Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychological Construction: The Darwinian Approach to the Science of Emotion

Psychological construction constitutes a different paradigm for the scientific study of emotion when compared to the current paradigm that is inspired by faculty psychology. This new paradigm is more consistent with the post-Darwinian conceptual framework in biology that includes a focus on (a) population thinking (vs. typologies), (b) domain-general core systems (vs. physical essences), and (c) constructive analysis (vs. reductionism). Three psychological construction approaches (the OCC model, the iterative reprocessing model, and the conceptual act theory) are discussed with respect to these ideas.
Dynamic Kv4.3-CaMKII unit in heart: an intrinsic negative regulator for CaMKII activation.

AIMS Reduction of transient outward current (I(to)) and excessive activation of Ca(2+)/Calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) are general features of ventricular myocytes in heart failure. We hypothesize that alterations of I(to) directly regulate CaMKII activation in cardiomyocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS A dynamic coupling of I(to) channel subunit Kv4.3 and inactive CaMKII was discovered in cardiomyocytes with the membrane predominant distribution by co-immunoprecipitation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques. CaMKII dissociation from Kv4.3-CaMKII units caused a significant increase in CaMKII autophosphorylation and L-type calcium current (I(Ca)) facilitation. I(Ca) facilitation was blunted by the compartmental Ca²(+) chelator BAPTA but unaffected by bulk Ca²(+) chelator EGTA, implicating membrane-localized CaMKII. Kv4.3 overexpression reduced basal CaMKII autophosphorylation in myocytes and eliminated Ca²(+)-induced CaMKII activation. Kv4.3 blocks CaMKII activation by binding to the calmodulin binding sites, whereas Kv4.3 uncoupling releases these sites and leads to a substantial CaMKII activation. CONCLUSION Our results uncovered an important mechanism that regulates CaMKII activation in the heart and implicate I(to) channel alteration in pathological CaMKII activation.
When Contact Is Not Enough: Affecting First Year Medical Students’ Image towards Older Persons

Context Many medical schools have initiated care internships to familiarize their students with older persons and to instil a professional attitude. Objective To examine the impact of care internships on the image that first-year medical students have of older persons and to explore the underlying concepts that may play a role in shaping this image. Design Survey before and after a two-week compulsory care internship using the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD; 32 adjectives) and the Attitudes toward Old People (AOP; 34 positions) questionnaires. Participants Before and after a care internship involving interpersonal contact, 252 and 244 first-year medical students at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in the academic year 2012–2013 participated. Method Descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, and principal component analysis were used; clusters of adjectives and positions were reduced into concepts to examine dominant patterns of views. Changes in image were investigated as mean differences of the total and concept scores. Results Both the ASD and the AOP questionnaires showed a poor general image of older persons that significantly worsened after the care internship (p < 0.01). The percentage of students considering over 75 years as being old increased from 17.2% to 31.2% (p < 0.01) and those who thought they would find as much satisfaction in care for older as for younger patients decreased from 78.5% to 62.1% (p < 0.001). Exploratory principal component analysis showed particularly low scores on ‘comportment’ and ‘pleasurable interaction’ whereas the scores on ‘personality traits’ and ‘habitual behaviour’ significantly deteriorated (both p < 0.001). These patterns were irrespective of the student’s gender and previous contact experience. Conclusion Medical schools should carefully consider care internships to ensure that students do not worsen their views on older patients, which may occur due to inadequate contact depth and quality within a rather unsupportive context.
Using Imperfect Demand Information in Production-Inventory Systems with Multiple Customer Classes

We consider a make-to-stock supplier who operates a production facility with limited capacity. The supplier receives orders from customers belonging to several demand classes. Some of the customer classes share advance demand information with the supplier by announcing their orders ahead of their due date. However, this advance demand information is not perfect because the customer may decide to order prior to or later than the expected due date. They may also decide to cancel their orders altogether. Customer classes vary in their demand rates, expected due dates, and lost sales costs. The supplier must constantly decide whether or not to produce, and, whenever an order becomes due, whether or not to satisfy it from on-hand inventory. Hence, the supplier is faced with a joint production control and inventory allocation problem. We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process and characterize the structure of the optimal policy. We show that the optimal production policy is a state-dependent base-stock policy where the state is specified by the current inventory level and the vector of announced orders, and the base-stock level is non-decreasing in the number of announced orders. We also show that the optimal inventory allocation policy is a multi-level rationing policy, with the rationing level for each class, perhaps unexpectedly, non-decreasing in the number of announced orders (regardless of whether or not the class provides advance information). From numerical results, we obtain several insights into the value of both advance demand information and inventory rationing.
Risk communication design for older adults

Purpose Older adults are more susceptible to fraud offline than younger adults. As they increasingly use the internet for activities including managing financial assets, this susceptibility is transferred online. Thus, there is an imminent need to communicate the risks inherent in these new technologies, especially that of data disclosure, to older adults. These risks might best be communicated by using appropriate mental models and grounding analogies in more familiar risks, e.g. physical risks. Using videos rather than text may improve comprehension as well as address other concerns of aging, e.g. attention and memory. While videos can lead to richer comprehension, multi-media communications can challenge cognitive reserves. We present the design of narrative-driven risk communication videos that leverage physical analogies to answer the following questions: (i) What are the determinants of older adults perception of online risk, specifically for responding to phishing and malware e-mails? ; and (ii) What is the effect on comprehension when using videos as opposed to text? Method To investigate the determinants of older adults’ perceptions of online risk, Garg and Camp investigated a nine-dimensional model of risk perception that is based on an expressed preferences. They found that not all the nine dimensions are equally relevant online. They proposed a five-dimensional model for online risks consisting of voluntariness, immediacy, control, chronic-catastrophic, and severity. These dimensions were adapted to create a survey to assess elders’ determinants of risk. For example, voluntariness is redefined as, “To what extent does an older adult have a choice in being exposed to this risk? (1=Voluntary, 5= Involuntary)”. Our second question, whether video is more effective than text in communicating risk, was evaluated by participant comprehension: participants’ ability to identify the risk, the attack vector, the impact of risk if exploited, and strategies to avoid or mitigate the risk. We conducted pilot studies with a convenience sample of 12 older adults (8 female and 4 male). Six participants watched the videos, the other six read the textual description of the risks, and each filled out associated surveys. Results & Discussion All 12 participants rated the risk of responding to be higher than that of not responding, but not all items on the five dimensions were rated higher for responding. This indicates that not all dimensions have equal weights in the construction of perceived risk. Participants in the video group were more likely to verbalize the risk of responding or not responding, suggesting videos might be better at explaining online risks to older adults.
GLOBAL ORIENTATION , COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES AND EXPORT STRATEGIES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SMEs : EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM FINLAND

The main goal of this paper is to investigate the concepts of global orientation, competitive advantages and export strategies, and their links with international intensity and age of SMEs. Consequently, of special interest is whether the global orientation, competitive advantages and export strategies of old and newly established firms, traditional exporting firms, and so called born global (BG) firms are the same or different? In the framework part of the study nineteen hypotheses are developed to test the key issues of the paper. The empirical part of the paper is based on survey data of ca. 470 Finnish SMEs. The results on global orientation indicated that both old and new highly globally oriented firms possess clearly stronger global orientation in total and along different variables of the orientation. In addition, the results confirmed that the competitiveness of newly established globally oriented firms, mainly in the manufacturing sector, is clearly better than that of both old and new locally oriented firms. The competitiveness of BGs was strongest and clearly better than that of local traditional firms only concerning technological advantage. Concerning export strategies, the way of operation was characterized in newly established global firms, especially in the manufacturing sector, more by niche focus, marketingand product-based differentiation, product and product-service quality, and personal selling than in both old and new locally oriented firms. Between traditional vs. BG companies and among firms in the service sector the results were much more mixed. Finally, the results also suggest that both old and new highly globally oriented firms were alike regarding many of the measured variables. The same observation was made between locally oriented old and new firms and in many variables these firms also scored lower than the highly globally oriented companies.
Membrane properties and contraction of single muscle fibers in the mouse.

LUFF, A. R. , AND H. L. ATWOOD. Membrane properties and contraction of single muscle fibers in the mouse. Am. J. Physiol. 222(6) : 14351440. 197 1 . -Isometric twitch contractions of single fibers in the soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of the mouse were recorded by means of a sensitive mechanoelectric transducer. Propagated action potentials and membrane electrical constants were also measured. Some fibers from each muscle were examined under an electron microscope. All measured parameters showed a wider range of values in the SOL than in the EDL. However, the mean time-to-peak tension for SOL fibers was significantly longer than that for EDL fibers; mean specific membrane resistance was significantly higher and membrane capacitance was lower. The action potentials of SOL fibers were of about the same amplitude as those of EDL fibers, but of slightly greater duration. The transverse tubular system and sarcoplasmic reticulum were more fully developed in EDL fibers. The differences in membrane resistance and capacitance can be attributed to ultrastructural features. Although differences in contraction speed are largely attributable to biochemical differences, it is likely that the membrane properties described above relate directly to the different dynamic properties.
Isoform-specific roles of protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunits in sarcoplasmic reticulum-mediated Ca(2+) cycling.

AIMS protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is the major isotype of serine/threonine phosphatase in cardiomyocytes, and its activity has been thought to be important for heart failure progression. The PP1 catalytic subunits consist of three distinct genes, PP1α, PP1β/δ, and PP1γ. To date, the function of each PP1 isoform is not well characterized in cardiomyocytes. We sought to determine the functional contribution of each PP1 isoform to sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)-mediated Ca(2+) cycling in isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS adenoviral vectors encoding short hairpin RNA for each PP1 isoform were transfected into isolated rat cardiomyocytes, and this was followed by analysis of cell shortening, Ca(2+) transients, and the phosphorylation levels of Ca(2+) regulatory proteins. Physical interactions between each PP1 isoform and SR Ca(2+) regulatory proteins were characterized in isolated cardiomyocytes expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged PP1 catalytic subunits, and also in canine junctional and longitudinal SR preparations. Successful PP1 isoform knockdown was achieved for each isoform without affecting the expression of the other isoforms. PP1β knockdown most significantly enhanced the Ca(2+) transient and cell shortening by augmenting phospholamban (PLN) phosphorylation at baseline and with low-dose isoproterenol stimulation (10 nM). Interestingly, PP1β was preferentially associated with sarco-endoplasmic ATPase and PLN in GFP-PP1-transfected cardiomyocytes, as well as in canine longitudinal SR preparations. CONCLUSION these findings indicate that PP1β is the most significant PP1 isoform involved in regulating SR Ca(2+) cycling in rat cardiomyocytes.
The Effect of Aerosol Devices and Administration Techniques on Drug Delivery in a Simulated Spontaneously Breathing Pediatric Model with a Tracheostomy

Background: Evidence on aerosol delivery via tracheostomy is lacking. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of aerosol device and administration technique on drug delivery in a simulated spontaneously breathing pediatric model with tracheostomy. Methods: Delivery efficiencies during spontaneous breathing with assisted and unassisted administration techniques were compared using the jet nebulizer (JN- MicroMist), vibrating mesh nebulizer (VMN- Aeroneb Solo) and pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI- ProAirHFA). The direct administration of aerosols in spontaneously breathing patients (unassisted technique) was compared to administration of aerosol therapy via a manual resuscitation bag (assisted technique) attached to the aerosol delivery device and synchronized with inspiration. An in-vitro lung model consisted of an uncuffed tracheostomy tube (4.5 mmID) was attached to a collecting filter (Respirgard) which was connected to a dual-chamber test lung (TTL) and a ventilator (Hamilton). The breathing parameters of a 2 years-old child were set at an RR of 25 breaths/min, a Vt of 150 mL, a Ti of 0.8 sec and PIF of 20 L/min. Albuterol sulfate was administered with each nebulizer (2.5 mg/3 ml) and pMDI with spacer (4 puffs, 108 µg/puff). Each aerosol device was tested five times with both administration techniques (n=5). Drug collected on the filter was eluted with 0.1 N HCl and analyzed via spectrophotometry. Results: The amount of aerosol deposited in the filter was quantified and expressed as inhaled mass and inhaled mass percent. The pMDI with spacer had the highest inhaled mass percent, while the VMN had the highest inhaled mass. The results of this study also found that JN had the least efficient aerosol device used in this study. The trend of higher deposition with unassisted versus assisted administration of aerosol was not significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: Drug deposited distal to the tracheostomy tube with JN was lesser than either VMN or pMDI. Delivery efficiency was similar with unassisted and assisted aerosol administration technique in this in vitro pediatric model.
Evaluation of Combination Chemotherapy with Three Drugs 1

A methodology for investigating the therapeutic efficacy of 3-way drug combinations has been presented and illustrated by 2 applications using an experimental mouse tumor system, L1210. The experimental design involves testing drugs indi vidually, in all possible pairs but with varying ratios between the 2 drugs involved, and, all 3 drugs simultaneously but in varying percentage composition for the combined treatment. Any particular design is equivalent to the selection of a set of points at the vertices, along the edges, and in the interior of an equilateral triangle, each such point identifying the relative proportion in which the 3 drugs are to be used. Moreover, for each such relative proportion a range of dose levels is employed with the intention of bracketing the optimal dose for that combination. In the present applications there was no clear evidence of therapeutic synergism. What was illustrated was the feasibility for evaluating 3-way drug combinations and the usefulness of the design triangle in such studies. The design triangle permits ready visualization of both the experimental design involved and any patterns of synergism indicated by the resulting ex perimental data. This is illustrated in the interpretation of the present data. Various related problems are discussed.
Antiphase Synchronization of Two nonidentical Pendulums

We numerically study the synchronization of two nonidentical pendulum motions, pivoting on a common movable frame from the point of view of dynamic phase transition. When the difference in the pendulum lengths is not too large, it is shown that the system settles into the dynamic state of the antiphase synchronization with phase difference π. We observe that there is a bistable region where either the antiphase synchronized state or the desynchronized state can be stabilized. We also find that there exists a hysteresis effect around the dynamic phase transition as the length difference is adiabatically changed.
Decentralization of Education: Teacher Management. Directions in Development.

As part of education and public sector reforms, many countries are decentralizing the financing and administration of education services to regional, local, or school levels. This report explores what can be learned in decentralizing teacher management from international experience. In particular, it examines what has prompted governments to decentralize teacher management functions, how they have done so, and which decentralization mechanisms have been most effective. The report aims to help guide policymakers in refining strategies that will improve teaching and learning in the classroom.
Nebular and stellar properties of a metal-poor H ii galaxy at z= 3.36

We have characterized the physical properties (electron temperature, density and metallicity) of the ionized gas and the ionizing population (age, metallicity and presence of Wolf–Rayet stars) in the Lynx arc, an H ii galaxy at z= 3.36. The ultraviolet doublets (i.e. C iii], Si iii] and N iv) imply the existence of a density gradient in this object, with a high-density region (0.1–1.0 × 105 cm−3) and a lower density region (<3200 cm−3). The temperature-sensitive ratio [O iii]λλ1661,1666/λ5007 implies an electron temperature Te= 17 300+500−700 K, in agreement within the errors with photoionization model predictions. Nebular abundance determination using standard techniques and the results from photoionization models imply a nebular metallicity of O/H ∼ 10 ± 3 per cent (O/H)⊙, in good agreement with recent results from Fosbury et al. Both methods suggest that nitrogen is overabundant relative to other elements, with [N/O]∼ 2.0–3.0 ×[N/O]⊙. We do not find evidence for Si overabundance, as Fosbury et al. did. Photoionization models imply that the ionizing stellar population in the Lynx arc has an age of ≲5 Myr. If He+ is ionized by Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars, then the ionizing stars in the Lynx arc have metallicities Zstar > 5 per cent Z⊙ and ages ∼2.8–3.4 Myr (depending on Zstar), when WR stars appear and are responsible for the He2+ emission. However, alternative excitation mechanisms for this species are not discarded. Since the emission lines trace the properties of the present burst only, nothing can be said about the possible presence of an underlying old stellar population. The Lynx arc is a low-metallicity H ii galaxy that is undergoing a burst of star formation of ≲5 Myr age. One possible scenario that explains the emission-line spectrum of the Lynx arc, the large strength of the nitrogen lines and the He2+ emission is that the object has experienced a merger event that has triggered a burst of star formation. WR stars have formed that contribute to a fast enrichment of the interstellar medium. Like Fosbury et al., we find a factor of ≳10 discrepancy between the mass of the instantaneous burst required to power the luminosity of the Hβ line and the mass implied by the continuum level measured for the Lynx arc. We discuss several possible solutions to this problem. The most likely explanation is that gas and stars have different spatial distributions, so that the emission lines and the stellar continuum suffer different gravitational amplifications by the intervening cluster.
Technological Progress in Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Clinical Applications

Reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is achieved by viral-mediated transduction of defined transcription factors. Generation of iPSCs is of great medical interest as they have the potential to be a source of patient-specific cells. For the eventual goal of clinical application, it is necessary to overcome the limitations of low reprogramming efficiency and chromosomal abnormalities due to viral DNA integration. In this paper, we summarize the current state of reprogramming technology for generation of iPSCs and also discuss potential approaches to the development of safe iPSCs for personalized cell-based replacement therapy.
Synaesthesia for Finger Counting and Dice Patterns: A Case of Higher Synaesthesia?

Synaesthesia is often triggered by numbers, although it is conceivable that different aspects of numerical representation are responsible for different variants of synaesthesia. For individuals with “higher synaesthesia” it is assumed that number meaning (or numerosity) is responsible for the elicitation of synaesthetic experiences. This study documents a case study of a synaesthete, TD, who broadly fits this profile. TD reports that the same colours are elicited from physically different representations of number (digits, dice patterns and finger counting) provided that they share the same numerosity. The authenticity of his synaesthesia is established using Stroop-like priming and interference paradigms. Not only does synaesthetic colour interfere with veridical colour judgements, but also veridical colours can interfere with numerosity judgments. This suggests a close bi-directional coupling between numerosity and colour. Together, these findings constrain theories concerning the neural basis of synaesthesia. This research is funded by the Leverhulme Trust.