Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental and spatial expression pattern of α‐Taxilin in the rat central nervous system

α‐Taxilin has been identified as a binding partner of syntaxin family members and thus has been proposed to function in syntaxin‐mediated intracellular vesicle trafficking. However, the lack of detailed information concerning the cellular and subcellular localization of α‐taxilin impedes an understanding of the role of this protein. In the present study, we characterized α‐taxilin‐expressing cells in the rat CNS with a specific antibody. During embryonic development, α‐taxilin was prominently expressed in nestin‐positive neural stem cells in vivo and in vitro. As CNS development proceeded, the α‐taxilin expression level was rapidly down‐regulated. In the postnatal CNS, α‐taxilin expression was almost confined to the neuronal lineage, with the highest levels of expression in motor neurons within the brainstem nuclei and spinal cord and in primary sensory neurons in mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus. At the cellular level, α‐taxilin was preferentially located in Nissl substance‐like structures with a tigroid or globular morphology within the soma and proximal to dendrites, but it was excluded from terminals. Combined staining with propidium iodide demonstrated that α‐taxilin distribution overlapped with the cytoplasmic compartment enriched in RNA species, suggesting a close association of α‐taxilin with actively translating ribosomes or polysomes in neurons. In agreement with this, a recent study indicated the preferential binding of α‐taxilin to the nascent polypeptide‐associated complex (αNAC), a dynamic component of the ribosomal exit tunnel in eukaryotic cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that α‐taxilin plays multiple roles in the generation and maintenance of neurons through modulation of the NAC‐mediated translational machinary and/or the syntaxin‐mediated vesicle traffic in the soma. J. Comp. Neurol. 511:65–80, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Scanning patients with tasks they can perform

We present an overview of the types of imaging experiments that can be performed on psychologically impaired patients. The critical observation from such studies is a differential pattern of activation in the patients and normals. Underactivity is interpretable only when the patients make normal responses. In this context, a failure to activate a component region of the normal system implies that this region was not necessary for task performance. Overactivity indicates either cognitive or neuronal reorganisation. Neuronal reorganisation is indicated only if the patient performs the task using the same set of cognitive operations as normal subjects. Cognitive reorganisation can be demonstrated if the same activation pattern is elicited by normals when they are co‐erced into using the same cognitive implementation as the patient. We conclude that the interpretation of neuroimaging studies of psychologically impaired patients depends on intact task performance and a detailed task analysis. When these criteria are met, patient studies can be used to identify: (1) necessary and sufficient brain systems, (2) dysfunction at sites distant to damage, (3) peri‐damage activation, and (4) compensation either at a neuronal level when pre‐existing cognitive strategies are re‐instantiated using duplicated neuronal systems (degeneracy), or at a cognitive level when alternative cognitive strategies (and their corresponding brain systems) are adopted. Hum. Brain Mapping 8:102–108, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Marrying into the American Population: Pathways into Cross-Nativity Marriages

Cross-nativity marriages have been a neglected dimension of intermarriage patterns in the U.S., although they provide a vehicle for the easy social and political integration of the foreign-born spouse and the couple's children. We first present U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service data to show that cross-nativity marriages are common among migrants entering the country and appear to be increasing over time. The following analyses based on 2008 American Community Survey data imply several pathways into cross-nativity marriages that are strongly gendered and race specific and that involve major social institutions such as the higher educational system and the U.S. military.
Voluntary facial activations regulate physiological arousal and subjective experiences during virtual social stimulation

Exposure to distressing computer-generated stimuli and feedback of physiological changes during exposure have been effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders (e.g., social phobia). Here we studied voluntary facial activations as a method for regulating more spontaneous physiological changes during virtual social stimulation. Twenty-four participants with a low or high level of social anxiety activated either the corrugator supercilii (used in frowning) or the zygomaticus major (used in smiling) facial muscle to keep a female or a male computer character walking towards them. The more socially anxious participants had a higher level of skin conductance throughout the trials as compared to less anxious participants. Within both groups, short-term skin conductance responses were enhanced both during and after facial activations; and corrugator supercilii activations facilitated longer term electrodermal relaxation. Zygomaticus major activations had opposite effects on subjective emotional ratings of the less and the more socially anxious. In sum, voluntary facial activations were effective in regulating emotional arousal during virtual social exposure. Corrugator supercilii activation was found an especially promising method for facilitating autonomic relaxation.
Politics, feminism, and the reformation of gender

Caught between their female gender and their aspirations in a public sphere founded on the gender role of men, women face a problem that is more intractable than conventional feminist political analysis has fully recognized. In this book, Jennifer Chapman addresses both the substance of the problem and feminist strategies for change. Male dominance of political elites is virtually universal and yet there is no general theory of recruitment to account for this. Jennifer Chapman uses a rigorous comparative study of political recruitment to show why different models of the process among men produce near-identical results, irrespective of context. She then looks beyond this general pattern to its gender basis, and to strategies for change.
Ultra-low power 50/60Hz notch filter for biomedical signal acquisition using 32nm ± 0.15V Bulk-Driven subthreshold CMOS OTAs

This paper deals with the design of continuous-time analog band-reject filter in 32 nm CMOS technology intended for biomedical applications using analog front-end (AFE). The work focuses on miniaturization and ultra low power consumption, needed in implantable devices running on battery. The circuit can process signals in the frequency range of 0.01 Hz to 300 Hz while filtering AC mains frequency (50 or 60 Hz). A sixth-order notch filter is implemented using Bulk-Driven Operational Transconductance Amplifiers in an OTA-C topology. The designed OTA has an ultra low transconductance: 65.4pA/V. The notch produces an attenuation of 17 dB at the mains frequency. The complete AFE was observed to consume 18.81pW of power at ±0.15V supply.
Parent–Adolescent Conflict, Negative Emotion, and Estrangement From the Family of Origin

Adolescence is a developmental period in which parents and children renegotiate roles in light of the children's blossoming individuality and autonomy on one hand and parent–child emotional connectedness on the other hand. The renegotiation process often involves difficulties in communication, which generate tension and conflict and also amplify emotional intensity. In this study, I examined sociocontextual differences between families who maintain contact during the child's young adulthood and those who "repair" the relationship only through separation or detachment. Three waves of panel data I utilized for this investigation reveal that emotional closeness to a parent during adolescence and a rewarding romantic relationship and religiosity during young adulthood play protective roles in maintaining the parent–child relationship beyond adolescence. A parent's alcohol use, high levels of parent–adolescent conflict, family economic hardship during adolescence, and delinquent behavior and depressive symptoms in the adolescent increase the risks for termination of the parent–child relationship. The findings provide evidence for the long-term impact of parent–child conflict and negative emotion during adolescence.
Laser-diode-pumped highly efficient gain-shifted thulium-doped fiber amplifier operating in the 1480-1510-nm band

We have developed a gain-shifted thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) with a high optical efficiency (29%) and a high output power (+21.5 dBm) operating in the 1480-1510-nm wavelength band by employing a novel laser diode pumping scheme of 1.4 and 1.56 /spl mu/m. The results we obtained confirm the feasibility of applying our gain-shifted TDFA to practical wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) networks.
Cognitive function in radiologically isolated syndrome

Background: Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) is characterized by patients with asymptomatic T2 hypersignals detected by brain MRI fulfilling dissemination in space criteria and is suggestive of subclinical multiple sclerosis (MS). In previous studies, it was demonstrated that visual evoked potential and cerebrospinal fluid help to identify pejorative markers in converting to MS. Objective: To date the cognitive function has never been investigated in a cohort of RIS. The objective of this study was to investigate cognitive function in a cohort of 26 RIS patients. Methods: We prospectively assessed the BCcogSEP (a French adaptation of the Brief Repeatable Battery (BRB) including eight cognitive tests) of 26 patients with RIS, compared with 26 MS patients and 26 healthy subjects matched for age, sex and level of education. Results: When comparing the three groups, the cognitive performance was significantly lower in the RIS and MS groups compared with healthy subjects for the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) 3 seconds (p = 0.002), phonemic fluencies (p = 0.02), the code of the WAIS (p = 0.05), the direct (p = 0.002) or indirect (p = 0.007) digit span test, the cross-taping test (p = 0.019) and Go—No-Go (p = 0.001). When we compared RIS and MS, the cognitive performance was significantly lower in MS patients for the direct span number (p = 0.003) and cross-tapping test (p = 0.05). We did not find significant differences between the three groups for the other tests. We did not find a correlation between clinical, biological and MRI results and cognitive dysfunctions. Conclusions: This study confirms the recently developed concept of RIS patients who present similar features to MS patients. Further studies are necessary to confirm these initial results and to correlate cognitive disorders with MRI surrogate markers.
Transplanted human embryonic neural stem cells survive, migrate, differentiate and increase endogenous nestin expression in adult rat cortical peri‐infarction zone

Transplantation of stem cells is a potential therapeutic strategy for stroke damage. The survival, migration, and differentiation of transplanted human embryonic neural stem cells in the acute post‐ischemic environment were characterized and endogenous nestin expression after transplantation was investigated. Human embryonic neural stem cells obtained from the temporal lobe cortex were cultured and labeled with fluorescent 1,1′‐dioctadecy‐6,6′‐di (4‐sulfopheyl)‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethylindocarbocyanin (DiI) in vitro. Labeled cells were transplanted into cortical peri‐infarction zones of adult rats 24 h after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. Survival, migration, and differentiation of grafted cells were quantified in immunofluorescence‐stained sections from rats sacrificed at 7, 14, and 28 days after transplantation. Endogenous nestin‐positive cells in the cortical peri‐infarction zone were counted at serial time points. The cells transplanted into the cortical peri‐infarction zone displayed the morphology of living cells and became widely located around the ischemic area. Moreover, some of the transplanted cells expressed nestin, GFAP, or NeuN in the peri‐infarction zone. Furthermore, compared with the control group, endogenous nestin‐positive cells in the peri‐infarction zone had increased significantly 7 days after cell transplantation. These results confirm the survival, migration, and differentiation of transplanted cells in the acute post‐ischemic environment and enhanced endogenous nestin expression within a brief time window. These findings indicate that transplantation of neural stem cells into the peri‐infarction zone may be performed as early as 24 h after ischemia.
A temporal revision model for reasoning about world change

Revision can be seen as any operation which turns a cognitive state CSt into a subsequent cognitive state CSt'. Two kinds of change can be considered: in the “belief change” case, the cognitive states represent beliefs on a world; they are revised in response to the getting of new information about a static world. In the “world change” case, the cognitive states represent known facts on a real world; they are revised in response to change in this dynamic world. We focus in the following on world change case and propose a way to keep up to date with a dynamic world. Reasoning about change requires predicting how the world will change along time. In absence of a predictive model of evolution, the commonsense law of inertia has been currently used and justifies the minimal change approach to the frame problem. We propose here to use an explicit transition model, which will be used as a predictive evolution model. Dean and Kanazawa propose to use a probabilistic model of persistence and causation. We propose in this paper to use a symbolic model of transition by directly encoding expectations.
Interpersonal contact and heterosexuals’ attitudes toward gay men: Results from a national survey

The association between heterosexuals’ attitudes toward gay men and their interpersonal contact experiences with a lesbian or gay person was examined with data from a national AIDS telephone survey with a probability sample of English‐speaking adults in the United States (n = 937). When asked whether any friends or relatives had “let you know that they were homosexual,” approximately one‐third of the respondents gave an affirmative answer. Regression analyses indicated that interpersonal contact predicted attitudes toward gay men better than did any other demographic or social psychological variable included in the equation. Interpersonal contact was more likely to be reported by respondents who were highly educated, politically liberal, young, and female. The data indicate that interpersonal contact is strongly associated with positive attitudes toward gay men and that heterosexuals with characteristics commonly associated with positive attitudes are more likely than others to be the recipients of disclo.
Maternal and socio-demographic determinants of low birth weight (LBW): A community-based study in a rural block of Assam

Background and Rationale: Low birth weight (LBW) leads to high neonatal and infant deaths. There is also high prevalence of childhood morbidities and mortalities that are consequences of LBW. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of LBW babies among the study population and to find out the effect of certain maternal and socio-demographic characteristics on birth weight. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a rural block of Assam. Cluster sampling was done to choose 30 villages and 15 infants were selected randomly from each village to get a sample size of 450. Results: Prevalence of LBW was found to be 21.8%. Percentage of LBW babies was more among the teenage mothers (36%) and primipara mothers (27%). Maternal anemia [odds ratio (OR) 1.93; confidence interval (CI) 1.3-2.9], short interpregnancy interval (OR 3.93; CI 2.16-7.13), and teenage pregnancy (OR 3.93; CI 2.16-6.45) were found to be the independent risk factors associated with LBW of the babies. Discussion: The study findings indicated the high prevalence of LBW babies in rural areas of Assam and illiterate teenage mothers, grand multipara, anemic mothers, and short interpregnancy intervals were the important risk factors for LBW.
Promoting Basic Accessibility in the Home

Visitability legislation, which requires minimum accessibility in single-family homes, is an unprecedented advancement in disability policy that began with the passage of an Atlanta ordinance in 1992 and has spread to other jurisdictions. Based on the diffusion of innovation model (Gray, 1973), our study used interviews, news articles, and analyses of legislation to examine the spread of the visitability concept, the patterns of diffusion, the opposition's main concerns, and the mechanisms by which advocates overcame opposition and facilitated passage. Results indicated that a policy entrepreneur (Kingdon, 1995) was largely responsible for the consequent spread of visitability across cities and states in a horizontal pattern of diffusion. Opponents from the building industry were largely concerned about added cost, which forced advocates to employ education and negotiation tactics. Despite considerable controversy, proponents' success provides other advocates with lessons on how to ensure a more widespread impact on U.S. housing stock.
MHHT-Based Method for Analysis of Micro-Doppler Signatures for Human Finer-Grained Activity Using Through-Wall SFCW Radar

Ultra-wideband radar-based penetrating detection and recognition of human activities has become a focus on remote sensing in various military applications in recent years, such as urban warfare, hostage rescue, and earthquake post-disaster rescue. However, an excellent micro-Doppler signature (MDS) extracting method of human motion with high time-frequency resolution, outstanding anti-interference ability, and extensive adaptability, which aims to provide favorable and more detailed features for human activity recognition and classification, especially in the non-free space detection environment, is in great urgency. To cope with the issue, a multiple Hilbert-Huang transform (MHHT) method is proposed for high-resolution time-frequency analysis of finer-grained human activity MDS hidden in ultra-wideband (UWB) radar echoes during the through-wall detection environment. Based on the improved HHT with effective intrinsic mode function (IMF) selection according to the cosine similarity (CS) principle, the improved HHT is applied to each channel signal in the effective channel scope of the UWB radar signal and then integrated along the range direction. The activities of swinging one or two arms while standing at a spot 3 m from a wall were used to validate the abilities of the proposed method for extracting and separating the MDS of different moving body structures with a high time-frequency resolution. Simultaneously, the corresponding relationship between the frequency components in MHHT-based spectra and structures of the moving human body was demonstrated according to the radar Doppler principle combined with the principle of human body kinematics. Moreover, six common finer-grained human activities and a piaffe at different ranges under the through-wall detection environment were exploited to confirm the adaptability of the novel method for different activities and pre-eminent anti-interference ability under a low signal-noise-clutter ratio (SNCR) environment, which is critical for remote sensing in various military application, such as urban warfare, hostage rescue, earthquake post-disaster rescue.
Potential for Reduction of Streptogramin A Resistance Revealed by Structural Analysis of Acetyltransferase VatA

ABSTRACT Combinations of group A and B streptogramins (i.e., dalfopristin and quinupristin) are “last-resort” antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Resistance to streptogramins has arisen via multiple mechanisms, including the deactivation of the group A component by the large family of virginiamycin O-acetyltransferase (Vat) enzymes. Despite the structural elucidation performed for the VatD acetyltransferase, which provided a general molecular framework for activity, a detailed characterization of the essential catalytic and antibiotic substrate-binding determinants in Vat enzymes is still lacking. We have determined the crystal structure of S. aureus VatA in apo, virginiamycin M1- and acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA)-bound forms and provide an extensive mutagenesis and functional analysis of the structural determinants required for catalysis and streptogramin A recognition. Based on an updated genomic survey across the Vat enzyme family, we identified key conserved residues critical for VatA activity that are not part of the O-acetylation catalytic apparatus. Exploiting such constraints of the Vat active site may lead to the development of streptogramin A compounds that evade inactivation by Vat enzymes while retaining binding to their ribosomal target.
Practical Guidelines for Valid and Reliable Youth Fitness Testing

Accurate measures of youth fitness are needed by researchers and practitioners. Evidence of validity and reliability are essential before results of youth fitness tests can be used to make sound decisions. This article describes a three-stage paradigm for validation research and provides guidance for conducting and understanding norm-referenced and criterion-referenced validity and reliability research. Advice is provided on how to administer fitness tests and how to use fitness test results in ways that promote reliability and validity in practice. Users of fitness tests are cautioned that interpretation and use of fitness tests involve important educational, pedagogical, and psychological consequences. Confidence in youth fitness test results and the decisions that are made based on these scores depend upon careful test design and administration that incorporate a sound understanding of the principles of validity and reliability.
A decade on from the NCH Report (1992): Adolescent sexual aggression policy, practice and service delivery across the UK and Republic of Ireland

This article outlines the findings of a two-year research project1 into policy, practice and service delivery across the UK and Republic of Ireland in respect of children and young people who have sexually abused others. The authors compare the emerging findings from their current research against the key recommendations arising from The Report of the Committee of Enquiry into Children and Young People who Sexually Abuse Other Children (NCH, 1992) which constituted, at that time, the most significant previous attempt to summarise the state of the field in the UK. The findings suggest that the adolescent sexual aggression field has progressed considerably in the decade since the publication of the earlier report, although uncertainties about some aspects of policy and service provision remain. 1This article is based on a keynote presentation given by the authors at the NOTA Annual International Conference 2003, Edinburgh, Scotland
Getting it Right When it Counts: Constituency Marginality and Voter Perceptions of British Parties' Policy Positions

Abstract This article argues that despite the importance of national party politics in Britain, constituency-level electoral marginality makes it easier for citizens to select parties based on policy. Using data from the 2005 and 2010 British Election Studies, I find that citizens residing in marginal constituencies are more likely to perceive parties' relative ideological positions correctly, and that electoral marginality promotes knowledge by increasing both the attention that parties pay to a constituency and citizens' engagement in the election. Finally, preliminary findings suggest that citizens do not necessarily perceive differences in the tone of the campaign material.