Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Identification of AMY, an Alzheimer Disease Amyloid‐Associated Protein

One of the neuropathological lesions characteristic of Alzheimer disease (AD) is the cerebral accumulation of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ). Although numerous studies have demonstrated that Aβ spontaneously forms amyloid in vitro, the molecular events underlying Aβ amyloid formation in vivo are less well understood. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that other proteins colocalize with Aβ in amyloid deposits in brain. The identity of one of these proteins, AMY, has so far remained elusive; therefore we attempted to purify AMY. The AMY protein was found to co-purify with Aβ in insoluble fractions from human AD brain, and was absent in brains from control subjects. AMY immunoreactivity was primarily restricted to a 50-kDa and 100-kDa protein species. Interestingly, the chromatographic and immunological profile of AMY resembled the recently identified amyloid-associated protein CLAC, derived from a transmembrane collagen-like precursor, CLAC-P. Antibodies against AMY recognized CLAC-P expressed in mammalian cells. In addition, side-by-side comparisons of AD brain sections and extracts, using antibodies against both AMY and CLAC, respectively, resulted in almost identical staining patterns. Therefore, we conclude that the AMY immunoreactivity seen in association with amyloid in AD brain is due to the presence of the CLAC protein.
Phonon modulation of the spin-orbit interaction as a spin relaxation mechanism in quantum dots

We calculate the spin relaxation rates in a parabolic InSb quantum dots due to the spin interaction with acoustical phonons. We considered the deformation potential mechanism as the dominant electron-phonon coupling in the Pavlov-Firsov spin-phonon Hamiltonian. By studying suitable choices of magnetic field and lateral dot size, we determine regions where the spin relaxation rates can be practically suppressed. We analyze the behavior of the spin relaxation rates as a function of an external magnetic field and mean quantum dot radius. Effects of the spin admixture due to Dresselhaus contribution to spin-orbit interaction are also discussed.
NICMOS Observations of Low-Redshift Quasar Host Galaxies

We have obtained Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer images of 16 radio-quiet quasars observed as part of a project to investigate the "luminosity/host-mass limit. " The limit results were presented in a paper by McLeod, Rieke, & Storrie-Lombardi. In this paper, we present the images themselves, along with one- and two-dimensional analyses of the host galaxy properties. We find that our model-independent one-dimensional technique is reliable for use on ground-based data at low redshifts; that many radio-quiet quasars live in de Vaucouleurs-law hosts, although some of the techniques used to determine host type are questionable; that complex structure is found in many of the hosts, but that there are some hosts that are very smooth and symmetric; and that the nuclei radiate at ~2%-20% of the Eddington rate based on the assumption that all galaxies have central black holes with a constant mass fraction of 0.6%. Despite targeting hard-to-resolve hosts, we have failed to find any that imply super-Eddington accretion rates.
Prevalence and mental health outcomes of homicide survivors in a representative US sample of adolescents: data from the 2005 National Survey of Adolescents.

BACKGROUND Each homicide leaves behind several friends and family members, or homicide survivors. However, limited information is available on the impact of homicide on adolescent survivors. The purpose of the current study was to identify the prevalence of homicide survivorship and to determine mental health outcomes within a sample of US adolescent survivors. METHODS A nationally representative sample of American adolescents (N = 3,614) between the ages of 12 and 17 completed structured telephone interviews assessing homicide survivorship and mental health consequences including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, drug use, and alcohol abuse. RESULTS Reported prevalence within this sample of losing a loved one to criminal homicide was 9%, losing a loved one to vehicular homicide was 7%, and losing a loved one to both types of homicide was 2%. Logistic regression analyses found that adolescents who reported being homicide survivors were significantly more likely to report depression, drug use, and alcohol abuse after controlling for demographic factors and other violence exposure. CONCLUSIONS If the results from this study are generalizable to the US population, roughly 1 in 5 American adolescents may be impacted by homicide. Further, adolescents exposed to such a loss are at increased risk for mental health sequelae. Results suggest that greater attention needs to be paid to address the needs of these often underserved victims.
Pyrolysis GC/MS and IR Spectroscopy in Chitin Analysis of Molluscan Shells

Chitin is an insoluble component in the shells of several molluscan species. It is thought to play important roles, in biomineralization and shell structure. To date, however, reports are scarce and sometimes contradictory, and suffer from methodological problems. Only in a single cephalopod species has the chitin been identified as β-chitin. We present data on chitin occurrence in 22 species of shell-bearing Mollusca (Conchifera) and Polyplacophora, including the first evidence for scaphopods, based on pyrolysis gas chromatography, mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and infrared spectroscopy (IR). Pyrolysis GC-MS detected chitin in every tested member of the Conchifera. IR spectroscopy before and after chitinase treatment revealed at least three distinct patterns of peak changes. The contents of the insoluble shell organics included not only chitin and proteins, but also insoluble polysaccharides, e.g., glucan. We conclude that chitin was present in the last common ancestor of the Conchifera and that its abundance in the shell matrix depends on the differentiation of the shell.
Computational Challenges in Parsing by Classification

This paper presents a discriminative parser that does not use a generative model in any way, yet whose accuracy still surpasses a generative baseline. The parser performs feature selection incrementally during training, as opposed to a priori, which enables it to work well with minimal linguistic cleverness. The main challenge in building this parser was fitting the training data into memory. We introduce gradient sampling, which increased training speed 100-fold. Our implementation is freely available at http://nlp.cs. nyu.edu/parser/.
Spatial properties of neurons in the monkey striate cortex

Contrast sensitivity as a function of spatial frequency was determined for 138 neurons in the foveal region of primate striate cortex. The accuracy of three models in describing these functions was assessed by the method of least squares. Models based on difference-of-Gaussians (DOG) functions were shown to be superior to those based on the Gabor function or the second differential of a Gaussian. In the most general case of the DOG models, each subregion of a simple cell’s receptive field was constructed from a single DOG function. All the models are compatible with the classical observation that the receptive fields of simple cells are made up of spatially discrete ‘on’ and ‘off’ regions. Although the DOG-based models have more free parameters, they can account better for the variety of shapes of spatial contrast sensitivity functions observed in cortical cells and, unlike other models, they provide a detailed description of the organization of subregions of the receptive field that is consistent with the physiological constraints imposed by earlier stages in the visual pathway. Despite the fact that the DOG-based models have spatially discrete components, the resulting amplitude spectra in the frequency domain describe complex cells just as well as simple cells. The superiority of the DOG-based models as a primary spatial filter is discussed in relation to popular models of visual processing that use the Gabor function or the second differential of a Gaussian.
Sport event volunteers' engagement: management matters

Volunteers are vital to the success of many major sporting events (Doherty, 2009). Understanding the factors that influence sport event volunteerism will assist in event volunteer management. This study used self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) to examine the relationships among individuals' motivation for volunteering, perceptions of volunteer work climate and engagement. The participants were 44 marshals and scorers volunteering at the British Women's Golf Open, Carnoustie, Scotland 2011. They completed a questionnaire assessing their motivation for volunteering, perceptions of volunteer work climate, and psychological engagement whilst volunteering. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relationships among motivation, climate, and engagement. Volunteers' intrinsic motivation and perceptions of an autonomy-supportive work climate significantly predicted engagement. In conclusion, volunteers' engagement was related to their initial motivation, however, management practices were also important.
Cross-cultural adaptation of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND The Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ), measuring task performance, contextual performance, and counterproductive work behavior, was developed in The Netherlands. OBJECTIVES To cross-culturally adapt the IWPQ from the Dutch to the American-English language, and assess the questionnaire's internal consistency and content validity in the American-English context. METHODS A five stage translation and adaptation process was used: forward translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert committee review, and pilot-testing. During the pilot-testing, cognitive interviews with 40 American workers were performed, to examine the comprehensibility, applicability, and completeness of the American-English IWPQ. RESULTS Questionnaire instructions were slightly modified to aid interpretation in the American-English language. Inconsistencies with verb tense were identified, and it was decided to consistently use simple past tense. The wording of five items was modified to better suit the American-English language. In general, participants were positive on the comprehensibility, applicability and completeness of the questionnaire during the pilot-testing phase. Furthermore, the study showed positive results concerning the internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas for the scales between 0.79-0.89) and content validity of the American-English IWPQ. CONCLUSION The results indicate that the cross-cultural adaptation of the American-English IWPQ was successful and that the measurement properties of the translated version are promising.
Sex differences and the incidence of left-handedness.

Summary The higher incidence of left-handedness among males still remains a manifest and interesting phenomenon. For instance, Clark indicated that 7.84% of her male respondents were left-handed compared to 3.91% of the females. A study in South Africa among 882 students (mean age 13 years) yielded similar results: 11.13% of the males were left-handed compared to 7.69% of the females.
Genes on bovine chromosome 18 associated with bilateral convergent strabismus with exophthalmos in German Brown cattle

Purpose Bilateral convergent strabismus with exophthalmos (BCSE) is a widespread inherited eye defect in several cattle populations. Its progressive condition often leads to blindness in affected cattle and shortens their length of productive life. Furthermore, breeding with BCSE-affected animals is forbidden by the German animal welfare laws. We performed a mutation and association analysis for three candidate genes (troponin T type 1 [TNNT1], retinol dehydrogenase 13 [RDH13], and TCF3 fusion partner [TFPT]), which are located within the previously identified BCSE-linked region on the telomeric end of bovine chromosome 18 (BTA18). In addition, we developed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within these three candidate genes and nine other genes that are contained in this genomic BCSE-region to perform association analyses with BCSE in German Brown cattle. Methods We performed cDNA analyses of all three candidate genes using eye tissues of three affected German Brown cows and three unaffected controls. Furthermore, we screened the exonic and the adjacent genomic sequences of RDH13, TNNT1, and TFPT using four BCSE-affected and four controls of German Brown cattle. Here, we included all exons of RDH13 and those exons of TNNT1 and TFPT for which SNPs were detected by cDNA analyses. In addition, we developed 21 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products for 17 more genes in the BCSE region and searched them for polymorphisms. All markers detected were genotyped in 48 BCSE-affected German Brown cows and 48 breed and sex matched controls and tested for association with BCSE. Results In total, we detected 29 SNPs in 12 genes. In the coding sequence of the three candidate genes, we identified 10 exonic SNPs and a new splice variant of TNNT1. Four SNPs were associated with the BCSE phenotype in single marker-trait analyses. These SNPs were located within DHDH (dihydrodiol dehydrogenase dimeric), CPT1C (carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1C), TNNT1, and NALP7. The marker-trait association for haplotypes including five SNPs of CPT1C, SYT5 (synaptotagmin V), RDH13, and NALP7 (NLR family, pyrin domain containing 7) revealed a significant association with BCSE. We identified three individual haplotypes that were significantly associated with BCSE. These haplotypes spanned the region from 56.05 Mb to 62.87 Mb on BTA18. Conclusions The haplotype association analysis corroborated the results of the linkage study that the telomeric end of BTA18 harbors a gene responsible for BCSE and further refines the BCSE region to a 6.82 Mb interval ranging from 56.05 Mb to 62.87 Mb on BTA18.
Relationships of Some Personality Variables to Academic Attainment of Secondary School Pupils

The study examined the relationship of extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), psychoticism (P), academic self‐concept and locus of control to academic attainment of lower secondary school pupils in a cross‐cultural context. Measures of E, N, P, academic self‐concept, locus of control and academic attainment were taken from 120 pupils (60 boys, 60 girls) of Standard 7 in a middle school in Bophuthatswana (Southern African region). The analysis of results revealed that E, N and P are significantly negatively related to academic attainment, while academic self‐concept and internality are significantly positively associated with measures of academic attainment. No significant sex differences were found. It was also observed that mean E and N scores of the subjects of this study were significantly lower than those given in Eysenck and Eysenck's (1975) normative data for English children of the same age.
The Effect of Labor Force Participation On Gender Differences in Voluntary Association Affiliation: a Cross-National Study

Most U. S. surveys indicate that women belong to fewer voluntary associations than do men (cf. Scott, 1957; Babchuk and Booth, 1969). A cross-national survey shows an even greater disparity between male and female rates of affiliation in four of five other countries (Curtis, 1971). The only clear exception to this trend is a national survey by Hausknecht (1962) which shows men and women are equally likely to join voluntary organizations. However, Hausknecht, like Booth (1972), found
From 'Pirates' to 'Militants': A Historical Perspective on Anti-State and Anti-Oil Company Mobilization Among the Ijaw of Warri, Western Niger Delta

Against the background of recent attempts to explain insurgency in the Niger Delta in the context of the “greed” of militant groups, this article argues that insurgency can best be explained by examining the social origins of militant groups. Focusing on the case of the Ijaw of Warri, from among whom the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) emerged, the article seeks to demonstrate that insurgency is the consequence of longstanding experiences of political and social-cultural marginalization. Militant groups emerged as a result of the failure of the state and oil companies to respond to peaceful protests in previous decades.
The virtue and vice of workplace conflict: food for (pessimistic) thought

Many authors, myself included, have suggested that workplace conflict may be beneficial to the organization. I argue that the support for this conclusion is rather weak. A selective and necessarily limited review of the literature shows that: (1) the positive functions of conflict are found only under an exceedingly narrow set of circumstances, (2) the conclusion that (particular forms of) conflict and conflict management has positive functions can be criticized on methodological grounds, (3) even under favorable circumstances a number of serious negative functions can be identified as well, (4) negative functions easily outweigh positive functions, prohibiting the emergence of ‘positive workplace conflict’ (where conflict has predominantly positive consequences), and (5) organizations need cooperative conflict management not because it brings positive conflict, but because it prevents workplace conflict to hurt too much. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Treatment of the calcific tendinopathy of the rotator cuff by ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle lavage. Two years prospective study.

BACKGROUND to evaluate the short and long term effectiveness of ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous needle lavage in calcific tendinopathy of the rotator cuff. To study the evolution of the size of calcifications and pain in the two years after treatment. METHODS STUDY DESIGN A 2 year longitudinal prospective study is carried out after applying the UGPL technique on a number of patients diagnosed with calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff. Clinical, ultrasound and radiology follow-up controls were performed, 3 months, 6 months, one year and two years after the treatment. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain. The degree and point of pain is selected on a 10 cm line, arranged horizontally or vertically. The "0" represents no pain and "10" represents worst pain. The population studied was made up of 121 patients that required our service as a result of suffering from a painful shoulder. RESULTS the pain (VAS) and the size of the calcification significantly decreased with the application of the technique (p< 0,001 in both cases) and regardless of the sex (p: 0.384 for pain and p: 0.578 for the size of the calcification). This occurred from the first check-up (3 months) and was maintained for two year. CONCLUSIONS we consider this technique to be a valid alternative as a first-choice treatment of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. The intervention is simple, cost-effective, does not require hospitalization, involves no complications, rehabilitation treatment is not required and it shows very few side effects without sequelae, significantly reducing the size of the calcification and pain in the majority of patients.
Does the Gender of Examiners Influence Their Marking?

For many years there have been concerns about whether sex bias exists in various assessments. A literature review reveals that little if any sex bias has been found in UK national assessments at General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE) mostly taken by 16 year olds and General Certificate of Education mostly taken by 18 year olds. Oxford Cambridge and RSA examiners, for three case study subjects, completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI). This self-report inventory measured the extent to which the respondents are sex-typed i.e. to what extent they have socially desirable, stereotypically masculine and feminine personality traits. The responses were used to investigate whether there was any:sex bias in the marking; relationship between the masculinity and femininity of the examiners and their marking of male and female examinees. It was found that there was one question in the English examination which was biased by 0.5 of a mark in the favour of girls. There was another significant result in English, the more senior the examiner the more generous the marking. These concords with results in other areas like testing English as a foreign language. It is concluded that sex bias should be monitored but is unlikely to be found.
Relationships Between Blogs as EWOM and Interactivity, Perceived Interactivity, and Parasocial Interaction

Abstract The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of a political candidate’s blog-a form of eWOM (electronic Word-of-Mouth)-on attitudes toward the website, attitudes toward the political candidate, and intentions to vote. The results showed that interactivity in the form of a blog significantly influenced attitude toward the website, but not attitudes toward the candidate or voting intention. However, perceived interactivity influenced all three dependent variables, but did not interact with interactivity, suggesting that these are two separate constructs. The effects were mediated by parasocial interaction.
Comparison Between 1- and 2-Stent Strategies in Unprotected Distal Left Main Disease: The Milan and New-Tokyo Registry

Background—There are only little data available on the comparison of clinical outcomes between a 1-stent strategy (1-SS) and a 2-stent strategy (2-SS) for percutaneous coronary intervention in unprotected distal left main disease. Methods and Results—Between April 2005 and August 2011, we recruited 937 consecutive unprotected distal left main patients treated with drug-eluting stents (1-SS, 608 patients; 2-SS, 329 patients). Major adverse cardiovascular events were defined as all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularization (TLR) during the median follow-up period of 1592 days. Furthermore, the individual components of major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiac death, and stent thrombosis were evaluated. More complex lesions were seen with 2-SS than with 1-SS. Cardiac death occurred more frequently with 1-SS than with 2-SS (propensity score–adjusted hazard ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.29–0.64; P=0.03), whereas TLR occurred more frequently with 2-SS than with 1-SS (propensity score–adjusted hazard ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.15–2.20; P=0.005). TLR was mainly driven by revascularizations after restenosis at the ostial left circumflex artery (propensity score–adjusted hazard ratio, 1.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.33–2.82; P=0.001). However, there were no differences in major adverse cardiovascular events, all-cause death, stent thrombosis, and myocardial infarction. Of the 139 pairs that were propensity score matched, only TLRs were significantly higher in the 2-SS group (hazard ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–2.53; P=0.05). Conclusions—The difference between 1-SS and 2-SS in percutaneous coronary intervention for unprotected distal left main disease may be summarized by the high incidence of TLR, mainly because of restenosis at the ostial left circumflex artery in the 2-SS group.