Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Formin-g muscle cytoarchitecture

Striated muscle cells display an extremely regular assembly of their actin cytoskeleton that contributes to the contractile elements, the myofibrils. How this assembly is initiated and how these structures are maintained is still unclear. We have recently shown that striated muscle expresses a specific isoform of the formin protein family member FHOD3, which is characterised by the presence of a CK2 phosphorylation site at the C-terminal end of the formin homology domain 2 (FH2). Phosphorylated muscle FHOD3 displays a different subcellular localisation, namely to the myofibrils, and also has increased stability compared to un-phosphorylated or non muscle FHOD3. In addition, we could show that muscle FHOD3 is involved in myofibril maintenance in cultured cardiomyocytes and that its presence dramatically enhances the reconstitution of cardiac actin filaments after depolymerisation. Since FHOD3 expression levels and in particular that of the muscle isoform are also decreased in different types of cardiomyopathy, we postulate a crucial role for this protein in the maintenance of a fully functional cardiac cytoarchitecture.
Psychological distress inapplicants forpredictive DNA testing forautosomal dominant, heritable, late onsetdisorders

Ina comparative studyontheeffects of predictive DNA testing forlateonset disorders, pre-test psychological distress wasassessed inpeople atriskforHuntington's disease (HD,n=41),cerebral haemorrhage(HCHWA-D, n=9),breastand ovarian cancer(HBOC,n=24),andpolyposiscoli(FAP,n=45). Partners, ifavailable,alsoparticipated in the study. Distress wasmeasuredwiththesubscales Intrusion andAvoidance oftheImpactof
Temperament in Chinese children: a comparison of gender and self/parental ratings

The present study explores the temperamental characteristics of Chinese youth, ages nine to twelve, in Beijing, People's Republic of China (PRC), using the revised Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire (EATQ-R, Ellis & Rothbart, 2001). An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the complete responses from 687 children and 428 mothers. The factorial structure based on Chinese children's self-reports included seven first-order and three second-order factors, differing from Ellis and Rothbart's structure (2001). Significant gender differences were found in both the children's and mothers' reports. An analysis of reports by mothers indicated an interaction between gender and only-child status affecting the temperamental dimension of shyness. Mothers acknowledged the importance of temperament in the formation of their respective children's personalities, but rated it less important than non-individualistic factors such as parental discipline and school education.
Effects of a Worry Induction on Heart Rate, Emotion and Self-reported Arousal in Younger and Older Adults

Effects of a Worry Induction on Heart Rate, Emotion and Self-reported Arousal in Younger and Older Adults Christine E. Gould Anxiety disorders are the most frequently-diagnosed psychological disorder among older adults, with the exception of cognitive disorders. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders of older adults. However, the actual experience of worry, the hallmark symptom of GAD, is not well-understood among older adults. In the present study, older and younger adults participated in an experimental induction of worry or pleasant recall. After controlling for baseline age differences, older and younger adults did not differ in their ratings of worry intensity during the worry induction. An age difference in the experience of worry was found such that, younger adults reported greater anxiety following the worry induction compared to older adults. Younger adults experienced greater heart rates and reported greater arousal than older adults during both the worry and pleasant recall inductions. Thus, older adults may experience less anxiety and lower arousal during worry compared to younger adults. The implications of these findings for our understanding of worry among different age groups are discussed. Future examinations of the role of physiological arousal in older adult worry are needed.
Dividing and Uniting Through Naming: The Case of North Carolina's Sea-Level-Rise Policy

ABSTRACT Opponents of a proposed sea-level-rise policy in North Carolina, USA, reasoned rhetorically to promote a narrative claiming that the policy supporters’ efforts had failed to meet the criteria of “good” science and the American dream expectancy of “progress. ” The critics worked to hinder policy adoption by naming as “villains” scientists who provided research to support the proposed policy. In addition, the opponents named their own efforts to prevent policy based on “bad” science that would “destroy” the American dream as “heroic. ” To more effectively respond to such narratives, scientists and policy proponents need to shift away from reporting just climate change “facts” in the attempt to gain stakeholder support for mitigation and adaptation initiatives. They need to move toward reasoning rhetorically to construct narratives that encourage the public to name them as the “heroes” who will achieve the American dream by their actions to mitigate climate-change outcomes.
Soil Moisture Estimation Using the Modified IEM

A variable transition rate factor is proposed for the modified IEM, such that it uses a variable dielectric profile down to the radar observation depth. A theoretical observation depth model is also proposed. It is shown that radar observation depth calculated by this model agrees with values noted in literature, and that backscattering simulations using the variable transition rate factor compare well with data collected in the European Microwave Signature Laboratory (EMSL) experiments.
Blood and Money: Kin Altruism, Governance, and Inheritance in the Family Firm

This paper develops a theory of governance and inheritance within family firms based on kin altruism (Hamilton, 64). Family members weigh the payoffs to relatives in proportion to relatedness. The theory shows that family management entails both costs and benefits. The attenuated monitoring incentives associated with kin altruism produce a ``policing problem'' within family firms. This policing problem results in both increased managerial diversion and increased monitoring costs. Relatedness has conflicting effects on manager--owner compensation negotiations. On the one hand, owners are more willing to concede rents to family managers to increase total value. On the other hand, because family managers internalize the costs to the family from their rejection of owner demands, relatedness lowers managers' reservation compensation level. Lower compensation leads to more diversion and costly monitoring. Firm founders anticipate the costs and benefits family control when designing their bequests. For typical family trees, kin altruism ensures that founders' preferences are much more closely aligned with value maximization than those of any of their descendants'. Thus, founder bequests are designed to weaken closer relatives' bargaining power in posthumous negotiations with more competent distant relatives.
Non‐uniform muscle oxygenation despite uniform neuromuscular activity within the vastus lateralis during fatiguing heavy resistance exercise

Previous studies have reported for the vastus lateralis (VL) that the extent of muscle hypertrophy in response to resistance training is greater in the distal than in the middle region, despite uniform muscle fibre composition within VL along its length. In the present study, to investigate mechanism(s) for such non‐uniform muscle hypertrophy, we simultaneously measured neuromuscular activity and muscle oxygenation state at the middle and distal regions of VL during fatiguing heavy resistance exercise. Twelve males performed unilateral knee extension exercise which consisted of 4 sets of 8 repetitions at intensity of 80% of the individual one repetition maximum. During the resistance exercise, neuromuscular activities and muscle oxygenation status at the middle and distal regions (50% and 70% of the thigh length, respectively) of VL were measured by using electromyography and near‐infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Neuromuscular activities were similar between the distal and middle regions of VL, whereas muscle tissue oxygenation saturation was significantly lower at the distal than at the middle region of VL. These results suggest a possibility that the regional difference in muscle oxygenation but not in neuromuscular activity during fatiguing heavy resistance exercise is responsible for the regional difference in hypertrophy within a muscle.
Virologic failure following persistent low-level viremia in a cohort of HIV-positive patients: results from 12 years of observation.

BACKGROUND The current goal of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is to maintain a suppressed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load below limits of assay detection. When viral loads remain in low-level viremia (LLV), especially between 50 and 200 copies/mL, the best management and clinical consequences remain unknown. Our objective was to study the long-term impact of persistent LLV on the subsequent risk of virologic failure in a cohort of people living with HIV in Montreal, Canada. METHODS We compared the cumulative incidence of subsequent virologic failure (defined as an HIV RNA viral load of >1000 copies/mL) in patients receiving ART for at least 12 months by following 4 persistence categories (<50, 50-199, 200-499, and 500-999 copies/mL) for 6, 9, or 12 months, using Kaplan-Meier analysis. The association between subsequent virologic failure and persistence status were estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS The cumulative incidence of virologic failure 1 year after having maintained a LLV for 6 months was 22.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.9-33.6) for 50-199 copies/mL, 24.2% (95% CI, 14.5-38.6) for 200-499 copies/mL, and 58.9% (95% CI, 43.1-75.2) for 500-999 copies/mL, compared with 6.6% (95% CI, 5.3-8.2) for an undetectable HIV RNA viral load. Even after adjustment for potential confounders, a persistent LLV of 50-199 copies/mL for 6 months doubled the risk of virologic failure (hazard ratio, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.60-3.09), compared with undetectable viral loads for the same duration. Similar results have been found for persistent LLV of 9 or 12 months. CONCLUSIONS In this cohort, all categories of persistent LLV between 50 and 999 copies/mL were associated with an increased risk of virologic failure. The results shed new light for the management of patients with LLV, especially with regard to LLV of 50-199 copies/mL.
Representing Scientific Experiments: Implications for Ontology Design and Knowledge Sharing

As part of the development of knowledge sharing technology, it is necessary to consider a variety of domains and tasks in order to ensure that the shared framework is widely applicable. This paper describes an ontology design project in experimental molecular biology, focusing on extensions to previous ontological models and frame-based formalisms that allow us to handle problems in the representation of experimental science knowledge. We define object histories, which are used to track substances through a series of experimental processes, including those which transform their participants from one category to another. We define object and process complexestemporary configurations with features of their own. We present extensions to a frame-based formalism to support these features. Additional features of our frame formalism include slot groups for identifying sets of relations with common properties, and partial filler restrictions that combine knowledge of the most likely slot values with the ability to handle unexpected values. We demonstrate how these extensions enable the use of (relatively) domain independent inference rules, support intelligent information retrieval, and improve the quality of query interfaces; and we describe the translation of our formalism into Ontolingua.
Comparing the T and  $\pi$ Equivalent Circuits for the Calculation of Transformer Inrush Currents

The most commonly used equivalent circuit for transformers is the traditional (Steinmetz) T-equivalent proposed toward the end of the 19th century. This model has two leakage impedance branches and one magnetizing branch. The T model properly represents the terminal behavior of the transformer for most low-frequency operating conditions. Another model derived from the principle of duality between magnetic and electric circuits exists, the π equivalent circuit, which has two magnetizing branches and one leakage branch. This paper shows that while the two equivalent circuits provide the same accuracy in steady state, better accuracy for the calculation of inrush currents is obtained with the π -equivalent circuit. Laboratory tests performed on three transformers with different characteristics demonstrate that inrush current simulations with the T equivalent circuit can have errors up to 73%, while the π equivalent estimates the measurements in every case within a few percent.
Walking economy at simulated high altitude in human healthy young male lowlanders

ABSTRACT We measured oxygen consumption during walking per unit distance (Cw) values for 12 human healthy young males at six speeds from 0.667 to 1.639 m s−1 (four min per stage) on a level gradient under normobaric normoxia, moderate hypoxia (15% O2), and severe hypoxia (11% O2). Muscle deoxygenation (HHb) was measured at the vastus lateralis muscle using near-infrared spectroscopy. Economical speed which can minimize the Cw in each individual was calculated from a U-shaped relationship. We found a significantly slower economical speed (ES) under severe hypoxia [1.237 (0.056) m s−1; mean (s.d.)] compared to normoxia [1.334 (0.070) m s−1] and moderate hypoxia [1.314 (0.070) m s−1, P<0.05 respectively] with no differences between normoxia and moderate hypoxia (P>0.05). HHb gradually increased with increasing speed under severe hypoxia, while it did not increase under normoxia and moderate hypoxia. Changes in HHb between standing baseline and the final minute at faster gait speeds were significantly related to individual ES (r=0.393 at 1.250 m s−1, r=0.376 at 1.444 m s−1, and r=0.409 at 1.639 m s−1, P<0.05, respectively). These results suggested that acute severe hypoxia slowed ES by ∼8%, but moderate hypoxia left ES unchanged. Summary: Acute severe hypoxia slowed the economical speed (ES) which can minimize energy cost of walking. Muscle O2 extraction may be one of the determining factors of an individual's ES.
Protein kinase C isoform expression as a predictor of disease outcome on endocrine therapy in breast cancer

Background: Although in vitro breast cancer models have demonstrated a role for protein kinase C (PKC) &agr; and &dgr; isoforms in endocrine insensitivity and resistance respectively, there is currently little clinical evidence to support these observations. Aims: To define the pattern of PKC &agr; and &dgr; expression using breast cancer cell lines, with and without endocrine resistance, and also breast cancer samples, where expression can be correlated with clinicopathological and endocrine therapy outcome data. Methods: PKC isoform expression was examined in tamoxifen responsive, oestrogen receptor positive (ER+), ER+ acquired tamoxifen resistant (TAM-R) and oestrogen receptor negative (ER−) cell lines by western blotting and immunocytochemical analysis. PKC isoform expression was then examined by immunohistochemistry in archival breast cancer specimens from primary breast cancer patients with known clinical outcome in relation to endocrine response and survival on therapy. Results: ER+ breast cancer cell lines expressed considerable PKC-&dgr; but barely detectable levels of PKC-&agr;, whereas ER− cell lines expressed PKC-&agr; but little PKC-&dgr;. ER+ acquired TAM-R cell lines expressed substantial levels of both PKC-&agr; and &dgr;. In clinical samples, high PKC-&dgr; expression correlated to endocrine responsiveness whereas PKC-&agr; expression correlated to ER negativity. PKC-&dgr; was an independent predictor of duration of response to therapy. Patients showing a PKC-&dgr;+/PKC-&agr;− phenotype had a six times longer endocrine response than patients with the PKC-&dgr;+/ PKC-&agr;+ phenotype (equating to tamoxifen resistance in vitro). Conclusions: Levels of PKC-&agr; and &dgr; expression appear to be indicative of response to anti-oestrogen therapy and could be useful in predicting a patient’s suitability for endocrine therapy.
An evaluation of Crescent School vLearning – an online peer-tutoring program

Abstract Tutoring is often a useful supplement to traditional classroom teaching in Canada. Cross-age tutoring, which involves a tutor a few years older than a tutee, has been reported to be more effective than same-age tutoring, as it promotes responsibility, empowerment and academic performance. However, the current same-age classroom teaching may act as a barrier to cross-age tutoring because the latter requires plenty of coordination, preparation and organization. At Crescent School, an all-boys independent school in Toronto, Canada, a pilot online cross-age peer-tutoring program was launched in September 2014, named Crescent School vLearning. The purpose of this study was to formally assess the program, and quantitatively gauge its success. Thirty-six questions were randomly selected from the vLearning website, examined for response time and response quality as assessed by students and teachers. The fast response times as well as the high-quality of responses have resulted in the program gaining traction in the school. As vLearning continues to catch-on with students, the team of Upper School tutors will soon need to be expanded to accommodate the increasing volume of questions.
A study of different types of attacks in mobile ad hoc networks

We present a simulation-based study of the impacts of different types of attacks in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). We consider three common types of attacks: blackhole attack, jellyfish attack and neighbor attack. Specifically, we study how the number of attackers and their positions affect the performance metrics of a connection such as packet delivery ratio, throughput, end-to-end delay, and delay jitter. The results enable us to suggest measures to minimize the impacts of the above types of attacks in MANETs.
Physical recovery, mental detachment and sleep as predictors of injury and mental energy

Although sports activities are generally considered beneficial to people’s health and well-being, they can cause injuries and increased fatigue. Guided by the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation Recovery Model, this study hypothesized that physical recovery and mental detachment from sport-related activities would prevent injury and enhance mental energy. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 161 recreational athletes. Structural equation modelling analyses showed that mental detachment was negatively associated with injury and positively associated with mental energy. Sleep deprivation partially mediated the relation between mental detachment and mental energy. These findings imply an important role for mental detachment in maintaining people’s health and well-being.
An Investigation of the Testing Effect on Motor Learning

iii LIST OF FIGURES.vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.1 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE.3 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY.13 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS.20 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION.27 REFERENCES.31 CURRICULUM VITAE.34
Compressive imaging using approximate message passing and a Markov-tree prior

We propose a novel algorithm for compressive imaging that exploits both the sparsity and persistence across scales found in the 2D wavelet transform coefficients of natural images. Like other recent works, we model wavelet structure using a hidden Markov tree (HMT) but, unlike other works, ours is based on loopy belief propagation (LBP). For LBP, we adopt a recently proposed “turbo” message passing schedule that alternates between exploitation of HMT structure and exploitation of compressive-measurement structure. For the latter, we leverage Donoho, Maleki, and Montanari's recently proposed approximate message passing (AMP) algorithm. Experiments on a large image database show that our turbo LBP approach maintains state-of-the-art reconstruction performance at half the complexity.1
pH-Dependent Conformational Changes in the HCV NS3 Protein Modulate Its ATPase and Helicase Activities

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects 170 to 200 million people worldwide and is, therefore, a major health problem. The lack of efficient treatments that specifically target the viral proteins or RNA and its high chronicity rate make hepatitis C the cause of many deaths and hepatic transplants annually. The NS3 protein is considered an important target for the development of anti-HCV drugs because it is composed of two domains (a serine protease in the N-terminal portion and an RNA helicase/NTPase in the C-terminal portion), which are essential for viral replication and proliferation. We expressed and purified both the NS3 helicase domain (NS3hel) and the full-length NS3 protein (NS3FL) and characterized pH-dependent structural changes associated with the increase in their ATPase and helicase activities at acidic pH. Using intrinsic fluorescence experiments, we have observed that NS3hel was less stable at pH 6.4 than at pH 7.2. Moreover, binding curves using an extrinsic fluorescent probe (bis-ANS) and ATPase assays performed under different pH conditions demonstrated that the hydrophobic clefts of NS3 are significantly more exposed to the aqueous medium at acidic pH. Using fluorescence spectroscopy and anisotropy assays, we have also observed more protein interaction with DNA upon pH acidification, which suggests that the hydrophobic clefts exposure on NS3 might be related to a loss of stability that could lead it to adopt a more open conformation. This conformational change at acidic pH would stimulate both its ATPase and helicase activities, as well as its ability to bind DNA. Taken together, our results indicate that the NS3 protein adopts a more open conformation due to acidification from pH 7.2 to 6.4, resulting in a more active form at a pH that is found near Golgi-derived membranes. This increased activity could better allow NS3 to carry out its functions during HCV replication.
Biscarbamate cross-linked polyethylenimine derivative with low molecular weight, low cytotoxicity, and high efficiency for gene delivery

Polyethylenimine (PEI), especially PEI 25 kDa, has been widely studied for delivery of nucleic acid drugs both in vitro and in vivo. However, it lacks degradable linkages and is too toxic for therapeutic applications. Hence, low-molecular-weight PEI has been explored as an alternative to PEI 25 kDa. To reduce cytotoxicity and increase transfection efficiency, we designed and synthesized a novel small-molecular-weight PEI derivative (PEI-Et, Mn: 1220, Mw: 2895) with ethylene biscarbamate linkages. PEI-Et carried the ability to condense plasmid DNA (pDNA) into nanoparticles. Gel retardation assay showed complete condensation of pDNA at w/w ratios that exceeded three. The particle size of polymer/pDNA complexes was between 130 nm and 180 nm and zeta potential was 5–10 mV, which were appropriate for cell endocytosis. The morphology of PEI-Et/pDNA complexes observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) was spherically shaped with diameters of 110–190 nm. The transfection efficiency of polymer/pDNA complexes as determined with the luciferase activity assay as well as fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis (FACS) was higher than commercially available PEI 25 kDa and Lipofectamine 2000 in various cell lines. Also, the polymer exhibited significantly lower cytotoxicity compared to PEI 25 kDa at the same concentration in three cell lines. Therefore, our results indicated that the PEI-Et would be a promising candidate for safe and efficient gene delivery in gene therapy.