Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulated Actin Cytoskeleton Assembly at Filopodium Tips Controls Their Extension and Retraction

The extension and retraction of filopodia in response to extracellular cues is thought to be an important initial step that determines the direction of growth cone advance. We sought to understand how the dynamic behavior of the actin cytoskeleton is regulated to produce extension or retraction. By observing the movement of fiduciary marks on actin filaments in growth cones of a neuroblastoma cell line, we found that filopodium extension and retraction are governed by a balance between the rate of actin cytoskeleton assembly at the tip and retrograde flow. Both assembly and flow rate can vary with time in a single filopodium and between filopodia in a single growth cone. Regulation of assembly rate is the dominant factor in controlling filopodia behavior in our system.
Direct measurement of protein osmotic second virial cross coefficients by cross‐interaction chromatography

The importance of weak protein interactions, such as protein self‐association, is widely recognized in a variety of biological and technological processes. Although protein self‐association has been studied extensively, much less attention has been devoted to weak protein cross‐association, mainly due to the difficulties in measuring weak interactions between different proteins in solution. Here a framework is presented for quantifying the osmotic second virial cross coefficient directly using a modified form of self‐interaction chromatography called cross‐interaction chromatography. A theoretical relationship is developed between the virial cross coefficient and the chromatographic retention using statistical mechanics. Measurements of bovine serum albumin (BSA)/lysozyme cross‐association using cross‐interaction chromatography agree well with the few osmometry measurements available in the literature. Lysozyme/α‐chymotrypsinogen interactions were also measured over a wide range of solution conditions, and some counterintuitive trends were observed that may provide new insight into the molecular origins of weak protein interactions. The virial cross coefficients presented in this work may also provide insight into separation processes that are influenced by protein cross‐interactions, such as crystallization, precipitation, and ultrafiltration.
Physiological Correlates of Skating Performance in Women's and Men's Ice Hockey

Gilenstam, KM, Thorsen, K, and Henriksson-Larsén, KB. Physiological correlates of skating performance in women's and men's ice hockey. J Strength Cond Res 25(8): 2133-2142, 2011—The purpose of the current investigation was to identify relationships between physiological off-ice tests and on-ice performance in female and male ice hockey players on a comparable competitive level. Eleven women, 24 ± 3.0 years, and 10 male ice hockey players, 23 ± 2.4 years, were tested for background variables: height, body weight (BW), ice hockey history, and lean body mass (LBM) and peak torque (PT) of the thigh muscles, &OV0312;o2peak and aerobic performance (Onset of Blood Lactate Accumulation [OBLA], respiratory exchange ratio [RER1]) during an incremental bicycle ergometer test. Four different on-ice tests were used to measure ice skating performance. For women, skating time was positively correlated (p < 0.05) to BW and negatively correlated to LBM%, PT/BW, OBLA, RER 1, and &OV0312;o2peak (ml O2·kg−1 BW−1·min−1) in the Speed test. Acceleration test was positively correlated to BW and negatively correlated to OBLA and RER 1. For men, correlation analysis revealed only 1 significant correlation where skating time was positively correlated to &OV0312;o2peak (L O2·min−1) in the Acceleration test. The male group had significantly higher physiological test values in all variables (absolute and relative to BW) but not in relation to LBM. Selected off-ice tests predict skating performance for women but not for men. The group of women was significantly smaller and had a lower physiological performance than the group of men and were slower in the on-ice performance tests. However, gender differences in off-ice variables were reduced or disappeared when values were related to LBM, indicating a similar capacity of producing strength and aerobic power in female and male hockey players. Skating performance in female hockey players may be improved by increasing thigh muscle strength, oxygen uptake, and relative muscle mass.
Segmentation-free query-by-string word spotting with Bag-of-Features HMMs

Word spotting allows to explore document images without requiring a full transcription. In the query-by-string scenario considered in this paper, it is possible to search arbitrary keywords while only limited prior information about the documents is required. We learn context-dependent character models from a training set that is small with respect to the number of models. This is possible due to the use of Bag-of-Features HMMs that are especially suited for estimating robust models from limited training material. In contrast to most query-by-string methods we consider a fully segmentation-free decoding framework that does not require any pre-segmentation on word or line level. Experiments on the well-known George Washington benchmark demonstrate the high accuracy of our method.
Mental imagery and reading comprehension proficiency in English second language learners : an exploratory study.

Reading comprehension proficiency is vital for learners to be successful in their academic career, however, South African studies have revealed that reading comprehension skills are severely underdeveloped in secondary school learners. Local research has investigated many contributing factors such as multilingualism and deficits with the national curriculum standards. Far fewer studies have examined the cognitive underpinnings that differentiate between English second language (ESL) learners who are proficient in reading comprehension and those who are not. Certain multi-coding theories assert that the integration of visual mental imagery and verbal information is essential for the formation of a comprehensive mental model, which forms the basis of reading comprehension. This study explored the relationship between visual reasoning ability and the reading comprehension proficiency in a group of 83 ESL learners from two urban Gauteng schools. One school represented learners who are proficient readers whilst the second group represented learners who are developing readers. The Non-Verbal Reasoning and the 3D Spatial Manipulation subtests from the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) battery were used to explore the learners’ ability to reason using visual-object and visual-spatial mental imagery. The Verbal Reasoning test was used to establish a baseline for the learners’ language skills. The items of the Reading Comprehension subtest of the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test battery (SDRT-RC) were evaluated for textual factors that contribute toward word concreteness effects. The relationships between the DAT subtests and the SDRT-RC Mixed, Abstract and Concrete Items subtests were discussed in light of multi-coding models of reading comprehension.
Study of plane periodic multilayered viscoelastic media: Experiment and simulation

Phononic crystals or periodic media are widely studied because of their very interesting properties such as exhibiting absolute or local band gaps in their dispersion curves. This preliminary work deals with plane multilayers composed of 1, 2 and 3 elementary periods. The aim of this study is to compare experiments and modeling results where the plates and periods are supposed perfectly bonded. The studied period is composed of aluminum and polyethylene plates. Simulations are based on the stiffness matrix method [1]. When attenuation is considered in polyethylene, the reflection coefficients are different depending on the insonification side. Attenuation of the whole multilayer could be deduced by comparison of simulation and experimental data. Pulse-echo measurements have been performed to obtain the longitudinal attenuation in the polyethylene layer.
Control over What? Individual Differences in General versus Eating and Spending Self-Control

Public policy research is often directed at inducing welfare-enhancing behavioral change using interventions that provide consumers with helpful information and tools. The authors suggest that the effectiveness of such public policy interventions for relevant outcomes depend on individual differences in consumer self-control. The present research examines how healthy eating and responsible spending outcomes are influenced by low (vs. high) self-control at general and domain-specific levels. Important questions pertain to the theoretical basis of self-control individual differences and the relative efficacy of general and domain-specific measures in predicting eating and spending outcomes. The authors propose a new measurement approach to increase measurement standardization and the comparability of results in self-control studies and empirically demonstrate its value. Recommendations for public policy researchers and practitioners reflect the role of general and domain-specific individual differences in self-control and their implications for designing and testing effective interventions to improve consumer health and financial well-being.
Evolution and Social Cognition: Contrast Effects as a Function of Sex, Dominance, and Physical Attractiveness

Previous research indicates that males, compared with females, evaluate their relationships less favorably after exposure to physically attractive members of the other sex. An evolutionary model predicts a converse effect after exposure to opposite-sex individuals high in dominance, which should lead females to evaluate their current relationships less favorably than males. Women and men rated their current relationships after being exposed to opposite-sex targets varying in both dominance and physical attractiveness. Consistent with earlier research, males exposed to physically attractive, as compared with average, targets rated their current relationships less favorably. Males' relationship evaluations were not directly influenced by the targets' dominance, although the effect of physical attractiveness was significant only for men exposed to women low in dominance. However; females' evaluations of their relationships were unaffected by exposure to physically attractive males but were lower after exposure to targets high in dominance. These data support predictions derived from an evolutionary model and suggest that such models can be used to generate testable hypotheses about ongoing social cognition.
Four decades of research and monitoring the populations of kangaroos in New South Wales: one of the best long-term datasets in Australia

The aim of this paper is to highlight long-term (four decades) research and monitoring the populations of the four species of large kangaroos in New South Wales (NSW). Kangaroos are counted by aerial surveys using two types of aircraft: fixed-wing and helicopters. The NSW Commercial Kangaroo Harvest Management Plan 2017-21 states that harvest quotas are set at between 15 and 17% of the estimated kangaroo populations. As an example of the scale and intensity of kangaroo distribution and harvesting in NSW, the total number of kangaroos estimated to be present in the 14 commercial zones in 2017 was 17,457,257.The number present in each commercial zone varies widely across the state, with the Narrabri zone leading the list with an estimated 2,215,589 kangaroos in 2017. More than half of the kangaroos in NSW were eastern grey kangaroos (9,298,261 in 2017). The zone with the highest number of red kangaroos (1,567,598 in 2017) was in the far west of the State, in the Tibooburra commercial zone.The total number in the commercial take in 2017 was 454,626, representing 16% of the quota allowed to be taken, and 2.6% of the total number of kangaroos in the commercial zone. The four decades of records of the population sizes show that the numbers vary between about 5 million and 18 million for the western plains, where the counting has been consistent over the same area since the beginning of the surveys in 1975.The periods of decline correspond with periods of drought, with the Millennium drought showing a considerable dip to a low point in kangaroo numbers in 2005. Initial assessments from data dominated by drought found recent rainfall was the best predictor of rate of increase in kangaroo numbers, but analyses of a longer time series found rainfall with a longer time-lag was most influential. In the Tibooburra commercial zone, there has been a 4-fold change, with the highest number (1,567,598) recorded in 1998, the lowest number in 2006 (361,506), and equally high numbers (1,567,589) again in 2016. The short answers to regular questions of kangaroo resilience in relation to commercial harvesting, or about allowing culling where rural landholders are adversely affected by kangaroo numbers, are that the data show the kangaroo populations of NSW to be large and widespread and not declining because of either the commercial harvest or culling.While harvesting and culling remain as political matters, our view is that the debate needs to be based on long-term datasets that are readily accessible and reliable. In our view, these datasets not only fulfil that requirement, but are textbook material; they can be summarised into one graph that covers decades, or expanded to show the fluctuations in the numbers of each species in each zone for each year.
Neuropsychological sex differences associated with age of initiated use among young adult cannabis users

Introduction. Earlier initiation of cannabis use is associated with poorer neuropsychological functioning across several domains. Given well-documented sex differences in neuromaturation during adolescence, initiation of cannabis use during this time may affect neuropsychological functioning differently for males and females. Method: In the current study, we examined sex differences in the relationship between age of initiated cannabis use and neuropsychological performance after controlling for amount of lifetime cannabis use in 44 male and 25 female young adult cannabis users. Results: We found that an earlier age of initiated use was related to poorer episodic memory, especially immediate recall, in females, but not in males. On the other hand, we found that, surprisingly, an earlier age of initiated use was associated with better decision making overall. However, exploratory analyses found sex-specific factors associated with decision making and age of initiated use, specifically that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in females may drive the relationship between an earlier age of initiated use and better decision making. Further, an earlier age of initiated use was associated with less education, a lower IQ, and fewer years of mother’s education for females, but more lifetime cannabis use for males. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings suggest there are sex differences in the associations between age of initiated cannabis use and neuropsychological functioning. The current study provides preliminary evidence that males and females may have different neuropsychological vulnerabilities that place them at risk for initiating cannabis use and continued cannabis use, highlighting the importance of examining the impact of cannabis on neuropsychological functioning separately for males and females.
Determinants of utilization of a no-cost HIV transition clinic: a cross-sectional study of young adults living with HIV/AIDS

There is minimal research that has been conducted among young adults to understand the determinants of the utilization of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) health services in this population. The purpose of this study was to explore the levels and determinants of HIV transition clinic (HTC) services utilization by young adults living with HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (YALHA). The study used a cross-sectional design and quantitative methods to collect data from a sample of 379 YALHA between the ages of 15–24 years who were registered clients of an HTC in Uganda. During data analysis, utilization was categorized into two levels: regular (kept all appointment visits) and irregular (missed one or more appointment visits) utilization. Univariable, bivariable, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the determinants associated with HTC utilization. The HTC services that were most utilized by the YALHA were those based at the clinic and provided by professional health care providers and these were: clinical examination (96%); laboratory services (87.1%); and counseling (69.7%). The services that were least utilized were home visiting (5.8%) and peer support services (19.8%). Of the 379 YALHA, only 32.4% regularly utilized the HTC. Multivariable analysis showed that the main determinants of HTC utilization were CD4 count category of ≥251/μL (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] =0.36–0.95); not being on antiretroviral therapy (AOR =0.27, 95% CI =0.15–0.47); and not receiving counseling services (AOR =0.47, 95% CI =0.27–0.83). Regular utilization of the HTC by YALHA was low and utilization seems to be influenced by HIV infection stage and HIV counseling services, but not sociodemographic factors or community factors.
Strategies for Contiguous Multiword Expression Analysis and Dependency Parsing

In this paper, we investigate various strate- gies to predict both syntactic dependency parsing and contiguous multiword expres- sion (MWE) recognition, testing them on the dependency version of French Tree- bank (Abeille and Barrier, 2004), as in- stantiated in the SPMRL Shared Task (Seddah et al., 2013). Our work focuses on using an alternative representation of syntactically regular MWEs, which cap- tures their syntactic internal structure. We obtain a system with comparable perfor- mance to that of previous works on this dataset, but which predicts both syntactic dependencies and the internal structure of MWEs. This can be useful for capturing the various degrees of semantic composi- tionality of MWEs.
The Influence of Emotional Intelligence and Self-Esteem among Employee towards Organizational Commitment in Local Authority

Emotional intelligence currently growing attention and earn a spot in the form of psychological studies. Emotional intelligence detected can influence employee commitment in an organization. The theoretical solutions are simply not able to unlock the psychological issues in organizations because it is closely linked to affective, cognitive and human behavior in public sector. In this study, the issues in the workplace are referring to emotional intelligence, self-esteem and commitment of employees. The specific purpose of this study was to test the impact of emotional intelligence among employees whether it able or unable to influence a commitment to the organization through employee self-esteem factor. A total of 196 civil servants in the Local Authority (LA) have been selected as respondents. Measurement tools that are used in the data lump is Emotional Intelligence Self-Description Inventory (EISDI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Employee Commitment Survey Revised Version (ECS). The data was then analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis. The findings show that emotional intelligence and four dimensions of emotional intelligence have a direct impact on organizational commitment. In fact, the emotional intelligence and dimensions also has an indirect effect on organizational commitment when self-esteem as mediator factor is controlled. Employee self-esteem later found to function as a partly mediator that affecting the relationship between overall emotional intelligence and four dimensions of emotional intelligence with organizational commitment. The most important findings are found emotional intelligence dimension among employees are able to become more relevant with the increasing availability of commitment of employee when there was the element of self-esteem as a mediator factor. Keywords—Emotional intelligence, self-esteem, organizational commitment, mediator
Transaction costs of access to health care: Implications of the care-seeking pathways of tuberculosis patients for health system governance in Nigeria

Health care costs incurred prior to the appropriate patient–provider transaction (i.e., transaction costs of access to health care) are potential barriers to accessing health care in low- and middle-income countries. This paper explores these transaction costs and their implications for health system governance through a cross-sectional survey of adult patients who received their first diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) at the three designated secondary health centres for TB care in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The patients provided information on their care-seeking pathways and the associated costs prior to reaching the appropriate provider. Of the 452 patients, 84% first consulted an inappropriate provider. Only 33% of inappropriate consultations were with qualified providers (QP); the rest were with informal providers such as pharmacy providers (PPs; 57%) and traditional providers (TP; 10%). Notably, 62% of total transaction costs were incurred during the first visit to an inappropriate provider and the mean transaction costs incurred was highest with QPs (US$30.20) compared with PPs (US$14.40) and TPs (US$15.70). These suggest that interventions for reducing transaction costs should include effective decentralisation to integrate TB care with services at the primary health care level, community engagement to address information asymmetry, enforcing regulations to keep informal providers within legal limits and facilitating referral linkages among formal and informal providers to increase early contact with appropriate providers.
Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 Regulate Chondrocyte Differentiation Upstream of Runx2 and Shox2 in Mice

During limb development, posterior Hox genes of the Hoxa- and Hoxd cluster provide positional information along the limb axis. Here we report a new function for Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 in regulating the early steps of chondrocyte differentiation. We analyzed forelimbs of Hoxa11−/−;d11−/− and Ulnaless mice, which are characterized by specifically shortened zeugopods. By detailed morphological and molecular analyses, we show that loss of Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 in the ulna of both mutants leads to an arrest of chondrocyte differentiation at a step before the separation into round and columnar cells takes place. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 act upstream of Runx2 and Shox2, two key regulators of chondrocyte differentiation. We hypothesize that Runx2 activates Shox2 in early chondrocytes, which at later stages induces Runx2 expression to regulate hypertrophic differentiation. These results give insight into mechanisms by which positional information might be translated into a specific bone pattern.
Sample Size Determination in Shared Frailty Models for Multivariate Time-to-Event Data

The frailty model is increasingly popular for analyzing multivariate time-to-event data. The most common model is the shared frailty model. Although study design consideration is as important as analysis strategies, sample size determination methodology in studies with multivariate time-to-event data is greatly lacking in the literature. In this article, we develop a sample size determination method for the shared frailty model to investigate the treatment effect on multivariate event times. We analyzed the data using both a parametric model and a piecewise model with unknown baseline hazard, and compare the empirical power with the calculated power. Last, we discuss the formula for testing the treatment effect on recurrent events.