Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hyperactive antifreeze protein in flounder species

The recent discovery of a large hyperactive antifreeze protein in the blood plasma of winter flounder has helped explain why this fish does not freeze in icy seawater. The previously known, smaller and much less active type I antifreeze proteins cannot by themselves protect the flounder down to the freezing point of seawater. The relationship between the large and small antifreezes has yet to be established, but they do share alanine‐richness (> 60%) and extensive α‐helicity. Here we have examined two other righteye flounder species for the presence of the hyperactive antifreeze, which may have escaped prior detection because of its lability. Such a protein is indeed present in the yellowtail flounder judging by its size, amino acid composition and N‐terminal sequence, along with the previously characterized type I antifreeze proteins. An ortholog is also present in American plaice based on the above criteria and its high specific antifreeze activity. This protein was purified and shown to be almost fully α‐helical, highly asymmetrical, and susceptible to denaturation at room temperature. It is the only detectable antifreeze protein in the blood plasma of the American plaice. Because this species appears to lack the smaller type I antifreeze proteins, the latter may have evolved by descent from the larger antifreeze.
Action Councils: An Alternative to Student Council.

Student council has never lived up to its promises in our school. Despite occasional successful projects over the years, it has been more vestigial than functional. Too few of our students were directly involved in the process. Consequently, we have taken ad vantage of the philosophical orientation that underpins much of the middle school move ment to form a powerful base upon which to make some much needed change in our school. Step one was to reconceptualize student council according to some meaning ful goals, goals which make sense in regard to our student population. The four goals we used to redesign our student activity council were these:
Downregulation of cell-surface CD4 expression by simian immunodeficiency virus Nef prevents viral super infection

The nef gene product encoded by the mac239 proviral clone of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) markedly enhances viral replication and pathogenesis in vivo. We have used this biologically active nef isolate to examine the phenotype of Nef in retrovirally transduced human T cells in culture. SIV Nef is shown to dramatically inhibit cell-surface expression of the CD4 glycoprotein without significantly affecting the total steady-state level of cellular CD4. This downregulation of the cell-surface CD4 receptor for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV- 1) infection correlated with the acquisition of resistance to superinfection by HIV-1. However, SIV Nef did not affect the level of gene expression directed by the HIV-1 long terminal repeat. It is hypothesized that downregulation of cell-surface CD4 by Nef facilitates the efficient release of infectious progeny virions and, hence, viral spread in vivo.
How older citizens engage in their health promotion: a qualitative research-driven taxonomy of experiences and meanings

Objectives In this qualitative study, we provide an in-depth exploration of older people's experiences and subjective meanings concerning their engagement in health promotion as well as the emotional and pragmatic difficulties they face during their engagement. Methods The study was designed according to the ethnoscience method, which implies a participatory process that values patients' linguistic expressions to deeply understand the phenomena under the investigation and to give it a meaning. Using this method, thanks to repeated rounds of interviews and the Q-sorting task, participants created a dictionary, with the assistance of the researcher, to describe the phenomenon of interest. They agreed on a shared taxonomy of meanings and experiences related to the phenomenon. 25 North Italian older citizens participated in this study. Results Participants described a shared taxonomy of health engagement experiences by depicting 3 main positions (ie, locked position; awakening position; climbing position), which represented different experiential domains grouped by participants into 4 main semantic areas (eg, physical care, soul care, daily lifestyle, contact with ageing). Each position is characterised by specific emotions, personal representations of meaning and healthy behaviours that may sustain or hinder older citizens' engagement in health promotion. Conclusions The results of the present study suggest the importance of deeply understanding older peoples' experiences and their subjective meanings of health promotion. In particular, the results showed how their engagement in health promotion is framed in a complex system of psychological meanings, which may sustain or hinder their ability to adopt healthy behaviours. A deeper understanding of older citizens' lived experiences, their doubts and their difficulties in engaging in health promotion may offer some important cues for orienting interventions in this area.
Oxidative stress induces senescence in chondrocytes

Cellular senescence is a program activated during diverse situations of cell stress. Chondrocytes differ from other somatic cells as articular cartilage is an avascular tissue. The effects of oxidative stress on chondrocytes are still unknown. Our studies were to investigate into the proliferation potential, cytological features and the telomere linked stress response system of human osteoarthritic chondrocytes, subjected to acute or prolonged oxidant challenge with hydrogen peroxide. Telomere length was measured using the telomere restriction fragment assay, gene expression was determined by RT‐PCR. Sub‐lethal doses of oxidative stress induced cell‐cycle arrest, senescent‐morphological features and senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase positivity. Prolonged oxidative treatment had no effects on cell proliferation or morphology. Sub‐lethal and prolonged low doses of oxidative stress considerably accelerated telomere attrition. The effects of sub‐lethal oxidative stress regarding proliferation and telomere biology were more distinct in senescent cells. Acute oxidant insult caused up‐regulation of p21 expression to levels comparable to senescent cells. TRF2 protects telomere ends and showed elevated expression levels. SIRT1 and XRCC5 enable cells to cope with unfavorable growing conditions. Both were up‐regulated after oxidant insult, but expression levels decreased in aging cells. Taken together, oxidative stress considerably accelerated telomere shortening and cellular aging in chondrocytes. Senescent cells showed a reduced tolerance to oxidative stress. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 29: 1114–1120, 2011
A wide-scan printed planar K-band microwave lens

Microwave lenses are an attractive option for switched beam antenna systems because several beams can share a single aperture. Of particular interest are printed planar lenses due to their light weight, low volume, and ease of fabrication. Several researchers have developed such lenses using two different methods. The first method is to connect the antennas on the transmit and receive side with delay lines to obtain the appropriate phase response (McGrath, D.T., 1986; Popovic, D. and Popovic, Z., 2002; Pozar, D.M., 1996). The second, the antenna-filter-antenna (AFA) method, is to couple the antennas resonantly on the transmit and receive side forming a bandpass filter response and to scale the unit cells to obtain the desired phase response (Abbaspour-Tamijani, A. et al., IEEE AP-S Symp. Dig., p.675-8, 2004). In a switched beam system, it is often desired to have a wide scan angle. A K-band lens is presented with at least /spl plusmn/50/spl deg/ scanning in both the E-plane and the H-plane and no grating lobes using the AFA concept.
Using semi-automated shadowing for analysing stress-inducedspatio-temporal behaviour patterns of passengers in public transport infrastructures

In the course of the scientific project IANUS, we examined the impacts of stress on the physical and psychological condition of passengers in train stations in order to identify relevant determinants and to develop recommendations for reducing stress-inducing factors in public transport infrastructures. We used a combination of biometric measuring of heart rate, semi-automated observation of spatio-temporal behaviour, psychological interviews, eye-tracking and visual field analyses during laboratory and field tests. In this contribution, we focus on the methodology of observing the spatio-temporal behaviour patterns of 35 individuals participating in field tests conducted in Vienna, Austria. The observation datasets have been analysed concerning velocities, route choice, stopping behaviour and related activities in order to identify noticeable patterns and events that can indicate stress-related behaviour. The outcomes were subsequently consolidated with the results of the complementary methods in order to identify stress-inducing factors in transport infrastructures.
Visual Exploration of Complex Time-Varying Graphs

Many graph drawing and visualization algorithms, such as force-directed layout and line-dot rendering, work very well on relatively small and sparse graphs. However, they often produce extremely tangled results and exhibit impractical running times for highly non-planar graphs with large edge density. And very few graph layout algorithms support dynamic time-varying graphs; applying them independently to each frame produces distracting temporally incoherent visualizations. We have developed a new visualization technique based on a novel approach to hierarchically structuring dense graphs via stratification. Using this structure, we formulate a hierarchical force-directed layout algorithm that is both efficient and produces quality graph layouts. The stratification of the graph also allows us to present views of the data that abstract away many small details of its structure. Rather than displaying all edges and nodes at once, resulting in a convoluted rendering, we present an interactive tool that filters edges and nodes using the graph hierarchy and allows users to drill down into the graph for details. Our layout algorithm also accommodates time-varying graphs in a natural way, producing a temporally coherent animation that can be used to analyze and extract trends from dynamic graph data. For example, we demonstrate the use of our method to explore financial correlation data for the U.S. stock market in the period from 1990 to 2005. The user can easily analyze the time-varying correlation graph of the market, uncovering information such as market sector trends, representative stocks for portfolio construction, and the interrelationship of stocks over time.
The relationship of individual comorbid chronic conditions to diabetes care quality

Objective Multimorbidity affects 26 million persons with diabetes, and care for comorbid chronic conditions may impact diabetes care quality. The aim of this study was to determine which chronic conditions were related to lack of achievement or achievement of diabetes care quality goals to determine potential targets for future interventions. Research design and methods This is an exploratory retrospective analysis of electronic health record data for 23 430 adults, aged 18–75, with diabetes who were seen at seven Midwestern US health systems. The main outcome measures were achievement of six diabetes quality metrics in the reporting year, 2011 (glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) control and testing, low-density lipoprotein control and testing, blood pressure control, kidney testing). Explanatory variables were 62 chronic condition indicators. Analyses were adjusted for baseline patient sociodemographic and healthcare utilization factors. Results The 62 chronic conditions varied in their relationships to diabetes care goal achievement for specific care goals. Congestive heart failure was related to lack of achievement of cholesterol management goals. Obesity was related to lack of HbA1c and BP control. Mental health conditions were related to both lack of achievement and achievement of different care goals. Three conditions were related to lack of cholesterol testing, including congestive heart failure and substance-use disorders. Of 17 conditions related to achieving control goals, 16 were related to achieving HbA1c control. One-half of the comorbid conditions did not predict diabetes care quality. Conclusions Future interventions could target patients at risk for not achieving diabetes care for specific care goals based on their individual comorbidities.
A study of influences and experiences contributing to the attitudes of a group of vocational students towards science

This research project examines perceptions and attitudes towards science of a group of Technical and Further Education students studying Beauty Therapy at Victoria University. Many members of this group displayed a high level of science anxiety as described by Mallow, (1978). They lacked confidence in their science ability and were very anxious about passing the science units in their Beauty Therapy courses, despite having successfully passed science subjects at school. Previous observations on Beauty Therapy students showed that most succeeded in their science units but still lacked confidence in their ability to apply their knowledge. The science units in Beauty Therapy are complex and require a detailed knowledge of Human Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Skin Biology, Cosmetic Chemistry, and Microbiology. The participants in the study were interviewed using a semi-structured interview working together with a questionnaire to establish background information. The probes covered the participants’ experiences in science at school together with their attitudes towards science and influences from other areas. The aim was to identify factors which undermined the confidence of these participants. The interviews were recorded and the transcripts were analysed for themes using a progressive coding process. The themes were grouped into clusters. The study showed clearly that the participants’ confidence in their science ability was undermined by their school experiences in science. It related to attitudes and pedagogies employed by a particular science teacher in their secondary school. Participants described enjoying science previously. Particular aspects identified were an inability to get help when they needed it; the use of sarcasm or derogatory remarks to discourage questions; boring lessons mostly composed of copying notes from the board or textbooks; lack of relevance and a lack of enthusiasm displayed by the teacher. This led to a situation where participants dreaded their science lessons and in some cases truancy.
Highly adaptable dynamic quorum schemes for managing replicated data

Dynamic data replication schemes perform superior compared to static schemes in terms of operation availabilities. However, most of them are bounded wrt. the replication degree, i.e. "classic" dynamics varies the degree in the range from one to n replicas not allowing to exceed this upper bound at run-time. In this paper, we present a new framework for adaptable dynamic replication schemes that is able to overcome this limitation by means of creating and deleting an arbitrary number of replicas at run-time. The new framework conceptually extends the dynamic general structured voting framework. The underlying concepts are presented and an example scenario is provided that compares the adaptable approach to the dynamic grid protocol via simulation. It is shown that adaptiveness increases operation availability while providing cost-efficiency.
I/O complexity: The red-blue pebble game

In this paper, the red-blue pebble game is proposed to model the input-output complexity of algorithms. Using the pebble game formulation, a number of lower bound results for the I/O requirement are proven. For example, it is shown that to perform the n-point FFT or the ordinary n×n matrix multiplication algorithm with O(S) memory, at least Ω(n log n/log S) or Ω(n3/@@@@S), respectively, time is needed for the I/O. Similar results are obtained for algorithms for several other problems. All of the lower bounds presented are the best possible in the sense that they are achievable by certain decomposition schemes. Results of this paper may provide insight into the difficult task of balancing I/O and computation in special-purpose system designs. For example, for the n-point FFT, the lower bound on I/O time implies that an S-point device achieving a speed-up ratio of order log S over the conventional O(n log n) time implementation is all one can hope for.
Social science perspectives on managing agricultural technology

Experiences of 15 social science research fellows who recount their roles in particular research projects at the International Agricultural Research Centers they were appointed. In addition to highlighting the contributions social scientists can make in the field of agricultural research, their papers offer a candid look at the kinds of work in which the Centers currently are engaged.
Replicabilidad de los factores de segundo orden del 16PF-5 en muestras americanas y españolas

Replicability of the 16PF-5 second order factors across American and Spanish samples.The aim of the present study was to replicate the 5 and 6 second order factor structures of the 16PF-5 from data obtained with an anonymous sample. The factor structure obtained by Russell and Karol (1995) is as sumed as a theoretical reference according to the Spanish normalization data from the TEA R+D te am, for the 5-factor structure, while for the 6 factor structure (including an additional factor of Reaso ning), that obtained in American samples by Cattell and Cattell (1995). Three procedures are emplo yed for studying the replicability of this instrument, a) exploratory factor analysis, b) Procrustes ort hogonal structure analysis, and c) congruence indices across the three factor matrices. The factor ma trices obtained in the present study are equivalent to those reported in the reference studies, although the Procrustes solution is the more similar to our own results. Overall, congruence indices are accep table, thus a fair replicability of the 16PF-5 is ascertained.
EEG Power Spectrum Analysis During Mental Task Performance

A power spectrum analysis of electroencephalograms (EEG) for brain computer interface (BCI), which uses pattern recognition technique, is made. A study of changes of the power spectrum in the range 8-13 Hz along the time during “inactive state” and “imaginary rotation” mental tasks’ performance is made. The noticed regularities will be used to rise the quality of the EEG excerpts used for mental tasks’ selection and to improve BCI’s work.
Understanding meal patterns: definitions, methodology and impact on nutrient intake and diet quality

Traditionally, nutrition research has focused on individual nutrients, and more recently dietary patterns. However, there has been relatively little focus on dietary intake at the level of a ‘meal’. The purpose of the present paper was to review the literature on adults' meal patterns, including how meal patterns have previously been defined and their associations with nutrient intakes and diet quality. For this narrative literature review, a comprehensive search of electronic databases was undertaken to identify studies in adults aged ≥ 19 years that have investigated meal patterns and their association with nutrient intakes and/or diet quality. To date, different approaches have been used to define meals with little investigation of how these definitions influence the characterisation of meal patterns. This review identified thirty-four and fourteen studies that have examined associations between adults' meals patterns, nutrient intakes and diet quality, respectively. Most studies defined meals using a participant-identified approach, but varied in the additional criteria used to determine individual meals, snacks and/or eating occasions. Studies also varied in the types of meal patterns, nutrients and diet quality indicators examined. The most consistent finding was an inverse association between skipping breakfast and diet quality. No consistent association was found for other meal patterns, and little research has examined how meal timing is associated with diet quality. In conclusion, an understanding of the influence of different meal definitions on the characterisation of meal patterns will facilitate the interpretation of the existing literature, and may provide guidance on the most appropriate definitions to use.
Paleontólogos o politólogos: ¿qué podemos decir hoy sobre los dinosaurios?

Augusto Monterroso Si alguien se animara a intentar una evaluacion general del estado de las ciencias sociales en Colombia (? pero: es esto posible? , ? tiene todavia sentido? ), llegaria probablemente a la conclusion de que una de las areas que salen mejor libradas es el estudio del dientelismo. En primer lugar, contamos con una produccion solida, sostenida, entre la que se cuentan algunos de los titulos mas leidos -y logrados- de la sociologia politica colombiana, incluyendo en ella a los colom.
Neural correlates of personal goal processing during episodic future thinking and mind‐wandering: An ALE meta‐analysis

The ability to imagine the future is a complex mental faculty that depends on an ensemble of cognitive processes supported by an extended set of brain regions. Our aim here was to shed light on one key component of future thinking—personal goal processing—and to determine its neural correlates during both directed and spontaneous forms of thoughts. To address this question, we performed separate ALE meta‐analyses of neuroimaging studies of episodic future thinking (EFT), mind‐wandering, and personal goal processing, and then investigated the commonalities and differences in brain activity between these three domains. The results showed that the three domains activated a common set of brain regions within the default network and, most notably, the medial prefrontal cortex. This finding suggests that the medial prefrontal cortex mediates the processing of personal goals during both EFT and mind‐wandering. Differences in activation were also observed, and notably regions supporting cognitive control processes (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) were recruited to a lesser extent during mind‐wandering than experimentally directed future thinking, suggesting that different kinds of self‐generated thoughts may recruit varying levels of attentional control abilities. Hum Brain Mapp 36:2928–2947, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.