Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Kissing Hairpin Sequence Promotes Recombination within the HIV-I 5′ Leader Region*

The role of RNA-RNA template interactions in facilitating recombination during reverse transcription of minus strand DNA has been examined. The tested hypothesis is that template switching by reverse transcriptase is promoted at sites where homologous regions of two RNAs are brought in close proximity via stable intertemplate interactions. Frequency and distribution of template switching between homologous donor and acceptor RNAs were examined within the human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-I) 5′-untranslated region (UTR) containing the dimer initiation sequence (DIS). Results were compared with control nondimerizing templates from the pol region. The dimerizing UTR templates displayed a 4-fold higher transfer efficiency than the control. A striking 53% of transfers in the UTR mapped near the DIS, of which two-thirds occurred immediately 5′ to this sequence. In the UTR template, deletion of the DIS hairpin disrupted template dimerization and caused a 4-fold drop in transfer efficiency. Insertion of the DIS within the pol template increased both dimerization and transfer efficiency. Transfer distributions revealed that in both sets of templates, DIS-induced dimerization increased the efficiency of transfers across the whole template, with the transfers peaking around the dimerization site. Overall, these results suggest that template dimerization facilitated by the unique geometry of the DIS-promoted kissing interactions effectively promotes recombination within the HIV-I 5′-UTR.
Modeling the Dynamics of Paternal Influences on Children Over the Life Course

Modeling the Dynamics of Paternal Influences on Children over the Life Course Is a heuristic model, which identifies sets of variables that predict father involvement, variables that interact to predict involvement, and variables that influence father characteristics and thereby influence involvement. It also suggests moderators and mediators of pathways from predictors to father involvement and from father involvement to child outcomes. It is a dynamic model, assuming change over the life course, while retaining paternal influences from one developmental period to another. The model is rooted in the extant literature, although it is not circumscribed by that literature. As a heuristic model, it offers a framework from which measurement models can be derived to address research questions of interest.
Neuroanatomical specificity in the expression of the immediate early gene c‐fos following expression of appetitive and consummatory male sexual behaviour in Japanese quail

We investigated the neural sites related to the occurrence of appetitive (ASB) and consummatory (CSB) aspects of male sexual behaviour in Japanese quail. Castrated males treated with testosterone were exposed for 5 min to one of four experimental conditions: (i) free interaction with a female (CSB group); (ii) expression of rhythmic cloacal sphincter movements in response to the visual presentation of a female (ASB‐F group); (iii) or a male (ASB‐M group), and (iv) handling as a control manipulation. Brains were collected 90 min after the start of behavioural tests and stained by immunocytochemistry for the FOS protein. An increase in FOS expression was observed throughout the rostro‐caudal extent of the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) in CSB males, whereas the view of a female (ASB‐F) induced an increased FOS expression in the rostral POM only. In the CSB group, there was also an increase in FOS expression in the bed nucleus striae terminalis, and both the CSB and ASB‐F groups exhibited increased FOS expression in aspects of the ventro‐lateral thalamus (VLT) related to visual processing. Moreover, both the CSB and ASB‐M groups showed increased FOS expression in the lateral septum. These data provide additional support to the idea that there is a partial anatomical dissociation between structures involved in the control of both aspects of male sexual behaviour and independently provide data consistent with a previous lesion study that indicated that the rostral and caudal POM differentially control the expression of ASB and CSB in quail.
The Utility of Impulsive Bias and Altered Decision Making as Predictors of Drug Efficacy and Target Selection: Rethinking Behavioral Screening for Antidepressant Drugs

Cognitive dysfunction may be a core feature of major depressive disorder, including affective processing bias, abnormal response to negative feedback, changes in decision making, and increased impulsivity. Accordingly, a translational medicine paradigm predicts clinical action of novel antidepressants by examining drug-induced changes in affective processing bias. With some exceptions, these concepts have not been systematically applied to preclinical models to test new chemical entities. The purpose of this review is to examine whether an empirically derived behavioral screen for antidepressant drugs may screen for compounds, at least in part, by modulating an impulsive biasing of responding and altered decision making. The differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) 72-second schedule is an operant schedule with a documented fidelity for discriminating antidepressant drugs from nonantidepressant drugs. However, a theoretical basis for this empirical relationship has been lacking. Therefore, this review will discuss whether response bias toward impulsive behavior may be a critical screening characteristic of DRL behavior requiring long inter-response times to obtain rewards. This review will compare and contrast DRL behavior with the five-choice serial reaction time task, a test specifically designed for assessing motoric impulsivity, with respect to psychopharmacological testing and the neural basis of distributed macrocircuits underlying these tasks. This comparison suggests that the existing empirical basis for the DRL 72-second schedule as a pharmacological screen for antidepressant drugs is complemented by a novel hypothesis that altering impulsive response bias for rodents trained on this operant schedule is a previously unrecognized theoretical cornerstone for this screening paradigm.
High viral load in semen of human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected men at all stages of disease and its reduction by therapy with protease and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Seminal viral load is likely to be directly related to the sexual transmissibility of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). However, it is not clear whether the level of HIV-1 in semen varies with the stage of infection and whether antiretroviral therapy reduces seminal viral load. A nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) technique was used to quantify HIV-1 RNA as an indicator of infectious viral load in semen and blood plasma of homosexual men with different stages and durations of HIV-1 infection. The median viral load in a cross section of 34 men was 11,000 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml (range, <400 to 1.3 x 10(7) copies/ml) in whole semen and 5,238 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml (range, <400 to 2.8 x 10(5) copies/ml) in seminal plasma, which is 10- to 1,000-fold higher than previous estimates. Viral loads in whole semen and seminal plasma were strongly correlated with blood plasma viral load (P < 0.001) but not with blood CD4+ T-cell count (P = 0.420). Longitudinal analysis of eight subjects who progressed to AIDS showed that seminal viral load increased in most cases, with viral load consistently higher in blood plasma than in semen. Viral loads in semen and blood plasma decreased markedly in six other patients following initiation of potent combination therapy with a protease inhibitor (indinavir) and a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (DMP-266). These findings have important implications for the biology of sexual transmission of HIV-1 and its potential reduction by antiretroviral therapy.
Supportive services for immigrant youths in Hong Kong

English Programmes for disadvantaged youths have become a priority of the youth centres in Hong Kong. This article introduces the psychosocial problems encountered by immigrant youths and the kinds of supportive services provided to them. It concludes that they are satisfied with the services and have also experienced personal growth. French Des programmes visant les jeunes désavantagés sont devenus prioritaires pour les centres de jeunesse à Hong Kong. Cet article décrit les problèmes psychosociaux vécus par des jeunes immigrants et les types de services de soutien qui leur sont destinés. Il constate la satisfaction de ces jeunes des services reçus, ceux-ci ayant contribué à leur développement personnel. Spanish Los programas para jóvenes en desventaja han llegado a ser una prioridad en los centros juveniles de Hong Kong. Este arti¨culo aborda los problemas psicosociales detectados entre los jóvenes inmigrantes y el tipo de servicios de apoyo que se les han brindado. Se concluye que esta¨n satisfechos con dichos servicios y que incluso han experimentado un crecimiento personal.
Going Beyond Role Expectations: Toward an Understanding of the Determinants and Components of Teacher Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Purpose: To fill the gap in theoretical and empirical knowledge on the patterns of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in school, the aim of this study was to explore the components of teacher OCB as well as its personal and contextual determinants. Research Design: Semistructured interviews were conductedwith 50 schoolteachers, 10 principals, and 10 supervisors, all from the elementary and secondary educational systems of Israel. The analysis followed the principles of qualitative research. Findings: The article presents an initial conceptualization of the components of teacher OCB. Among these components are supportive behaviors toward students and colleagues, initiation of changes and innovations in teaching, strong orientation toward the organization, and strong loyalty to the teaching profession. In addition, the study identified a variety of determinants of teacher OCB, such as the school principal, the teacher's character, and the school's climate. Conclusions: Empirical and practical implications for the educational system and the educational research are suggested. Principals are strongly encouraged to establish a school environment that promotes OCB-oriented teachers and to create workshops to help him or her in this task. Researchers of educationalsystems are provided with new directions for research on the teacher's role and behavior.
Significance of retrograde conduction in A-v dissociation.

In certain circumstances the discharge rate of the A-V node may exceed that of the S-A node. The A-V node then becomes the dominant pacemaker of the heart. If, in addition, there is retrograde unidirectional A-V block, the atria remain under control of the S-A node, and A-V dissociation results. When a sinus impulse reaches the A-V node during the non-refractory phase, it is conducted to, and captures control of, the ventricles for one beat-known as a capture beat; occasionally 2, or rarely 3, consecutive capture beats occur. An analogous situation may arise when the ectopic pacemaker is situated in the ventricles. This communication reports further observations on A-V nodal conduction in A-V dissociation, with special reference to conduction in consecutive capture beats.
A Kalman Filter Approach for Testing of Structural Firm Value Models

This paper proposes a direct empirical implementation of the Corporate Securities Framework. To date, only time series of equity prices have been used to estimate parameters of structural firm value models. We develop a Kalman filter that includes time series of bond prices which usually convey important information about a firm’s economic condition, and measurement errors of security prices. We suggest that the use of time series of all traded securities in an empirical study will improve the quality of the estimators of the latent EBIT-process because we can identify not only the EBIT-volatility but also the EBIT risk-neutral drift which used to be fixed by unreasonable assumptions in applications so far. The estimators are unbiased even in small samples and robust to specification errors. JEL-Classification: G12, G13, G33, C13, C32
Perceived Problems of Beginning Teachers

Perceived problems of beginning teachers in their first years of teaching are reviewed. Studies from different countries are included. Issues such as the reality shock and changes in behaviours and attitudes are considered also. The eight problems perceived most often are classroom discipline, motivating students, dealing with individual differences, assessing students’ work, relationships with parents, organization of class work, insufficient and/or inadequate teaching materials and supplies, and dealing with problems of individual students. There is a great correspondence between the problems of elementary and secondary beginning teachers. Issues such as person-specific and situation-specific differences, views of the principals, problems of experienced teachers, and job satisfaction of beginning teachers are discussed also. Three frameworks of teacher development are presented which provide conceptualizations of individual differences among beginning teachers. Finally, forms of planned support for beginning teachers are noted. Research using an interactionistic model for the explanation of behaviour is needed.
Electromagnetic heating of breast tumors in interventional radiology: in vitro and in vivo studies in human cadavers and mice.

PURPOSE To assess relevant parameters for the minimally invasive elimination of breast tumors by using a selective application of magnetite and exposure of the breast to an alternating magnetic field. MATERIALS AND METHODS The specific absorption rate (SAR) of different magnetite samples was determined calorimetrically. Temperature elevations based on magnetite mass (7-112 mg) and magnetic field amplitude (1.2-6.5 kA/m frequency, 400 kHz) were investigated by using human breast tissue. Parameter combinations (21 mg +/- 9 [SD], 242-second magnetic field exposure, 6.5-kA/m amplitude) were tested in 10 immunodeficient mice bearing human adenocarcinomas (MX-1 cells). Histologic sections of heated tumor tissue were analyzed. RESULTS SAR data of different magnetite particle types ranged from 3 to 211 W/g. Temperature elevation (DeltaT) as a function of the magnetite mass increased linearly up to 28 mg; at higher masses, a saturation of DeltaT was observed at nearly 88 degrees C. The dependence of DeltaT on magnetic field amplitude (H) revealed a third-order power law: DeltaT = 0.26 degrees C/(kA/m)(3). H(3), with r(2) = 0.95. A mean temperature of 71 degrees C +/- 8 was recorded in the tumor region at the end of magnetic field exposure of the mice. Typical macroscopic findings included tumor shrinkage after heating. Histologically nuclear degenerations were observed in heated malignant cells. CONCLUSION Magnetic heating of breast tumors is a promising technique for future interventional radiologic treatments.
SIMAC: semantic interaction with music audio contents

The SIMAC project addresses the study and development of innovative components for a music information retrieval system. The key feature is the usage and exploitation of semantic descriptors of musical content that are automatically extracted from music audio files. These descriptors are generated in two ways: as derivations and combinations of lower-level descriptors and as generalizations induced from manually annotated databases by the intensive application of machine learning. The project aims also towards the empowering (i.e. adding value, improving effectiveness) of music consumption behaviours, especially of those that are guided by the concept of similarity.
Over kwalitatieve analyse bij onderzoek onder ‘anderen’

Dit hoofdstuk buigt zich over de eisen waaraan een kwalitatieve analyse van onderzoeksresultaten moet voldoen als dat onderzoek zich richt op mensen van een andere cultuur. Wij gaan achtereenvolgens in op de aard van kwalitatieve analyse, op analyse processen tijdens en na de datavergaring en op thema’s met betrekking tot validiteit en betrouwbaarheid. Daarbij worden criteria geformuleerd, aan de hand waarvan we nadenken over de vraag waar problemen op kunnen treden in verband met de etnische herkomst van de onderzoeksgroep. Een gedeeltelijk fictief voorbeeld van een analytisch proces tijdens veldwerk helpt ons die vraag meer genuanceerd te beantwoorden.
Search for peptide sequences involved in human antisperm antibody‐mediated male immunoinfertility by using phage display technology

The aim of the present study was to delineate peptide sequences against which antisperm antibodies (ASA) are raised in immunoinfertile men. Using the phage display technology, seven unique and novel dodecamer amino acid sequences were identified that reacted with the sera of immunoinfertile men. The peptides were synthesized based upon these amino acid sequences and examined for their immunoreactivity with sera from ASA‐positive immunofertile men (n = 15) and ASA‐negative fertile men (n = 18) for IgM, IgG, and IgA class of antibody in the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All the seven synthetic peptides showed a significantly (P < 0.001) higher mean absorbance values for IgG and/or IgA class of antibody with the immunoinfertile sera compared to fertile control sera. Three of the seven peptides demonstrated a stronger reaction (>2 SD units) with 27%–40% of immunoinfertile sera compared to fertile controls. These peptide sequences may find applications in the specific diagnosis and treatment of immunoinfertility and in contraceptive vaccine development. The phage display technique provides an exciting and novel technology to delineate sperm epitopes involved in immunoinfertility. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Using Genome Query Language to uncover genetic variation

MOTIVATION With high-throughput DNA sequencing costs dropping <$1000 for human genomes, data storage, retrieval and analysis are the major bottlenecks in biological studies. To address the large-data challenges, we advocate a clean separation between the evidence collection and the inference in variant calling. We define and implement a Genome Query Language (GQL) that allows for the rapid collection of evidence needed for calling variants. RESULTS We provide a number of cases to showcase the use of GQL for complex evidence collection, such as the evidence for large structural variations. Specifically, typical GQL queries can be written in 5-10 lines of high-level code and search large datasets (100 GB) in minutes. We also demonstrate its complementarity with other variant calling tools. Popular variant calling tools can achieve one order of magnitude speed-up by using GQL to retrieve evidence. Finally, we show how GQL can be used to query and compare multiple datasets. By separating the evidence and inference for variant calling, it frees all variant detection tools from the data intensive evidence collection and focuses on statistical inference. AVAILABILITY GQL can be downloaded from http://cseweb.ucsd. edu/~ckozanit/gql.
Caffeoylquinic Acids Generated In Vitro in a High-Anthocyanin-Accumulating Sweet Potato Cell Line

Accumulation of phenolic compounds has been monitored in a suspension culture of anthocyanin-accumulating sweet potato cell line grown under the conditions of modified Murashige and Skoog high-anthocyanin production medium (APM) over a period of 24 days. Tissue samples extracted with 15% acetic acid were analysed using HPLC at a detection wavelength of 326 nm. Among others, the following derivatives of caffeoylquinic acids were detected: 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 3,4,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid. Their total amount reached a maximum of 110 mg/gFW between the 4th and the 15th day of culture growth on APM. The major compound of the phenolic mixture was 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid with maximum accumulation level of 80 mg/100 gFW. The potential effects of targeted phenolic compounds on the nutraceutical qualities of in vitro produced anthocyanin-rich extracts are discussed.
Der Erziehungsfragebogen (EFB)

Zusammenfassung. Der Erziehungsfragebogen (EFB) ist die ubersetzte und an den deutschen Sprachraum adaptierte Version der Parenting Scale (PS; Arnold, O’Leary, Wolff & Acker, 1993). Der EFB ist ein.
International marriage in East and Southeast Asia: trends and research emphases

This paper gives an overview on international marriage in East and Southeast Asia. It first reviews the available data on the incidence and trends of transnational marriage. It then discusses the factors generally cited as contributing to the rising incidence of international marriage in the region: the increased mobility of population, particularly with respect to tourism, business travel, short-term employment and international study; and marriage market issues in a number of countries of the region, leading to deliberate and targeted search for spouses in other countries. It also reviews the types of international marriages in the region, including the national, ethnic and social characteristics of spouses in such marriages. Finally, it discusses the issues and problems covered and not (or inadequately) covered in the literature of international marriage in East and Southeast Asia in relation to the questions of rights and of the boundaries and sovereignty of the state.
Settlement Formation and Land Cover and Land Use Change: A Case Study in the Brazilian Amazon

The present paper describes the contentious process of settlement formation of a particular type of land reform settlement, which we call "spontaneous" direct action land reform. In addition, the paper place the settlement formation process within a land cover and land use framework by describing the underlying processes that lead to spontaneous settlement formation in terra devoluta in the Brazilian Amazon. The paper concludes with policy recommendations.
Climate projections: Past performance no guarantee of future skill?

The principle of selecting climate models based on their agreement with observations has been tested for surface temperature using 17 of the IPCC AR4 models. Those models simulating global mean, Siberian and European 20th Century surface temperature with a lower error than the total ensemble for one period on average do not do so for a subsequent period. Error in the ensemble mean decreases systematically with ensemble size, N, and for a random selection as approximately 1/Nα, where α lies between 0.6 and 1. This is larger than the exponent of a random sample (α = 0.5) and appears to be an indicator of systematic bias in the model simulations. There is no evidence that any subset of models delivers significant improvement in prediction accuracy compared to the total ensemble.