and text. They ask: ‘How can the multimodal relationship between image and written text (the title) on the covers of picturebooks featuring same-sex parents best be described and explained? ’ This study is timely in that the image–text relationship is a contested one. Drawing on the notions of modal affordance and epistemological commitment and the Hallidayan functional grammar category of enhancement, the authors use Theo van Leeuwen’s (2008, 1996) Social Actors frameworks, in particular the Visual Representation frameworks, to show that image and text (the title) are not commensurate in the meanings they communicate. Further, rather than one mode being merely supportive of the other, image and text, here, are ‘mutually enhancing’ (see Unsworth and Cléirigh’s contribution to The Routledge Handbook of Multimodal Analysis, edited by Carey Jewitt, 2011). In these picturebooks, gay identities and practices can be – and indeed need to be read through an appreciation of this mutual enhancement, rather than through image or text (title) alone or in parallel. The authors propose that mutual enhancement may be characteristic of a sometime transgressive genre such as picturebooks featuring gay parents.
Defining Success in a Changing Society: Self-Evaluation and Social Reflections of a Coming Elite in the Baltic States

The term ‘success’ characterizes the social status of individuals and groups in a society, yet its meaning is subject to the continuous processes of reconstruction in public and academic discourse. Who is labeled successful is rapidly changing in transitional societies such as those of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In these contexts, sociologists have identified age as one of the factors influencing success or failure in society. Taking existing studies as a point of departure, this article looks into how those labeled ‘successful’ conceptualize success themselves. On the basis of in-depth interviews with individuals born between 1970 and 1978 in Estonia and Latvia and against the backdrop of theories about value formation and shifts, we come to the conclusion that the existing data provide an incomplete picture of how the emerging elite of both countries value individual performance and social status within their societies.
Effects of Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase Polymorphisms on Susceptibility to Lead in Han Subjects from Southwestern China

This study is to determine the distribution of the delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) polymorphism among Han subjects of the Chinese population and to study whether the polymorphism in the ALAD gene modifies the toxicity of lead in lead-exposed workers. For this purpose we conducted a cross-sectional study on 156 Chinese workers who were exposed to lead in lead-acid battery and electric-flex manufacturing plants. The authors found that the allele frequencies of ALAD1 and ALAD2 were 0.9679 and 0.0321, respectively. Workers with the ALAD 1-1 genotype were associated with higher blood lead levels than those with the ALAD 1-2 genotype. Blood and urine lead levels were much higher in storage battery workers than in cable workers. The self-conscious symptom survey showed that the incidences of debilitation, amnesia and dreaminess were much higher in those had more than five years of tenure or contact with lead on the job within the ALAD 1-1 genotype subgroup. Laboratory examinations showed that serum iron and zinc levels in workers’ with the ALAD 1-2 genotype were higher than those with the ALAD 1-1 genotype, especially in storage-battery workers. Correlation analysis indicated that the blood lead level negatively correlated with serum calcium, iron and zinc level. The data of this study suggest that the ALAD gene polymorphism and serum ion levels may modify the kinetics of lead in blood. Therefore, the authors recommend that an adequate intake of dietary calcium, iron, and zinc or the calcium, iron, and zinc supplementation should be prescribed to Chinese lead exposed workers.
The Construction of Gender in Sport: Women, Coaching, and the Naturalization of Difference

Analyses of the significance of sport to the construction of gender have for the most part concentrated on the practice or performance of sport. This article examines the construction of gender in the work of women coaches. Women coaches experience the marginalization common to token members of a workgroup. Their token status provides a context in which gender is highlighted through accounts of gender stressing the physical differences between men and women and the superiority of men's sporting experiences.