Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spine Ca2+ Signaling in Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity

Calcium is a second messenger, which can trigger the modification of synaptic efficacy. We investigated the question of whether a differential rise in postsynaptic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) alone is sufficient to account for the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of EPSPs in the basal dendrites of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of the somatosensory cortex. Volume-averaged [Ca2+]i transients were measured in spines of the basal dendritic arbor for spike-timing-dependent plasticity induction protocols. The rise in [Ca2+]i was uncorrelated to the direction of the change in synaptic efficacy, because several pairing protocols evoked similar spine [Ca2+]i transients but resulted in either LTP or LTD. The sequence dependence of near-coincident presynaptic and postsynaptic activity on the direction of changes in synaptic strength suggested that LTP and LTD were induced by two processes, which were controlled separately by postsynaptic [Ca2+]i levels. Activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels before metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) resulted in the phospholipase C-dependent (PLC-dependent) synthesis of endocannabinoids, which acted as a retrograde messenger to induce LTD. LTP required a large [Ca2+]i transient evoked by NMDA receptor activation. Blocking mGluRs abolished the induction of LTD and uncovered the Ca2+-dependent induction of LTP. We conclude that the volume-averaged peak elevation of [Ca2+]i in spines of layer 2/3 pyramids determines the magnitude of long-term changes in synaptic efficacy. The direction of the change is controlled, however, via a mGluR-coupled signaling cascade. mGluRs act in conjunction with PLC as sequence-sensitive coincidence detectors when postsynaptic precede presynaptic action potentials to induce LTD. Thus presumably two different Ca2+ sensors in spines control the induction of spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity.
The Relative Frequency of Mutations in Different Chromosomes of Drosophila Melanogaster I. Lethal Mutations.

HE investigation of the process of mutation is of extreme importance T in the study of the factors of evolution. This problem is therefore the center of attention of many investigators. Very little information has, however, been obtained concerning the evolution of mutability itself, although this problem is of great methodological significance. Does the mutation rate or does the character of the mutations which occur undergo any changes in the process of evolution? Have these changes any definite direction? What is the role of natural selection in the evolution of mutability? All these questions at present remain unanswered. The scanty information that can be found in the literature (MULLER 1928, BLUM 1935) gives only a one-sided view of these problems. From the point of view of these authors the evolution of mutability takes place in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics quite independently of natural selection. In the course of accumulation of entropy, mutations become more and more rare and the quantity of energy transformed also decreases. In other words the mutation process is gradually damped. This view, however, seems to me erroneous. When this investigation was undertaken, it was expected that the comparison of the relative mutation frequencies in the X chromosome and the second chromosome could throw some light on these problems, the mutant characters dependent on X chromosome genes being subjected to a far more intensive influence of natural selection than those dependent on autosomal genes. In every generation the male is haploid (or hemizygous, according to SEREBROVSKY’S nomenclature) with respect to all the known genes in the X chromosome, except a few genes adjacent to the inert region (bobbed, genes for male sterility, for the suppression of mosaicism and the spindle fibre locus) and every hereditary alteration in the X chromosome, though it is recessive, is strictly checked by natural selection in the very first generation if the mutation originates in a female, and in the second generation if it originates in a male. When an autosomal recessive gene mutation occurs, the probability of the appearance of an individual expressing the mutation is insignificant, the autosomes being diploid in both sexes; but it is quite significant in the case of a gene mutation in the X chromosome. The checking action of natural selection is consequently directed with much greater intensity against sex-linked characters, than
Deep imaging survey of young, nearby austral stars - VLT/NACO near-infrared Lyot-coronographic observations

Context. High contrast and high angular resolution imaging is the optimal search technique for substellar companions to nearby stars at physical separations larger than typically 10 AU. Two distinct populations of substellar companions, brown dwarfs and planets, can be probed and characterized. As a result, fossile traces of processes of formation and evolution can be revealed by physical and orbital properties, both for individual systems and as an ensemble. Aims. Since November 2002, we have conducted a large, deep imaging, survey of young, nearby associations of the southern hemisphere. Our goal is detection and characterization of substellar companions with projected separations in the range 10–500 AU. We have observed a sample of 88 stars, primarily G to M dwarfs, younger than 100 Myr, and within 100 pc of Earth. Methods. The VLT/NACO adaptive optics instrument of the ESO Paranal Observatory was used to explore the faint circumstellar environment between typically 0.1 and 10". Diffraction-limited observations in H and K_s-band combined with Lyot-coronagraphy enabled us to reach primary star-companion brightness ratios as small as 10^(-6). The existence of planetary mass companions could therefore be probed. We used a standardized observing sequence to precisely measure the position and flux of all detected sources relative to their visual primary star. Repeated observations at several epochs enabled us to discriminate comoving companions from background objects. Results. We report the discovery of 17 new close (0.1–5.0") multiple systems. HIP 108195 AB and C (F1 III-M6), HIP 84642 AB (a~14 AU, K0-M5) and TWA22 AB (a~1.8 AU; M6-M6) are confirmed comoving systems. TWA22 AB is likely to be a rare astrometric calibrator that can be used to test evolutionary model predictions. Among our complete sample, a total of 65 targets were observed with deep coronagraphic imaging. About 240 faint companion candidates were detected around 36 stars. Follow-up observations with VLT or HST for 83% of these stars enabled us to identify a large fraction of background contaminants. Our latest results that pertain to the substellar companions to GSC 08047-00232, AB Pic and 2M1207 (confirmed during this survey and published earlier), are reviewed. Finally, a statistical analysis of our complete set of coronagraphic detection limits enables us to place constraints on the physical and orbital properties of giant planets between typically 20 and 150 AU.
Analysis of long queries in a large scale search log

We propose to use the search log to study long queries, in order to understand the types of information needs that are behind them, and to design techniques to improve search effectiveness when they are used. Long queries arise in many different applications, such as CQA (community-based question answering) and literature search, and they have been studied to some extent using TREC data. They are also, however, quite common in web search, as can be seen by looking at the distribution of query lengths in a large scale search log. In this paper we analyze the long queries in the search log with the aim of identifying the characteristics of the most commonly occurring types of queries, and the issues involved with using them effectively in a search engine. In addition, we propose a simple yet effective method for evaluating the performance of the queries in the search log using a combination of the click data in the search log with the existing TREC corpora.
Audit of health promotion practice within a UK hospital: results of a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM There is clear evidence that modifiable risk factors--smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diet, lack of exercise and obesity--are detrimental to health. UK public health policy now requires hospitals to have in-place health promotion programmes to empower patients to swap risky for healthy behaviours. This audit aimed to determine a baseline level of health promotion practice for modifiable risk factors in a UK hospital. METHOD Case notes from two hundred and fifty hospitalized adult patients (excluding all terminally ill patients), discharged alive between January and June 2004, were audited for evidence of screening for risk factors (smoking, alcohol, diet, exercise and obesity) and the provision of health promotion to change these risk behaviours. RESULTS The majority of inpatients were asked about smoking (88%) and alcohol consumption (74%), but few were screened for obesity (18%) or asked about their normal diet (5%) and physical activity (3%). Health promotion was delivered to a third of smokers and over half of inpatients reporting misuse of alcohol. Healthy diets, exercise and weight management were rarely discussed. Only three inpatients were screened for all risk factors. CONCLUSION This study indicates that the majority of hospital inpatients were screened for smoking and alcohol use, but improvements need to be made in the delivery of health promotion for smoking cessation and sensible drinking. It is clear that inpatients' are not routinely screened for diet, exercise and weight status, nor delivered health promotion for the management of these risk behaviours.
Relationships among dispositional coping strategies, suicidal ideation, and protective factors against suicide in older adults

Older adults have a disproportionally high rate of completed suicide as compared to the general population. Whereas a large literature has focused on risk factors related to elder suicide, limited research exists on relationships between coping strategies with protective factors against suicide and suicidal ideation in this population. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 108, mean age = 71.5 years, age range = 60–95 years) completed the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced scale, Reasons for Living inventory, and Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale (GSIS). Problem- and emotion-focused coping were associated positively with reasons for living and negatively with suicide ideation. Dysfunctional coping was associated positively with suicide ideation, but results did not support the hypothesized negative relationship with reasons for living. Thus, problem- and emotion-focused coping appear to be adaptive, whereas dysfunctional coping appears to be somewhat less related to resilience to suicidal ideation among community-dwelling older adults. Implications of the study are that some coping strategies may serve as protective factors against suicide and that coping strategies should be evaluated as part of a thorough assessment of suicidal risk among older adults. The results also provide some evidence of convergent validity for the recently developed GSIS.
Five‐Year Safety and Efficacy of a Novel Polymethylmethacrylate Aesthetic Soft Tissue Filler for the Correction of Nasolabial Folds

BACKGROUND A novel soft tissue filler composed of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microspheres suspended in a collagen gel matrix containing 0.3% lidocaine (ArteFill, Artes Medical, Inc.) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the correction of nasolabial folds. A randomized, multicenter, controlled pivotal trial performed in the United States established the safety and efficacy of this medical device throughout a 12-month study period. OBJECTIVE The objective was to substantiate the long-term 5-year safety and efficacy of this novel soft tissue PMMA filler. METHODS AND MATERIALS Attempts were made to contact all subjects treated with the PMMA filler that were enrolled in the original pivotal study. Safety was assessed by standard adverse event reporting methods. Efficacy was determined using a validated six-point facial fold assessment photometric grading scale using blinded observers' assessment of standardized photographs. RESULTS Subjects (n=119) demonstrated significant improvement in nasolabial folds comparing baseline (before any treatment) to 5 years after their last treatment (p<.001). Notably, subjects also demonstrated continued improvement between 6 months after their last treatment and Year 5 (p=.002). No serious unanticipated device-related adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION This PMMA filler is the first soft tissue filler to demonstrate continued improvement and persistence of correction over a 5-year period posttreatment.
AzTEC millimetre survey of the COSMOS field – I. Data reduction and source catalogue

We present a 1.1mm wavelength imaging survey covering 0.3 deg^2 in the COSMOS field. These data, obtained with the AzTEC continuum camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, were centred on a prominent large-scale structure overdensity which includes a rich X-ray cluster at z ≈ 0.73. A total of 50 mm-galaxy candidates, with a significance ranging from 3.5 to 8. 5σ, are extracted from the central 0.15 deg^2 area which has a uniform sensitivity of ∼1.3 mJy beam^−1. 16 sources are detected with S/N ≥ 4.5, where the expected false detection rate is zero, of which a surprisingly large number (9) have intrinsic (deboosted) fluxes ≥5 mJy at 1.1 mm. Assuming the emission is dominated by radiation from dust, heated by a massive population of young, optically obscured stars, then these bright AzTEC sources have far-infrared luminosities >6 × 10^(12)L_☉ and star formation rates ≥1100M_☉ yr^(−1). Two of these nine bright AzTEC sources are found towards the extreme peripheral region of the X-ray cluster, whilst the remainder are distributed across the larger scale overdensity. We describe the AzTEC data reduction pipeline, the source-extraction algorithm, and the characterization of the source catalogue, including the completeness, flux deboosting correction, false-detection rate and the source positional uncertainty, through an extensive set of Monte Carlo simulations. We conclude with a preliminary comparison, via a stacked analysis, of the overlapping MIPS 24-μm data and radio data with this AzTEC map of the COSMOS field.
Linguistic Discourse Variables as Indicators of Reflective Online Interaction

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of traditionally spoken linguistic analysis approaches for understanding the nature and outcomes of online interaction. The study took place with twenty-eight elementary school teachers in ten suburban Chicago schools involved in a technology-supported, problem-based learning curriculum development effort. The asynchronous and face-to-face communications of participants were monitored to test the utility of linguistic discourse variables for understanding interaction. The evidence showed that similar sense-making and interaction strategies are used in both face-to-face and online dialogue but that the strategies were significantly more prevalent in the face-to-face than online dialogue. When critical reflection was studied as an outcome of both forms of dialogue, asynchronous electronic communication was significantly more reflective than face-to-face discourse.
Real-Time PCR Using a PCR Microchip with Integrated Thermal System and Polymer Waveguides for the Detection of Campylobacter Jejuni

A novel real-time PCR microchip platform with integrated thermal system and polymer waveguides has been developed. By using the integrated optical system of the real-time PCR chip, cadF – a virulence gene of Campylobacter jejuni, could specifically be detected. Two different DNA binding dyes, SYTOX Orange and TO-PRO-3, were added to the PCR mixture to realize the real-time PCR. The presented approach shows reliable real-time quantitative information of the PCR amplification of the targeted gene.
Frequency of Contact with Nonresident Fathers and Adolescent Well-Being

Abstract This study examines the reciprocal relations between nonresident father visitation and the adjustment of adolescents and young adults. Youngsters' adjustment and maladjustment is measured both by internalizing problems: stress and depressive feelings, suicidal thoughts and bad mental health, and by externalizing problems: delinquency, risk taking behavior and unemployment. We made use of the three waves of the Utrecht Study of Adolescent Development, a longitudinal panel study, based on a sample of young people in the Netherlands. The sample in this article consists of 164 young people with divorced parents. Results show no significant correlations between frequency of contact with the nonresident father and internalizing and externalizing problems of youngsters. There is some indication that little contact is negatively correlated to externalizing problems. Probably little contact is connected with parental conflict and uncertainty about time and place of visitation. Increasing frequency of contact with the nonresident father over time seems to correlate slightly to diminishing internalizing problems.
Grandparent Caregivers I

Summary Using an informal data capture technique, 164 grandparents caring for 208 children with developmental delay or diagnosed disabilities were surveyed in New York City to determine their health status, emotional state, use of formal and informal services, and general life situation. The vast majority of grandparents were female (96%) and African-American (80%). Their ages ranged from 40 to 82. Generally they had cared for at least one grandchild for an average of seven years. The data showed that for these grandparents (1) caregiving was an all-consuming role, (2) their lives were fraught with uncertainty and they could not access sufficient formal and informal supports, and (3) they were constantly worried about the future.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bone mineral density in a racially and ethnically diverse group of men.

CONTEXT Although racial and ethnic differences in vitamin D status and bone mineral density (BMD) are recognized, less is known about how differences in vitamin D status impact BMD, especially among men. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine the relation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and BMD by race and ethnic group. DESIGN We conducted a population-based, observational survey. PARTICIPANTS PARTICIPANTS included 1114 Black, Hispanic, and White men, 30-79 yr of age. OUTCOMES We assessed 25(OH)D by a competitive protein binding assay and BMD by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS Mean age +/- SD of the 331 Black, 362 Hispanic, and 421 White men was 48 +/- 12.8 yr. Mean 25(OH)D was lower among Black (25.0 +/- 14.7 ng/ml) and Hispanic (32.9 +/- 13.9 ng/ml) men compared with White men (37.4 +/- 14.0 ng/ml, P < 0.01). A higher percentage of both Black (44%) and Hispanic (23%) men had levels of 25(OH)D in the lowest quartile, compared with 11% of White men (P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, height, and weight, only White men showed significant positive correlation between 25(OH)D and BMD (range of correlations, 0.00-0.14). Serum 25(OH)D was not associated with BMD in Black or Hispanic men at any bone site. Results were similar when adjusted for age only. CONCLUSIONS Our findings confirm substantial racial and ethnic group differences in BMD and serum 25(OH)D in men. Serum 25(OH)D and BMD are significantly related to one another in White men only. This may have implications for evaluation of bone health and supplementation in men with low levels of 25(OH)D. Further understanding of the biological mechanisms for these differences between race and ethnic groups is needed.
Serial Urinary 11-Dehydrothromboxane B2, Aspirin Dose, and Vascular Events in Blacks After Recent Cerebral Infarction

Background and Purpose— Incomplete platelet inhibition by aspirin (aspirin resistance) may be a reason for stroke recurrence in some patients. 11-Dehydrothromboxane B2 (11-DTB2) is a stable thromboxane A2 metabolite that reflects in vivo platelet activation. This pilot study was intended to evaluate the reproducibility of urinary 11-DTB2 over time and to look for evidence of aspirin resistance. Methods— All subjects were screened for the African American Antiplatelet Stroke Prevention Study (AAASPS) 7 to 90 days after noncardioembolic cerebral infarction. Of 83 subjects with at least 1 urine sample, 52 were enrolled in AAASPS (randomized to blinded treatment with aspirin 650 mg/d or ticlopidine 500 mg/d), and 31 were enrolled in an open-label antiplatelet therapy cohort. Subjects were followed up for 2 years, with 11-DTB2 measurements scheduled at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months. Vascular events were cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, or vascular death. Results— Despite considerable individual up or down fluctuations, the median 11-DTB2 change did not significantly differ from zero in any of the subgroups. However, in 6 subjects with a 4-fold decrease in aspirin dose from 1300 to 325 or 81 mg/d, the 11-DTB2 level increased from 611 to 1881 pg/mg creatinine (P =0.06). Vascular events occurred in 7 of 61 aspirin-treated subjects, and 11-DTB2 levels did not correlate with the events. Conclusions— Fluctuations in urinary 11-DTB2 after cerebral infarction in blacks do not correlate with changes in aspirin doses, except perhaps when the dose changes by a factor of 4 or more. A larger study is needed to look further for aspirin resistance.
Low-loss, planar monolithic baluns for K/Ka-band applications

The performance of low-loss, planar baluns, specifically designed for MMIC applications operating in the 15 to 40 GHz frequency range, are described. The baluns are realized in both microstrip and CPW configurations with an insertion loss as low as 0.3 dB per balun. This is the lowest reported loss for a monolithic balun operating at these frequencies. These baluns are truly planar with no requirement for multiple dielectric or metal layers.
Protein and ligand adaptation in a retinoic acid binding protein

A retinoic acid binding protein isolated from the lumen of the rat epididymis (ERABP) is a member of the lipocalin superfamily. ERABP binds both the all‐trans and 9‐cis isomers of retinoic acid, as well as the synthetic retinoid (E)‐4‐[2‐(5,6,7,8)‐tetrahydro‐5,5,8,8‐tetramethyl‐2 napthalenyl‐1 propenyl]‐benzoic acid (TTNPB), a structural analog of all‐trans retinoic acid. The structure of ERABP with a mixture of all‐trans and 9‐cis retinoic acid has previously been reported. To elucidate any structural differences in the protein when bound to the all‐trans and 9‐cis isomers, the structures of all‐trans retinoic acid‐ERABP and 9‐cis retinoic acid ERABP were determined. Our results indicate that the all‐trans isomer of retinoic acid adopts an 8‐cis structure in the binding cavity with no concomitant conformational change in the protein. The structure of TTNPB‐ERABP is also reported herein. To accommodate this all‐trans analog, which cannot readily adopt a cis‐like structure, alternative positioning of critical binding site side chains is required. Consequently, both protein and ligand adaption are observed in the formation of the various holo‐proteins.