Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Study of serum Hcy and polymorphisms of Hcy metabolic enzymes in 192 families affected by congenital heart disease].

OBJECTIVE To explore genotype distributions at MTHFR C677T, MS A2756G, MTHFD G1958A and CBS 844 ins68bp loci in healthy Chinese living in northern area, and to assess the association of single or combined gene mutations with folic acid, Vit.B(12), Hcy levels and CHD. METHODS 192 patients having CHD and their biological parents in Liaoning province registered as birth defects were included in this study as case group, and 124 healthy subjects (age and gender matched) and their biological parents were simultaneously selected from the same geographic area as control. To all subjects, the gene polymorphism at MTHFR C677T, MS A2756G, MTHFD G1958A and CBS 844 ins68bp loci was examined with PCR-RFLP. The serum folic acid and homocysteine (Hcy) level were analyzed with Radioimmunoassay or fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA). RESULTS In healthy Chinese living in northern China, the mutant allele frequencies of these four loci were MTHFR 51.18%, MS 7.58%, MTHFD 24.32%, and CBS insertion 2.36%, respectively. The heterozygosity of CBS 844 ins68bp was more prevalent in case than in control (12.57% vs 2.97% in children, 10.88% vs 3.09% in father and 11.54% vs 1.02% in mother, respectively), and yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 4.70 (95% CI 1.34-25.15) in children, 3.83 (95% CI 1.05-20.98) in fathers and 12.65 (95% CI 1.92-532.47) in mothers. There is no existed significant difference at the other three loci. The percents of mothers with MTHFR, CBS and MTHFD gene polymorphisms, of mothers with MTHFR and CBS being polymorphisms (OR=8.44, 95aCI 1.23-362.26), of mothers with MTHFD and CBS being polymorphisms in case were higher than those in control. Serum folic acid levels of mothers and fathers in case were significantly higher than those of counterparts in control. Serum Hcy level of mothers in case was higher than that of counterparts in control without significant difference. Homozygous mutation at MTHFR and MTHFD loci made serum folic acid and Vit.B(12) levels slightly decreased and serum Hcy level increased. CONCLUSION The study showed presence of ethnic and district difference of gene polymorphisms at these four loci. 68 bp insertion at exon 8 of CBS gene base 844 could be a risk factor for CHD, and the insertion in parents (especially in mothers) could increase CHD risk in offspring.
From “at-risk” youth to wounded healer: a longitudinal study of two pre-service teachers

The present article describes a two-year longitudinal study of two “at-risk” US teenagers who successfully transformed their unusually challenging high school experiences into motivation to become classroom teachers. Frank’s adolescence was characterized by addiction and defiance. He spent his sophomore year in a locked, residential treatment center, and his junior and senior years in a therapeutic boarding school. Marie spent 19 months in a residential school for adolescents with substance abuse problems, becoming pregnant the following year. At age 22 both Frank and Marie graduated summa cum laude (grade point average of 3.9 or greater) from the same nationally recognized teacher preparation program. The archetype of the “wounded healer” is used to interpret their experiences. Results suggest (1) memories of personal adversity in school may have a profound impact on an individual’s orientation to teaching, and (2) these memories can be used advantageously by pre-service teachers. Implications for teacher educators are discussed.
Auditory representation of the vocal repertoire in a songbird with multiple song types

Neural mechanisms for representing complex communication sounds must solve the problem of encoding multiple and potentially overlapping signals. Birdsong provides an excellent model for such processing, in that many songbird species produce multiple song types. Although auditory song representations in single song type species have been studied, how song is represented in the brains of species that sing multiple song types remains unknown. Here we examine song type representations in swamp sparrows (Melospiza georgiana), a multiple song type species, by making in vivo intracellular recordings from the telencephalic nucleus HVc, the major auditory-vocal interface in the songbird brain. These recordings show that single HVc relay neurons often generate action potentials to playback of only a single song type, even though synaptic inputs on these cells can be activated by playback of other song types in the bird's repertoire and songs of other birds. These subthreshold response patterns suggest that the song evoked action potential discharge of a single relay neuron is more selective than its presynaptic network. One component of this presynaptic network is likely to be in HVc, because multiple recordings from single birds show that different relay neurons can respond best to different song types, whereas single interneurons can generate action potentials to all song types in the bird's repertoire. These results show that single HVc neurons can generate song type-specific action potential responses, a feature that may facilitate the selective auditory encoding of multiple learned vocalizations in a single brain area.
Validity of the Partial Mantel Test and Suggested Modifications

In population biology, comparing two distance matrices enables one to test several hypotheses. One of the most classical cases is to test for isolation by distance in a set of samples coming from several populations. In this peculiar case, the test generally used is the partial Mantel test. The partial Mantel test uses the partial correlation coefficient to remove spurious correlations and uses a testing procedure similar to the Mantel test. In recent papers, the partial Mantel test was criticized by Raufaste and Rousset with an example that showed that the estimated type I error was greater than the nominal type I error. This paper investigates the validity of the partial Mantel test using Monte Carlo simulation. In addition other randomization tests, such as bootstrap and jackknife approaches, are proposed.
Agonist-dependent Recruitment of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase to the Membrane by β-Adrenergic Receptor Kinase 1

Agonist-dependent desensitization of the β-adrenergic receptor requires translocation and activation of the β-adrenergic receptor kinase1 by liberated Gβγ subunits. Subsequent internalization of agonist-occupied receptors occurs as a result of the binding of β-arrestin to the phosphorylated receptor followed by interaction with the AP2 adaptor and clathrin proteins. Receptor internalization is known to require D-3 phosphoinositides that are generated by the action of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Phosphoinositide 3-kinases form a family of lipid kinases that couple signals via receptor tyrosine kinases and G-protein-coupled receptors. The molecular mechanism by which phosphoinositide 3-kinase acts to promote β-adrenergic receptor internalization is not well understood. In the present investigation we demonstrate a novel finding that β-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 and phosphoinositide 3-kinase form a cytosolic complex, which leads to β-adrenergic receptor kinase 1-mediated translocation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase to the membrane in an agonist-dependent manner. Furthermore, agonist-induced translocation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase results in rapid interaction with the receptor, which is of functional importance, since inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity attenuates β-adrenergic receptor sequestration. Therefore, agonist-dependent recruitment of phosphoinositide 3-kinase to the membrane is an important step in the process of receptor sequestration and links phosphoinositide 3-kinase to G-protein-coupled receptor activation and sequestration.
Food heritage down under: olive growers as Mediterranean ‘food ambassadors’

Among those individuals who migrate to other countries or regions, some take with them valuable aspects of their culture and traditions. Within these elements, migrants' food heritage often becomes an integral part of their lives, accompanying them in their journey. Food heritage also evokes images, memories and pride, or motivates habitual consumption, while in other cases, it can become a lifestyle or even a source of income. By focusing on the cases of five different olive groves, whose owners are of Mediterranean background, this study examines the extent to which food culture and heritage are decisive factors in their involvement with olive growing in Australia. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted among these olive growers, information about their motivations and level of involvement in an extension of olive growing (‘olive-based agritourism’) was also gathered. The overall findings illustrate that based on their passion for olive growing, these ‘food ambassadors’ are contributing to increased knowledge, consumption, and to the preservation of a food culture. However, this process is not without its challenges, particularly as cheaper olive oils threaten the further development of their olive growing business. Implications of the findings for olive growing, olive-based agritourism, hospitality, and consumers are discussed.
Structural equation modeling of relationships among developmental skills and writing skills in primary- and intermediate-grade writers.

We used multiple-group structural equation modeling to analyze structural relationships between latent factors underlying writing-related developmental skills and component writing skills in Grades 1-6. For handwriting, both motor skills and orthographic coding contributed to the model fit, but only the path from orthographic coding was significant at all grade levels. For spelling, only the path from orthographic coding was significant in the primary grades, but both that path and the path from phonological coding were significant in the intermediate grades. For compositional quality, both reading and oral language contributed in the primary grades but the model was unclear in the intermediate grades because of high covariance between those factors
The selection of upper and lower groups for the validation of test items.

It is not intended here to discuss the general problem of item validation, but only that aspect of it thai arises when an upper and lower group are selected to serve as standard groups in the differentiation of test items. It is argued that the more indubitably it is known that the upper group is superior to the lower group, the more definitely can it be concluded that an item is valid by finding that the upper group is more successful in passing it than the lower group. If, in two situations, one in which the upper and lower groups are differentiated with high certainty and the other with little certainty, the proportion of passes (i.e., right answers) in the upper groups are equal and equally superior to the proportion of passes in the lower groups, we should believe that the item represented in the first situation is more valid than that of the second situation. Having available an initial group which is normally distributed with reference to a desired criterion, we set the problem of selecting upper and lower portions of this group which will be most efficient in the study of items, and their selection or rejection. The items in question are capable of two grades only, right or wrong. We further limit the issue by not here considering the interrelationship of items, a matter of first importance when the final test to be constructed is to contain more than one item. It is granted that the problem as set is too constricted to be "real," but it is, nevertheless, believed that its solution is commonly pertinent to the handling of real item selection problems. The writer has stated that twenty-seven per cent should be selected at each extreme to yield upper and lower groups which are most indubitably different with respect to the trait in question. This article does not alter that conclusion but does provide a more available and somewhat improved derivation. Let us be given graduated scores on a test or trait from a sample of size N. For simplicity we shall consider N to be even, so that we may
Illuminating the mechanistic roles of enzyme conformational dynamics

Many enzymes mold their structures to enclose substrates in their active sites such that conformational remodeling may be required during each catalytic cycle. In adenylate kinase (AK), this involves a large-amplitude rearrangement of the enzyme's lid domain. Using our method of high-resolution single-molecule FRET, we directly followed AK's domain movements on its catalytic time scale. To quantitatively measure the enzyme's entire conformational distribution, we have applied maximum entropy-based methods to remove photon-counting noise from single-molecule data. This analysis shows unambiguously that AK is capable of dynamically sampling two distinct states, which correlate well with those observed by x-ray crystallography. Unexpectedly, the equilibrium favors the closed, active-site-forming configurations even in the absence of substrates. Our experiments further showed that interaction with substrates, rather than locking the enzyme into a compact state, restricts the spatial extent of conformational fluctuations and shifts the enzyme's conformational equilibrium toward the closed form by increasing the closing rate of the lid. Integrating these microscopic dynamics into macroscopic kinetics allows us to model lid opening-coupled product release as the enzyme's rate-limiting step.
Ototoxicity of gentamicin in man: a survey and controlled analysis of clinical experience in the United States.

Ototoxicity from gentamicin was recognized early as a potential risk. From clinical trials in the U.S. between 1962 and 1969, a total of 72 courses of treatment resulted in ototoxicity of which 70 courses in 69 patients were reviewed. Gentamicin-induced ototoxicity was doubtful in 26 cases, and probable in 44. The recent clinical incidence was 2.8%, the true incidence about 2%. Among 1,484 courses from 1966 to 1969 in which there was no ototoxicity, 843 were compared to those with ototoxicity. In matched subgroups, 14 variables were analyzed by stepwise discriminant function and for the statistical significance of differences in incidence or mean values. Impaired renal function was the dominant characteristic of patients. The dose (in mg/kg per day) was the major factor in treatment and the only significant one in patients with normal renal function. With renal impairment, previous courses with ototoxic antibiotics and the total dose/kg were important. The duration of treatment was not significant. Age had a variable effect. The risk of ototoxicity should not prevent proper treatment with gentamicin.
The Taxonomy of Primary Exploitation

and economic life generally: the Marxian and the Neoclassical. Marxists have asserted the centrality of exploitation, based on the dual ideas of capitalist domination over the workplace and society and the capability of capitalist extraction of surplus labor from labor power so that workers get back in wages less than the value of what they create. Neoclassicists have denied exploitation's existence, partly by omission (that is, the social content of the production process has been un- or underspecified) and partly by assurance of the powerful, though spontaneous, operation of competitive market processes under full
Asian American Attitudes towards a US Citizenship Path for Illegal Immigrants: Immigration Reform as Racialised Politics

Do Asian Americans view a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the USA as related to perceptions of shared interests with other ethnoracial groups? I utilise the National Asian American Survey to test this possibility. Ordinal logistic regressions reveal that higher levels of perceived political commonality with Latinos relate to increased support for the provision of a citizenship path. Similarly, higher perceived political commonality with blacks is positively related to support for a citizenship pathway, suggesting that a civil rights frame, rather than a group competition frame, links immigration reform and black political interests in the minds of Asian Americans. On the other hand, higher levels of perceived political commonality with whites relate to increased opposition to such a pathway. These results indicate that Asian Americans' racial attitudes, in particular their perceptions of political commonality with other racial groups, relate to their opinions on a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the USA.
Extending the Grain Basket to the Margins: Spontaneous Land Resettlement and Changing Livelihoods in the Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe

Spontaneous resettlement in frontier regions of Zimbabwe has been a useful way of getting land on which to begin building a livelihood. Through this process, sparsely populated rural districts skirting the mid-Zambezi Valley have undergone long-term socio-economic change. In a case study of Rengwe in Hurungwe District, the paper shows that households that migrated and spontaneously resettled in Rengwe were able to double arable land-holding while gaining membership of a growing frontier community. In the absence of adequate institutional support from the state, however, resettled households were unable to secure key socio-economic services and infrastructure. The study shows that, once resettled, households pursued diversified livelihoods although the levels of diversity varied between households. Poor households showed the least diversity. Although more land provided immediate relief to livelihoods under stress and allowed some households to accumulate assets, a majority of households still had inadequate incomes to stay out of poverty. The study shows that spontaneous resettlement may provide land but, in the absence of public policy intervention to provide social services and infrastructure, it is not a viable alternative to planned settlements.
Can work make you sick? A meta-analysis of the relationships between job stressors and physical symptoms

Abstract A meta-analysis of 79 studies reporting cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between physical symptoms and various occupational stressors was conducted. Stressors were organizational constraints, interpersonal conflict, role conflict, role ambiguity, workload, work hours, and lack of control. The relationships between stressors and eight physical symptoms were quantitatively summarized and contrasted, for both individual symptoms and composite symptom scales. All of the occupational stressors were significantly related to physical symptoms in cross-sectional analyses, and the effect sizes of these relationships varied both by the stressor and the individual symptom examined. The longitudinal relationships were similar to the cross-sectional results, and provided some evidence of temporal consistency of the occupational stressorphysical symptom relationship. Organizational constraints and interpersonal conflict had the strongest relationships with symptoms in both the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Gastrointestinal problems and sleep disturbances were significantly related to more stressors than other symptoms examined. These findings show that it is important to examine physical symptoms, as they are related to a wide range of job stressors and these relationships prevail over time. Potential underlying mechanisms, including the immediacy of physiological reactions to stressors, participants’ attributions concerning stressor–physical symptom relationships, and the possible multidimensional nature of symptoms, are proposed and discussed.
Referees' comments on submissions to peer-reviewed journals: when is a suggestion not a suggestion?

This paper examines the ways in which reviewers ask for changes to be made to submissions to peer-reviewed journal articles. Ninety-five reviewers' reports were examined. Forty-five of the reviewers also completed a questionnaire which asked about their experience in carrying out peer reviews, how they learnt to write reviews and the challenges they faced in reviewing submissions to peer-reviewed journals. The study found that requests for changes were largely made as directions, suggestions, clarification requests and recommendations. While a good number of these changes were requested directly, a large number of them were not. For authors who are new to the peer-review process, indirect requests of the kind revealed in the study can be difficult to decode. Very often these indirect requests are directions to make very specific changes to a submission and need, it is argued, to be read as such. The findings are especially relevant to beginning researchers as they provide insights into how they can respond to reviewers' reports and, thereby, increase their chances of publication.
Relationship between Perfectionism and Emotional Symptoms in an Adolescent Sample

Final-year high school students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism scale and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) 10 weeks (n = 673) and again 10 days (n = 505) before a major set of examinations. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were elevated on both test occasions, with more than 20% of the sample falling into the severe range. Self-oriented perfectionism was not strongly related to emotional symptoms. In contrast, socially prescribed perfectionism was positively related to depression and anxiety. Students whose parents were bom overseas reported higher levels of socially prescribed perfectionism, and higher levels of depression and anxiety. These findings were interpreted within Higgins' (1987) self-discrepancy theory, which links high externally imposed standards to emotional distress. The results suggest that adolescents who perceive strong external pressure to excel academically are at risk of severe emotional symptoms under examination stress.
Matching Commitment to Supervisors and Organizations to In-Role and Extra-Role Performance

There are mixed findings regarding the relations between affective and continuance commitment and job performance. However, past research has largely disregarded the concept of commitment foci and overlooked the importance of matching commitment foci to the target of performance-related behavior. In this study, supervisors rated 189 employees on 2 types of performance hypothesized to be directed more toward supervisors than organizations: in-role performance and courtesy. They also rated 2 types hypothesized to be directed more toward organizations than supervisors: civic virtue and loyal boosterism. After controlling for other forms of commitment, affective commitment to supervisors explained unique variance in in-role performance and courtesy. Affective commitment to organizations did not. After controlling for other forms of commitment, affective commitment to organizations explained unique variance in loyal boosterism. Affective commitment to supervisors did not. Continuance commitment to supervisors and organizations was unrelated to performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.