Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep Sequencing of Viral Genomes Provides Insight into the Evolution and Pathogenesis of Varicella Zoster Virus and Its Vaccine in Humans

Immunization with the vOka vaccine prevents varicella (chickenpox) in children and susceptible adults. The vOka vaccine strain comprises a mixture of genotypes and, despite attenuation, causes rashes in small numbers of recipients. Like wild-type virus, the vaccine establishes latency in neuronal tissue and can later reactivate to cause Herpes zoster (shingles). Using hybridization-based methodologies, we have purified and sequenced vOka directly from skin lesions. We show that alleles present in the vaccine can be recovered from the lesions and demonstrate the presence of a severe bottleneck between inoculation and lesion formation. Genotypes in any one lesion appear to be descended from one to three vaccine-genotypes with a low frequency of novel mutations. No single vOka haplotype and no novel mutations are consistently present in rashes, indicating that neither new mutations nor recombination with wild type are critical to the evolution of vOka rashes. Instead, alleles arising from attenuation (i.e., not derived from free-living virus) are present at lower frequencies in rash genotypes. We identify 11 loci at which the ancestral allele is selected for in vOka rash formation and show genotypes in rashes that have reactivated from latency cannot be distinguished from rashes occurring immediately after inoculation. We conclude that the vOka vaccine, although heterogeneous, has not evolved to form rashes through positive selection in the mode of a quasispecies, but rather alleles that were essentially neutral during the vaccine production have been selected against in the human subjects, allowing us to identify key loci for rash formation.
Distributed sensing system with 3D model-based agents

In recent years, demand for advanced sensing in robot tasks using multiple sensing modules has increased. A traditional approach for the construction of such a sensing system is to organize the modules using a single and centrally controlled system. However, there are various disadvantages in this approach with respect to flexibility, robustness, extendability, and efficiency in achieving tasks. To overcome these difficulties, decentralized and cooperative control of multirobots is a promising approach. The authors propose a decentralized and cooperative sensing system for robot vision tasks and present a prototype of such a visual sensing system implemented using a multirobot system. It performs visual inspection of water leakage on the sleeve of a valve. In this task, active and cooperative control of cameras and light sources play a very important role. The authors extend the system with 3-D model-based agents which utilize 3-D model information about the task environment for distributed sensor planning.
Connector-Driven Gradual and Dynamic Software Assembly Evolution

Complex and long-lived software need to be upgraded at runtime. Replacing a software component with a newer version is the basic evolution operation that has to be supported. It is error-prone as it is difficult to guarantee the preservation of functionalities and quality. Few existing work on ADLs fully support a component replacement process from its description to its test and validation. The main idea of this work is to have software architecture evolution dynamically driven by connectors (the software glue between components). It proposes a connector model which autonomically handle the reconfiguration of connections in architectures in order to support the versioning of components in a gradual, transparent and testable manner. Hence, the system has the choice to commit the evolution after a successful test phase of the software or rollback to the previous state.
The Contributions of Interoceptive Awareness to Cognitive and Affective Facets of Body Experience

Experience of one’s own body relies on signals arising within the body as well as on exteroceptive information, and on appraisal of cognitive and affective aspects of these signals. The present study investigated the impact of sensitivity to internal signals, that is, interoceptive awareness, on interindividual differences in cognitive and emotional aspects of body experience. Subjects with accurate (n = 30) versus poor (n = 30) interoceptive awareness, classified via a heartbeat perception task, completed the Body Consciousness Questionnaire and the Body Appraisal Inventory. Possible effects of emotional state on body experience were controlled for using measures of mood and anxiety. While the groups did not differ in their emotional state, individuals with accurate cardiac interoceptive awareness exhibited higher subjective sensitivity to bodily sensations and a more positive body image, characterized by stronger body-related self-confidence, greater satisfaction with physical appearance, greater percei.
The major polypeptide of scrapie‐associated fibrils (SAF) has the same size, charge distribution and N‐terminal protein sequence as predicted for the normal brain protein (PrP).

Scrapie‐associated fibrils (SAF) are unique structures characteristic of the group of unconventional slow infections which includes scrapie and Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease. A major component of hamster fibrils has been described as a protease‐resistant glycoprotein with an apparent mol. wt of 27,000‐30,000 (PrP27‐30). However, we report here that if fibrils are prepared by procedures designed to minimise proteolysis the PrP proteins co‐purifying with hamster SAF have mol. wts of 33,000‐35,000 (PrP33‐35) and 26,000‐29,000 (PrP26‐29). We find a Lys‐Lys‐Arg‐Pro‐Lys sequence at the amino terminus of these SAF proteins, that is absent from PrP27‐30, and which has recently been predicted to be the N‐terminal sequence of the native PrP protein of uninfected brain. The major SAF protein (PrP33‐35) and its normal brain homologue are shown to have the same apparent mol. wt and ionic charge distribution by two‐dimensional gel analysis, silver staining and immunoblotting. These results support our view that PrP33‐35 and the normal brain PrP protein may have the same covalent structure, and that the PrP protein is recruited into these amyloid‐like SAF or into association with a non‐protein component of SAF by an irreversible event initiated directly or indirectly by scrapie infection.
Crowding Norms: Alternative Measurement Approaches

Research on crowding-related standards of quality increasingly has focused on personal and social norms. Several norm-measurement approaches have been developed. This study compares and evaluates three issues related to alternative norm measurement approaches: numerical versus visual approach, long versus short question format, and evaluative dimension. Study data are drawn from a multiphase program of research on crowding on the carriage roads of Acadia National Park, Maine. Differences in crowding norms developed from alternative measurement approaches are described and discussed. Study findings suggest that commonly used norm-measurement approaches may lead to crowding-related standards of quality that are overly conservative.
The public face of binge drinking: British and Danish young women, recent trends in alcohol consumption and the European binge drinking debate

International and national data sets are utilized to compare changes in young women’s alcohol consumption between the UK and Denmark, two European countries renowned for their alcohol-related problems. Explanations for young women’s increased sessional drinking have previously focused on the public spectacle of the binge drinker and the notion of a ‘convergence’ between women’s and men’s consumption patterns, incomes and broader lifestyles. An apparent decline in young women’s binge drinking and weekly drinking in both countries since 2000 is counterbalanced by more frequent drinking, home drinking and wine drinking into middle age, associated with professional occupations. In the face of an enduring polarization of the public excesses of youth with supposedly civilized moderation within the home, the article argues for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between alcohol, women’s changing lives and northern European drinking cultures.
Student Engagement with Technology Use in Mathematics Education: An Indonesian Secondary School Context

This study investigates attitudinal factors attributed to the use of technology in mathematics in Indonesia, where access to technology is still seen as a symbol of modernity. Specifically, we focus on measures related to student engagement – mathematics motivation, attitudes to the use of technology in mathematics, technological confidence and mathematics confidence – in two different secondary school groups. In one school group, students engaged with technology-based learning devices individually on one-to-one basis, while the other school group had few learning devices, hence students shared devices and learned in small groups. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been employed in this study. Statistical analysis on quantitative data has revealed attitudinal differences to be associated with how devices are being used in classrooms (i.e., on one-to-one basis or in small groups) and is also found to be gender related. Gender differences were more evident in schools where technology was available to small groups. Qualitative data obtained through open-ended questions has shed further light on how boys and girls construct their attitudes. The study findings indicate appropriate pedagogical approaches should be considered when using technology in mathematics and that providing better access to technology will help to alleviate some of the challenges related to student engagement in learning mathematics.
Children's perceptions of wider reading: to what extent do 7- and 8-year-old children read beyond the scheme books?

A case study was conducted with a class of twenty 7- to 8-year-old children in a primary school in the North West of England, to explore possible links between the use of a school reading scheme and children's involvement in wider reading. A questionnaire was administered to all children in the class, followed by semi-structured interviews with three children. The findings revealed that the vast majority of the children held extremely positive views of their reading scheme books but were also very enthusiastic wider readers, be it either independent reading or reading with a parent or carer. Further findings emerged suggest that environmental factors, such as access to books at home and library usage, also play an important part in children's involvement in wider reading.
Stress and challenge appraisals of acute taxing events in rugby

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine stress and challenge appraisals during rugby games. Competitive rugby players (n=107) reported stress and challenge appraisals of thirty acute potentially taxing events in preseason, regular season, and playoff rugby games. Profile analyses (MANOVA) identified the most and least stressful and challenging events. Events in playoff games were appraised as more stressful and challenging than those in preseason and regular season games. Analyses also revealed that differences in appraisals between game contexts were not equal for all event types. Furthermore, two events were perceived as more stressful than challenging, five events were more challenging than stressful, and three events were equally stressful and challenging. Potential applications and future research directions are discussed.
Executive Functioning and Risky Decision Making in Young Male Offenders

Executive functioning (EF) deficits have been implicated in antisocial behavior. EF constitutes a broad selection of functions, and it is yet to be determined what specific aspects of EF are associated with antisocial behavior. This study examines IQ, EF, and related decision-making processes in young males involved with the criminal justice system and their age-matched male controls. The Risky Choice Task (RCT), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and tests taken from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) assessing spatial working memory, planning, and set-shifting ability were administered. Young offenders showed lower estimated IQ scores and perseveration of responding, as indicated by performance on the WCST. There were also specific EF impairments, such as problems in working memory and planning (CANTAB). Finally, young offenders showed more risky decision-making than controls did, particularly after a small win. The results on the RCT suggest altered reward mechanisms in young offenders, whereas the findings also support the notion of EF difficulties related to dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex functioning. The implications of these findings for interventions with young offenders are discussed.
Previous back syndromes and present back symptoms in concrete reinforecment workers.

Two hundred, and ninety-five male Finnish concrete reinforcement workers, aged 19-64 years and engaged in heavy physical work including prolonged stooping, were clinically examined in a cross-sectional study. A history of sciatica was reported by 42% of the men, and a history of lumbago by 33%. The prevalence of the reported experience of sciatica and lumbago doubled in the two decades from age 25-34 onward. Half of those with a history of sciatica had also experienced lumbago; two-thirds of those who reported a history of lumbago had also suffered from sciatica. Back symptoms during an ordinary workday were reported as follows: ache 51%, fatigue 47%, stiffness 41% and sharp pain 13%. The correlation between the four symptoms was slight. Ache (X^2=23.5, P＜0.001) and stiffness (X^2=12.0, P＜0.001) were more common in workers with a history of sciatica than in workers without a history of lumbago or sciatica. In the analysis of the results for a possible effect of reinforcement work on back morbidity, the occurrence of back symptoms and syndromes was not found to be associated with length of reinforcement work, while comparison of a history of low-back pain syndromes between reinforcement workers and computer technicians showed experience of sciatica to be somewhat more common in the reinforcement workers (X^2=5.2, P＜0.05).
Lithium chloride regulates the proliferation of stem-like cells in retinoblastoma cell lines: a potential role for the canonical Wnt signaling pathway

Purpose Cancer stem cells are found in many tumor types and are believed to lead to regrowth of tumor mass due to their chemoresistance and self-renewal capacity. We previously demonstrated small subpopulations of cells in retinoblastoma tissue and cell lines that display cancer stem cell-like activities, including expression of stem cell markers, Hoechst dye exclusion, slow cycling, and self-renewal ability. Identifying factors regulating stem cell proliferation will be important for selectively targeting stem cells and controlling tumor growth. Wingless and Int1 (Wnt) signaling is an essential cellular communication pathway that regulates proliferation and differentiation of non-neoplastic stem/progenitor cells in the retina and other tissues, but its role in cancer stem cells in the retinal tumor retinoblastoma is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether the Wnt pathway activator lithium chloride (LiCl) regulates proliferation of retinoblastoma cancer stem-like cells. Methods The number of stem-like cells in Weri and Y79 retinoblastoma cell line cultures was measured by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) pulse-chase, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for stem cell marker genes. The cell lines were sorted into stem-like and non-stem-like populations by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), using an antibody against the stem cell marker ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G, member 2 (ABCG2). Activated Wnt signaling was measured in the sorted cells by western blotting and immunolocalization of the central mediator β-catenin. Results LiCl increased the number of stem-like cells, measured by BrdU retention and elevated expression of the stem cell marker genes Nanog, octamer transcription factor 3 and 4 (Oct3/4), Musashi 1 (Msi1), and ABCG2. Sorted ABCG2-positive stem-like cells had higher levels of β-catenin than ABCG2-negative non-stem cells, suggesting elevated canonical Wnt signaling. Furthermore, stem cell marker gene expression increased after small interfering RNA (siRNA) knock-down of the Wnt inhibitor secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2). Conclusions These results indicate that the cancer stem-like cell population in retinoblastoma is regulated by canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling, which identifies the Wnt pathway as a potential mechanism for the control of stem cell renewal and tumor formation in retinoblastoma tumors in vivo.
Finding the Culprit: Federal Policy and Teacher Education

Attention to teacher preparation has long been part of the federal portfolio of programs. This article reviews federal teacher education policy in the second half of the 20th century and concludes that resulting legislation generally has been driven by a need to identify a culprit when schools do not meet public expectations. This framework is used to consider reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 1998 and the impact on that reauthorization of the National Commission on Teaching & America 's Future. The effect of policies based on competition as a strategy to improve teacher education is considered.
Introduction to the Special Issue on the Millennium Prelude Symposium

This special issuehas grown out of an invited symposium titled Millennium Prelude: The Present State and Future of Cross-Cultural Psychology that we organized for the silver jubilee conference of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, held in Bellingham, Washington, in the United States, in the summer of 1998. The background of this symposium is described by Walt Lonner in the foreword to this special issue of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology . The program book of the Bellingham congress stated, “This symposium aims to accomplish two goals—a critical evaluation of the current state of affairs in cross-cultural psychology, and an assessment of how and where cross-cultural psychology can make a contribution in the next 25 years. ” These aims pertain also to the articles in this issue, in which the participants have elaborated on the papers that they presented at the symposium. The field of cross-cultural psychology has grown extensively in recent decades (e.g., Segall, Lonner, & Berry, 1998). Thus, an adequate representation would require much more space than is available in a single journal issue. Challenging developments take place in many areas of cross-cultural psy chology. We had many good reasons for the inclusion of the themes that we did select and few (and often none) for the exclusion of others. Also, any selection of authors (and editors) introduces biases in terms of perspectives and knowledge, and the present contributors form no exception to this rule. Nevertheless, the issues addressed are, by and large, the concerns of crosscultural psychologists today. Moreover, most of the authors, in keeping with the intended scope of the original symposium, focus on future developments and the directions in which they expect and hope the field of cross-cultural
High Core Self-Evaluators Maintain Creativity

We present a motivational model of abusive supervision to examine the effects that exposure to abusive supervision has on creativity. In particular, we predict that intrinsic motivation mediates the negative relation between abusive supervision, as perceived by employees, and their creativity. In addition, we examine the extent to which core self-evaluations attenuate the main effect of abusive supervision and the indirect effect of intrinsic motivation. Our results, based on multiwave, multisource data collected in China, fully support our hypotheses, address unexplored theoretical predictions, and offer new directions for mistreatment, creativity, motivation, and personality research.
Anti-Oxidant, Anti-Aging, and Anti-Melanogenic Properties of the Essential Oils from Two Varieties of Alpinia zerumbet

Here, we investigated the anti-oxidant and anti-aging effects of essential oils (EOs) from the leaves of Alpinia zerumbet (tairin and shima) in vitro and anti-melanogenic effects in B16F10 melanoma cells. The anti-oxidant activities were performed with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2ʹ-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS); nitric oxide; singlet oxygen; hydroxyl radical scavenging; and xanthine oxidase. The inhibitory activities against collagenase, elastase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase were employed for anti-aging. The anti-melanogenic was assessed in B16F10 melanoma cells by melanin synthesis and intracellular tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The volatile chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The EO was a complex mixture mainly consisting of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The results revealed that tairin and shima EOs showed strong anti-oxidant activities against DPPH and nitric oxide, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, and xanthine oxidase inhibition. Compared to shima EO; tairin EO exhibited strong anti-aging activity by inhibiting collagenase, tyrosinase, hyaluronidase, and elastase (IC50 = 11 ± 0.1; 25 ± 1.2; 83 ± 1.6; and 213 ± 2 μg/mL, respectively). Both EOs inhibited intracellular tyrosinase activity; thus, reducing melanin synthesis. These results suggest that tairin EO has better anti-oxidant/anti-aging activity than shima EO, but both are equally anti-melanogenic.
The NF-YB/NF-YC Structure Gives Insight into DNA Binding and Transcription Regulation by CCAAT Factor NF-Y*

The heterotrimeric transcription factor NF-Y recognizes with high specificity and affinity the CCAAT regulatory element that is widely represented in promoters and enhancer regions. The CCAAT box acts in concert with neighboring elements, and its bending by NF-Y is thought to be a major mechanism required for transcription activation. We have solved the structure of the NF-YC/NF-YB subcomplex of NF-Y, which shows that the core domains of both proteins interact through histone fold motifs. This histone-like pair is closely related to the H2A/H2B and NC2α/NC2β families, with features that are both common to this class of proteins and unique to NF-Y. The structure together with the modeling of the nonspecific interaction of NF-YC/NF-YB with DNA and the full NF-Y/CCAAT box complex highlight important structural features that account for different and possibly similar biological functions of the transcriptional regulators NF-Y and NC2. In particular, it emphasizes the role of the newly described αC helix of NF-YC, which is both important for NF-Y trimerization and a target for regulatory proteins, such as MYC and p53.
A 65nm CMOS low-power, low-voltage bandgap reference with using self-biased composite cascode opamp

In this paper, we present a low-voltage low-power CMOS bandgap voltage reference (BVR) based on the self-cascode self-biased op-amp. The current mirror mismatch error resulting from the channel length modulation (CLM) effect has also been compensated by using composite transistors. This proposed circuit, implemented in 65nm IBM CMOS process, which generates a reference of 364mV from a power supply of the 1.2V and consumed the 28 μW at room temperature. The power supply rejection ratio is greater than 60 dB for frequency below 10 kHz. The proposed bandgap achieves a temperature coefficient(TC) of 4.7ppm/°C without trimming for the temperature range(TR) from 0°C to 100°C and the 0.75mV/V of ±10% supply voltage variations.