Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid hyperosmotic-induced Ca2+ responses in Arabidopsis thaliana exhibit sensory potentiation and establish involvement of plastidial KEA transporters

Plants experience hyperosmotic stress when faced with saline soils and possibly drought stress, but it is currently unclear how plants perceive this stress in an environment of dynamic water availabilities. Hyperosmotic stress induces a rapid rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) in plants, and this Ca2+ response may reflect the activities of osmo-sensory components. Here, we find in the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana that the rapid hyperosmotic-induced Ca2+ response exhibited enhanced response magnitudes after pre-exposure to an intermediate hyperosmotic stress. We term this phenomenon “osmo-sensory potentiation”. The initial sensing and potentiation occurred in intact plants as well as in roots. Having established a quantitative understanding of WT responses, we investigated effects of pharmacological inhibitors and candidate channel/transporter mutants. Quintuple MSL channel mutants as well as double MCA channel mutants did not affect the response. However interestingly, double mutations in the plastid KEA transporters, kea1kea2, and a single mutation that does not visibly affect chloroplast structure, kea3, impaired the rapid hyperosmotic-induced Ca2+ responses. These mutations did not significantly affect sensory potentiation of the response. These findings suggest that plastids may play an important role in the early steps mediating the response to hyperosmotic stimuli. Together, these findings demonstrate that the plant osmosensory components necessary to generate rapid osmotic-induced Ca2+ responses remains responsive under varying osmolarities, endowing plants with the ability to perceive the dynamic intensities of water limitation imposed by osmotic stress. Significance Statement: The sensitivity ranges of biological sensors determine when‐ and to what extent responses to environmental stimuli are activated. Plants may perceive water limitation imposed by soil salinity or drought in the form of osmotic stress, among other mechanisms. Rapid osmotic stress-induced Ca2+ responses provide the opportunity to quantitatively characterize the responses to osmotic stress under environmental and genetic perturbations. This report describes a phenomenon whereby prior exposure to osmotic stress increases the sensitivity of the rapid responses to subsequent stress. Further, mutations in specific plastidial transporters were found to reduce the stress response. These findings inform the reader of new avenues for understanding osmotic stress responses in plants.
Advances in Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping

The mapping of loci underlying variation in quantitative traits is proving to be a powerful tool in genetic studies of animals and other organisms. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in crosses between genetically diverse lines has shown the presence of many QTL, as similarly have studies within livestock populations. Although much remains to be done with this type of analysis, higher resolution studies are needed to move towards cloning QTL. In amenable species, advanced intercrosses or backcrossing can be used to hone the resolution of mapped QTL. The development of new marker technologies will allow higher density maps to be produced than previously. Such high-density maps will have application for linkage disequilibrium mapping in appropriate populations.
Broadening Social Networks for Girls and Particularly for Boys: Outcomes of a Coping Skills Program

This study is a report of an evaluation of the effectiveness of a school based coping skills program on a sample of 83 adolescents (14–17 years) recruited from a secondary school in metropolitan Melbourne. All participants completed the Adolescent Coping Scale (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993a) on three occasions: prior to program implementation, 1 week after program completion and 6 months after program completion. The results indicated a significant increase in the coping style, “reference to others”, with males increasing their use of this coping style more than females upon completion of the program. The findings are discussed in terms of the benefits increased use of seeking support from others has on male adolescents and of the importance of using programs as part of a comprehensive approach to health promotion within schools.
ASCA Observations of the Iron K Complex of Circinus X-1 Near Zero Phase

We report on ASCA energy spectra of Cir X-1 taken near its zero phase on 1994 August 4-5. The ASCA SIS detectors allow a more detailed study of the iron K complex than has been possible before. We find that prior to a sudden upward flux transition the dominant iron K feature appears to consist of a large edge from neutral or nearly-neutral iron. The depth of the edge corresponds to an absorption column of about 1.5E24 cm^{-2}, while little absorption over that expected from the Galaxy is seen at lower X-ray energies. The differential absorption at high and low X-ray energies combined with the iron edge energy are strong evidence that partial covering is a crucial determinant of the behaviour observed from Cir X-1. The continuum spectral variability observed by ASCA can also be understood naturally in terms of partial covering column changes. There is evidence for a relatively weak emission line from neutral iron with an equivalent width of only about 65 eV. After the flux transition, the strength of the edge feature is greatly reduced, suggesting a large reduction in the amount of partial covering. For a large region of statistically acceptable chi-squared parameter space, the luminosity of Cir X-1, after correction for partial covering, need not change during the transition. We discuss models for the partial covering and suggest that X-ray scattering by electrons may be important. Aspects of the Cir X-1 spectrum are very similar to those of Seyfert 2 galaxies with Compton-thin tori.
Safety and Effectiveness of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy during the First Year of Treatment in HIV-1 Infected Rwandan Children: A Prospective Study

Background With increased availability of paediatric combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in resource limited settings, cART outcomes and factors associated with outcomes should be assessed. Methods HIV-infected children <15 years of age, initiating cART in Kigali, Rwanda, were followed for 18 months. Prospective clinical and laboratory assessments included weight-for-age (WAZ) and height-for-age (HAZ) z-scores, complete blood cell count, liver transaminases, creatinine and lipid profiles, CD4 T-cell count/percent, and plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration. Clinical success was defined as WAZ and WAZ >−2, immunological success as CD4 cells ≥500/mm3 and ≥25% for respectively children over 5 years and under 5 years, and virological success as a plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration <40 copies/mL. Results Between March 2008 and December 2009, 123 HIV-infected children were included. The median (interquartile (IQR) age at cART initiation was 7.4 (3.2, 11.5) years; 40% were <5 years and 54% were female. Mean (95% confidence interval (95%CI)) HAZ and WAZ at baseline were −2.01 (−2.23, −1.80) and −1.73 (−1.95, −1.50) respectively and rose to −1.75 (−1.98, −1.51) and −1.17 (−1.38, −0.96) after 12 months of cART. The median (IQR) CD4 T-cell values for children <5 and ≥5 years of age were 20% (13, 28) and 337 (236, 484) cells/mm3respectively, and increased to 36% (28, 41) and 620 (375, 880) cells/mm3. After 12 months of cART, 24% of children had a detectable viral load, including 16% with virological failure (HIV-RNA>1000 c/mL). Older age at cART initiation, poor adherence, and exposure to antiretrovirals around birth were associated with virological failure. A third (33%) of children had side effects (by self-report or clinical assessment), but only 9% experienced a severe side effect requiring a cART regimen change. Conclusions cART in Rwandan HIV-infected children was successful but success might be improved further by initiating cART as early as possible, optimizing adherence and optimizing management of side effects.
Genetic Factors in Parkinson ’ s Disease and Potential Therapeutic Targets

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative movement disorder caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Recent human genetic studies have identified five genes that are linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD): α-synuclein, parkin, UCH-L1, DJ-1 and NR4A2. Among these genes, a variety of mutations in the human parkin locus have been found in many PD cases, both familial and sporadic. Parkin appears to be the most prevalent genetic factor in PD. It encodes for a protein-ubiquitin E3 ligase, whose loss-offunction mutations cause specific degeneration of dopamine (DA) neurons in substantia nigra in human patients. The accumulation of parkin substrates is thought to be the key factor in the selective death of DA neurons. Rapid progress in the identification of these substrates and the generation of genetic animal models has produced a plethora of knowledge about the biological function of parkin and its role in PD. These studies also offer novel pharmacological targets for the development of more selective therapeutic strategies. In this review, I will summarize results from this fast expanding field and discuss their potential implication in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Efficacy of Physiotherapy for Urinary Incontinence following Prostate Cancer Surgery

The study enrolled 81 with urinary incontinence following radical prostate-only prostatectomy for prostatic carcinoma. The patients were divided into two groups. The patients in Group I were additionally subdivided into two subgroups with respect to the physiotherapeutic method used. The patients of subgroup IA received a rehabilitation program consisting of three parts. The patients of subgroup IB rehabilitation program consist of two parts. Group II, a control group, had reported for therapy for persistent urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy but had not entered therapy for personal reasons. For estimating the level of incontinence, a 1-hour and 24-hour urinary pad tests, the miction diary, and incontinence questionnaire were used, and for recording the measurements of pelvic floor muscles tension, the sEMG (surface electromyography) was applied. The therapy duration depended on the level of incontinence and it continued for not longer than 12 months. Superior continence outcomes were obtained in Group I versus Group II and the difference was statistically significant. The odds ratio for regaining continence was greater in the rehabilitated Group I and smaller in the group II without the rehabilitation. A comparison of continence outcomes revealed a statistically significant difference between Subgroups IA versus IB. The physiotherapeutic procedures applied on patients with urine incontinence after prostatectomy, for most of them, proved to be an effective way of acting, which is supported by the obtained results.
Spatial and temporal variation in spectral reflectance: Are seagrass species spectrally distinct?

The spectral signatures of the seagrasses Zostera capricorni, Posidonia australis, and Halophila ovalis were investigated to determine whether species could be discriminated by remote sensing. The spectral reflectance of fouled and unfouled leaf samples collected from marine and brackish habitats at three estuaries in southeastern Australia were measured in the field with a spectroradiometer during each season in 1999 and 2000. Seagrass species were spectrally distinct regardless of whether the leaves were fouled by epibionts and despite spatial and temporal variability in the reflectance of each species. The visible wavelengths that penetrate water coincide with the regions of maximum absorption and characteristic reflectance by plant photosynthetic and accessory pigments. Strong and consistent differences in reflectance between species were recorded in the green wavelengths at 530–580 nm with additional discrimination in the regions 520–530 nm and 580–600 nm and at the red chlorophyll absorption trough at 686–700 nm. Species discrimination should be possible in the remote sensing of benthic aquatic vegetation using a hyperspectral sensor that has narrow bands centered on pigment‐related spectral features in the visible wavelengths. The detection of statistically significant differences in intraspecific reflectance associated with the year, season, estuary, and habitat of sample collection suggests a potential for monitoring seagrass health and estuarine water quality. This study has produced the first spectral library of aquatic plant species to take into account the range of spectral variability expected for the species under natural conditions. The results provide a sound basis for future mapping of seagrass species in Australia.
Children First: Assessing the Role of Children in Active Mediation Interactions

ii Acknowledgements. iii Vita. iv List of Tables. vi Chapter 1: Literature Review. 1 Chapter 2: Hypotheses and Research Questions. 16 Chapter 3: Method. 20 Chapter 4: Results. 25 Chapter 5: Discussion. 40 References. 54 Appendix A: Coding Scheme. 60
A New Approach to Identifying the Drivers of Regulation Compliance Using Multivariate Behavioural Models

Non-compliance with fishing regulations can undermine management effectiveness. Previous bivariate approaches were unable to untangle the complex mix of factors that may influence fishers’ compliance decisions, including enforcement, moral norms, perceived legitimacy of regulations and the behaviour of others. We compared seven multivariate behavioural models of fisher compliance decisions using structural equation modeling. An online survey of over 300 recreational fishers tested the ability of each model to best predict their compliance with two fishing regulations (daily and size limits). The best fitting model for both regulations was composed solely of psycho-social factors, with social norms having the greatest influence on fishers’ compliance behaviour. Fishers’ attitude also directly affected compliance with size limit, but to a lesser extent. On the basis of these findings, we suggest behavioural interventions to target social norms instead of increasing enforcement for the focal regulations in the recreational blue cod fishery in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. These interventions could include articles in local newspapers and fishing magazines highlighting the extent of regulation compliance as well as using respected local fishers to emphasize the benefits of compliance through public meetings or letters to the editor. Our methodological approach can be broadly applied by natural resource managers as an effective tool to identify drivers of compliance that can then guide the design of interventions to decrease illegal resource use.
Como e o que os professores aprendem: uma perspectiva em transformação

Com base na experiencia do programa “Promover uma comunidade de aprendizes”, propoe-se, neste artigo, uma estrutura conceitual para aprofundar a compreensao sobre os distintos modos pelos quais os professores aprendem e, em especial, aprendem a ensinar em diferentes comunidades e contextos. Ao apresentar um novo modelo, busca-se refletir criticamente sobre os desafios encontrados pelos professores, comunidades de professores, instituicoes formadoras, programas e politicas que tenham no cerne o desenvolvimento profissional docente.
Activity of smooth pursuit-related neurons in the monkey periarcuate cortex during pursuit and passive whole-body rotation.

Smooth pursuit and vestibularly induced eye movements interact to maintain the accuracy of eye movements in space (i.e., gaze). To understand the role played by the frontal eye fields in pursuit-vestibular interactions, we examined activity of 110 neurons in the periarcuate areas of head-stabilized Japanese monkeys during pursuit eye movements and passive whole-body rotation. The majority (92%) responded with the peak of their modulation near peak stimulus velocity during suppression of the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) when the monkeys tracked a target that moved with the same amplitude and phase and in the same plane as the chair. We classified pursuit-related neurons (n = 100) as gaze- velocity if their peak modulation occurred for eye (pursuit) and head (VOR suppression) movements in the same direction; the amplitude of modulation during one less than twice that of the other; and modulation was lower during target-stationary-in-space condition (VOR x1) than during VOR suppression. In addition, we examined responses during VOR enhancement (x2) in which the target moved with equal amplitude as, but opposite direction to, the chair. Gaze-velocity neurons responded maximally for opposite directions during VOR x2 and suppression. Based on these criteria, the majority of pursuit-related neurons (66%) were classified as gaze-velocity with preferred directions uniformly distributed. Because the majority of the remaining cells (32/34) also responded during VOR suppression, they were classified as eye/head-velocity neurons. Thirteen preferred pursuit and VOR suppression in the same direction; 13 in the opposite direction, and 6 showed biphasic modulation during VOR suppression. Eye- and gaze-velocity sensitivity of the two groups of cells were similar; mean (+/- SD) was 0.53 +/- 0.30 and 0.50 +/- 0.44 spikes/s per degrees /s, respectively. Gaze-velocity (but not eye/head-velocity) neurons showed significant correlation between eye- and gaze-velocity sensitivity, and both groups maintained their responses when the tracking target was extinguished briefly. The majority of pursuit-related neurons (28/43 = about 65%) responded to chair rotation in complete darkness. When the monkeys fixated a stationary target, more than half of cells tested (21/40) discharged in proportion to the velocity of retinal motion of a second laser spot (mean velocity sensitivity = 0.20 +/- 0.16 spikes/s per degrees /s). Preferred directions of individual cells to the second spot were similar to those during pursuit. Visual responses to the second spot movement were maintained even when it was extinguished briefly. These results indicate that both retinal image- and gaze-velocity signals are carried by single periarcuate pursuit-related neurons, suggesting that these signals can provide target-velocity-in-space and gaze-velocity commands during pursuit-vestibular interactions.
Chapter 3 Women Cycling Through the Life Course: An Australian Case Study

Purpose – The research reported in this chapter focuses on understanding the experiences of women who had decided to return to cycling in adulthood. It was anticipated these experiences could assist other women contemplating taking up cycling as well as cycling lobbyists, policy makers and planners. Methodology – The research targeted women returning to cycling in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. It was conducted using qualitative research methods including in-depth interviews, helmet-mounted video cameras and diary entries. Forty-nine women participated in the study ranging in age from early 20s to mid-70s. Findings – Respondents learned to cycle between the ages of 5 and 12 and most stopped in the early years of secondary school. Almost half the respondents had returned to cycling several times through the life course while another significant group had cycled occasionally up to the time of the interview. Women returned to cycling through a combination of circumstances but women in their early 20s emphasised the importance of social relationships while women in their late 30s (and older) stressed concerns about health and fitness. Becoming mothers or grandmothers was given as a reason for both taking up and giving up cycling. Although there was no pattern in the specific trigger that shifted women from ‘thinking about cycling to getting on a bike’, knowing someone who cycled – partner, family member, work colleague or acquaintance – featured in most women's experiences. Research implications – The findings suggest further research into mobility through the life course will be productive.
When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality

In this "penetrating new analysis" (New York Times Book Review) Ira Katznelson fundamentally recasts our understanding of twentieth-century American history and demonstrates that all the key programs passed during the New Deal and Fair Deal era of the 1930s and 1940s were created in a deeply discriminatory manner. Through mechanisms designed by Southern Democrats that specifically excluded maids and farm workers, the gap between blacks and whites actually widened despite postwar prosperity. In the words of noted historian Eric Foner, "Katznelson's incisive book should change the terms of debate about affirmative action, and about the last seventy years of American history. "
Logarithmic terms in asymptotic expansions of heat operator traces

Let P be an elliptic selfadjoint positive classical pseudodifferential operator of order d on a compact m-dimensional manifold without boundary. The heat trace of P has an asymptotic expansion in and tk log t for l=0,1,2,. and k=1,2,. We show that the coefficients of all terms in this expansion are non-trivial for a dense set of P. We show that the coefficient of the term is not locally computable when is a positive integer; the ramaining coefficients are known to be locally computable. —Let PB be an operator of Dirac type on a compact n-dimentional commanifold with smooth boundary such that the structures are product near the boundary; here a spectral boundary condition is imposed. Let If n is even, the heat trace of has and asymptotic expansion in and k=0,1,2,. ; if n is odd, there is an expansion without the terms. We show that all coefficients (all but one if n is odd) are nontrivial for a dense set of operators.
Cultivating presence : effects of therapist's mindfulness meditation on therapeutic presence

The purpose of this exploratory study was to gain a deeper understanding of how clinicians’ daily mindfulness meditation practice influences the cultivation of therapeutic presence within the relational space of the therapeutic encounter. The study used semistructured, in-person, and Skype video interviews with 11 clinical social workers with a daily mindfulness meditation practice to gather qualitative data and their reflections on the dynamic interplay between mindfulness meditation and preparing the ground for presence, the process of presence and the experience of in-session therapeutic presence. The findings indicate that all of the clinicians experienced a positive direction of association between daily mindfulness meditation and the cultivation of in-session therapeutic presence. In particular, many of the clinicians described an increased ability to remain grounded, attentive, as well as cognitively and affectively more flexible when confronted with strong client affect, given the influence of their daily mindfulness meditation practice. The intent of this study is to raise awareness of the gap in professional training and graduate social work curricula clinicians are receiving in terms of mindfulness meditation, and to highlight the usefulness of daily mindfulness meditation as a clinical tool for cultivating the clinically useful skill of therapeutic presence. CULTIVATING PRESENCE: EFFECTS OF THERAPIST’S MINDFULNESS MEDITATION ON THERAPEUTIC PRESENCE A project based on an independent investigation, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work.