Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Septins As Modulators of Endo-Lysosomal Membrane Traffic

Septins constitute a family of GTP-binding proteins, which assemble into non-polar filaments in a nucleotide-dependent manner. These filaments can be recruited to negatively charged membrane surfaces. When associated with membranes septin filaments can act as diffusion barriers, which confine subdomains of distinct biological functions. In addition, they serve scaffolding roles by recruiting cytosolic proteins and other cytoskeletal elements. Septins have been implicated in a large variety of membrane-dependent processes, including cytokinesis, signaling, cell migration, and membrane traffic, and several family members have been implicated in disease. However, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying their biological functions. This review summarizes evidence in support of regulatory roles of septins during endo-lysosomal sorting, with a particular focus on phosphoinositides, which serve as spatial landmarks guiding septin recruitment to distinct subcellular localizations.
The effect of body posture on cognitive performance: a question of sleep quality

Nearly all functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies are conducted in the supine body posture, which has been discussed as a potential confounder of such examinations. The literature suggests that cognitive functions, such as problem solving or perception, differ between supine and upright postures. However, the effect of posture on many cognitive functions is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of body posture (supine vs. sitting) on one of the most frequently used paradigms in the cognitive sciences: the N-back working memory paradigm. Twenty-two subjects were investigated in a randomized within-subject design. Subjects performed the N-back task on two consecutive days in either the supine or the upright posture. Subjective sleep quality and chronic stress were recorded as covariates. Furthermore, changes in mood dimensions and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed during the experiment. Results indicate that the quality of sleep strongly affects reaction times when subjects performed a working memory task in a supine posture. These effects, however, could not be observed in the sitting position. The findings can be explained by HRV parameters that indicated differences in autonomic regulation in the upright vs. the supine posture. The finding is of particular relevance for fMRI group comparisons when group differences in sleep quality cannot be ruled out.
STABLE STATIONARY STATES OF NON-LOCAL INTERACTION EQUATIONS

In this paper, we are interested in the large-time behaviour of a solution to a non-local interaction equation, where a density of particles/individuals evolves subject to an interaction potential and an external potential. It is known that for regular interaction potentials, stable stationary states of these equations are generically finite sums of Dirac masses. For a finite sum of Dirac masses, we give (i) a condition to be a stationary state, (ii) two necessary conditions of linear stability w.r. t. shifts and reallocations of individual Dirac masses, and (iii) show that these linear stability conditions imply local non-linear stability. Finally, we show that for regular repulsive interaction potential We converging to a singular repulsive interaction potential W, the Dirac-type stationary states approximate weakly a unique stationary state . We illustrate our results with numerical examples.
Lexical Acquisition as Constraint Satisfaction

In this paper we present a computational study of lexical acquisition. We attempt to characterize the lexical acquisition task faced by children by defining a simplified formal approximation of this task which we term the mapping problem. We then present a novel strategy for solving large instances of this mapping problem. This strategy is capable of learning the word-to-meaning mappings for as many as 10,000 words given corpora of 20,000 utterances. Such lexical acquisition is accomplished in a language independent fashion without any reference to the syntax of the language being learned
Internal organisational factors influencing corporate social and ethical reporting: Beyond current theorising

Prior empirical research into factors which are influential in determining the extent and nature of corporate social reporting has primarily been concerned with the impact of corporate characteristics (such as size and industry grouping) or general contextual factors (such as the social, political and economic context). Relatively little prior work has examined the internal contextual factors and their impact on reporting despite increasing emphasis in the field of practice on reporting processes and governance structures. In this study interviews were conducted with seven large multinational companies in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors of the UK and Germany in order to identify any internal contextual factors influencing the nature and extent of reporting. The work highlights the lack of explanatory power of the existing social reporting theories. A more inclusive model of corporate social reporting is presented.
Creating a Space For Change Within Sociomaterial Entanglements

Aboard a sailboat, when the wind changes unfavourably for our course, we can adjust the sails. We perform the operation of pulling a rope—but when the rope is fastened to the sail as a sheet, pulling the rope means adjusting the sail, while also paying attention to the wind, the sea current, the movements of the boat. The rope-with-sail is the very rope we are pulling: a sociomaterial entanglement as well as a physical element in that same entanglement. We can only know if the pulling is successful by looking at the sail and noticing how the boat reacts to the adjustment. We are able to handle the entanglement of the boat, the sail, the wind, the current as a whole while at the same time making small, incremental adjustments with the material rope. With both the whole and the material in mind we elaborate our position in the debate. In our paper ‘Conditions for Autonomy in the Information Society: Disentangling as a public service’ (this issue) we argue that the tax advisors of the TICC help citizens with tax issues by disentangling the sociomaterial entanglements of the tax system as it plays out in their lives, by creating a space for action for the citizen. We suggest to extend the theory of sociomateriality by differentiating between an imbrication (Leonardi 2011) and an entanglement (Orlikowski 2007; Orlikowski and Scott 2008; Orlikowski 2010) to approach this space. We empathize with the taxpayers calling in to the TICC feeling that they are caught in a difficult situation that they do not know how to change or escape. In a design perspective the focus is to improve the situation by changing one (or more) of the constituents of the sociomaterial entanglement characterizing the situation. How we talk about the ways we understand and perform the identification of technical, organizational, institutional, cultural or social possibilities for changing the sociomaterial whole is the topic of this commentary paper.
Spiraling Toward Usability: An Integrated Design Environment and Management System

Decades of innovation in designing usable (and unusable) interfaces have resulted in a plethora of guidelines, usability engineering methods, and other design tools. However, novice developers often have difficulty selecting and utilizing theory-based design tools in a coherent design process. This work introduces an integrated design environment and knowledge management system, LINK-UP. The central design record (CDR) module, provides tools to enable a guided, coherent development process. The CDR aims to prevent breakdowns occurring between design and evaluation phases both within the development team and during design knowledge reuse processes. We report on results from three case studies illustrating novice designers use of LINK-UP. A design knowledge IDE incorporating a CDR can help novice developers craft interfaces in a methodical fashion, while applying, verifying, and producing reusable design knowledge. Although LINK-UP supports a specific design domain, our IDE approach can transfer to other domains.
Theoretical Analysis and Experimental Determination of the Relationships Between the Parameters of the Electric Field Pulse Required to Electroporate the Cells

Here, theoretical relationships between the parameters of the electric pulse, which is necessary to porate the cell by electric pulse of various shapes, have been obtained. The theoretical curves were compared with the experimental relationships. Experiments were carried out with human erythrocytes, Chinese hamster ovary and mouse hepatoma MH-22A cells. The fraction of electroporated MH-22A cells was determined from the extent of the release of intracellular potassium ions and erythrocytes-from the extent of their hemolysis after long (20-24 h) incubation in 0.63% NaCl solution at 4°C. The dependence of the fraction of electroporated cells on the amplitude of the electric field pulse was determined for pulses with the duration from 95 ns to 2 ms. The shapes of theoretical dependencies are in agreement with experimental ones. The cell poration time depended on the intensity of the pulse: the shorter the pulse duration, the higher the electric field strength has to be. This dependence is much more pronounced for pulses . For example, if the pulse amplitude required to electroporate 50% of human erythrocytes increased from 1.0 to 1.76 kV/cm, when the duration of a square-wave pulse was reduced from 2 ms to 20 μs, it increased from 3 to 12 kV/cm, when the pulse duration was reduced from 950 to 95 ns. The relationships between the electric field strength required for electroporation and the frequency of the applied ac field were calculated for different pulselengths. It has been obtained that although the electric field strength is constant for frequencies but its value depends on the pulselength decreasing with increasing pulse duration. At higher frequencies, electric field strength is dependent on the frequency of the ac field.
PAT-tree-based keyword extraction for Chinese information retrieval

urgent need to promote Chinese in this paper we will raise the significance of keyword extraction using a new PAT-treebased approach, which is efficient in automatic keyword extraction from a set of relevant Chinese documents. This approach has been successfully applied in several IR researches, such as document classification, book indexing and relevance feedback. Many Chinese language processing applications therefore step ahead from character level to word/phrase level,
Mental Imagery Helps Eight-Year-Olds Remember What They Read

In order to determine if 8-year-olds can use mental imagery to improve their memory of prose they read, experimental subjects were given practice constructing mental images of progressively longer prose passages (sentences, paragraphs, and a short story) and were shown examples of good images. Controls were exposed to the prose material, but did not practice constructing mental images. Experimental subjects read 17 segments of a short story and constructed a mental image for each segment after reading the segment. Control subjects read the same story segments and were instructed to "do whatever you can or have to" in order to remember the story. Experimental subjects answered significantly more short-answer questions about the story than controls did. Since ancient Greece, visual imagery has been recognized as a powerful aid to memory (Yates, 1966). Moreover, despite behaviorist attacks on the construct of mental imagery, researchers throughout this century found that performance on a variety of memory tasks was improved when subjects generated imaginal representations of the to-be-remembered material (Paivio, 1971). It is only recently, however, that researchers have explored the effect of instructions to form mental images on children's memory performance. In general, imagery facilitates__ch^ldren's learning on,Jbasic_^memory tasks (Levin, 1976), such as paired-associate
Modulation of DNA methylation by human papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncoproteins in cervical cancer

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are double stranded circular DNA viruses that infect cutaneous and mucosal epithelial cells. Almost 99% of cervical cancer has a HPV infection. The early oncoproteins E6 and E7 are important in this cellular transformation process. Epigenetic mechanisms have long been known to result in decisive alterations in DNA, leading to alterations in DNA-protein interactions, alterations in chromatin structure and compaction and significant alterations in gene expression. The enzymes responsible for these epigenetic modifications are DNA methyl transferases (DNMTs), histone acetylases and deacetylases. Epigenetics has an important role in cancer development by modifying the cellular micro environment. In this review, the authors discuss the role of HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 in modulating the epigenetic mechanisms inside the host cell. The oncoproteins induce the expression of DNMTs which lead to aberrant DNA methylations and disruption of the normal epigenetic processes. The E7 oncoprotein may additionally directly bind and induce methyl transferase activity of the enzyme. These modulations lead to altered gene expression levels, particularly the genes involved in apoptosis, cell cycle and cell adhesion. In addition, the present review discusses how epigenetic mechanisms may be targeted for possible therapeutic interventions for HPV mediated cervical cancer.
Strokes after intravenous gamma globulin: Thrombotic phenomenon in patients with risk factors or just coincidence?

We report the case of an 82‐year‐old woman with a diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) for more than 10 years, who developed an ischemic stroke during infusion of immunoglobulin (IVIG). She had received IVIG intermittently for several years, and the previous 86 doses were well tolerated. Thromboembolism was suspected based on magnetic resonance angiogram and on further extension of the deficit after 4 days of evolution. Strokes were associated with the use of IVIG in different clinical circumstances. Pre‐existing thrombogenic risk factors should be carefully considered for patients undergoing treatment with IVIG. Clinical evaluation, with attention to history, a focused vascular work‐up, and looking for markers of dehydration, can identify the high‐risk patient for whom a careful analysis of the risk/benefit ratio is warranted. Am. J. Hematol. 78:216–220, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
DNA Methylation in Peripheral Blood: A Potential Biomarker for Cancer Molecular Epidemiology

Aberrant DNA methylation is associated with cancer development and progression. There are several types of specimens from which DNA methylation pattern can be measured and evaluated as an indicator of disease status (from normal biological process to pathologic condition) and even of pharmacologic response to therapy. Blood-based specimens such as cell-free circulating nucleic acid and DNA extracted from leukocytes in peripheral blood may be a potential source of noninvasive cancer biomarkers. In this article, we describe the characteristics of blood-based DNA methylation from different biological sources, detection methods, and the factors affecting DNA methylation. We provide a comprehensive literature review of blood-based DNA methylation as a cancer biomarker and focus on the study of DNA methylation using peripheral blood leukocytes. Although DNA methylation patterns measured in peripheral blood have great potential to be useful and informative biomarkers of cancer risk and prognosis, large systematic and unbiased prospective studies that consider biological plausibility and data analysis issues will be needed in order to develop a clinically feasible blood-based assay.
The Return of Subjectivity: From a Multiplicity of Selves to the Dialogical Self

Psychology has been increasingly recognizing the multiplicity of the self. However, this recognition raises the problem of explaining how a sense of self-identity is achieved within a multiplicity of selves. Two theoretical orientations playing a major role in the study of the plurality of the self: the social-cognitive perspective, in which self is studied as an information-processing device, and the social constructionist framework, in which self is understood as a matter of social and linguistic negotiation. Nevertheless, it is argued that these orientations are still trapped in several epistemological problems and the final result leaves no space for subjectivity. Dialogism and the dialogical view of the self are presented as possible solutions for those problems. Conceiving self as a result of the dialogicality, unity and multiplicity appear as two contrasting, but united poles of a dialogical and (inter)subjective self.
Evidence of Nephropathy and Peripheral Neuropathy in US Adults With Undiagnosed Diabetes

PURPOSE Nearly one third of diabetes cases in the United States is undiagnosed, with mounting evidence that complications accrue even before clinical diagnosis. We wanted to determine whether persons with undiagnosed diabetes have signs of nephropathy and peripheral neuropathy METHODS We examined the prevalence of positive screening tests for nephropathy and peripheral neuropathy in adults aged ≥40 years with undiagnosed diabetes using secondary analysis of survey and examination data from the population-based United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002. We defined a positive screening test for nephropathy as a spot urine albumin-creatinine ratio >30.0 mg/g, representing at least microalbuminuria. We defined ≥1 insensate area on Semmes-Weinstein monofilament testing as a positive finding for neuropathy. Undiagnosed diabetes was defined as a combination of no history of diagnosed diabetes and a measured fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL. We used SUDAAN for χ2 and regression analyses. RESULTS The prevalence of a positive test when screening for nephropathy among those with undiagnosed diabetes was 26.5% compared with 7.1% in those with no diabetes (χ2, P <.01). After adjusting for age and diagnosed or undiagnosed hypertension, the association of undiagnosed diabetes with nephropathy persisted (odds ratio = 2.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.38–4.01). For peripheral neuropathy, 21.5% with undiagnosed diabetes had positive screening tests compared with 10.1% with no diabetes (χ2, P <.01); however, this effect was not significant after adjustment for age. There was no significant difference in positive screening tests for nephropathy or neuropathy when comparing those with undiagnosed and diagnosed diabetes. CONCLUSIONS A significant proportion of adults with undiagnosed diabetes have signs of nephropathy and peripheral neuropathy. These findings may influence policies about early screening for diabetes.
A multifaceted approach to investigating pre-task planning effects on paired oral test performance

Despite the growing popularity of paired format speaking assessments, the effects of pre-task planning time on performance in these formats are not yet well understood. For example, some studies have revealed the benefits of planning but others have not. Using a multifaceted approach including analysis of the process of speaking performance, the aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of pre-task planning in a paired format. Data were collected from 32 students who carried out two decision-making tasks in pairs, under planned and unplanned conditions. The study used analyses of rating scores, discourse analytic measures, and conversation analysis (CA) of test-taker discourse to gain insight into co-constructing processes. A post-test questionnaire was also administered to understand the participants’ perceptions toward planned and unplanned interactions. The results from rating scores and discourse analytic measures revealed that planning had limited effect on performance, and analysis of the questionnaires did not indicate clear differences between the two conditions. CA, however, identified the possibility of a contrastive mode of discourse under the two planning conditions, raising concerns that planning might actually deprive test-takers of the chance to demonstrate their abilities to interact collaboratively.
Taylor's power law: before and after 50 years of scientific scrutiny

Taylor's power law is one of the mostly widely known empirical patterns in ecology discovered in the 20th century. It states that the variance of species population density scales as a power-law function of the mean population density. Taylor's power law was named after the British ecologist Lionel Roy Taylor. During the past half-century, Taylor's power law was confirmed for thousands of biological species and even for non-biological quantities. Numerous theories and models have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of Taylor's power law. However an understanding of the historical origin of this ubiquitous scaling pattern is lacking. This work reviews two research aspects that are fundamental to the discovery of Taylor's power law and provides an outlook of its future studies.
After the Kolkhoz: rural elites in competition

Caught between predictions of Islamist upheaval and the menace of regional fragmentation, current understandings of the social dynamics in rural Uzbekistan continue to be trapped by ‘discourses of danger’ that make it difficult to recognise what is really happening on the ground. ‘Clans’ and ‘patronage networks’ are widely used terms to address local political dynamics, while some authors stress that the key political processes are informal and evolve around relations ‘between clans and regimes’. Yet attention to the underlying social and political configuration has seldom been accurate. Uzbekistan is still portrayed as an essentially immobile country in which, unlike most post-Socialist nations, rural areas have been very minimally impacted by substantial reform. As a result, most literature dealing with rural social developments in Uzbekistan implicitly or explicitly maintains an image of continuity between the kolkhoz of the Soviet period and today’s superficially reformed equivalents of the kolkhoz. The central argument of this paper is that, contra these assumptions, recent reform intensification has produced a significant shift in the patterns of political dynamics in rural Uzbekistan. Research conducted in Khorezm tells us that both assumptions of socio-political immobility, as well as the analytical inferences drawn from it, have to be reconsidered in the light of empirical evidence. This paper addresses significant changes in the relations of power and of production and claims that a changing scenario is producing a new dynamic that has so far not received adequate attention. The reforms that have led to decollectivisation also had the unforeseen consequence of affecting the implicit and official rules through which local producers and local elites conducted their interactions within the rigid framework of state agriculture. In the absence of other viable forms of political participation, these rules were the expression of a voice ‘from below’ in a context in which the local peoples’ councils and assemblies, rather than being veritable bodies of self-governance, were made to acclaim and follow centrally commanded instructions and policies. Despite Soviet (and post-Soviet) centralism and its institutional animosity towards genuine political participation, power politics never ceased to also have a local expression, manifest in local struggles around the distribution of Central Asian Survey (March 2007) 26(1), 85–104