Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerated Evolution and Functional Divergence of the DimLight Visual Pigment Accompanies Cichlid Colonization ofCentral America

Cichlids encompass one of the most diverse groups of fishes in South and Central America, and show extensive variation in life history, morphology, and colouration. While studies of visual system evolution in cichlids have focussed largely on the African rift lake species flocks, Neotropical cichlids offer a unique opportunity to investigate visual system evolution at broader temporal and geographic scales. South American cichlid colonization of Central America has likely promoted accelerated rates of morphological evolution in Central American lineages as they encountered reduced competition, renewed ecological opportunity, and novel aquatic habitats. To investigate whether such transitions have influenced molecular evolution of vision in Central American cichlids, we sequenced the dim-light rhodopsin gene in 101 Neotropical cichlid species, spanning the diversity of the clade. We find strong evidence for increased rates of evolution in Central American cichlid rhodopsin relative to South American lineages, and identify several sites under positive selection in rhodopsin that likely contribute to adaptation to different photic environments. We expressed a Neotropical cichlid rhodopsin protein invitro for the first time, and found that while its spectral tuning properties were characteristic of typical vertebrate rhodopsin pigments, the rate of decay of its active signalling form was much slower, consistent with dim light adaptation in other vertebrate rhodopsins. Using site-directed mutagenesis combined with spectroscopic assays, we found that a key amino acid substitution present in some Central American cichlids accelerates the rate of decay of active rhodopsin, which may mediate adaptation to clear water habitats.
Maternal Supportive Behavior, Cognitive Talk, and Desire/Emotion Talk at 24 Months: Distinct Factors and Differential Antecedents

SYNOPSIS Objective. Mental-state talk is an important aspect of parenting, but it is not clear whether this type of talk is structurally distinct from behavioral support or sensitivity. Although assessment of sensitive, supportive behavior captures a mother’s responses to her child’s needs, mental-state talk assesses a mother’s consideration of (and comments on) her child’s inner world. This study examined the structure and antecedents of mental-state talk, behavioral support, and sensitivity. Design. Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were used, and mothering was assessed during a laboratory session when children were 24 months old (N = 1114). Results. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the hypothesized three-factor model, in which maternal supportive behavior, cognitive talk, and desire/emotion talk formed distinct factors. Furthermore, maternal depressive symptoms assessed at 1 and 6 months predicted less supportive behavior, whereas traditional parenting beliefs assessed at 1 month predicted lower levels of all three mothering outcomes. Conclusion. Maternal talk about mental states is a unique component of parenting, and cognitive talk is distinct from desire and emotion talk.
Aggressive behavior of sows at parturition.

Sows, especially primiparous, may show aggressive behavior at parturition against their own piglets, resulting in wounding or death of the piglets. Frequency, environmental influences and heritability of aggressive behavior were studied in two data sets. The first (923 first litters) was collected at an experimental farm and the other (925 first litters) came from a pig breeding organization. Frequency of aggressiveness ranged, depending on its definition, from 7 to 12%. Fixed effects of year, season and feeding level of the gilt during the rearing period did not affect the frequency of aggressiveness. A regression of aggression on postpartum sow weight was found, suggesting that low weight at first farrowing might predispose sows to aggressive behavior. Coefficients for backfat and litter size were positive but nonsignificant. Heritability of aggressiveness on the underlying normal scale, estimated from the paternal half-sib component of variance, averaged . 12 for the first data set, and . 25 for data set II. Estimates from daughter-dam regression were . 49 and . 87 for the two data sets, respectively. A simulation study indicated that this difference might be due to maternal effects. A simple application would be to select boars and gilts from non-aggressive sows only. Response to selection would be rather slow if the frequency of aggressive behavior is low. At frequencies that are too high from an economic point of view, estimation of breeding values, combining own performance and(or) data from relatives, is required.
HIV-1 DNA in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Is Strongly Associated With HIV-1 Disease Progression in Recently Infected West African Adults

Objective:To analyze the association between the HIV-1 DNA level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and disease progression in recently infected West African adults. Methods:HIV-1 DNA levels were measured in the PBMCs of 200 adults in the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and viral Hepatitis (ANRS) 1220 cohort who had recently been infected with HIV-1. The association between baseline HIV-1 DNA levels and disease progression was analyzed using multivariate Cox regression. Disease progression was defined as the occurrence of any of the following outcomes: death, first World Health Organization stage 3-4 event, or CD4 count <200/mm3. Results:About 200 participants were followed for a median of 30 months. At baseline, the median time from HIV-1 seroconversion was 9 months, median CD4+ T-cell count was 471/mm3, median HIV-1 DNA level was 3.0 log10 copies/106 PBMCs, and median plasma HIV-1 RNA level was 4.6 log10 copies/mL. The 5-year probability of remaining free of any outcome was 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.61 to 0.83] and 0.36 (95% CI: 0.23 to 0.49) in patients with baseline HIV-1 DNA ≤3.0 and >3.0 log10 copies/106 PBMCs, respectively (P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratio of disease progression was 2.17 in patients with HIV-1 DNA >3.0 log10 copies/106 PBMCs compared with other patients (95% CI: 1.24 to 3.80, P = 0.007). The only other factor associated with progression was follow-up CD4 count (hazard ratio = 1.23 per 100 cells/mm3 decrease; 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.41, P = 0.003). Discussion:PBMC HIV-1 DNA level was strongly associated with HIV-1 disease progression, even after adjusting for HIV-1 RNA and CD4+ T-cell count. Further studies should assess whether patients with high HIV-1 DNA levels should start antiretroviral therapy earlier than other patients.
Determinants of satisfaction and continuance intention towards self-service technologies

Purpose – Self‐service technologies (SSTs) allow customers to offer their own service encounters via the interaction of electronic service interfaces or machines rather than by interacting with a firm's service personnel. This paper aims to develop an integrated model designed to predict and explain an individual's continuous use of SSTs based on the concepts of technology readiness (TR), technology acceptance model (TAM), and theory of planned behavior (TPB). Design/methodology/approach – The participants are from 481 SST users as the sample finally. Structural equation modeling is applied to demonstrate the stability of the proposed model and the results of hypotheses testing.Findings – This paper finds that consumers' satisfaction significantly influences continuance intention, while the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) simultaneously influence satisfaction. Optimism and innovativeness are also the significant motivators of satisfa.
Single channel characterization of multiple types of potassium channels in demyelinated Xenopus axons

Single channel currents in internodes of demyelinated Xenopus axons were measured with the gigaseal patch-clamp technique. Demyelination induced by injected lysolecithin allows the entire internodal axolemma to be accessible to a patch electrode. Four classes of K+ channels in this region were characterized. A Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel [K(Ca)] with a single channel conductance of 235 pS was found. In the presence of 10(-3), 10(-4), 10(-5), and 10(-6) M intracellular free [Ca2+]i, the half-activation voltages are -24.1, -20.8, 30.2, and 111 mV, and the voltage sensitivities are 18.3, 17.2, 23.7, and 21 mV per e-fold change in open probability, respectively. The half-activation Ca2+ concentration at 40 mV is 10(-5) M and the Hill coefficient of Ca2+ binding is 1.7. The K(Ca) channels were sometimes found in clusters, three to six channels in a patch. A 125 pS ATP-sensitive K+ channel was inhibited by the internal application of 2 mM ATP. Its activation was voltage independent. This channel may be important in the regulation of resting potential. A background K+ channel exhibited outwardly rectifying unitary current (176 pS) in symmetrical 115 mM KCl solutions but the ensemble-averaged I-V curve was ohmic. The voltage dependence is very weak, 220 mV per e-fold change in open probability. The nearly symmetrical macroscopic I-V curve of the background channel suggests a role in maintaining the axonal resting potential. A 28 pS delayed- rectifier K+ channel is found to be blocked internally by 2 mM 4- aminopyridine and by 10 mM tetraethylammonium. The half-activation voltage is -41 mV and the voltage sensitivity is 8 mV per e-fold change in open probability.
A new method for stabilization of networked control systems with random delays

We consider the stabilization problem for a kind of networked control systems in discrete-time domain with random delays. The sensor-to-controller and controller-to-sensor delays are modeled as two Markov chains, and the resulting closed-loop systems are jump linear systems with two modes. The necessary and sufficient conditions on the existence of the stabilizing controllers are established. It is shown that the state-feedback gains are different with different modes. An iterative linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach is employed to calculate the state-feedback gains.
Functions of Music in Everyday Life: An Exploratory Study Using the Experience Sampling Method

The aim of this exploratory study was to (a) test the viability of the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) as a means of identifying unfolding episodes of everyday musical experience, (b) examine the consistency of situations where music listening occurs by comparing the findings of previous studies involving retrospective data, and (c) investigate the extent to which degree of personal choice over the music and psychological outcomes such as mood change, are associated with participants' descriptions of the functions of music in particular contexts. Eight non-musicians between the ages of 18 and 40 were asked to carry an electronic pager with them for a one-week period. A remote computer activated the pagers once at random in every two-hour period between 0800 and 2200. On each paging, participants were asked to stop what they were doing as soon as practicable and complete a diary of self-report forms with open-ended and scaled items, allowing “on the spot” thoughts and feelings in real life everyday situations to be recorded as sequential episodes. At the end of the week, each respondent was individually interviewed. Results indicated that the ESM is a robust method for exploring daily musical experiences. Although music was heard during 44% of all episodes, few episodes involved listening to music as the primary focus. Rather, music tended to be used as an accompaniment to other activities. Findings also indicated that the experience of music resulted in participants becoming more positive, more alert, and more focussed in the present, particularly where personal choice over the music was involved. The discussion considers some of the implications of the study for future investigations of the functions of music as they occur in everyday evolving situations.
An OfficialJournal of the American Heart Association Brief Reviews Reconsideration of the Ultrastructural Basis of Cardiac Length-Tension Relations

• A fundamental property of vertebrate striated muscle is the dependence of developed tension and extent of shortening on initial muscle length. In both cardiac and skeletal muscle, the tension developed during an isometric contraction decreases as the length of the muscle is altered in either direction from an optimal value. The importance of this phenomenon in the intact heart was recognized more than 50 years ago by Frank (1) and Starling (2) and became the basis for Starling's law of the heart, which states that ventricular stroke volume varies directly with changes in end-diastolic ventricular volume. Stroke volume can also be increased by interventions such as catecholamines which enhance contractility, or it can be decreased when ventricular performance is depressed as it is in congestive heart failure. The constant interplay of the Frank-Starling mechanism (changing diastolic volume) and changing contractility determines the manner in which the heart varies its output relative to its input on a beat-to-beat basis and thus permits widely varying demands to be met (3). The mechanism whereby changes in initial length alter tension development in striated muscle has been largely defined by studies correlating muscle ultrastructure with function (3-5). The fundamental structural and functional unit of contraction in both cardiac and skeletal muscle is the sarcomere, the basic repeating unit in the longitudinally oriented myofibril (6). Sarcomeres have a distinctive detailed structure that is best perceived with the electron microscope (Fig. 1). Each sarcomere is delineated by a pair of Z lines. The bandlike appearance of the sarcomere results from the disposition of two sets of filaments which are arranged in a partially overlapping, inter
Open trial of family-based treatment for full and partial anorexia nervosa in adolescence: evidence of successful dissemination.

OBJECTIVE There is a paucity of evidence-based interventions for anorexia nervosa (AN). An innovative family-based treatment (FBT), developed at the Maudsley Hospital and recently put in manual form, has shown great promise for adolescents with AN. Unlike traditional treatment approaches, which promote sustained autonomy around food, FBT temporarily places the parents in charge of weight restoration. This aim of this open trial was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of delivering FBT at a site beyond the treatment's origin and manualization. METHOD Twenty adolescents (ages 12-17) with AN or subthreshold AN were treated with up to 1 year of FBT using the published treatment manual. Outcome indices included the percentage of ideal body weight, menstrual status, the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) subscales scores, and the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised score. RESULTS Of the 20 patients recruited, 15 (75%) completed a full course of treatment. Intent-to-treat analyses showed significant improvement over time in the percentage of ideal body weight (t = -4.46, p =.000), menstrual status (p =.002), EDE Restraint (z = -3.02, p =.003), EDE Eating Concern (z = -2.10, p =.04), but not in EDE Shape Concern or Weight Concern subscales or Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised score. CONCLUSIONS This open trial provides evidence that FBT can be successfully disseminated, replicating the high retention rates and significant improvement in the psychopathology of adolescent AN seen at the original sites.
Quality management and quality of care in nursing homes.

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to study the appropriateness of applying "manufacturing sector" quality management strategies to residential care homes sector and to analyze its influence on the quality of care. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Observation and in-depth interviews were conducted with 41 Spanish care home top and middle managers, consultants and employees. FINDINGS The quality management paradigm based on ISO 9001 has certain shortcomings in the elderly residential care home sector. There is a need to fit general quality management models to the sector's specific characteristics and to integrate generic quality management with specialized models. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Research findings should be noted by different agents involved in the process of improving services. ORIGINALITY/VALUE Useful, up-to-date conceptual overview for different agents interested in the sector (managers, consultants, academics, etc.) as well as interesting evidence for reflection.
Clinical comparison of coronally-advanced flap plus amniotic membrane or subepithelial connective tissue in the treatment of Miller’s class I and II gingival recessions: A split-mouth study

Background. The aim of the present study was to compare coronally advanced flap (CAF) plus amniotic membrane (AM) to CAF with connective tissue graft (CTG) in the treatment of Miller’s class I and II gingival recessions. Methods. Eleven healthy subjects with thirty Miller’s class І and ІІ gingival recessions ≥3 mm, were selevted for this research and randomly assigned to two groups in a split-mouth design. In the control group gingival recessions were treated with CAF and CTG; however, in the test group the lesions were treated with (AM) and CAF. The clinical parameters, including recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), keratinized tissue width (WKT), probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), were measured at baseline and 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.01. Results. Position changes of RD, RW, CAL, and MGJ were significant between baseline and one month after surgery (P < 0.01) in both the test and control groups and these values remained unchanged at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. There were no statistically significant differences in PD and WKT between baseline and 1-, 3- and 6-months intervals postoperatively. The mean root coverage values after 6 months were 75.5% and 63.1% for two groups, respectively. The mean recession depth reductions were 2.63±0.63 mm and 2±1.4 mm in the test and control groups, respectively. Conclusion. The results of this research showed that application of AM instead of connective tissue decreased surgical operation time and patient discomfort but the amount of root coverage was not significantly different between the two methods.
The Effects of Students’ Course Perceptions on Their Domain Identification, Motivational Beliefs, and Goals

The purpose of this study was to examine whether students’ perceptions in a first-year university engineering course affected their engineering identification, motivational beliefs, and engineering major and career goals. Based on current motivation models and theories, we hypothesized that students’ perceptions of the components of the MUSIC Model of Motivation (the MUSIC model) in one of their first university engineering courses would predict their engineering identification, which would predict their major and career goals. We conducted exploratory factor analyses on an estimation sample of 110 students and used a two-step structural equation modeling approach with a validation sample of 333 first-year engineering undergraduates. The measurement and structural model fit indices demonstrated that the hypothesized model provided a good fit to the data, indicating that students’ perceptions of four of the five MUSIC model components were statistically related to students’ engineering identification, which then predicted their major and career goals.
Emotional Well-Being as a Function of Professional Identity and Burnout among Homeroom and Subject Teachers

The Israeli homeroom teacher's role is relatively unique. Correlations between professional identity, burnout, and emotional well-being have been researched among various teacher populations. This study researched these correlations among teachers and homeroom teachers in three seniority groups. Professional identity, burnout, and emotional well-being questionnaires were answered by 431 teachers in Israeli elementary schools, around half of who were homeroom teachers. MANOVA analysis produced different interactions between seniority groups and position, regarding emotional exhaustion and depersonalization in burnout, and self-efficacy in professional identity. Regression analysis for predicting emotional well-being according to professional identity and burnout, produced different models among the groups, reflecting different aspects of
Multidimensionality in impulsivity and alcohol use: a meta-analysis using the UPPS model of impulsivity.

BACKGROUND Although there is considerable support for the relationship between impulsivity and alcohol use, the use of multidimensional conceptualizations of impulsivity and alcohol use has lead to varying relationship sizes across studies. The aims of the current meta-analysis are to (i) examine variability in the magnitude of the bivariate relationship between impulsivity and alcohol use across studies and (ii) describe the pattern of effects between specific impulsivity traits and alcohol use variables, using the UPPS model of impulsivity. METHODS Ninety-six studies were meta-analyzed using a random effects model to examine the relationship between general impulsivity and alcohol use, as well as the relationships among separate impulsivity traits based in the UPPS model of impulsivity and specific alcohol use outcomes. RESULTS Results indicate that, in general, impulsivity and alcohol use are related (r = 0.28); however, this effect size varied significantly across studies (from -0.05 to 1.02). Drinking quantity was most strongly predicted by lack of perseverance (r = 0.32), whereas all traits equally predicted drinking frequency. Drinking problems were most highly related to negative (r = 0.35) and positive (r = 0.34) urgency, and alcohol dependence was most highly related to negative urgency (r = 0.38) and lack of planning (r = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS Effect sizes between impulsivity and alcohol use vary significantly by UPPS trait used in each study; thus, findings suggest and further reinforce the view in the literature that specific impulsivity-related constructs differentially relate to specific alcohol use outcomes.
Process-Induced Variability of  ${\rm Nb/Al}/{\rm AlO}_{\rm x}/{\rm Nb}$ Junctions in Superconductor Integrated Circuits and Protection Against It

It is shown that the critical current density, jc of Nb/AlOx/Nb Josephson junctions in multilayered structures such as superconductor integrated circuits depends on the junction environment and on which wiring layers make contacts to the junction electrodes, and at which stage of the fabrication process. In particular, it is shown that contact holes between the junction base electrode layer and Nb ground plane layer in proximity to the junctions increase their jc and degrade the junction quality. This effect alone may induce enough variation in the properties of Josephson junctions in superconductor integrated circuits to significantly reduce margin of operation and yield of complex circuits. Numerous test structures have been designed, fabricated at various technological regimes, and exhaustively tested in order to investigate various phenomena leading to damage of tunnel barrier or local variation of jc in Nb/Al/AlOx/Nb junctions. The results indicate that layer-dependent and local environment effects on jc are mainly due to electromigration and interlayer diffusion of impurity (hydrogen) atoms around contacts between different layers and changes in hydrogen concentration brought about by wafer processing. Based on the gained insight into the materials science of the phenomenon, methods for minimization and prevention of process-induced changes to Nb/Al/AlOx/Nb tunnel junctions have been developed.