Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Presidential Leadership of Public Opinion: An Embedded Survey Experiment

Presidents increasingly go public to influence public opinion on issues, but research is divided over the effectiveness of such efforts. This presents us with a puzzle: Why do presidents go public so much if the effects of going public are so unpredictable? Debate in the literature on the effects of going public stems in part from the large number of variables that mediate between presidential public communication and public opinion. This article hypothesizes that different types of presidential communication provide voters with different types of information about the president. This information, in turn, interacts with the voter’s political predispositions, so that different types of voters will react differently to each presidential communication. An experiment embedded in a nationally representative survey is used to test the hypothesis, and results provide support for it. The conclusion discusses limitations of the experiment and directions for future research.
Surviving 10 years with deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease – a follow‐up of 79 patients

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for severe Parkinson's disease (PD) outperforms the best medical treatment in controlling motor symptoms and improving quality of life. Nevertheless disease progression cannot be controlled, and the development of dementia over time is nearly inevitable, often resulting in nursing home placement. Ten‐year survival, development of hallucinations, dementia and nursing home placement were examined and adverse events were assessed.
Novel polymorphisms in the bovine beta-lactoglobulin gene and their effects on beta-lactoglobulin protein concentration in milk.

The aim of our study was to detect new polymorphisms in the bovine beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) gene with significant effects on beta-LG protein concentration. Genomic DNA samples from 22 proven bulls were screened for polymorphisms in the coding and promoter regions of the beta-LG gene. In total, 50 polymorphisms were detected. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (g.1772G>A and g.3054C>T) lead to amino acid changes and are the causal genetic polymorphisms of beta-LG protein variants A and B. Forty-two polymorphisms were in complete linkage disequilibrium (LD) with beta-LG protein variants A and B. Any of these 42 polymorphisms can be involved in the differential expression of the respective A and B alleles of the beta-LG gene. The eight polymorphisms not in complete LD with beta-LG protein variants A and B and the two polymorphisms causing the amino acid changes were genotyped in a set of 208 cows: 106 animals homozygous for beta-LG protein variant A and 102 animals homozygous for beta-LG protein variant B. Of these eight polymorphisms, six SNPs segregated only within the cows homozygous for beta-LG protein variant A and two SNPs segregated only within the cows homozygous for beta-LG protein variant B. One of the eight polymorphisms had a significant effect on beta-LG protein concentration. This SNP, g. -731G>A, segregated only within the 106 cows homozygous for beta-LG protein variant A. Within these cows, adjusted relative beta-LG protein concentration was reduced by 1.22% (w/w) in animals homozygous g. -731AA compared with animals homozygous g. -731GG.
The impact of health information technology adoption by outpatient facilities on pregnancy outcomes.

OBJECTIVE Examine whether health information technology (HIT) at nonhospital facilities (NHFs) improves health outcomes and decreases resource use at hospitals within the same heath care network, and whether the impact of HIT varies as providers gain experience using the technologies. DATA SOURCES Administrative claims data on 491,832 births in Pennsylvania during 1998-2004 from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council and HIT applications data from the Dorenfest Institute. STUDY DESIGN Fixed-effects regression analysis of the impact of HIT at NHFs on adverse birth outcomes and resource use. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Greater use of clinical HIT applications by NHFs is associated with reduced incidence of obstetric trauma and preventable complications, as well as longer lengths of stay. In addition, the beneficial effects of HIT increase the longer that technologies have been in use. However, we find no consistent evidence on whether or how nonclinical HIT in NHFs affects either resource use or health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Clinical HIT applications at NHFs may reduce the likelihood of adverse birth outcomes, particularly after physicians and staff gain experience using the technologies.
Empress: extensible metadata provider for extreme-scale scientific simulations

Significant challenges exist in the efficient retrieval of data from extreme-scale simulations. An important and evolving method of addressing these challenges is application-level metadata management. Historically, HDF5 and NetCDF have eased data retrieval by offering rudimentary attribute capabilities that provide basic metadata. ADIOS simplified data retrieval by utilizing metadata for each process' data. EMPRESS provides a simple example of the next step in this evolution by integrating per-process metadata with the storage system itself, making it more broadly useful than single file or application formats. Additionally, it allows for more robust and customizable metadata.
Evolution of Competence Concept in Lithuania: From VET Reform to Development of National Qualifications System.

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the development of the concept of competence in Lithuania beginning from the period of transition from the Soviet planned economy and post‐totalitarian regime to the market economy and democratic society and ending with the designing and implementation of the National Qualifications System and Qualifications Framework.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of desktop research of scientific literature and analysis of documents related to competences and qualifications in Lithuania.Findings – The understanding of competence in Lithuania varies between the official usage in the laws and policy documents, common usage in education institutions and the approaches of employers, and this differentiation of understanding is caused by complex reasons related to the development of education, world of work and society in the socio‐economic transformations. In the National Qualifications System and National Framework of Qualifications of Lithuania competences are u.
Are Europeans made in America? Identity, alterity and the United States as Europe’s ‘Other’

Theorists of political identity have long argued that such sentiments are often forged through the mechanics of alterity. The intersection of these theoretical ideas with the historical contingency of the George W. Bush administration and the availability of mass behaviour data measuring identity and related concepts creates a unique opportunity to put this notion to an empirical test in the important context of European polity-building. Did the transatlantic breach caused by the Iraq war and other US policies of the past decade create an ‘Other’ for Europe in the form of the USA, driving European Union citizens towards a European identity? This study examines both qualitative and quantitative data to test the hypothesis that US policy during the Bush administration served to foster a more robust European identity, ultimately uncovering mixed empirical evidence both supporting and negating the proposed relationship.
Reflections of the Other: images of women in the Polish business press

After the fall of state communism, the business press in Poland has become an active image designer for people involved in management. Shaping the stereotypes about the market, enterprises and management, it also has an effect on gender related stereotypes and images. A study of a widespread Polish business magazine reveals a pretty flat picture: women managers are typically portrayed in traditional female social roles and the images of men are stripped of feelings and individuality. However, a trend toward the emergence of some variety can be noticed and perhaps the presence of women can contribute to a major change in management?
Protein Kinase A-Mediated Synapsin I Phosphorylation Is a Central Modulator of Ca2+-Dependent Synaptic Activity

Protein kinase A (PKA) modulates several steps of synaptic transmission. However, the identification of the mediators of these effects is as yet incomplete. Synapsins are synaptic vesicle (SV)-associated phosphoproteins that represent the major presynaptic targets of PKA. We show that, in hippocampal neurons, cAMP-dependent pathways affect SV exocytosis and that this effect is primarily brought about through synapsin I phosphorylation. Phosphorylation by PKA, by promoting dissociation of synapsin I from SVs, enhances the rate of SV exocytosis on stimulation. This effect becomes relevant when neurons are challenged with sustained stimulation, because it appears to counteract synaptic depression and accelerate recovery from depression by fostering the supply of SVs from the reserve pool to the readily releasable pool. In contrast, synapsin phosphorylation appears to be dispensable for the effects of cAMP on the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous synaptic currents and on the amplitude of evoked synaptic currents. The modulation of depolarization-evoked SV exocytosis by PKA phosphorylation of synapsin I is primarily caused by calmodulin (CaM)-dependent activation of cAMP pathways rather than by direct activation of CaM kinases. These data define a hierarchical crosstalk between cAMP- and CaM-dependent cascades and point to synapsin as a major effector of PKA in the modulation of activity-dependent SV exocytosis.
No sleeping partners: relationships between head teachers and critical friends

This article examines external support for school leaders, and focuses on the relationship between head teachers and other professionals who play the role of their ‘critical friends’. Most existing research in this area concentrates upon the activity of the critical friend without reference to the role partner, thereby losing the dynamic in the relationship and the contribution of the head teacher to its effectiveness. A small-scale study of head teachers and their local authority advisers acting as critical friends provides the empirical basis for insights into the nature and challenges of the relationship and points the way to further research in this area of increasing policy significance in England.
Further evidence on early case descriptions of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Further historical case descriptions of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are presented to substantiate the thesis that both are historically new syndromes if the fear of becoming overweight is considered to be an essential element in both syndromes. The concept of anorexia nervosa seems to have been quite well known in France before World War I. An extensive and highly insightful description of a case of anorexia nervosa by L. Schneider (Archives de Psych logic, 12, 201–206, 1912) and an even more extensive description of a case of bulimia nervosa at normal body weight by L. Bins anger (Jahrbuch fur Psychoanaiytische Frosting, 1, 174–356, 1909; the earliest description known) are introduced.
Rho GTPases as pathogen targets: Focus on curable sexually transmitted infections

Pathogens have evolved highly specialized mechanisms to infect hosts. Several microorganisms modulate the eukaryotic cell surface to facilitate their engulfment. Once internalized, they hijack the molecular machinery of the infected cell for their own benefit. At different stages of phagocytosis, particularly during invasion, certain pathogens manipulate pathways governed by small GTPases. In this review, we focus on the role of Rho proteins on curable, sexually transmitted infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis and Treponema pallidum. Despite the high, worldwide frequencies of these sexually-transmitted diseases, very little is known about the strategies developed by these microorganisms to usurp key eukaryotic proteins that control intracellular signaling and actin dynamics. Improved knowledge of these molecular mechanisms will contribute to the elucidation of how these clinically important pathogens manipulate intracellular processes and parasitize their hosts.
Health inequity and its social determinants: A sociological commentary

Abstract In 2005, the World Health Organisation (WHO) established the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. It is to produce its final report in May 2008, identifying actions to address the vast health disparities that have accompanied global economic expansion and widespread political turmoil. The Commission and its anticipated report are a major part of a new research and policy approach committed to the advancement of global health equity. This paper explores the fundamental goals, principles and concepts of the health equity ‘movement’, and its relationship to the ‘social determinants of health’ approach. It argues that such an approach is an instrument for rendering the problem of health inequity real and actionable by institutional authorities and policy practitioners. However, its prevailing frameworks and methods impose significant constraints on its capacity to identify effectively the mechanisms by which health inequities are produced. Accordingly, the actions suggested by the prevailing approach to the problem of health inequity are likely to be less than efficacious. The paper suggests that a more dynamic understanding of the social, as provided by critical sociology, has much to offer in advancing efficacious policy interventions in the field of health and equity.
Relationship between neurobehaviours of Chinese neonates and early mother–infant interaction

This study examined the relations between newborn neurobehavioural profiles, and the characteristics of early mother–infant interaction, in Chengdu, China. The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale (NBAS) was administered to healthy, full‐term newborns at a mean age of 3 days, and the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS) was used at 1 month to characterize mother–infant interaction. The NBAS peak of excitement item was correlated with the NCATS caregiver subscale score, and the NBAS autonomic startles item was correlated with the NCATS child subscale scores. NBAS peak of excitement and startles accounted for 34% of the variance of the NCATS caregiver score, and the NBAS autonomic stability items (tremulousness, startles, and lability of skin colour) predicted 42% of the variance in the NCATS child score. Maternal age, education, family income, and perceived stress were not associated with NCATS caregiver, child and total scores. Maternal nurturing behaviours did not differ between one‐child families with boys or girls in this urban Chinese sample. Results suggest that in this Chinese sample, indicators of newborns' autonomic stability and intensity of response to stimulation were predictive of early mother–infant interaction. Implications of the lack of association between infant and maternal demographic factors and mother–child interaction are discussed.
Medios de comunicación como intermediarios del voto: la influencia de TV1 y Antena 3 en las elecciones legislativas de 1993

Actuan los medios de comunicacion como intermediarios del voto? Para intentar responder a esta cuestion, el presente estudio investiga la posible influencia que TV1 y Antena 3 pudieran haber tenido sobre la decision individual del voto en las elecciones legislativas espanolas de 1993. Mas concretamente, se investigara como la exposicion a los medios y la recepcion de los mismos pudieron afectar a las "probabilidades" de diferentes opciones de voto. Para ello se examinaran las interacciones entre tres variables independientes: la variacion en el nivel agregado de la informacion contenida en el discurso de las elites, las diferencias a nivel individual en la atencion a este discurso y las diferencias en las predisposiciones ideologicas de los individuos. Por ultimo, el articulo realiza un analisis especifico sobre la influencia mediatica en un subgrupo concreto de votantes clave en estas elecciones: los indecisos.
Interobserver reliability in measuring flexion, internal rotation, and external rotation of the hip using a plurimeter.

OBJECTIVE: To determine reliability of the measurement of hip movements (flexion, internal rotation, and external rotation) between medical practitioners. METHODS: Six clinicians carried out measurements of hip movements on each of six patients with osteoarthritis of one hip, using a specifically designed plurimeter. RESULTS: There was no evidence of any systematic difference between medical practitioners in the measurement of hip flexion, internal rotation, or external rotation. The degree of agreement was greatest for hip flexion. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that measurement of range of movement at the hip is repeatable between practitioners using a simple plurimeter and may represent an examination that is suitable for monitoring progress and treatment.
EMA STUDY OF THE CORONAL EMPHATIC AND NON-EMPHATIC PLOSIVE CONSONANTS OF MOROCCAN ARABIC

Our EMA data show that the longer VOT duration of the coronal non-emphatic /t/ compared to its emphatic cognate /T/ is due to laminal contact during /t/ vs. apical contact during /T/, and to jaw position, which reaches its target at the release of /t/, and before it during /T/. Although /T D/ are apical, their jaw position is as high as during laminal /t/. We attribute this unexpected /T D/ jaw posture to the biomechanic constraints induced by the secondary articulation of emphasis.
Wideband wireless propagation in confined spaces

This paper presents the results of channel sounding experiment performed in confined environment. The swept time-delay cross-correlation technique is used as a method for sounding to measure the channel impulse response (CIR). PDF of the envelope and power for the received CIR is presented. The path loss exponent has been calculated. The data has been analysed for impulse response and channel parameters like average delay, rms delay spread, number of paths and channel bandwidth. The CIR is used in calculation of total received power.
The helicase XPD unwinds bubble structures and is not stalled by DNA lesions removed by the nucleotide excision repair pathway

Xeroderma pigmentosum factor D (XPD) is a 5′–3′ superfamily 2 helicase and the founding member of a family of DNA helicases with iron–sulphur cluster domains. As a component of transcription factor II H (TFIIH), XPD is involved in DNA unwinding during nucleotide excision repair (NER). Archaeal XPD is closely related in sequence to the eukaryal enzyme and the crystal structure of the archaeal enzyme has provided a molecular understanding of mutations causing xeroderma pigmentosum and trichothiodystrophy in humans. Consistent with a role in NER, we show that archaeal XPD can initiate unwinding from a DNA bubble structure, differentiating it from the related helicases FancJ and DinG. XPD was not stalled by substrates containing extrahelical fluorescein adducts, abasic sites nor a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer, regardless of whether these modifications were placed on either the displaced or translocated strands. This suggests that DNA lesions repaired by NER may not present a barrier to XPD translocation in vivo, in contrast to some predictions. Preferential binding of a fluorescein-adducted oligonucleotide was observed, and XPD helicase activity was readily inhibited by both single- and double-stranded DNA binding proteins. These observations have several implications for the current understanding of the NER pathway.
Specificity Normalization for Identifying Selective Inhibitors in Virtual Screening

The enrichment and recall of known inhibitors in a virtual screen are correlated with the probability of finding effective inhibitors through this process. In practice, a large number of false positives are ranked higher than known inhibitors in many virtual screen results. In this paper, we use the interaction of known inhibitors across a range of decoy active sites in order to formulate a modified ranking score, Rscore. This ranking scheme seeks to normalize the DOCK score of a compound based on its interaction with decoy active sites, and uses a linear programming formulation to optimize Rscore for inhibitors versus non-inhibitors. We show an increase in recall of known inhibitors by greater than 20% in most of the test cases considered.
Transformation of Temporal Properties between Auditory Midbrain and Cortex in the Awake Mongolian Gerbil

The neural representation of meaningful stimulus features is thought to rely on precise discharge characteristics of the auditory cortex. Precisely timed onset spikes putatively carry the majority of stimulus-related information in auditory cortical neurons but make a small contribution to stimulus representation in the auditory midbrain. Because these conclusions derive primarily from anesthetized preparations, we reexamined temporal coding properties of single neurons in the awake gerbil inferior colliculus (IC) and compared them with primary auditory cortex (AI). Surprisingly, AI neurons displayed a reduction of temporal precision compared with those in the IC. Furthermore, this hierarchical transition from high to low temporal fidelity was observed for both static and dynamic stimuli. Because most of the data that support temporal precision were obtained under anesthesia, we also reexamined response properties of IC and AI neurons under these conditions. Our results show that anesthesia has profound effects on the trial-to-trial variability and reliability of discharge and significantly improves the temporal precision of AI neurons to both tones and amplitude-modulated stimuli. In contrast, IC temporal properties are only mildly affected by anesthesia. These results underscore the pitfalls of using anesthetized preparations to study temporal coding. Our findings in awake animals reveal that AI neurons combine faster adaptation kinetics and a longer temporal window than evident in IC to represent ongoing acoustic stimuli.
An essential role for membrane rafts in the initiation of Fas/CD95‐triggered cell death in mouse thymocytes

Fas, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, can upon ligation by its ligand or agonistic antibodies trigger signaling cascades leading to cell death in lymphocytes and other cell types. Such signaling cascades are initiated through the formation of a membrane death‐inducing signaling complex (DISC) that includes Fas, the Fas‐associated death domain protein (FADD) and caspase‐8. We report here that a considerable fraction of Fas is constitutively partitioned into sphingolipid‐ and cholesterol‐rich membrane rafts in mouse thymocytes as well as the L12.10‐Fas T cells, and Fas ligation promotes a rapid and specific recruitment of FADD and caspase‐8 to the rafts. Raft disruption by cholesterol depletion abolishes Fas‐triggered recruitment of FADD and caspase‐8 to the membrane, DISC formation and cell death. Taken together, our results provide the first demonstration for an essential role of membrane rafts in the initiation of Fas‐mediated cell death signaling.