Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Jack Mezirow's Conceptualisation of Adult Transformative Learning: A Review

This paper traces the evolution of Jack Mezirow's transformative learning theory and its conceptualisation. It discusses the three major influences, namely Thomas Khun's philosophical conception of paradigm, Freire's conception of conscientisation and consciousness growth, and Habermas' domains of learning and the discussion of language as communicative action. The paper concludes with a discussion of the main concepts underlying the theory of transformative learning – a theory grounded in robust theoretical traditions – and presents a process of transformation which leads the adult learner through a process that initiates in a moment of disorientation and ends in transformative self-reflection that results in the transformation of one's perspective.
Identifying combined design and analysis procedures in two-stage trials with a binary end point

Two‐stage trial designs provide the flexibility to stop early for efficacy or futility and are popular because they have a smaller sample size on average than a traditional trial has with the same type I and II error rates. This makes them financially attractive but also has the ethical benefit of reducing, in the long run, the number of patients who are given ineffective treatments. Designs that minimise the expected sample size are often referred to as ‘optimal’. However, two‐stage designs can impart a substantial bias into the parameter estimate at the end of the trial. In this paper, we argue that the expected performance of one's chosen estimation method should also be considered when deciding on a two‐stage trial design. We review the properties of standard and bias‐adjusted maximum likelihood estimators as well as mean and median unbiased estimators. We then identify optimal two‐stage design and analysis procedures that balance projected sample size considerations with those of estimator performance. We make available software to implement this new methodology. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Terminal tendon cell differentiation requires the glide/gcm complex

Locomotion relies on stable attachment of muscle fibres to their target sites, a process that allows for muscle contraction to generate movement. Here, we show that glide/gcm and glide2/gcm2, the fly glial cell determinants, are expressed in a subpopulation of embryonic tendon cells and required for their terminal differentiation. By using loss-of-function approaches, we show that in the absence of both genes, muscle attachment to tendon cells is altered, even though the molecular cascade induced by stripe, the tendon cell determinant, is normal. Moreover, we show that glide/gcm activates a new tendon cell gene independently of stripe. Finally, we show that segment polarity genes control the epidermal expression of glide/gcm and determine, within the segment, whether it induces glial or tendon cell-specific markers. Thus, under the control of positional cues, glide/gcm triggers a new molecular pathway involved in terminal tendon cell differentiation, which allows the establishment of functional muscle attachment sites and locomotion.
Evaluation of Gait Authentication using a Large-scale Inertial Gait Database

This report presents the very large inertial sensor-based gait database and its application to a statistically reliable performance evaluation for gait-based recognition problem. Whereas existing gait databases include at most a hundred subjects, we construct a much larger gait database for both accelerometer and gyroscope which includes 736 subjects (382 males and 354 females) with ages ranging from 2 to 78 years. Because a sufficiently large number of subjects for each gender and age group are included in this database, we can analyze the dependence of gait recognition performance on gender or age groups. The results with the latest existing recognition method provide several novel insights, such as the trade-off of gait recognition performance among age groups derived from the maturity of walking ability and physical strength. Moreover, the evaluation for the recognition performance improvement with a larger number of subjects was reliably confirmed in the experiments. As for sensor data type, acceleration is better than angular velocity for gait recognition performance. Compared to unnormalized distance, normalized distance works significantly better for angular velocity.
Phosphorylation of Ser363, Thr370, and Ser375 Residues within the Carboxyl Tail Differentially Regulates μ-Opioid Receptor Internalization*

Prolonged activation of opioid receptors leads to their phosphorylation, desensitization, internalization, and down-regulation. To elucidate the relationship between μ-opioid receptor (MOR) phosphorylation and the regulation of receptor activity, a series of receptor mutants was constructed in which the 12 Ser/Thr residues of the COOH-terminal portion of the receptor were substituted to Ala, either individually or in combination. All these mutant constructs were stably expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and exhibited similar expression levels and ligand binding properties. Among those 12 Ser/Thr residues, Ser363, Thr370, and Ser375 have been identified as phosphorylation sites. In the absence of the agonist, a basal phosphorylation of Ser363 and Thr370 was observed, whereas [d-Ala2,Me-Phe4,Gly5-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO)-induced receptor phosphorylation occurs at Thr370 and Ser375 residues. Furthermore, the role of these phosphorylation sites in regulating the internalization of MOR was investigated. The mutation of Ser375 to Ala reduced the rate and extent of receptor internalization, whereas mutation of Ser363 and Thr370 to Ala accelerated MOR internalization kinetics. The present data show that the basal phosphorylation of MOR could play a role in modulating agonist-induced receptor internalization kinetics. Furthermore, even though μ-receptors and δ-opioid receptors have the same motif encompassing agonist-induced phosphorylation sites, the different agonist-induced internalization properties controlled by these sites suggest differential cellular regulation of these two receptor subtypes.
The Effect of Acceptor and Donor Doping on Oxygen Vacancy Concentrations in Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT)

The different properties of acceptor-doped (hard) and donor-doped (soft) lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics are often attributed to different amounts of oxygen vacancies introduced by the dopant. Acceptor doping is believed to cause high oxygen vacancy concentrations, while donors are expected to strongly suppress their amount. In this study, La3+ donor-doped, Fe3+ acceptor-doped and La3+/Fe3+-co-doped PZT samples were investigated by oxygen tracer exchange and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in order to analyse the effect of doping on oxygen vacancy concentrations. Relative changes in the tracer diffusion coefficients for different doping and quantitative relations between defect concentrations allowed estimates of oxygen vacancy concentrations. Donor doping does not completely suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies; rather, it concentrates them in the grain boundary region. Acceptor doping enhances the amount of oxygen vacancies but estimates suggest that bulk concentrations are still in the ppm range, even for 1% acceptor doping. Trapped holes might thus considerably contribute to the charge balancing of the acceptor dopants. This could also be of relevance in understanding the properties of hard and soft PZT.
Crystal Structure of the Hyperthermophilic Archaeal DNA-Binding Protein Sso10b2 at a Resolution of 1.85 Angstroms

ABSTRACT The crystal structure of a small, basic DNA binding protein, Sso10b2, from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus was determined by the Zn multiwavelength anomalous diffraction method and refined to 1.85 Å resolution. The 89-amino-acid protein adopts a βαβαββ topology. The structure is similar to that of Sso10b1 (also called Alba) from the same organism. However, Sso10b2 contains an arginine-rich loop RDRRR motif, which may play an important role in nucleic acid binding. There are two independent Sso10b2 proteins in the asymmetric unit, and a plausible stable dimer could be deduced from the crystal structure. Topology comparison revealed that Sso10b2 is similar to several RNA-binding proteins, including IF3-C, YhhP, and DNase I. Models of the Sso10b2 dimer bound to either B-DNA or A-DNA have been constructed.
The Development and Validation of the eHealth Competency Scale: A Measurement of Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, Usage, and Motivation

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to construct and validate a scale of electronic health (e-health) communication competence. Based on a comprehensive review of e-health literature, this scale was constructed using two studies to gather data and validate the scale; four dimensions emerged in the final measurement: e-health self-efficacy, knowledge, usage, and motivation. Results suggest the e-health competence scale is useful for researchers to develop online health interventions and other domains of computer-mediated communication.
Emotion Regulation and Emotionality: an Examination of Correlates of Social Skills in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their Typically Developing Peers

Background and Aims: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in social interactions and communication, and the presence of stereotypic behaviors and restricted interests. Children with ASD also demonstrate difficulties in emotional competence, including poor emotion regulatory capacity. The goal of this study was to investigate the link of social skills to emotion regulation and emotionality in 3 through 7 year-old children with and without ASD. Methods: Both parental report and behavioral laboratory observations were used to examine emotion regulation and emotionality in 21 typically developing (TD) children and 12 high functioning children with ASD. Results: This study had three major findings. First, an association between enhanced reported emotion regulation and increased social skills was found in children with ASD, but not in TD children. Second, children with ASD demonstrated lower reported emotion regulation, higher reported general negative emotionality, and lower reported general positive emotionality compared to their TD peers. Third, reported emotion regulation was linked to reported specific emotionality in children with ASD and to reported general emotionality in the TD group, though not in the predicted direction. Few significant findings occurred for observed emotion regulation or observed emotionality. Conclusions: Although current results should be interpreted with caution due to small sample size, a link between social skills and parent-reported emotion regulation was found in children with ASD. Children with ASD were also viewed by their
Traumatic life events in primary care patients: a study in an ethnically diverse sample.

OBJECTIVE To examine among immigrants and others seeking primary care: (1) the prevalence, types, and predictors of traumatic life events; and (2) the relations among traumatic life events, psychiatric disorders, and utilization of primary care services. DESIGN Survey with structured diagnostic interview. SETTING Community-based, university-affiliated primary care clinic in southern California. PARTICIPANTS Fourteen hundred fifty-six adult patients representing 4 ethnic groups (Mexican immigrants, Central American immigrants, US-born Latinos of Mexican descent, and US-born non-Latino whites). DEPENDENT MEASURES Rates of traumatic events measured with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder section of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule; psychiatric disorders identified by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition criteria; physical functioning (Short Form Health Survey); and the number of medical clinic visits during a 6-month period. RESULTS Nearly 10% of patients had experienced a traumatic event in the previous year, and 57% had experienced at least 1 during their lifetimes. The most common forms of trauma were interpersonal violence occurring outside the family (21%), acute losses or accidents (17%), witnessing death or violence (13%), and domestic violence (12%). When compared with the US-born non-Latino whites, Mexican immigrants were half as likely, and Central American immigrants were 76% more likely, to report having experienced a traumatic event. Married individuals were significantly less likely to report traumas. Traumatic experiences, female gender, and non-Latino ethnicity were associated with the presence of a psychiatric disorder. One-year and lifetime psychiatric disorders were associated with poorer physical functioning and an increased number of clinic visits during a 6-month period. CONCLUSIONS Traumatic life events are common and associated with psychiatric disorders other than posttraumatic stress disorder in an ethnically diverse sample of primary care patients. Psychiatric disorders, in turn, are strongly associated with poor physical functioning and higher rates of primary care utilization. Screening for traumatic experiences should accompany assessments of psychiatric disorders to ensure adequate treatment of patients seeking primary care services.
Identification of a protein altered in mutants resistant to microtubule inhibitors as a member of the major heat shock protein (hsp70) family

A major cellular protein (P2; approximately 70 kilodaltons) which is altered in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants resistant to the microtubule inhibitors colchicine and podophyllotoxin has been shown to correspond to the constitutive form of the 70-kilodalton heat shock protein (hsc70). The inference that P2 and hsc70 are the same protein is based on the following observations: (i) migration of P2 in two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels in the same position as that reported for hsc70; (ii) cross-reactivity of a monoclonal antibody which reacts with both the constitutive and induced forms of hsp70 with the P2 spot from wild-type CHO cells and with both P2 and a mutant form of P2 in a CHO cell mutant; (iii) specific reactivity of a polyclonal antibody to P2 with both the constitutive and heat-induced forms of hsp70 in human cells; (iv) identical immunofluorescent staining of dot/patchlike structures with both P2 and hsp70 antibodies in human and CHO cells; and (v) a cDNA clone for hsc70 has been isolated and sequenced from wild-type CHO cells. The in vitro transcription and translation product of this cDNA has been shown to comigrate with the P2 protein spot in two-dimensional gels, indicating their identity. The fact that there is an alteration in hsc70 in mutants resistant to antimitotic drugs suggests a role for this protein in the in vivo assembly and function of microtubules.
Decreased plasma concentration of nitric oxide metabolites in dogs with untreated mitral regurgitation.

Endothelium-dependent (nitric oxide [NO]-mediated) vasodilation is impaired in humans with heart failure. This dysfunction is an important therapeutic target. The plasma concentration of the NO metabolites nitrate and nitrite (collectively referred to as NOx) is a measure of whole-body NO production, provided that the dietary intake of the ions is low. Fifty clinically healthy dogs older than I year (median 5.0 years; interquartile interval 2.6-8.2 years) were studied, including 9 controls of various breeds, 23 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCSs) with no or minimal mitral regurgitation (MR), 9 CKCSs with mild MR (regurgitant jet occupying 15-50% of the left atrial area), and 9 CKCS with moderate to severe MR (jet >50%) due to myxomatous valve disease. None of the dogs received medication. The dogs were given NOx-free water and a diet with a low concentration of NOx for 96 hours before blood sampling. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that dog group, but not gender, age, serum creatinine concentration, and platelet count, was associated with NOx concentrations. Control dogs had the same NOx concentration (median 20.0 microM; interquartile interval 15.1-25.5 microM) as CKCSs without MR (median 18.7 microM; interquartile interval 15.5-25.9 microM). Compared to CKCSs without MR, the NOx concentration was lower in CKCSs with mild (median 12.9 microM; interquartile interval 11.0-13.5 microM; P = .04) and moderate to severe (median 11.2 microM; interquartile interval 6.9-17.1 microM; P = .02) MR. In conclusion, CKCSs with mild to severe, clinically silent MR have decreased plasma NOx concentrations, suggesting that endothelial dysfunction develops early in the course of developing MR in dogs.
Novel synergism of two antifungal agents, copiamycin and imidazole

Copiamycin, a macrocyclic lactone antifungal antibiotic, was found to potentiate the antifungal effect of imidazole compounds, ketoconazole in particular. The potentiation of two nominally fungistatic agents in vitro was substantiated by a marked reduction of the minimum inhibitory and minimum fungicidal concentrations when the drugs were used in combination. The effectiveness of this synergistic combination was also demonstrated in experimental murine candidosis. Evidence is presented to suggest that this combined effect is due, at least in part, to the ionophoretic property of copiamycin. Whereas amphotericin B induces a marked increase in cellular permeability, this antibiotic does not possess the ionophoretic action of copiamycin, indicating that the enhancement of copiamycin activity and significant reduction of amphotericin B activity by ketoconazole pretreatment can be ascribed not only to changes in membrane permeability of the test organisms, but also to the different action mechanisms of copiamycin and amphotericin B. It is thus plausible that the strong synergism of copiamycin with imidazole compounds is related to the ionophoretic activity of the antibiotic. Further studies on the biochemical mechanism of this synergistic effect are being conducted together with an assessment of the clinical significance of this drug combination.
Augmentation with antidepressants in schizophrenia treatment: benefit or risk

We focused on the application of antidepressants in schizophrenia treatment in this review. Augmentation of antidepressants with antipsychotics is a common clinical practice to treat resistant symptoms in schizophrenia, including depressive symptoms, negative symptoms, comorbid obsessive–compulsive symptoms, and other psychotic manifestations. However, recent systematic review of the clinical effects of antidepressants is lacking. In this review, we have selected and summarized current literature on the use of antidepressants in patients with schizophrenia; the patterns of use and effectiveness, as well as risks and drug–drug interactions of this clinical practice are discussed in detail, with particular emphasis on the treatment of depressive symptoms in schizophrenia.
Image or Real? Altering the Mental Imagery of Subliminal Stimuli Differentiates Explicit and Implicit Attitudes

Recent research has shown that implicit and explicit attitudes are uniquely sensitive to different types of information sources. We predicted that altering the mental imagery of subliminal stimuli, which are presented below conscious awareness, would lead to discrepancies between implicit and explicit attitudes. Using a subliminal mere exposure paradigm, participants were subliminally exposed 30 times to the figure of either a rabbit or a duck. Before exposure, however, we altered participants’ mental images verbally so that they were either consistent or inconsistent with the subliminal stimulus. As expected, we found evidence that implicit and explicit attitudes were dissociated when participants’ mental images were inconsistent with the subliminal stimuli: Implicit attitudes reflected the actually presented figure, whereas explicit attitudes reflected participants’ mental images. Thus, it seems that mental imagery influences the development of explicit attitudes, while real information influences the development of implicit attitudes.
Protecting the Borrower: An Experiment in Colonial India

We study the impact of the Deccan Agriculturists' Relief Act (DARA), a key legislation to protect debtors that was enacted in western colonial India. Using a panel dataset and a difference-in-difference estimation, we find a substantial short-run decline in mortgage-backed credit after the passage of DARA. The contraction in credit did not reduce cropped area or agricultural investments in bullocks and carts, but may have led to less intensive cultivation.
Evidence Against Protective Role of Sex Hormone Estrogen in Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Ovarectomized Rat Model

Background: Cisplatin (CP) is an effective drug in cancer therapy to treat the solid tumors, but it is accompanied with nephrotoxicity. The protective effect of estrogen in cardiovascular diseases is well-documented; but its nephron-protective effect against CP-induced nephrotoxicity is not completely understood. Materials and Methods: Thirty ovarectomized Wistar rats were divided in to five groups. Groups 1-3 received different doses of estradiol valerate (0.5, 2.5 and 10 mg/kg/week) in sesame oil for 4 weeks, and at the end of week 3, a single dose of CP (7 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [IP]) was administrated. Group 4 (positive control) received the same regimen as group 1-3 without estradiol without vehicle. The negative control group (Group 5) received sesame oil during the study. The animals were sacrificed 1 week after CP injection for histopathological studies. Results: The serum level of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, kidney tissue damage score (KTDS), kidney weight and percentage of body weight change in CP-treated groups significantly increased (P < 0.05), however, there were no significant differences detected between the estrogen-treated groups (Groups 1-3) and the positive control group (Group 4). Although, estradiol administration enhanced the serum level of nitrite, it was not affected by CP. Finally, significant correlation between KTDS and kidney weight was detected (r2 = 0.63, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Estrogen is not nephron-protective against CP-induced nephrotoxicity. Moreover, it seems that the mechanism may be related to estrogen-induced oxidative stress in the kidney, which may promote the nephrotoxicity.
Pointwise Prediction for Robust, Adaptable Japanese Morphological Analysis

We present a pointwise approach to Japanese morphological analysis (MA) that ignores structure information during learning and tagging. Despite the lack of structure, it is able to outperform the current state-of-the-art structured approach for Japanese MA, and achieves accuracy similar to that of structured predictors using the same feature set. We also find that the method is both robust to out-of-domain data, and can be easily adapted through the use of a combination of partial annotation and active learning.