Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive, Affective, and Meta-Cognitive Skill Development through Instrumental Music: A Positive Impact on Academic Achievement.

This study explored the skills students develop through participation in instrumental music and the effect it has on their academic achievement through student and parent/guardian surveys. Fifty-eight percent of cognitive skills were identified as being obtained by a majority of students, 70% of affective skills, and 71% of meta-cognitive skills were identified as being obtained by a majority of students. Recent research shows that cognitive, affective, and meta-cognitive skills have the potential to increase academic achievement in high school students.
Affect is what states make of it: articulating everyday experiences of 9/11

This article considers the politics of affect and official discourses of ‘9/11’. Drawing on the work of William Connolly and others, it is argued that to understand the resonance of dominant constructions of ‘9/11’ it is necessary to revisit their successful incorporation of prevalent American affective experiences of September 11th. To date, this relationship between affect, resonance, and discourse has been underexplored in International Relations. Its investigation offers important empirical insights on resonance, as well as theoretical innovation in connecting established work on narrative and discourse with emerging work on bioculture and affect. To this end, the article introduces a framework for the future analysis of affect, culture and discourse within International Relations. The article concludes, however, that, notwithstanding its importance to resonance, in ‘crisis’ situations such as ‘9/11’, affect is what states make of it.
Capitalizing on Ethnic Diversity: An Approach to Managing the Diverse Workgroups of the 1990s

Abstract This paper offers an approach to managing ethnically diverse workgroups that aims to realize the creative potential of their diversity; an approach well suited to meeting the current demands on organizations for innovation. Rather than homogenizing their work forces, employers are advised to maintain a creative tension by setting conditions of security and others of challenge. Theoretical and empirical bases are provided to support this alternative approach, and the deficiencies of the common approach of homogenization are addressed. Resume Le present article propose une approche de gestion des effectifs de diversite ethnique qui exploiterait le potentiel creatif de cette diversite; approche fort a propos, vu la conjoncture actuelle qui oblige les organisations a innover. Plutot que d'homogeneiser les forces de travail, il est conseille aux employeurs de maintenir une tension creative en etablissant des conditions et de securite et de defi. L'article presente des bases theoriques et empiriques a l'appui de cette alternative et traite des lacunes de la pensee courante de l'homogeneisation.
Tigers and Lions, Oh My! Effect of a Guided Imagery Intervention on Children's Active Play

Using self-determination theory as the theoretical framework, the purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of (a) a guided imagery intervention on children's active play, and (b) intrinsic motivation as a mediating variable between the intervention and active play. Fifty-nine students were randomized into an imagery group (“tigers”) or a control group (“lions”). The imagery group reported higher levels of active play at the end of the intervention compared to the control group. Results supported the mediating role of intrinsic motivation on active play. Findings highlight imagery use as a method to positively influence children's activity levels.
The Longin SNARE VAMP7/TI-VAMP Adopts a Closed Conformation

SNARE protein complexes are key mediators of exocytosis by juxtaposing opposing membranes, leading to membrane fusion. SNAREs generally consist of one or two core domains that can form a four-helix bundle with other SNARE core domains. Some SNAREs, such as syntaxin target-SNAREs and longin vesicular-SNAREs, have independent, folded N-terminal domains that can interact with their respective SNARE core domains and thereby affect the kinetics of SNARE complex formation. This autoinhibition mechanism is believed to regulate the role of the longin VAMP7/TI-VAMP in neuronal morphogenesis. Here we use nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the longin-SNARE core domain interaction for VAMP7. Using complete backbone resonance assignments, chemical shift perturbations analysis, and hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments, we conclusively show that VAMP7 adopts a preferentially closed conformation in solution. Taken together, the closed conformation of longins is conserved, in contrast to the syntaxin family of SNAREs for which mixtures of open and closed states have been observed. This may indicate different regulatory mechanisms for SNARE complexes containing syntaxins and longins, respectively.
Safety profiles of current antiangiogenic therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer

The biological agents approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer – bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets vascular endothelial growth factor A, along with cetuximab and panitumumab, two monoclonal antibodies that target the epidermal growth factor receptor – are associated with a number of adverse events that range in severity from relatively mild to potentially life threatening. Hypertension, thromboembolic events, proteinuria, bleeding, and gastrointestinal perforation have all been associated with bevacizumab, while dermatologic toxicities are common with cetuximab and panitumumab. Hypersensitivity reactions and hypomagnesemia are also a concern with cetuximab and panitumumab. The frequency of these adverse events in randomized clinical trials is reviewed, and recommendations for managing these events in patients undergoing treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer are provided.
Inhibition of TTR Aggregation-Induced Cell Death – A New Role for Serum Amyloid P Component

Background Serum amyloid P component (SAP) is a glycoprotein that is universally found associated with different types of amyloid deposits. It has been suggested that it stabilizes amyloid fibrils and therefore protects them from proteolytic degradation. Methodology/Principal Findings In this paper, we show that SAP binds not only to mature amyloid fibrils but also to early aggregates of amyloidogenic mutants of the plasma protein transthyretin (TTR). It does not inhibit fibril formation of TTR mutants, which spontaneously form amyloid in vitro at physiological pH. We found that SAP prevents cell death induced by mutant TTR, while several other molecules that are also known to decorate amyloid fibrils do not have such effect. Using a Drosophila model for TTR-associated amyloidosis, we found a new role for SAP as a protective factor in inhibition of TTR-induced toxicity. Overexpression of mutated TTR leads to a neurological phenotype with changes in wing posture. SAP-transgenic flies were crossed with mutated TTR-expressing flies and the results clearly confirmed a protective effect of SAP on TTR-induced phenotype, with an almost complete reduction in abnormal wing posture. Furthermore, we found in vivo that binding of SAP to mutated TTR counteracts the otherwise detrimental effects of aggregation of amyloidogenic TTR on retinal structure. Conclusions/Significance Together, these two approaches firmly establish the protective effect of SAP on TTR-induced cell death and degenerative phenotypes, and suggest a novel role for SAP through which the toxicity of early amyloidogenic aggregates is attenuated.
The construction of expository text

The aim of this study is to analyse the ways in which elementary school children construct an expository text, i.e. a text whose primary objective is to express information and ideas and which is well exemplified in school textbooks. Eighty subjects from grade 2 to 8 were requested to write a text about the wind. The writing task was divided into two main phases: in the first phase each subject dictated his/her ideas to an adult who transcribed them; in the second phase the subject had to write a text using the ideas he/she had expressed. The data showed a developmental trend in expository writing, which concerns particularly three aspects of the written productions: the strategies of content generation used by the subjects, the changes from dictation to text production, and the organization of the final text.
Priming of Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Oxytocin Enhances the Cardiac Repair in Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Oxytocin stimulates the cardiomyogenesis of embryonic stem cells and adult cardiac stem cells. We previously reported that oxytocin has a promigratory effect on umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSCs). In this study, UCB-MSCs were cultured with oxytocin and examined for their therapeutic effect in an infarcted heart. UCB-MSCs were pretreated with 100 nM oxytocin and cardiac markers were assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Next, oxytocin-supplemented USC-MSCs (OT-USCs) were cocultured with hypoxia/reoxygenated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and cardiac markers and dye transfer were then examined. For the in vivo study, ischemia/reperfusion was induced in rats, and phosphate-buffered saline (group 1), 1-day OT-USCs (group 2), or 7-day OT-USCs (group 3) were injected into the infarcted myocardium. Two weeks after injection, histological changes and cardiac function were examined. UCB-MSCs expressed connexin 43 (Cnx43), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and α-sarcomeric actin (α-SA) after oxytocin supplementation and coculture with cardiomyocytes. Functional gap junction formation was greater in group 3 than in groups 1 and 2. Cardiac fibrosis and macrophage infiltration were lower in group 3 than in group 2. Restoration of Cnx43 expression was greater in group 3 than in group 2. Cnx43- and cTnI-positive OT-USCs in the peri-infarct zone were observed in group 2 and more frequently in group 3. The ejection fraction (EF) was increased in groups 2 and 3 in 2 weeks. The improved EF was sustained for 4 weeks only in group 3. Our findings suggest that the supplementation of UCB-MSCs with oxytocin can contribute to the cardiogenic potential for cardiac repair.
Measuring the Unmeasurable

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) has a long history of being credited with the personal and social development (PSD) of its participants. PSD is notoriously difficult to measure quantitatively, yet stakeholders demand statistical evidence that given approaches to eliciting PSD are effective in their methods. Rightly or wrongly, many stakeholders want evidence in numbers and not anecdote. This article examines 22 recent studies and 6 meta-analyses in the peer-reviewed literature that have made use of quantitative methods to measure PSD in OAE. The investigation revealed three recurring problem areas that are effectively weakening the body of literature: the sample, the questionnaire and its use, and management of variables. Examples of good practice are reviewed and concrete suggestions made to uphold methodological rigor.
Physical Self-Description Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and a multitrait-multimethod analysis of relations to existing instruments.

Two samples of high school students (n = 315 and n = 395) completed the new Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to demonstrate support for the 11 scales of physical self-concept (Strength, Body Fat, Activity, Endurance/Fitness, Sport Competence, Coordination, Health, Appearance, Flexibility, General Physical Self-Concept, and Self-Esteem) that the PSDQ is designed to measure, the replicability of its good psychometric properties in the two samples, and the replicability of the factor structure over gender. Subjects in Sample 1 also completed responses to the Physical Self-Perception Profile (Fox, 1990) and the Physical Self-Concept Scale (Richards, 1988). CFA models of this multitrait-multimethod data provided support for both the convergent and discriminant validity of responses to the three instruments. Comparisons of psychometric, theoretical, and pragmatic considerations of the three instruments led to the recommendation of the PSDQ in a wide var.
Adsorption of textile reactive dyestuffs by treatment sludges of inorganic nature

Colour removal from industrial effluents, particularly from the textile industry, has become an important requirement as the adverse effects of dyestuffs, such as toxicity, on the environment have been proven. Adsorption is a commonly used treatment method for colour removal. Although activated carbon is very effective for this purpose, a number of natural materials and waste materials, such as waste sludges generated from treatment systems, have been tested to reduce the cost of the process. In this paper, sludges arising from the operation of an electrocoagulation process that used stainless steel or aluminium electrodes were investigated as adsorbents for decolorization of reactive dyestuffs. Electrocoagulation waste sludges produced with the use of stainless steel electrodes provided higher than 90% or complete decolorization of Crimson HEXL, Yellow HE4R and RB5 dyestuffs. The sludge produced with aluminium electrodes yielded colour adsorption between 95% and 100% at a 1 g/L dose and pH 8.5–9.1 for two of the dyestuffs; the removal of RB5 did not exceed 60% up to a 4.76 g/L dose. FeCl3 coagulation and adsorption using freshly precipitated coagulation sludge resulted in poor colour removals of 10% for all three dyestuffs. The superior colour adsorption performance of electrocoagulation waste sludges was attributed to modification of the surface properties of the sludges during the electrocoagulation operation. A batch-wise kinetic study indicated that the adsorption of RB5 on to electrocoagulation waste sludges was well fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting the intra-particle diffusion process as the rate-limiting step of the adsorption process.
A selective EP4 PGE2 receptor agonist alleviates disease in a new mouse model of X-linked nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

X-linked nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (XNDI) is a severe kidney disease caused by inactivating mutations in the V2 vasopressin receptor (V2R) gene that result in the loss of renal urine-concentrating ability. At present,no specific pharmacological therapy has been developed for XNDI, primarily due to the lack of suitable animal models. To develop what we believe to be the first viable animal model of XNDI, we generated mice in which the V2R gene could be conditionally deleted during adulthood by administration of 4-OH-tamoxifen.Radioligand-binding studies confirmed the lack of V2R-binding sites in kidneys following 4-OH-tamoxifen treatment, and further analysis indicated that upon V2R deletion, adult mice displayed all characteristic symptoms of XNDI, including polyuria, polydipsia, and resistance to the antidiuretic actions of vasopressin. Gene expression analysis suggested that activation of renal EP4 PGE2 receptors might compensate for the lack of renal V2R activity in XNDI mice. Strikingly, both acute and chronic treatment of the mutant mice with a selective EP4 receptor agonist greatly reduced all major manifestations of XNDI, including changes in renal morphology.These physiological improvements were most likely due to a direct action on EP4 receptors expressed on collecting duct cells. These findings illustrate the usefulness of the newly generated V2R mutant mice for elucidating and testing new strategies for the potential treatment of humans with XNDI.
Violencia filio-parental en la adolescencia: características ambientales y personales

Resumen En este estudio se evaluó el perfil de los adolescentes que ejercen violencia física y verbal contra sus progenitores. Participaron 1427 adolescentes (728 chicas, 682 chicos) que contestaron numerosas medidas personales y ambientales. Los resultados mostraron que mientras que las agresiones verbales menos severas, como chillar a los progenitores, ocurren en el 65.8% de los casos, las agresiones físicas son mucho menos frecuentes (7.2%). La violencia contra los progenitores se asocia a exposición a la violencia familiar, baja disciplina ejercida por los progenitores, amigos con problemas de conducta, síntomas de depresión, conducta delincuente, consumo de drogas, impulsividad, creencias justificadoras de la violencia y de grandiosidad. Los chicos ejercen más la violencia física mientras que las chicas ejercen más actos de violencia verbal. Por último, las madres sufren más actos de violencia verbal que los padres.
Crisis and Chronicity: Anthropological Perspectives on Continuous Conflict and Decline

Abstract Crisis is normally conceived of as an isolated period of time in which our lives are shattered. It defines the loss of balance and the inability to control the exterior forces influencing our possibilities and choices. The phenomenon is seen as a temporary disorder, a momentary malformation in the flow of things. Yet, for a great many people around the world crisis is endemic rather than episodic and cannot be delineated as an aberrant moment of chaos or a period of decisive change. For the structurally violated, socially marginalised and poor, the world is not characterised by balance, peace or prosperity but by the ever-present possibility of conflict, poverty and disorder. In this introductory article I examine the social and experiential consequences of chronic crisis and investigate how it challenges and furthers our analytic apparatus. Instead of placing crisis in context I argue that we need to see crisis as context – as a terrain of action and meaning – thereby opening up the field to ethnographic investigation.
DIFFERENCES AND BIASES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXAMINATION FORMATS

Summary. For some time gender differences have been noted in different formats of English language testing. In this study an examination was made of such differences in a Year 12 level examination where both comprehension and composition were tested, the former in both multiple-choice and extended-response formats, the latter only in extended-response format. In addition to considering differences in level of performance, differences in relationship to an aggregate of other subject scores were also considered. These differences could be considered as related to test bias. Complex patterns of difference were noted since males and females were also classified by their pattern of studies as arts or science students. In contrast to previous studies, males were not seen to score higher on multiple-choice questions; and in considering the relationships with the aggregate, gender differences were found to be small in comparison with subject-base differences, and the regression lines for the multiple-choice questions were more similar than those for extended-response questions.
Indications of penetrating keratoplasty in southern India.

AIM To study the indications of penetrating keratoplasty in Southern India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Retrospective study. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective evaluation of eye bank records from December, 2002 to December, 2012 with respect to indications for penetrating keratoplasty. RESULTS During the period considered for study, 102 penetrating keratoplasties were performed. The leading indications for penetrating keratoplasty were corneal scarring (60.7%), followed by regrafting (12.7%), spheroidal degeneration (9.8%), aphakic bullous keratopathy (5.88%), pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (2.94%), acute infectious keratitis (2.94%), corneal dystrophy and keratoconus (4.9%). Healed infectious keratitis (72.88%) was the most common subcategory among the eyes with corneal scarring followed by traumatic corneal scars (16.12%). CONCLUSION Corneal scarring from healed infectious keratitis are the most common indication for keratoplasty in Southern India.
Effects of the Missense Mutations in Canine BRCA2 on BRC Repeat 3 Functions and Comparative Analyses between Canine and Human BRC Repeat 3

Mammary tumors are the most common tumor type in both human and canine females. Mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA2, have been found in most cases of inherited human breast cancer. Similarly, the canine BRCA2 gene locus has been associated with mammary tumors in female dogs. However, deleterious mutations in canine BRCA2 have not been reported, thus far. The BRCA2 protein is involved in homologous recombination repair via its interaction with RAD51 recombinase, an interaction mediated by 8 BRC repeats. These repeats are 26-amino acid, conserved motifs in mammalian BRCA2. Previous structural analyses of cancer-associated mutations affecting the BRC repeats have shown that the weakening of RAD51's affinity for even 1 repeat is sufficient to increase breast cancer susceptibility. In this study, we focused on 2 previously reported canine BRCA2 mutations (T1425P and K1435R) in BRC repeat 3 (BRC3), derived from mammary tumor samples. These mutations affected the interaction of canine BRC3 with RAD51, and were considered deleterious. Two BRC3 mutations (K1440R and K1440E), reported in human breast cancer patients, occur at amino acids corresponding to those of the K1435R mutation in dogs. These mutations affected the interaction of canine BRC3 with RAD51, and may also be considered deleterious. The two BRC3 mutations and a substitution (T1430P), corresponding to T1425P in canine BRCA2, were examined for their effects on human BRC3 function and the results were compared between species. The corresponding mutations and the substitution showed similar results in both human and canine BRC3. Therefore, canine BRCA2 may be a good model for studying human breast cancer caused by BRCA2 mutations.
Global molecular changes in a tibial compression induced ACL rupture model of post‐traumatic osteoarthritis

Joint injury causes post‐traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). About ∼50% of patients rupturing their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) will develop PTOA within 1–2 decades of the injury, yet the mechanisms responsible for the development of PTOA after joint injury are not well understood. In this study, we examined whole joint gene expression by RNA sequencing (RNAseq) at 1 day, 1‐, 6‐, and 12 weeks post injury, in a non‐invasive tibial compression (TC) overload mouse model of PTOA that mimics ACL rupture in humans. We identified 1446 genes differentially regulated between injured and contralateral joints. This includes known regulators of osteoarthritis such as MMP3, FN1, and COMP, and several new genes including Suco, Sorcs2, and Medag. We also identified 18 long noncoding RNAs that are differentially expressed in the injured joints. By comparing our data to gene expression data generated using the surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) PTOA model, we identified several common genes and shared mechanisms. Our study highlights several differences between these two models and suggests that the TC model may be a more rapidly progressing model of PTOA. This study provides the first account of gene expression changes associated with PTOA development and progression in a TC model. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:474–485, 2017.
Injections of the neuroprotective peptide NAP to newborn mice attenuate head-injury-related dysfunction in adults

The prophylactic neuroprotective effects of NAP, a femtomolar-acting neuroprotective peptide were tested in a mouse model of head trauma. NAP was injected for the first 3 weeks of life and head injury was initiated at 4 months. After trauma, mice were tested for their performance by evaluating damaged motor ability, balance and alertness. Comparison of the performance 1 h and 1 week after injury indicated that NAP treatment resulted in faster and enhanced recovery. In a 5-day Morris water maze test with mice suffering moderate to severe injuries, only the NAP-treated group learned to find the hidden platform in the maze. Furthermore, NAP treatment resulted in decreased mRNA expression of the inflammation marker, Mac-1. Thus, a potentially new prophylactic treatment against neurodegeneration is suggested.