Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cdk5 Is Required for Memory Function and Hippocampal Plasticity via the cAMP Signaling Pathway

Memory formation is modulated by pre- and post-synaptic signaling events in neurons. The neuronal protein kinase Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 (Cdk5) phosphorylates a variety of synaptic substrates and is implicated in memory formation. It has also been shown to play a role in homeostatic regulation of synaptic plasticity in cultured neurons. Surprisingly, we found that Cdk5 loss of function in hippocampal circuits results in severe impairments in memory formation and retrieval. Moreover, Cdk5 loss of function in the hippocampus disrupts cAMP signaling due to an aberrant increase in phosphodiesterase (PDE) proteins. Dysregulation of cAMP is associated with defective CREB phosphorylation and disrupted composition of synaptic proteins in Cdk5-deficient mice. Rolipram, a PDE4 inhibitor that prevents cAMP depletion, restores synaptic plasticity and memory formation in Cdk5-deficient mice. Collectively, our results demonstrate a critical role for Cdk5 in the regulation of cAMP-mediated hippocampal functions essential for synaptic plasticity and memory formation.
Essential Role of C-Rel in Nitric-Oxide Synthase-2 Transcriptional Activation: Time-Dependent Control by Salicylate

To determine the role of C-Rel in nitric-oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) transcriptional activation, we evaluated the effect of lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ (LPS/IFNγ) on C-Rel DNA binding in RAW 264.7. LPS/IFNγ-stimulated C-Rel binding peaked at 4 to 8 h and declined at 24 h. Transfection of cells with a C-Rel small interfering RNA abrogated C-Rel binding at all time points. LPS/IFNγ produced superoxide at 4 h, which subsided at 8 h. C-Rel binding and NOS-2 expression were abrogated by superoxide dismutase or apocynin at 4 h, suggesting a key role that superoxide plays in mediating C-Rel binding and NOS-2 transactivation only at 4 h. We have reported previously that salicylate at 10-5 M inhibited LPS/IFNγ-induced CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ) binding at 4 h but not at 8 or 24 h. A single dose of salicylate did not inhibit C-Rel binding at any time point. The addition of a second dose of salicylate 4 h before an indicated endpoint suppressed C-Rel but not C/EBPβ or interferon-γ-regulated factor-1 binding at 8 and 24 h. A single dose of salicylate added with LPS/IFNγ inhibited NOS-2 expression only at 4 h. However, salicylate supplement inhibited NOS-2 promoter activities and mRNA and protein levels throughout 24 h. Signal profiling with a panel of inhibitors revealed time-dependent switch of signaling pathways. These results demonstrate temporal regulation of transactivator binding by LPS/IFNγ via evolving signaling pathways. We propose that salicylate inhibits C/EBPβ binding at 4 h and C-Rel binding at 8 and 24 h by targeting related kinases.
Hormonal Replacement Therapy in an Animal Model with Chronic Renal Failure and Gonadectomy: Biochemical and Hematological Study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of subcutaneous administration of estradiol propionate (450 μg/kg female rat/day) or testosterone propionate (2 mg/kg male rat/day) for 4 weeks on some biochemical and hematological variables in intact and gonadectomized male and female rats with chronic renal failure (CRF) induced by 7/8 nephrectomy (remnant kidney model). Twenty-four hours after the last injection, rats were decapitated and blood samples were collected for complete hemogram and for measuring the concentrations of creatinine, urea, and indoxyl sulphate in plasma. Body weights of all rats were taken every week during the experimental period. The hematological and biochemical parameters measured in the sham–operated and gonadectomized rats were not significantly different from those in intact rats. Induction of CRF significantly increased the concentrations of creatinine, urea, and indoxyl sulphate by about 90–300% (P < 0.05), and caused signs indicative of anemia. These effects were significantly exacerbated in gonadectomized rats with CRF, and were partially and significantly reversed by exogenous administration of testosterone/estradiol. The changes induced by CRF and gonadectomy on the hematocrit (HTC) and hemoglobin concentration (HGB) were more pronounced in females than in males. The HTC and HGB in gonadectomized male rats with CRF were not significantly different from the controls. In the rest of the groups, there were no significant gender effects in the measured variables. It is suggested that, in the used rat model of CRF, there is depressed growth; significant increases in the plasma concentrations of creatinine, urea, and indoxyl sulphate; and anemia. All these signs were significantly and partially reversed by estradiol and testosterone therapy equally in female and male rats, respectively.
A Motion Planning Strategy for the Active Vision-Based Mapping of Ground-Level Structures

This paper presents a strategy to guide a mobile ground robot equipped with a camera or depth sensor, in order to autonomously map the visible part of a bounded 3-D structure. We describe motion planning algorithms that determine appropriate successive viewpoints and attempt to fill holes automatically in a point cloud produced by the sensing and perception layer. The emphasis is on accurately reconstructing a 3-D model of a structure of moderate size rather than mapping large open environments, with applications for example in architecture, construction, and inspection. The proposed algorithms do not require any initialization in the form of a mesh model or a bounding box, and the paths generated are well adapted to situations where the vision sensor is used simultaneously for mapping and for localizing the robot, in the absence of additional absolute positioning system. We analyze the coverage properties of our policy, and compare its performance with the classic frontier-based exploration algorithm. We illustrate its efficacy for different structure sizes, levels of localization accuracy, and range of the depth sensor, and validate our design on a real-world experiment. Note to Practitioners—The objective of this paper is to automate the process of building a 3-D model of a structure of interest that is as complete as possible, using a mobile camera or depth sensor, in the absence of any prior information about this structure. Given that increasingly robust solutions for the visual simultaneous localization and mapping problem are now readily available, the key challenge that we address here is to develop motion planning policies to control the trajectory of the sensor in a way that improves the mapping performance. We target in particular scenarios where no external absolute positioning system is available, such as mapping certain indoor environments where GPS signals are blocked. In this case, it is often important to revisit previously seen locations relatively quickly, in order to avoid excessive drift in the dead-reckoning localization system. Our system works by first determining the boundaries of the structure, before attempting to fill the holes in the constructed model. Its performance is illustrated through simulations, and a real-world experiment performed with a depth sensor carried by a mobile manipulator.
Seasonal statistical characteristics of aerosol optical properties at a site near a dust region in China

[1] A ground-based sky radiometer was used to measure direct and diffuse solar irradiances at Dunhuang, China from January 1999 to March 2001. The aerosol optical thickness (AOT), Angstrom exponent (α), volume size distributions, single scattering albedo and refractive index of aerosols were simultaneously retrieved using the “SKYRAD” inversion code and their seasonal variations and statistical characteristics were studied. The results reveal that during the study period, the AOT at Dunhuang varied seasonally, with the maximum AOT occurring in the spring and the minimum AOT occurring in the fall. The variation in α showed an opposite pattern, with a minimum in the spring and a maximum in the fall. A simple exponential function can express the relationship between AOT and α. The frequency distributions of AOT and α approximately follow a lognormal probability distribution and a normal probability distribution, respectively. The aerosol volume size distributions can be characterized by the sum of two lognormals distributions, and represent an accumulation mode with a radius of about 0.25 um, and a coarse mode with a radius of about 7.7 um. A pseudomode with a radius of about 1.69 um located between the accumulation mode and coarse mode is present in the springtime. The single scattering albedo showed a slight increasing trend with wavelength in spring, summer and autumn and a decreasing trend with wavelength in winter. The maximum value of the real part of the refractive index occurs at 400 nm, and the minimum value occurs at 875 nm for all seasons. Two Gaussian models were developed to describe the frequency distribution of the real part of the aerosol refractive index; the results indicate that the differences between the fits are greatest in the spring. The statistical characteristics of the frequency distributions of aerosol properties might provide a way to identify and estimate aerosol optical properties in areas located near dust regions.
The Employee Satisfaction Inventory (ESI): Development of a Scale to Measure Satisfaction of Greek Employees

The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to measure employee's job satisfaction in Greece. Exploratory factor-analytic results indicated a six-factor solution with high internal consistency. The six factors obtained were Working Conditions, Supervisor, Pay, Job Itself, Organization as a Whole, and Promotion. Structural equation modeling analysis (EQS) showed that although the fit of the model is fairly good, there is need for slight improvement.
A novel assay for the detection of anthelmintic activity mediated by cuticular damage to nematodes: validation on Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to cysteine proteinases

SUMMARY Plant cysteine proteinases (CPs) from Carica papaya kill parasitic and free-living nematodes in vitro by hydrolysis of the worm cuticle, a mechanism that is different to all commercially available synthetic anthelmintics. We have developed a cheap and effective, rapid-throughput Caenorhabditis elegans-based assay for screening plant CP extracts for anthelmintic activity targeting cuticular integrity. The assay exploits colorimetric methodology for assessment of cuticular damage, and is based on the ability of viable cells to incorporate and bind Neutral red dye within lysosomes and to release the dye when damaged. Living worms are pre-stained with the dye, exposed to CPs and then leakage of the dye through the damaged cuticle is quantified by spectrophotometry. In contrast to motility assays and semi-subjective interpretation of microscopical images, this colorimetric assay is independent of observer bias. Our assay was applied to a series of C. elegans bus mutant strains with leaky cuticles and to cystatin knockout mutants. At ambient temperature and over 0.5–24 h, both bus mutants and the cystatin knockouts were highly susceptible to CPs, whereas wild-type Bristol N2 worms were essentially unstained by Neutral red and unaffected by CPs, providing validation for the utility of this assay.
Endozoicomonas acroporae sp. nov., isolated from Acropora coral.

Strain Acr-14T, isolated from Acropora coral, was characterized by using a polyphasic taxonomy approach. Cells of strain Acr-14T were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, poly-β-hydroxybutyrate-accumulating, rod-shaped and formed creamy white colonies. Optimal growth occurred at 30 °C, pH 7 and in the presence of 2 % NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain Acr-14T belonged to the genus Endozoicomonas and was most closely related to Endozoicomonas atrinae WP70T with sequence similarity of 96.7 %. Strain Acr-14T contained summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c) and C16 : 0 as the predominant fatty acids. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-9. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain Acr-14T was 49.1 mol%. Differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic inference, demonstrated that strain Acr-14T should be classified as a novel species of the genus Endozoicomonas, for which the name Endozoicomonas acroporae sp. nov. is presented. The type strain is Acr-14T (=BCRC 80922T=LMG 29482T=KCTC 42901T).
The IRA funeral murders: The confession of PK and the expert psychological testimony

Purpose. The aim of this study was to discuss the case of PK, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1990 for involvement in the murder of two British soldiers who were attacked by a crowd of people attending a funeral procession. The main evidence against him at trial was a confession elicited in 1988 during a custodial interrogation.Methods. The case was referred to the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland in May 1997 to consider the admissibility and weight of a psychologist's report which raised doubts about the reliability of the confession. The psychologist testified before the Court of Appeal after his testimony was held admissible. The appellant's psychological vulnerabilities during the police interrogation were presented and it was shown how they cast doubt on the reliability of the confession PK had made to the police.Results. After hearing the expert psychological evidence, the conviction was overturned and the appellant was released from custody. This was the first major criminal case in Northern Ireland where psychological evidence carried sufficient weight for a confession to be deemed unreliable.Conclusions. The judgment shows the influence of expert psychological testimony in a case of disputed confession. Psychologists have a valuable contribution to make to criminal proceedings and it is likely that there will be an increasing demand for their services in the future. Language: en
Road Intersection Detection through Finding Common Sub-Tracks between Pairwise GNSS Traces

This paper proposes a novel approach to detect road intersections from GNSS traces. Different from the existing methods of detecting intersections directly from the road users’ turning behaviors, the proposed method detects intersections indirectly from common sub-tracks shared by different traces. We first compute the local distance matrix for each pair of traces. Second, we apply image processing techniques to find all “sub-paths” in the matrix, which represents good alignment between local common sub-tracks. Lastly, we identify the intersections from the endpoints of the common sub-tracks through Kernel Density Estimation (KDE). Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the traditional turning point-based methods in terms of the F-score, and our previous connecting point-based method in terms of computational efficiency.
LATE‐ONSET ACUTE REJECTION IN ORTHOTOPIC LIVER TRANSPLANTATION—ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS AND OUTCOME

A retrospective review of 375 consecutive orthotopic liver transplants was performed to determine the incidence and outcome of late rejection episodes ([LR] rejection occurring more than 6 months following transplant). A total of 31 episodes in 26 patients were identified. Eighteen of these episodes were associated with subtherapeutic levels of cyclosporine. Of these, 7 were due to noncompliance, 2 were due to biliary strictures, and 1 was due to malabsorption in a cystic fibrosis patient. All 31 episodes were treated initially with steroids, and 22 had a complete response, although one progressed to chronic rejection over a year later. Of the remaining 9, 1 received FK506 with a complete response, and 8 received OKT3. Of the 8 patients who received OKT3, 5 had a complete response, 1 received RS61443 following OKT3 and progressed to chronic rejection, and the remaining 2 received further steroids. Of these 2, 1 had a complete response following the steroids while the second was converted to FK506 with a complete response. Compared with 315 acute rejection episodes ([AR] occurring less than 6 months posttransplant), patients with late rejection episodes had an equivalent response to steroids (63.2% AR reversed vs. 71% LR reversed) but a lower response rate to OKT3 (91.5% AR reversed vs. 62.5% LR reversed). There was, therefore, a higher rate of persistent rejection (61% AR episodes vs. 15.4% LR episodes) but no increase in the incidence of chronic rejection (7% AR episodes vs. 7.7% LR episodes). We conclude that LR is a relatively common occurrence following liver transplant, which is most often associated with low cyclosporine levels. Many of these episodes are due to noncompliance, but biliary problems must also be investigated. The incidence of resistant rejection is higher in this group of patients but is not associated with a concurrent increase in chronic rejection.
Characteristic-Mode-Based Improvement of Circularly Polarized U-Slot and E-Shaped Patch Antennas

Characteristic mode (CM) analysis is carried out to understand the underlying physics of two popular circularly polarized (CP) microstrip patch antennas, namely U-slot and E-shaped CP patch antennas, for achieving better performance. Modifications of these two CP antennas with optimal feed position and compact patch size are explicitly obtained through examining the CMs, modal significance, and characteristic angle. Compared to conventional designs, the two modified designs have better axial ratio (AR) and cross-polarization performance without introducing any additional design cost or complexity. It is also interesting to find that: 1) offset probe feed in CP U-slot patch antennas will provide excellent AR performance; 2) cutting off the redundant section from CP E-shaped patch antenna will yield low cross polarization and more compact configuration.
Becoming a travelers aid volunteer: Communication in socialization and training

The study explored newcomer socialization in a volunteer agency, Travelers Aid Society (TAS), at Washington, D.C.’s National Airport. It focused on how the organization's members used communication to achieve organizational goals for newcomer volunteers, and what motivated the volunteers to do the job. To collect data to answer these questions, I participated in classroom and on‐the‐job training to become a Travelers Aid Volunteer, and interviewed volunteers and paid staff. I analyzed the data inductively to allow the organization's goals and members’ rewards to emerge in members’ own language. The study identified three types of goals and related rewards. First, volunteers were expected to understand the context of TAS work, how Washington and the airport affected the situations and clients they would serve. Second, volunteers needed to be able to do the job—duties ranging from providing simple directions to identifying and helping social service clients. Third, volunteers had to build organizational rel.
HARQ for Predetermined-Rate Multicast Channel

This paper considers applying hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) to the predetermined-rate multicast data channel. The major differences in the HARQ design between multicast data and normal unicast data come from the fact that the multicast data assumes a predetermined data-rate using a given transmission frequency bandwidth and power, and multiple independent acknowledgement (ACK) and negative-acknowledgement (NAK) feedback from the mobile terminals. We present a new HARQ method based on superposition coding appropriate for the predetermined-rate multicast data. Computer simulation results reveal that the throughput performance is improved by using the proposed HARQ based on the superposition coding especially when there are many mobile terminals and the required data rate is relatively high.
Purity and danger: policing the Italian neo‐fascist football UltraS

The rise of the Far Right in Europe over the past decade has attracted the attention of both academics and police. Popular sports tend to reflect societal trends so it is not bizarre that a popular European cultural practice such as football has seen a rise in supporters with neo‐fascist sympathies. Football (soccer in the USA), specifically in Italy, has been linked since the beginning to politics and its stadiums have always been one of the most efficient public Agorá for the socialization of the Italian youth. In recent years, together with an ideologization of the football terraces, there has been a noticeable increase in conflict between hardcore football supporters and the Italian police at and around the stadium. These conflicts often involve the UltraS as the main participants. The final capital S identifies neo‐fascist‐oriented fans, distinguishing them from mainstream hardcore football supporters, known as ultrá. This paper is the result of ethnographic research lasting six years (2003–2009). The research aimed to investigate the world of the UltraS by using two notorious national and international UltraS as case study. The groups, the Boys and the Irriducibili, support AS Roma and SS Lazio, respectively. Both are located in the Italian capital city of Rome. The present paper aims to investigate the relationship between the neo‐fascist UltraS and the institutions that they identify as their enemies, namely, the Italian State and the police.
Gore-tex® versus resolut adapt® GTR membranes with perioglas® in periodontal regeneration

Background: Successful reconstruction of periodontal tissues destroyed due to periodontitis has been an evasive goal for the periodontists. Several GTR materials and bone grafts have been tried with varied success rates. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of non-resorbable (GoreTex®) and bioabsorbable (Resolut Adapt®) membranes in combination with bioactive glass (PerioGlas®) in the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects. Materials and Methods: Ten chronic periodontitis patients having bilateral matched intrabony defects were treated with non-resorbable membrane (GoreTex®) and bioactive glass or the bioresorbable membrane (Resolut Adapt®) and bioactive glass in split mouth design. Clinical parameters like plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and gingival recession were recorded at baseline and 9 months post-operatively. Similarly, radiographic (linear CADIA) and intra-surgical (re-entry) measurements were evaluated at baseline and 9 months post-operatively). Results: Both the membrane groups showed clinically and statistically significant improvement in clinical parameters i.e., reduction in probing depth (4.6 ± 1.4 mm) vs. 3.7 ± 1.3 mm) and gain in clinical attachment level (4.6 + 1.6 vs. 3.2 ± 1.5 mm) for non-resorbable and bioresorbable membrane groups, respectively. Similar trend was observed when radiographical and intra-surgical (re-entry) measurements were evaluated and compared, pre- and post-operatively at 9 months. However, on comparison between the two groups, the difference was statistically not significant. Conclusion: Both the barrier membranes i.e., non-resorbable (Gore-Tex®) and bioabsorbable (Resolut Adapt®) membranes in combination with bioactive glass (PerioGlas®) were equally effective in enhancing the periodontal regeneration.