Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural insights into the dynamics and function of the C-terminus of the E. coli RNA chaperone Hfq

The hexameric Escherichia coli RNA chaperone Hfq (HfqEc) is involved in riboregulation of target mRNAs by small trans-encoded RNAs. Hfq proteins of different bacteria comprise an evolutionarily conserved core, whereas the C-terminus is variable in length. Although the structure of the conserved core has been elucidated for several Hfq proteins, no structural information has yet been obtained for the C-terminus. Using bioinformatics, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering we provide for the first time insights into the conformation and dynamic properties of the C-terminal extension of HfqEc. These studies indicate that the C-termini are flexible and extend laterally away from the hexameric core, displaying in this way features typical of intrinsically disordered proteins that facilitate intermolecular interactions. We identified a minimal, intrinsically disordered region of the C-terminus supporting the interactions with longer RNA fragments. This minimal region together with rest of the C-terminal extension provides a flexible moiety capable of tethering long and structurally diverse RNA molecules. Furthermore, SRCD spectroscopy supported the hypothesis that RNA fragments exceeding a certain length interact with the C-termini of HfqEc.
How do people respond to health news? The role of personality traits

When a patient receives a health diagnosis, their response (e.g. changes in behaviour, seeking support) can have significant consequences for long-term health and well-being. Characteristics of health news are known to influence these responses, but personality traits have been omitted from this line of research. The current study examines the role of personality traits in predicting response to health news. Participants (N = 298) read scenarios in which they received health news that was manipulated to vary in severity, controllability and likelihood of outcomes. Participants then rated how likely they were to engage in a number of response behaviours. We examined the main effects and interaction of situational manipulations and personality traits on ratings of these behaviours. Both situations and personality traits influenced behavioural responses to health events. In particular, conscientiousness predicted taking action and seeking social support. Neuroticism predicted both maladaptive and adaptive behavioural responses, providing support for the ‘healthy neurotic’ hypothesis. Moreover, personality traits predicted best in weak (unlikely, controllable) situations. Both personality traits and situational characteristics contribute to behavioural responses to health news.
Coping with chronic illness: a study of illness controllability and the influence of coping strategies on psychological adjustment.

Longitudinal data on the coping strategies used by middle-aged and older adults faced with one of four different chronic illnesses (N ~ 151) were used to evaluate the role of coping in the explanation of psychological adjustment. The study distinguished between illnesses that offer few opportunities for control (rheumatoid arthritis and cancer) and those more responsive to individual and medical efforts at control (hypertension and diabetes) and evaluated the emotional consequences of two coping strategies, information seeking and wish-fulfilling fantasy, expected to play different roles in adjustment. Results showed information seeking to have salubrious effects on adjustment and wish-fulfilling fantasy to have deleterious consequences; contrary to expectation, neither strategy's effects were modified by illness controllability. Analyses of the direction of causation between coping and adjustment suggest that wish-fulfilling fantasy is linked to poor adjustment in a mutually reinforcing causal cycle. The modesty of the effects of coping, however, demand replication of results to confirm the conclusions drawn here. Physical health is closely related to emotional and mental health, particularly among middle-aged and older adults, a fact documented by a multitude of studies (see reviews by Larson, 1978; Palmore & Luikart, 1972). Individuals differ in their adjustment to both acute and chronic illness, however. Coping efforts have been proposed as one means of accounting for these differences in adaptation, and numerous studies have documented the importance of individual coping efforts in helping ill adults maintain reasonable levels of emotional well-being (e.g., Cohen & Lazarus, 1979; Moos, 1982). These studies have found typical coping strategies to include: denial, selective ignoring, information seeking, taking refuge in activity, avoidance, learning specific illness-related procedures, engaging in wish-fulfilling fantasy, blaming others, and seeking comfort from others. Unfortunately, many of the studies arguing the importance
Astrology and the Scientific Method

Despite the fact that virtually all scientists reject astrology as unfounded superstition, it continues to hold a powerful grip on the belief-systems of millions of people. With the advent of computer technology, rigorous statistical tests have been carried out to examine the validity of the oft-heard claim that astrology works. The results of these recent tests are uniformly negative. Application of the scientific method then leads us to reject the astrological hypothesis.
Executive function as a mediator in the link between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and social problems.

BACKGROUND Cognitive processes and mechanisms underlying the strong link between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and social problems remain unclear. Limited knowledge also exists regarding a subgroup of youth with ADHD who do not have social problems. This study investigated the extent to which executive function (EF) mediated the association between ADHD and social problems and compared ADHD symptoms, comorbidities, and EF among ADHD youth with and without social problems and controls. METHODS The sample consisted of 279 youth with ADHD and 173 controls without ADHD (11-17 years of age) in Taiwan. Among youth with ADHD, two subgroups were further identified: 70 ADHD youth with social problems and 31 ADHD youth without social problems. EF was assessed with four subtests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (Spatial span, Spatial working memory, Intra-dimensional/extra-dimensional shifts, Stockings of Cambridge). Social problems were assessed by mother and child reports. RESULTS Executive function measures in working memory and planning mediated the effect of ADHD on social problems, independent of age, gender, and IQ. The two ADHD groups with and without social problems did not differ in ADHD severity or comorbidities; however, ADHD youth without social problems performed better on certain measures of EF such as working memory, planning, and response inhibition. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that deficits in some aspects of EF may account for social problems often experienced by youth with ADHD.
The Cognitive Dimension of Social Movements' Europeanization Processes. The Case of the Protests against ‘Fortress Europe’

Abstract This paper examines the Europeanization of social movements through frame analysis. Focusing on the case of the French and German pro-asylum movements, it shows how they build new collective identities and increasingly recognize the role of EU institutions and policies. This analysis shows first of all that social movements' organizations coming from different national contexts Europeanize their frames to the same extent and through similar paths. It shows then that, within each country, social movements' organizations with different characteristics frame European institutions and policies differently. These differences are explained by their distinct strategies of protest and alliance at the European level. Organizations acting in Brussels through lobbying techniques tend to follow a process of frame transformation, and organizations protesting at the transnational level tend to follow processes of frame extension and frame bridging. This analysis concentrates on a panel of 23 organizations representative of the pro-asylum movements in France and Germany.
Link Spam Alliances

Link spam is used to increase the ranking of certain target web pages by misleading the connectivity-based ranking algorithms in search engines. In this paper we study how web pages can be interconnected in a spam farm in order to optimize rankings. We also study alliances, that is, interconnections of spam farms. Our results identify the optimal structures and quantify the potential gains. In particular, we show that alliances can be synergistic and improve the rankings of all participants. We believe that the insights we gain will be useful in identifying and combating link spam.
Teachers' continuing professional development in primary physical education: lessons from present and past to inform the future

There is a growing recognition that teachers' learning, and effective policies and structures to support it, should be at the heart of government polices to improve standards in education (Day, 1999). In England, the continuing professional development (CPD) landscape for teachers is changing; and professional development in physical education (PE-CPD) is at the forefront of the new developments. In October 2002, the government announced funding of £450 million to transform the quality of physical education in England, and a key element of the strategy is to fund a National PE and School Sport Professional Development Programme for teachers and other adults working in schools. This paper focuses on primary school PE-CPD within that framework. Vignettes of the PE-CPD experiences of practising primary school teachers and an historical analysis of earlier attempts to enhance teachers' learning indicate that a fresh approach to PE-CPD is indeed needed. However it is argued that more fundamental changes may be required if the national programme is to achieve its objectives and be held accountable for major advances in teachers' and pupils' learning in primary PE.
Toddlers' social coordinations: Changing responses to another's invitation to play.

This study observed 28 toddlers, longitudinally at 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32 months, reacting to an adult's programmed play overtures. Ss'actions were coded for (a) their relation to the adult's overture (coordinated, interfering, tangential, and unrelated), (b) alternative overtures to the adult, and (c) the uses of sounds/words. A proposed model integrates developmental changes in forming and maintaining social coordinations with changes in negotiating the topic for coordinated action
Practice-based evidence and standardized evaluation: Informing the design of the CORE system

Abstract This paper provides the contextual and empirical foundation that informed the design of a core set of audit and evaluation tools for UK psychological therapy service provision. the initiative was committed to working in collaboration with practitioners to obtain information on the requirement for, and the characteristics of, a quality evaluation system. the inception of this project occurred in parallel with the publication of the Department of Health Strategic Review of NHS Psychological Therapy Services in England which identified the need for improved service access and enhanced treatment appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency. the empirical base of the paper reports retrospectively on the results of a survey of National Health Service practitioners and purchasers. Undertaken in 1996, the survey was designed to gather ‘intelligence’ on information collection and dissemination practice. the results of the survey are discussed in order to introduce the characteristics and content of the C.
Gastrointestinal Tract Location of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Ruminants

ABSTRACT Experimentally inoculated sheep and cattle were used as models of natural ruminant infection to investigate the pattern of Escherichia coli O157:H7 shedding and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) location. Eighteen forage-fed cattle were orally inoculated with E. coli O157:H7, and fecal samples were cultured for the bacteria. Three distinct patterns of shedding were observed: 1 month, 1 week, and 2 months or more. Similar patterns were confirmed among 29 forage-fed sheep and four cannulated steers. To identify the GIT location of E. coli O157:H7, sheep were sacrificed at weekly intervals postinoculation and tissue and digesta cultures were taken from the rumen, abomasum, duodenum, lower ileum, cecum, ascending colon, descending colon, and rectum. E. coli O157:H7 was most prevalent in the lower GIT digesta, specifically the cecum, colon, and feces. The bacteria were only inconsistently cultured from tissue samples and only during the first week postinoculation. These results were supported in studies of four Angus steers with cannulae inserted into both the rumen and duodenum. After the steers were inoculated, ruminal, duodenal, and fecal samples were cultured periodically over the course of the infection. The predominant location of E. coli O157:H7 persistence was the lower GIT. E. coli O157:H7 was rarely cultured from the rumen or duodenum after the first week postinoculation, and this did not predict if animals went on to shed the bacteria for 1 week or 1 month. These findings suggest the colon as the site for E. coli O157:H7 persistence and proliferation in mature ruminant animals.
The Influence of Affective and Instrumental Beliefs on Exercise Intentions and Behavior: A Longitudinal Analysis

Programs encouraging exercise might reduce coronary illness. Ajzen's theory of planned behavior is a useful model for understanding exercise motivation. The current study investigated the contribution of the instrumental and affective components of attitude. As part of a community-based study of exercise behavior, 424 men and 572 women completed questionnaires, with 365 participants providing 6-month follow-up data. Regressions highlighted the affective component as a much more powerful predictor of intention compared to the instrumental component. After controlling for prior exercise, intention was not predictive of later exercise, although the affective component was. The implications for exercise promotion are discussed.
Examining the Antecedents of Destination Loyalty in a Forest Setting

Loyalty has become a critical part of leisure research due to increasing competition in the field and the recognition of the importance of loyal visitors. To further develop loyalty research, this study looks at the issue of destination loyalty in a forest setting. It specifically focuses on revealing the formation of attitudinal, conative, and behavioral loyalty and the relationship between destination loyalty and related concepts that influence the strength of loyalty: service quality, satisfaction, and activity involvement. Six hypotheses were tested to represent the relationships among six factors. Forest recreationists who perceive high service quality tend to have high satisfaction and activity involvement that lead to destination loyalty. The findings also substantiated the conceptual framework of loyalty formation.
Asset Prices Under Habit Formation and Catching Up with the Joneses

This paper introduces a utility function that nests three classes of utility functions: (1) time-separable utility functions; (2) "catching up with the Joneses" utility functions that depend on the consumer's level of consumption relative to the lagged cross-sectional average level of consumption; and (3) utility functions that display habit formation. Closed-form solutions for equilibrium asset prices are derived under the assumption that consumption growth is i.i. d. The equity premia under catching up with the Joneses and under habit formation are, for some parameter values, as large as the historically observed equity premium in the United States.
Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam 'Tainong 57') constituents

The aim of this study is to examine possible antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of the different extracts from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam 'Tainong 57') organs. DPPH staining, total phenolic com- pounds and flavonoid content, DPPH radical, reducing power method, FTC method, and cell proliferation were all employed. In the DPPH staining, ethanol extract of vein had the highest radical-scavenging activity when it was diluted to 6.25 mg dry matter/mL. Among all the extracts, the highest amount of total phenolic and flavonoid com- pounds was found in the ethanol extract of vein. In the DPPH colorimetric method, it was found that ethanol extract of leaf had the highest radical-scavenging activity, followed by water extract of vein. In the reducing power activity assay, it was found that the water extract of leaf had the highest reducing power activity, followed by ethanol extract of vein. Like phenolic compounds, the highest FTC activity was found in the ethanol extract of vein. The antipro- liferative activities aof sweet potato were studied in vitro using human lymphoma NB4 cells, and the following re- sults were found: water extract of vein had the highest antiproliferative activity with an EC 50 of 449.6 ± 27.73 µg/mL, followed by water extract of storage root, water extract of leaf, ethanol extract of storage root, and ethanol extract of leaf. Although the ethanol extract of vein showed strong antioxidant activity, it had no antiproliferative activity under the experimental conditions tested.
Aspects of Residents' Perceptions of the GMC 400 - Canberra's V8 Supercar Race

The Inaugural GMC 400 Super Car Race was held in Canberra, Australia, on 11 June 2000 within the Parliamentary Precinct of the national capital. Some debate arose in the media about the appropriateness of the event for Canberra in general, and for the zone in particular. While the event was shown on television to all Australians, it is the residents of Canberra who are most affected by the traffic, by the visual impact of the infrastructure, and by other social costs. The residents are also the ones who experience any social benefits such as the excitement and the pride of hosting the event. This paper presents the results of a telephone survey of local residents conducted immediately after the weekend of the race to gauge residents' perceptions of the event and to test for differences in attitudes amongst different groups. Overall, the results of this study recognised that residents experienced some disruption and perceived some negative impacts of the event; however, they also perceived some of the positive impacts such as promotion for the national capital and community pride. The study also revealed that residents' perceptions differed according to several intrinsic variables, including attendance at the event, employment as a result of the event, interest in motorsports, and residential proximity to the race circuit.
Modeling the effect of human body on TOA ranging for indoor human tracking with wrist mounted sensor

In TOA based indoor human tracking system, target sensors are often mounted to the surface of human body which may raise non-line-of-sight (NLOS) issues and give raise to significant ranging error. However, analysis on the influence of human body on TOA ranging result has never been seen from previous researches. In this paper, we focus on geometrical information, effect of system bandwidth and signal to noise ratio and provide a detailed analysis on the effect of human body on TOA ranging. Perspective of creeping wave around the surface of human body has been taken into consideration and a statistical TOA ranging error model has been built based on measurements in office environment. The wrist model in this paper separates the ranging error caused by multi path phenomenon and ranging error caused by blockage of human body by partitioning the measurement scenario into line-of-sight (LOS) and NLOS scenario. Comparison has been made between wrist model and chest model in our previous work and the performance of this wrist model has been validated.
Associations of Type a Behavior with the Emotional Traits of Anger and Curiosity

The main purpose of the present research was to investigate the Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) associations with anger, anxiety and curiosity measured as traits. A sample of 572 students (48.9% men) completed the State Trait Personality Inventory (STPI; Spielberger et al ., 1979) and the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS; Jenkins et al ., 1979) under neutral conditions. Type As showed, independently of age and social desirability, high levels of trait-anger and trait-curiosity, but not trait-anxiety. The associations with emotional state measures were minimal. The discussion focuses on the relevance of these outcomes to the understanding of the emotional and personality dimensions of the TABP.
Depression of motor cortex excitability by low‐frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation

We studied the effects of low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on motor cortex excitability in humans. TMS at 0.1 Hz for 1 hour did not change cortical excitability. Stimulation at 0.9 Hz for 15 minutes (810 pulses), similar to the parameters used to induce long-term depression (LTD) in cortical slice preparations and in vivo animal studies, led to a mean decrease in motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude of 19.5%. The decrease in cortical excitability lasted for at least 15 minutes after the end of the 0.9 Hz stimulation. The mechanism underlying this decrease in excitability may be similar to LTD. TMS-induced reduction of cortical excitability has potential clinical applications in diseases such as epilepsy and myoclonus. Spread of excitation, which may be a warning sign for seizures, occurred in one subject and was not accompanied by increased MEP amplitude, suggesting that spread of excitation and amplitude changes are different phenomena and also indicating the need for adequate monitoring even with stimulations at low frequencies.
The Nature and Focus of Entrepreneurship Research in France over the Last Decade: A French Touch?

This article gives an overview of the specificities of entrepreneurship research in France, paying attention to its emergence, nature, and focus. Reviewing 253 articles and conference papers from two journals and two conferences, considered main outlets for research outcomes from French scholars, our findings reveal a distinctive “French touch” of entrepreneurship research. The main facets we were able to identify with our data for the 1995 to 2005 period are as follows. There is a preference for qualitative methods, conceptual contributions, and the entrepreneurial process as privileged research theme. A particular strength of the French approach is also a strong focus of small and medium–sized organizations. The “French touch” of entrepreneurship research could make a distinctive contribution to the international research community and the mainstream debate. However, mainly French–speaking dissemination of knowledge and (still) insufficient international journal–oriented output strategies limit the diffusion of French entrepreneurship research. Implications for academic institutions and future research are discussed.