Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Dynactin Subcomplexes Reveals a Novel Actin-Related Protein Associated with the Arp1 Minifilament Pointed End

The multisubunit protein, dynactin, is a critical component of the cytoplasmic dynein motor machinery. Dynactin contains two distinct structural domains: a projecting sidearm that interacts with dynein and an actin-like minifilament backbone that is thought to bind cargo. Here, we use biochemical, ultrastructural, and molecular cloning techniques to obtain a comprehensive picture of dynactin composition and structure. Treatment of purified dynactin with recombinant dynamitin yields two assemblies: the actin-related protein, Arp1, minifilament and the p150Glued sidearm. Both contain dynamitin. Treatment of dynactin with the chaotropic salt, potassium iodide, completely depolymerizes the Arp1 minifilament to reveal multiple protein complexes that contain the remaining dynactin subunits. The shoulder/sidearm complex contains p150Glued, dynamitin, and p24 subunits and is ultrastructurally similar to dynactin's flexible projecting sidearm. The dynactin shoulder complex, which contains dynamitin and p24, is an elongated, flexible assembly that may link the shoulder/sidearm complex to the Arp1 minifilament. Pointed-end complex contains p62, p27, and p25 subunits, plus a novel actin-related protein, Arp11. p62, p27, and p25 contain predicted cargo-binding motifs, while the Arp11 sequence suggests a pointed-end capping activity. These isolated dynactin subdomains will be useful tools for further analysis of dynactin assembly and function.
Evaluation of serum levels of sCD30L ligand in patients with ovarian cancer in terms of selected clinico-pathological factors

Aim of the study The CD30L ligand is a membrane-associated glycoprotein expressed by activated CD4+Th cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and B lymphocytes. It binds to the CD30 receptor carried on activated and helper Th cells, inducing the immune response and apoptosis. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the level of sCD30L in the serum of patients at diagnosis of ovarian cancer and at relapse and to assess the potential association of this ligand with selected clinico-pathologic factors. Material and methods We studied 69 patients with ovarian cancer allocated to two groups: A – ovarian cancer at diagnosis, B – relapse of ovarian cancer and active growth of the tumor. Results We found high levels of sCD30L in ovarian cancer patients. Levels at relapse (21.48 ng/ml) were significantly higher than at diagnosis (11.81 ng/ml). Poor response to first-line chemotherapy was accompanied by higher levels of sCD30L and by several other findings: resistance to platinum analogs was common, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was needed, relapse and death during two-year follow-up were frequent. Conclusions Our present study might initially suggest that elevated concentration of sCD30L can be an important finding prognosticating a poor prognosis and is associated with platinum resistant and refractory cases of ovarian cancer. However, studies are needed on larger groups of patients.
USE OF FLIPPED INSTRUCTION IN LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS; AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT STUDENT TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS

Flipped instruction reinforces the idea that learning cannot be limited to classrooms. Flipped instruction is a new way of teaching for language pedagogy as other fields. Thus, the present research aimed to find out student teachers’ perspectives about flipped instruction and flipped instruction based syllabus which was designed specifically for speaking skills development. The current study was utilized qualitative method to collect the data. Structured written interview technique and student teachers’ response papers were used to collect student teachers’ perspectives about flipped instruction and flipped instruction based Oral Communication Skills I course. The participants were Pre-service English Language Teaching Department student teachers who were first graders of ELT department at Gazi University, Turkey. Participants consisted of 23 students who were 20 female and 3 male student teachers. Results showed that student teachers had positive attitudes towards flipped instruction, which was quite new for the student teachers. The results indicated that student teachers were satisfied with flipped instruction and flipped syllabus which was specifically designed for the course. Besides, student teachers thought that flipped instruction was effective to make them prepared for the lesson and speaking activities which are carried out in class times. Article visualizations:
Multiyear Observations of the Tropical Atlantic Atmosphere: Multidisciplinary Applications of the NOAA Aerosols and Ocean Science Expeditions

This paper gives an overview of a unique set of ship-based atmospheric data acquired over the tropical Atlantic Ocean during boreal spring and summer as part of ongoing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE) field campaigns. Following the original 2004 campaign onboard the Ronald H. Brown, AEROSE has operated on a yearly basis since 2006 in collaboration with the NOAA Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) Northeast Extension (PNE). In this work, attention is given to atmospheric soundings of ozone, temperature, water vapor, pressure, and wind obtained from ozonesondes and radiosondes launched to coincide with low earth orbit environmental satellite overpasses [MetOp and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) A-Train]. Data from the PNE/ AEROSE campaigns are unique in their range of marine meteorological phenomena germane to the satellite missions in question, including dust and smoke outflows .
Scientific publishing in peripheral (a.k.a. Developing) countries: challenges for the future

In this paper, I first refer to the center-periphery dichotomy in terms of scientific output, placing emphasis upon the relation that exists between science and technology development, on the one hand, and social and economic development, on the other. I then analyze the main problems faced by most peripheral journals and the role national states play in scientific activities in developing countries. I then address issues such as the world power structures, the social organization of peripheral countries, growing North/South disparities and the question of collaborative research. The discursive (i.e, language related) and non-discursive problems faced by peripheral researchers and the main initiatives that have recently been taken to try to solve the stark disparities that exist in the world of scholarly publishing are also discussed. I finally present a proposal, the aim of which is to suggest ways that could help peripheral scientists become fully integrated members of the worldwide network of science and would also contribute to the promotion of scientific multilingualism, a means for science to be truly universal, as it should be. I conclude by arguing that science, technology and publication form a triad which is essential for the survival of developing nations, and that, although the complete elimination of inequities in the world of scholarship is unlikely, progress could be achieved if there were a universal will (i.e., a worldwide will at the institutional, governmental and intergovernmental levels) to redress the current North/South imbalance.
Search for lifetime determinants of midlife vertebral size : emphasis on lifetime physical activity and early-life physical growth

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are common among ageing populations worldwide. Although small vertebral size has been established as an independent risk factor for vertebral fracturing, relatively few determinants of vertebral size are currently known. The present study aimed to reveal lifetime factors that associate with midlife vertebral size. Overall physical activity across the lifespan, sports participation in adulthood, occupational physical activities in adulthood, and physical growth in early life were investigated. A subsample of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study 1966 was used, with a 46-year follow-up (n = 1,540). Vertebral dimensions were obtained by magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine at the age of 46. The present data showed that high lifelong leisure-time physical activity and active participation in high-impact sports in adulthood were associated with large midlife vertebral size among women, but no such association was detected among men. Occupational physical activities were not associated with vertebral size among either sex. Early-life weight gain predicted large midlife vertebrae among both sexes, and the effect of height gain on vertebral size seemed to be mediated by adult height. The present findings show that the female vertebra in particular seems to benefit from high leisure-time physical activity and active participation in high-impact sports. Regardless of sex, early development also seems to play a role in determining later-life vertebral size. Prospective studies should confirm the causality of the present findings, and further research is needed to shed light on other lifetime factors as determinants of vertebral size.
The Power of the Street: Evidence from Egypt&Apos;S Arab Spring

During Egypt&apos;s Arab Spring, unprecedented popular mobilization and protests brought down Hosni Mubarak&apos;s government and ushered in an era of competition between three groups: elites associated with Mubarak&apos;s National Democratic Party (NDP), the military, and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. Street protests continued to play an important role during this power struggle. We show that these protests are associated with differential stock market returns for firms connected to the three groups. Using daily variation in the number of protesters, we document that more intense protests in Tahrir Square are associated with lower stock market valuations for firms connected to the group currently in power relative to non-connected firms, but have no impact on the relative valuations of firms connected to other powerful groups. We further show that activity on social media may have played an important role in mobilizing protesters, but had no direct effect on relative valuations. According to our preferred interpretation, these events provide evidence that, under weak institutions, popular mobilization and protests have a role in restricting the ability of connected firms to capture excess rents.
Increased GABA-A Receptor Binding and Reduced Connectivity at the Motor Cortex in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Multimodal Investigation Using 18F-Fluoroflumazenil PET, Immunohistochemistry, and MR Imaging

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptor–mediated neural transmission is important to promote practice-dependent plasticity after brain injury. This study investigated alterations in GABA-A receptor binding and functional and anatomic connectivity within the motor cortex in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: We conducted 18F-fluoroflumazenil PET on children with hemiplegic CP to investigate whether in vivo GABA-A receptor binding is altered in the ipsilateral or contralateral hemisphere of the lesion site. To evaluate changes in the GABA-A receptor subunit after prenatal brain injury, we performed GABA-A receptor immunohistochemistry using rat pups with a diffuse hypoxic ischemic insult. We also performed diffusion tensor MR imaging and resting-state functional MR imaging on the same children with hemiplegic CP to investigate alterations in anatomic and functional connectivity at the motor cortex with increased GABA-A receptor binding. Results: In children with hemiplegic CP, the 18F-fluoroflumazenil binding potential was increased within the ipsilateral motor cortex. GABA-A receptors with the α1 subunit were highly expressed exclusively within cortical layers III, IV, and VI of the motor cortex in rat pups. The motor cortex with increased GABA-A receptor binding in children with hemiplegic CP had reduced thalamocortical and corticocortical connectivity, which might be linked to increased GABA-A receptor distribution in cortical layers in rats. Conclusion: Increased expression of the GABA-A receptor α1 subunit within the ipsilateral motor cortex may be an important adaptive mechanism after prenatal brain injury in children with CP but may be associated with improper functional connectivity after birth and have adverse effects on the development of motor plasticity.
Release kinetics of cardiac troponin T in survivors of confirmed severe pulmonary embolism.

Cardiac troponins may be increased in patients with confirmed pulmonary embolism (PE), even in the absence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD), and indicate increased risk for subsequent death (1). Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) correlates with the presence and degree of right-ventricular dysfunction (1)(2). In our recent study (1), 18 of 56 patients (32%) with PE had significant increases in cTnT. Eight of the nine patients with fatal outcome had increased cTnT. In the present study, we investigated all consecutive survivors of angiographically confirmed acute PE who developed cTnT ≥0.1 μg/L to evaluate cTnT time release in PE and to provide a rationale for an optimal blood-sampling protocol to improve risk stratification. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the University of Luebeck. All patients gave informed consent. We enrolled nine consecutive patients with confirmed PE developing cTnT concentrations ≥0.1 μg/L, who survived the acute event and sampling period until normalization of cTnT concentrations. PE was suspected in the presence of an acute onset of symptoms such as dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, syncope, hypotension, or shock and was confirmed by pulmonary angiography. The diagnostic work-up included transthoracic echocardiography, electrocardiography, blood-gas analysis, ventilation-perfusion scan, and coronary angiography. PE was graded …
Motivational Factors and Frameworks for Counsellors and Psychotherapists

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of the day-to-day and continuing work motivation of professional counsellors and psychotherapists. A life history methodology was employed to distill discrete motivational factors and to construct broader motivational frameworks. Nine professional mid-career counsellors/psychotherapists (6 women, 3 men, 3 psychologists, 3 social workers, 2 counselling psychologists and 1 privately trained PhD) drawn from private practice (3) and institutional workplaces (6) were given in-depth interviews to delve into the motivational experience occasioned by their work. Employing a series of guided questions each of the research participants were interviewed about the overall experience of the gratifications, satisfactions, and motivations occasioned by their work and discrete motivational experiences in session, in-the moment. Other questions delved into the experience of dissatisfaction and de-motivation, the factors that allowed them to persist in adverse circumstances, changes in their work motivation from the time they first entered the profession, and the effects of their work on their feelings of self-esteem and wellbeing. Through a grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts and informed by work motivation theory, the research participants’ observations on their motivational experience were used to construct three models. The first model demonstrated that the overall work motivation of
Relationship between Molecular Structure Characteristics of Feed Proteins and Protein In vitro Digestibility and Solubility

The nutritional value of feed proteins and their utilization by livestock are related not only to the chemical composition but also to the structure of feed proteins, but few studies thus far have investigated the relationship between the structure of feed proteins and their solubility as well as digestibility in monogastric animals. To address this question we analyzed soybean meal, fish meal, corn distiller’s dried grains with solubles, corn gluten meal, and feather meal by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to determine the protein molecular spectral band characteristics for amides I and II as well as α-helices and β-sheets and their ratios. Protein solubility and in vitro digestibility were measured with the Kjeldahl method using 0.2% KOH solution and the pepsin-pancreatin two-step enzymatic method, respectively. We found that all measured spectral band intensities (height and area) of feed proteins were correlated with their the in vitro digestibility and solubility (p≤0.003); moreover, the relatively quantitative amounts of α-helices, random coils, and α-helix to β-sheet ratio in protein secondary structures were positively correlated with protein in vitro digestibility and solubility (p≤0.004). On the other hand, the percentage of β-sheet structures was negatively correlated with protein in vitro digestibility (p<0.001) and solubility (p = 0.002). These results demonstrate that the molecular structure characteristics of feed proteins are closely related to their in vitro digestibility at 28 h and solubility. Furthermore, the α-helix-to-β-sheet ratio can be used to predict the nutritional value of feed proteins.
Trabeculectomy with intraoperative sponge 5-fluorouracil in Afro-Caribbeans

AIM To study the efficacy and safety of intraoperative 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in Afro-Caribbean patients. METHODS The results of trabeculectomy in 18 eyes of 18 Afro-Caribbean patients in whom a sponge soaked in 25 mg/ml solution of 5-FU was applied between Tenon’s capsule and sclera for 5 minutes before excision of the trabecula were compared with 16 eyes of 16 Afro-Caribbean patients matched for age, quantity, and duration of preoperative medications, who underwent trabeculectomy without 5-FU. RESULTS The mean postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) at 1 month was 15.6 (SD 6.1) mm Hg in the 5-FU group and 18.0 (5.2) mm Hg in the control group (p=0.15). There was no significant difference in the IOP at 6, 12, 15, 18, and 24 months in the two groups. Success rate at 18 months defined as an IOP less than or equal to 21 mm Hg with no adjunctive medication was 56% in the 5-FU group and 55% in the control group. No major complications were noted in either group. CONCLUSION Intraoperative sponge 5-FU alone is safe but does not appear to decrease the risk of failure of trabeculectomy in Afro-Caribbeans.
First-principles study of the structural, elastic, and electronic properties of the cubic perovskite BaHfO$_3$

First principles study of structural, elastic, and electronic properties of the cubic perovskitetype BaHfO$_3$ has been performed using the plane wave ultrasoft pseudo-potential method based on density functional theory with revised Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof exchange-correlation functional of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA-RPBE). The calculated equilibrium lattice constant of this compound is in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data reported in the literatures. The independent elastic constants (\emph{C}$_{11}$, \emph{C}$_{12}$, and \emph{C}$_{44}$), bulk modules \emph{B} and its pressure derivatives $B^{\prime}$, compressibility $\beta$, shear modulus \emph{G}, Young's modulus \emph{Y}, Poisson's ratio $\nu$, and Lam\'{e} constants ($\mu, \lambda$) are obtained and analyzed in comparison with the available theoretical and experimental data for both the singlecrystalline and polycrystalline BaHfO$_3$. The band structure calculations show that BaHfO$_3$ is a indirect bandgap material (R-$\Gamma$ = 3.11 eV) derived basically from the occupied O 2\emph{p} and unoccupied Hf 5\emph{d} states, and it still awaits experimental confirmation. The density of states (total, site-projected, and \emph{l}-decomposed) and the bonding charge density calculations make it clear that the covalent bonds exist between the Hf and O atoms and the ionic bonds exist between the Ba atoms and HfO$_3$ ionic groups in BaHfO$_3$. From our calculations, it is shown that BaHfO$_3$ should be promising as a candidate for synthesis and design of superhard materials due to the covalent bonding between the transition metal Hf 5\emph{d} and O 2\emph{p} states.
A measure of Comparative Institutional Distance

Three varieties of institutionalism currently dominate International Business studies: new institutional economics, new organizational institutionalism, and comparative historical institutionalism. Yet currently applied measures of institutional country distance predominantly build on the thought of the first two strands of institutionalism. This paper sets out to address this underrepresentation of comparative historical institutional thought in currently available measures of institutional distance. Building on Whitley’s business systems framework, a measure of institutional distance is developed and validated which captures intrinsic, substantive institutional differences in economic organization, rather than differences in institutional effectiveness. The results of the two-stage cluster analysis used to validate the selected indicators closely approximate the business systems typology, which is both indicative of the validity of this measure and of the distinctiveness of the business system types that make up the business system framework.
Discovering knowledge models in an open-ended educational game using concept formation

We describe the design of the Invention Coach, an intelligent, exploratory learning environment (ELE) to support Invention, an exploratory learning activity. Our design is based on a two-pronged approach. Our own study of naturalistic teacher guidance for paper-based Invention uncovered phases in the Invention process. Prior research on the mechanisms of learning with Invention activities revealed specific instructional strategies. These two sources informed the design of the guidance offered by the Invention Coach. To our knowledge, this is the first design of a guided environment for Invention activities inspired by a model of naturalistic teacher guidance. Our work offers insight into styles of guidance that could apply to other exploratory learning environments.
Rational Exuberance : Overinvestment as an Optimal Adaptive Control

It is widely believed that major technological innovations inevitably spark speculative fever, resulting in wasteful overinvestment. This paper presents a general equilibrium model of investment in a new industry, whose production function is not known in advance. In the context of the model, overinvestment is actually socially optimal as the most efficient way to learn about the new technology. The model thus provides an explanation for the perceived linkage between innovation and apparent irrationality, even though no irrationality is at work. Further, the initial overinvestment is accompanied in the model by apparently inflated prices and apparently negative expected excess returns in the shares of the new industry, all of which are also fully rational. This suggests a new explanation for observed patterns of stock returns in emerging industries.