Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of handedness in twins

It is well established that the distribution of the combinations of handedness (LL, LR, and RR) in twin pairs is roughly binomial regardless of zygosity or sex. This fact has challenged current genetic models of handedness. We show here that: (a) there must be at least one environmental determinant of handedness; and (b) the binomial distribution does not in itself invalidate genetic models of handedness. In singletons, left-handedness is strongly associated with low birth weight. In twins, this association is weaker (apparently as a consequence of a stronger association with birth order—i.e., with being first-born—within the pair). We speculate that the hazards associated with being first-born in twin pairs (e.g., trauma) are more closely associated with left-handedness than are the hazards associated with being second-born (e.g., hypoxia).
An investigation examining the effects of specificity within the construct of anxiety on planning and execution of movement

The specificity of practice hypothesis and the psychological construct of anxiety are well established bodies of literature within their respective fields of research. The purpose of the current thesis was to design a series of experiments that investigate whether anxiety conforms to the principles of specificity. All experiments within the thesis provide data indicating that a change in anxiety mood state between acquisition and transfer results in a decrement in performance; both if anxiety is added or removed between acquisition and transfer. That is, the optimal performance of movements are linked (directly or indirectly) to the mood state under which they were learnt. Furthermore, the latter half of the experiments aimed to investigate the motor control processes that are affected by the anxiety/mood specificity i.e. whether movement planning (offline processes) and/or adjustment to movements during execution (online processes) are affected. Results support a specificity framework within the construct of anxiety, indicating the motor control mechanisms responsible for this pressure-performance specificity interaction are associated with effortful and non-automatic parameterisation of movement. However, upon further detailed analysis we conclude that any changes in offline processes are a strategy to overcome the reduction in one’s ability to utilise online control processes when performing and learning under anxiety. That is, practicing with anxiety conforms to specificity effects and the strategy that is deemed most useful for success under anxiety conditions is to enhance movement planning. This strategy appears to be due to anxiety disrupting the automatic processes associated with the use of online control. Specificity of practice also offers an alternative explanation for choking and raises important theoretical and practical issues within both the motor control domain and sport psychology domain. That is, experimental paradigms used and the conclusions drawn from them need to be considered with knowledge of the Specificity of Practice Hypothesis (Proteau, 1992).
Aggregation of Aβ(1–42) in the presence of short peptides: conformational studies

CD and infrared spectroscopic studies were performed on (i) the inhibitory effects of equimolar quantities of LPFFD‐OH and LPYFD‐NH2 on the time‐dependent aggregation of amyloid β‐protein (Aβ) (1–42) and (ii) the β‐sheet‐breaker effects of two‐fold molar excess of the pentapeptides on aggregated Aβ(1–42) aged 1 week. The data obtained from the time‐dependent studies demonstrated that LPFFD‐OH did not significantly influence, whereas LPYFD‐NH2 exerted some inhibitory effect on the aggregation of Aβ(1–42). When added to a solution of Aβ(1–42) aged 1 week, LPFFD‐OH accelerated, while LPYFD‐NH2 delayed, but did not prevent further fibrillogenesis. The difference in the effects of these two pentapeptides on the aggregational profile of Aβ(1–42) is probably due to the difference in their conformational preferences: LPFFD‐OH adopts a β‐turn and extended structures, while LPYFD‐NH2 adopts a prevailing β‐turn conformation. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Critical Role of Perforin-dependent CD8+ T Cell Immunity for Rapid Protective Vaccination in a Murine Model for Human Smallpox

Vaccination is highly effective in preventing various infectious diseases, whereas the constant threat of new emerging pathogens necessitates the development of innovative vaccination principles that also confer rapid protection in a case of emergency. Although increasing evidence points to T cell immunity playing a critical role in vaccination against viral diseases, vaccine efficacy is mostly associated with the induction of antibody responses. Here we analyze the immunological mechanism(s) of rapidly protective vaccinia virus immunization using mousepox as surrogate model for human smallpox. We found that fast protection against lethal systemic poxvirus disease solely depended on CD4 and CD8 T cell responses induced by vaccination with highly attenuated modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) or conventional vaccinia virus. Of note, CD4 T cells were critically required to allow for MVA induced CD8 T cell expansion and perforin-mediated cytotoxicity was a key mechanism of MVA induced protection. In contrast, selected components of the innate immune system and B cell-mediated responses were fully dispensable for prevention of fatal disease by immunization given two days before challenge. In conclusion, our data clearly demonstrate that perforin-dependent CD8 T cell immunity plays a key role in MVA conferred short term protection against lethal mousepox. Rapid induction of T cell immunity might serve as a new paradigm for treatments that need to fit into a scenario of protective emergency vaccination.
Identification of a transcriptional signature for the wound healing continuum

There is a spectrum/continuum of adult human wound healing outcomes ranging from the enhanced (nearly scarless) healing observed in oral mucosa to scarring within skin and the nonhealing of chronic skin wounds. Central to these outcomes is the role of the fibroblast. Global gene expression profiling utilizing microarrays is starting to give insight into the role of such cells during the healing process, but no studies to date have produced a gene signature for this wound healing continuum. Microarray analysis of adult oral mucosal fibroblast (OMF), normal skin fibroblast (NF), and chronic wound fibroblast (CWF) at 0 and 6 hours post‐serum stimulation was performed. Genes whose expression increases following serum exposure in the order OMF < NF < CWF are candidates for a negative/impaired healing phenotype (the dysfunctional healing group), whereas genes with the converse pattern are potentially associated with a positive/preferential healing phenotype (the enhanced healing group). Sixty‐six genes in the enhanced healing group and 38 genes in the dysfunctional healing group were identified. Overrepresentation analysis revealed pathways directly and indirectly associated with wound healing and aging and additional categories associated with differentiation, development, and morphogenesis. Knowledge of this wound healing continuum gene signature may in turn assist in the therapeutic assessment/treatment of a patient's wounds.
The design of a new type of quasi-optical mode converter mirror system

In this paper, a novel method for construction a fair mirror is proposed. Based on such the mirror, a quasi-optical mode converter for a 70-GHz TE6,2 mode has been designed. Numerical calculation shows that Gauss content of the output beam is more than 95% and basically agrees with the simulation. The mirror by the method has the advantages of fair surface that is easy to be processed with small machining error.
Measuring Recent Thymic Emigrants in Blood of Normal and HIV-1–Infected Individuals before and after Effective Therapy

The role of the thymus in HIV-1 pathogenesis remains unclear. We developed an assay to quantify the number of recent thymic emigrants in blood based on the detection of a major excisional DNA byproduct (termed α1 circle) of T cell receptor rearrangement. By studying 532 normal individuals, we found that α1 circle numbers in blood remain high for the first 10–15 yr of life, a sharp drop is seen in the late teen years, and a gradual decline occurs thereafter. Compared with age-matched uninfected control individuals, α1 circle numbers in HIV-1–infected adults were significantly reduced; however, there were many individuals with normal α1 circle numbers. In 74 individuals receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy, we found no appreciable effect on α1 circle numbers in those whose baseline values were already within the normal range, but significant increases were observed in those with a preexisting impairment. The increases in α1 circle numbers were, however, numerically insufficient to account for the rise in levels of naive T lymphocytes. Overall, it is difficult to invoke thymic regenerative failure as a generalized mechanism for CD4 lymphocyte depletion in HIV-1 infection, as α1 circle numbers are normal in a substantial subset of HIV-1–infected individuals.
Phosphoregulation of Cardiac Inotropy via Myosin Binding Protein-C During Increased Pacing Frequency or &bgr;1-Adrenergic Stimulation

Background—Mammalian hearts exhibit positive inotropic responses to &bgr;-adrenergic stimulation as a consequence of protein kinase A–mediated phosphorylation or as a result of increased beat frequency (the Bowditch effect). Several membrane and myofibrillar proteins are phosphorylated under these conditions, but the relative contributions of these to increased contractility are not known. Phosphorylation of cardiac myosin-binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) by protein kinase A accelerates the kinetics of force development in permeabilized heart muscle, but its role in vivo is unknown. Such understanding is important because adrenergic responsiveness of the heart and the Bowditch effect are both depressed in heart failure. Methods and Results—The roles of cMyBP-C phosphorylation were studied using mice in which either WT or nonphosphorylatable forms of cMyBP-C [ser273ala, ser282ala, ser302ala: cMyBP-C(t3SA)] were expressed at similar levels on a cMyBP-C null background. Force and [Ca2+]in measurements in isolated papillary muscles showed that the increased force and twitch kinetics because increased pacing or &bgr;1-adrenergic stimulation were nearly absent in cMyBP-C(t3SA) myocardium, even though [Ca2+]in transients under each condition were similar to WT. Biochemical measurements confirmed that protein kinase A phosphorylated ser273, ser282, and ser302 in WT cMyBP-C. In contrast, CaMKII&dgr;, which is activated by increased pacing, phosphorylated ser302 principally, ser282 to a lesser degree, and ser273 not at all. Conclusions—Phosphorylation of cMyBP-C increases the force and kinetics of twitches in living cardiac muscle. Further, cMyBP-C is a principal mediator of increased contractility observed with &bgr;-adrenergic stimulation or increased pacing because of protein kinase A and CaMKII&dgr; phosphorylations of cMyB-C.
Granulomatous Ventriculitis of the Brain in Arizonosis of Turkeys

Arizonosis is a disease of domestic poultry due to infection with Salmonella arizonae (Arizona hin~hawii). ~ It is seen most frequently as a septicemic illness in turkey poults, with associated peritonitis, pencarditis, enteritis, hepatocellular and splenic necrosis, splenomegaly, pneumonia, pulmonary hemorrhage and edema, renal tubular necrosis and ophthalmitis.4. Brain lesions including ventriculitis, parenchymal necrosis, and abscesses are common, but only have been described in acute stages4 We report intracranial lesions at a later stage of evolution in two poults with arizonosis. These two poults originated from a flock of four-week-old Broad-Breasted White male turkeys in which loose droppings first had been noted at three weeks of age, followed by a modest increase in mortality. Blindness in one or both eyes was seen in approximately 1 % of the flock, usually associated with opacity of the lens. About 0.1 % of the flock (including the two birds we describe) became ataxic and had various degrees of torticollis. Within 48 hours many poults were found terminally ill, lying on their sides, often with paddling movements of their feet. Salmonella arizonae was cultured from ocular exudates in these two poults. No significant gross lesions were noted in the visceral organs. Only the brains were submitted for histological study. When formalin-fixed sections were examined, a white-yellow exudate was seen grossly in the lateral ventricles (fig. 1). The most profound light microscopic lesions involved the lateral
ASPERGILLUS IN PATIENT CARE AREAS

The Aspergilli are among the four most common fungi of the environment. ’ They can be readily isolated from the soil, most readily from compost piles and damp basements of houses as well as the tropics, polar areas and the upper atmosphere. ’ Of the 150 described Aspergillus species, only about a dozen3 are presently known to be pathogenic to man. animals and bird^,^,^ and although infections of almost every body tissue have been noted,3 the Aspergilli are most frequently encountered as respiratory A fumigatus is the most commonly noted pathogenic species among cancer patients and is especially active as an allergic and invasive o r g a n i ~ m . ~ , ~ Other species, e.g., A. niger, A. terreus, A. flavus, A. nidulans, A. niveus, A. clavatus, and A. res t r i~ tus ,~ have also been responsible for similar infections; some are involved in the production of aflotoxins in human and animal foods,’ allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergil l~sis,~ colonization of paranasal and sinus s ~ r f a c e s . ~ ~ ~ ~ invasive diseases of lungs and other organs,” and are also occasionally found in systemic infections. ” The thermo-tolerance of some members of this group, 12”-53”C in hot or active compost apparently helps them to become established in animal (37°C) and bird (40°C) host tissues. Since the spores (conidia) of A. fumigatus are small, only about 2-3 microns in diameter, they are readily distributed by air currents and thus not easily isolated on fallout plates. Special equipment is usually n,ecessary to remove the viable spores from the air currents especially inside residential and public buildings e.g., hospitals and patient care units.I4 However, culturing vacuum cleaner dust will usually provide several species of viable Aspergilli. ” As with every biological contamination, the numbers and species of viable spores will vary widely both seasonally’6-18 and geographical-
The Role of the N-Terminal Oligopeptide Repeats of the Yeast Sup35 Prion Protein in Propagation and Transmission of Prion Variants

The cytoplasmic [PSI+] determinant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the prion form of the Sup35 protein. Oligopeptide repeats within the Sup35 N-terminal domain (PrD) presumably are required for the stable [PSI+] inheritance that in turn involves fragmentation of Sup35 polymers by the chaperone Hsp104. The nonsense suppressor [PSI+] phenotype can vary in efficiency probably due to different inheritable Sup35 polymer structures. Here we study the ability of Sup35 mutants with various deletions of the oligopeptide repeats to support [PSI+] propagation. We define the minimal region of the Sup35–PrD necessary to support [PSI+] as amino acids 1–64, which include the first two repeats, although a longer fragment, 1–83, is required to maintain weak [PSI+] variants. Replacement of wild-type Sup35 with deletion mutants decreases the strength of the [PSI+] phenotype. However, with one exception, reintroducing the wild-type Sup35 restores the original phenotype. Thus, the specific prion fold defining the [PSI+] variant can be preserved by the mutant Sup35 protein despite the change of phenotype. Coexpression of wild-type and mutant Sup35 containing three, two, one, or no oligopeptide repeats causes variant-specific [PSI+] elimination. These data suggest that [PSI+] variability is primarily defined by differential folding of the Sup35–PrD oligopeptide-repeat region.
A Hyperelastic Finite-Element Model of Human Skin for Interactive Real-Time Surgical Simulation

A finite-element (FE) model of human skin is proposed for future use in an interactive real-time surgical simulation to teach surgeons procedures, such as facial reconstruction using skin-flap repair. For this procedure, skin is cut into flaps that are stretched to cover openings in the face. Thus, the model must recreate the visual, haptic, and force feedback expected by the surgeon. To develop the FE model, a series of in vitro experiments were conducted on samples of human skin, subjected to uniaxial and planar tensile straining. Reduced polynomial hyperelastic (HE) materials were found to fit many of the samples' stress-strain data well. Finally, an explicit dynamic FE mesh was developed based on the fitted HE material models. A total Lagrangian formulation with the half-step central difference method was employed to integrate the dynamic equation of motion of the mesh. The mesh was integrated into two versions of a real-time skin simulator: a single-threaded version running on a computer's main central processing unit and a multithreaded version running on the computer's graphics card. The latter was achieved by exploiting recent advances in programmable graphics technology.
Ego-motion and omnidirectional cameras

Recent research in image sensors has produced cameras with very large fields of view. An area of computer vision research which will benefit from this technology is the computation of camera motion (ego-motion) from a sequence of images. Traditional cameras stiffer from the problem that the direction of translation may lie outside of the field of view, making the computation of camera motion sensitive to noise. In this paper, we present a method for the recovery of ego-motion using omnidirectional cameras. Noting the relationship between spherical projection and wide-angle imaging devices, we propose mapping the image velocity vectors to a sphere, using the Jacobian of the transformation between the projection model of the camera and spherical projection. Once the velocity vectors are mapped to a sphere, we show how existing ego-motion algorithms can be applied and present some experimental results. These results demonstrate the ability to compute ego-motion with omnidirectional cameras.
The Herald and Daily News' Framing of the Leaked Zimbabwean Draft Constitution and Vice President Joice Mujuru’s Fall from Grace

Debates in Zimbabwe give the impression that mass media are central to the country’s democratization. Focusing on two seemingly unrelated but defining events in Zimbabwe’s political life—the framing of the leaked draft constitution (January–February 2012) and Vice President Joice Mujuru’s fall from grace (August 2014–June 2015)—this article investigates whether the concern about the media’s role in Zimbabwe’s democratic project is justified. A comparative analysis of Daily News and The Herald was carried out to ascertain how the two newspapers framed the two events and to judge the extent to which they can be said to be informative and educative. Content analysis of the two publications and in-depth interviews with The Herald news editor and a senior reporter and with Daily News ’ news editor and political editor were used to establish their perceptions regarding their newspapers’ framing of the two events. The article reveals that the two publications’ framing of the events was polarized and did not assist citizens to make informed decisions. The Herald was pro-Mugabe, while Daily News was anti-Mugabe.
Capacitive Mixing for Harvesting the Free Energy of Solutions at Different Concentrations

An enormous dissipation of the order of 2 kJ/L takes place during the natural mixing process of fresh river water entering the salty sea. “Capacitive mixing” is a promising technique to efficiently harvest this energy in an environmentally clean and sustainable fashion. This method has its roots in the ability to store a very large amount of electric charge inside supercapacitor or battery electrodes dipped in a saline solution. Three different schemes have been studied so far, namely, Capacitive Double Layer Expansion (CDLE), Capacitive Donnan Potential (CDP) and Mixing Entropy Battery (MEB), respectively based on the variation upon salinity change of the electric double layer capacity, on the Donnan membrane potential, and on the electrochemical energy of intercalated ions.
From Duty to Choice: Marketing Islamic Banking in Malaysia

A content analysis of print advertisements and customer websites of Islamic banks in Malaysia, this paper examines the changing marketing and branding landscape of Islamic banking products and financial services. When Islamic banks were first set up in Malaysia in the early 1980s, their advertising material emphasized the religious obligations of Muslims to save and invest with shari'a-compliant financial products and services. Amid the ongoing liberalization of Malaysia's Islamic banking sector since the mid-1990s, a transformation of this marketing strategy appears to have taken place. Islamic banks no longer emphasize a priori the religious imperatives or even the ethical principles that underlie their business model. Rather, they tend to stress that banking according to the principles of the shari'a is an economically rational alternative to the conventional system. Islamic banks in Malaysia portray themselves not simply as Islamic banks, but as better, more profitable and safer alternatives to the crisis-prone conventional, interest-based banking sector. This paper examines this transformation, and seeks to relate the three broad trends it has identified in the advertisement of Islamic banking services to the wider socio-cultural, economic and political changes that have been under way in Malaysia since the late 1960s.
Metabolic Response of Different High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Exercise Protocols

Abstract Gosselin, LE, Kozlowski, KF, DeVinney-Boymel, L, and Hambridge, C. Metabolic response of different high-intensity aerobic interval exercise protocols. J Strength Cond Res 26(10): 2866–2871, 2012—Although high-intensity sprint interval training (SIT) employing the Wingate protocol results in significant physiological adaptations, it is conducted at supramaximal intensity and is potentially unsafe for sedentary middle-aged adults. We therefore evaluated the metabolic and cardiovascular response in healthy young individuals performing 4 high-intensity (∼90% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max) aerobic interval training (HIT) protocols with similar total work output but different work-to-rest ratio. Eight young physically active subjects participated in 5 different bouts of exercise over a 3-week period. Protocol 1 consisted of 20-minute continuous exercise at approximately 70% of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, whereas protocols 2–5 were interval based with a work-active rest duration (in seconds) of 30/30, 60/30, 90/30, and 60/60, respectively. Each interval protocol resulted in approximately 10 minutes of exercise at a workload corresponding to approximately 90% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, but differed in the total rest duration. The 90/30 HIT protocol resulted in the highest V[Combining Dot Above]O2, HR, rating of perceived exertion, and blood lactate, whereas the 30/30 protocol resulted in the lowest of these parameters. The total caloric energy expenditure was lowest in the 90/30 and 60/30 protocols (∼150 kcal), whereas the other 3 protocols did not differ (∼195 kcal) from one another. The immediate postexercise blood pressure response was similar across all the protocols. These finding indicate that HIT performed at approximately 90% of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max is no more physiologically taxing than is steady-state exercise conducted at 70% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, but the response during HIT is influenced by the work-to-rest ratio. This interval protocol may be used as an alternative approach to steady-state exercise training but with less time commitment.