Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NR2B and NR2D Subunits Coassemble in Cerebellar Golgi Cells to Form a Distinct NMDA Receptor Subtype Restricted to Extrasynaptic Sites

NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are thought to be tetrameric assemblies composed of NR1 and at least one type of NR2 subunit. The identity of the NR2 subunit (NR2A, -B, -C, -D) is critical in determining many of the functional properties of the receptor, such as channel conductance and deactivation time. Further diversity may arise from coassembly of more than one type of NR2 subunit, if the resulting triheteromeric assembly (NR1 plus two types of NR2) displays distinct functional properties. We have used gene-ablated mice (NR2D -/-) to examine the effects of the NR2D subunit on NMDAR channels and NMDAR EPSCs in cerebellar Golgi cells. These cells are thought to express both NR2B and NR2D subunits, a combination that occurs widely in the developing nervous system. Our experiments provide direct evidence that the low conductance NMDAR channels in Golgi cells arise from diheteromeric NR1/NR2D assemblies. To investigate whether a functionally distinct triheteromeric assembly was also expressed, we analyzed the kinetic and pharmacological properties of single-channel currents in isolated extrasynaptic patches. We found that after the loss of the NR2D subunit, the properties of the 50 pS NMDAR channels were altered. This result is consistent with the presence of a triheteromeric assembly (NR1/NR2B/NR2D) in cells from wild-type mice. However, we could find no difference in the properties of NMDAR-mediated EPSCs between wild-type and NR2D subunit ablated mice. Our experiments suggest that although both diheteromeric and triheteromeric NR2D-containing receptors are expressed in cerebellar Golgi cells, neither receptor type participates in parallel fiber to Golgi cell synaptic transmission. The presence of the NR2D subunit within an assembly may therefore result in its restriction to extrasynaptic sites.
Adoption of recommended rice Cultivation practices by the farmers from Palghar district

PUBLISHED IN NATIONAL CONFERENCES AND SEMINAR Author Abstracts Title Seminar/Conferenc Date M.Sc. Agri. (Ext. Educ.) 2017 Dr. BSKKV, Dapoli 81.19 1 MS-CIT 2013 MSBTE, Mumbai 93.00 1
Non-Cost Barriers to Consumer Adoption of New Light-Duty Vehicle Technologies

The rate of adoption of new vehicle technologies and related reductions in petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions rely on how rapidly technology innovations enter the fleet through new vehicle purchases. New technologies often increase vehicle price, which creates a barrier to consumer purchase, but other barriers to adoption are not due to increased purchase prices. For example, plug-in vehicles, dedicated alternative fuel vehicles, and other new technologies face non-cost barriers such as consumer unfamiliarity or requirements for drivers to adjust behavior. This report reviews recent research to help classify these non-cost barriers and determine federal government programs and actions with the greatest potential to overcome them. Dealing with difficult-to-define non-cost barriers is a challenge to research and development (R&D) program managers, automakers, policymakers, and others interested in the deployment of advanced vehicles. Future deployment of new passenger vehicle drivetrain technologies and alternative fuels in markets around the globe is difficult to foresee from previous experience with more traditional vehicle technology. Nevertheless, earlier consumer behavior studies can help identify major types of barriers and related factors, as well as provide insight into policy interventions with the greatest promise for lowering these barriers. This report provides an accessible summary of methods for assessing non-cost barriers and findings of existing studies. Table ES.1 lists non-cost barriers, along with approximate magnitudes and most important driving factors. This information can be used to better understand barriers, evaluate their interactions with vehicle cost, assess potential adoption rates of new vehicle technologies, consider the possible implications of policy actions or changes in market conditions, and conduct more thorough cost/benefit analyses of potential policies.
Usability Issues in Spoken Language Dialogue Systems

Whilst spoken language dialogue systems (SLDSs) technology has made good progress in recent years, the issue of SLDS usability is still lagging behind both theoretically and in actual SLDS development and evaluation. However, as more products reach the market and competition intensifies, there is growing recognition of the importance of systematically understanding the factors which must be taken into account in order to optimise SLDS usability. Ideally, this understanding should be comprehensive, i.e. include all major human factors perspectives on SLDSs, and exhaustive, i.e. describe each perspective as it pertains to the detailed development and evaluation of any possible SLDS. This paper addresses the requirement of comprehensiveness by decomposing the complex space of SLDS usability best practice into eleven issues which should be considered by developers during specification, design, development and evaluation. The discussion of each issue is aimed to support the developer in building SLDSs which are likely to generate user satisfaction, which are perceived to be easy to understand and control, and which enable smooth user-system interaction. Based on the best practice issues discussed, criteria for evaluating SLDS usability are proposed. Several limits to our current understanding of SLDS usability are highlighted.
Effects of chronic intermittent asphyxia on haematocrit, pulmonary arterial pressure and skeletal muscle structure in rats

Sleep‐disordered breathing in humans is a common condition associated with serious cardiovascular and other abnormalities. The prevalence and pathogenesis of increased haematocrit and pulmonary hypertension is controversial and it has been suggested that these changes only occur in patients who also have daytime continuous hypoxaemia. The hypothesis tested here is that the chronic intermittent hypoxia and asphyxia associated with sleep‐disordered breathing causes erythropoiesis and pulmonary hypertension and that this occurs in the absence of periods of continuous hypoxia. In humans and animals with obstructive sleep apnoea, there are abnormalities of upper airway muscle structure that have been ascribed to increased load placed on these muscles. An alternative hypothesis is that chronic intermittent hypoxia and asphyxia cause changes in upper airway muscle structure and function. To test these hypotheses, rats were exposed to intermittent hypoxia and asphyxia for 8 h per day for 5 weeks. This caused an increase in haematocrit, right ventricular weight and pulmonary arterial pressure. There were only slight changes in diaphragm, upper airway and limb muscle structure and force production but in general, muscle fatigability was increased. In conclusion chronic intermittent hypoxia and asphyxia cause an increase in haematocrit and pulmonary arterial pressure in the absence of periods of continuous hypoxia. Chronic intermittent hypoxia and asphyxia have little effect on skeletal muscle structure and force production but increase muscle fatigue. Increased upper airway muscle fatigue could lead to a vicious cycle of further compromise in upper airway patency and further hypoxia and asphyxia.
Reactive Oxygen Species in Skeletal Muscle Signaling

Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a ubiquitous phenomenon in eukaryotic cells' life. Up to the 1990s of the past century, ROS have been solely considered as toxic species resulting in oxidative stress, pathogenesis and aging. However, there is now clear evidence that ROS are not merely toxic species but also—within certain concentrations—useful signaling molecules regulating physiological processes. During intense skeletal muscle contractile activity myotubes' mitochondria generate high ROS flows: this renders skeletal muscle a tissue where ROS hold a particular relevance. According to their hormetic nature, in muscles ROS may trigger different signaling pathways leading to diverging responses, from adaptation to cell death. Whether a “positive” or “negative” response will prevail depends on many variables such as, among others, the site of ROS production, the persistence of ROS flow or target cells' antioxidant status. In this light, a specific threshold of physiological ROS concentrations above which ROS exert negative, toxic effects is hard to determine, and the concept of “physiologically compatible” levels of ROS would better fit with such a dynamic scenario. In this review these concepts will be discussed along with the most relevant signaling pathways triggered and/or affected by ROS in skeletal muscle.
Essays on the effects of the Homestead Act on land inequality and human capital, the effects of land redistribution on crop choice, and the effects of earthquakes on birth outcomes

Chapter 1: Land Inequality and Human Capital: Evidence for the United States from the Homestead Act. This chapter uses historical records of land patents and county level census data to estimate the impact of the Homestead Act of 1862 |an egalitarian land distribution policy implemented in the United States| on land inequality, school enrolment, and literacy during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The results show that the Homestead Act reduced land inequality and increased school enrolment and literacy, and that there is not heterogeneous effects on school enrolment by sex, but the effect is driven by the impact on children of primary school age. Using the Homestead Act as an instrument for land inequality, the results show that land inequality had a strong negative impact on school enrolment. This result is relevant to the literature because identification does not rely on variation across geographic, climatic, or soil characteristics. These results are robust to the inclusion of state specific year fixed effects and are not driven by convergence. On the contrary, I argue that convergence in school enrolment was a consequence of the Homestead Act. Chapter 2: Land Redistribution and Crop Choice: Evidence from Reform and Counter-Reform in Chile. This chapter uses unique historical data on the Chilean land reform of the 1960s and 1970s to estimate the impact that redistribution had on land inequality and crop choice. The results show that land redistribution had a persistent negative effect on land inequality, and that areas that were treated with more reform increased their share of land cultivated with fruits, vegetables, and vineyards, and lowered the share of land destined to forest plantations. The fact that a military coup interrupted the reform process allows for the comparison of the effects of reform and counter-reform, which sheds light on the mechanisms through which redistribution operated. I find that land that was transferred to new owners drive the results for crop choice, but not those for land inequality. Chapter 3: Earthquakes and Birth Outcomes in Chile. This chapter estimates the e effects of earthquakes on birth weight and length of gestation. I use administrative data on the universe of live births in Chile between 1994 and 2011. I combine that data with GIS raster information from USGS ShakeMaps to assign a detailed measure of earthquake intensity for each birth during each trimester of pregnancy. I find that, although the baseline estimates suggest a weak negative effect, these results are not robust to the exclusion of births from a strong 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of south-central Chile, which caused approximately 500 casualties, heavy infrastructure damage, and significant disruption to the government's logistics.
Coronary heart disease Plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 and left ventricular remodelling after acute myocardial infarction in man : a prospective cohort study

Aims To describe temporal profiles of plasma matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9), and their relationship with echocardiographic (Echo) parameters of left ventricular (LV) function and remodelling, after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in man. Methods and results Plasma MMP-2 and MMP-9 were assayed at intervals (0–12, 12–24, 24–48, 48–72, 72–96, and .96 h) in 91 patients with AMI (ST-elevation/non-ST-elevation 77/24; 73% male; 40% anterior site) and on a single occasion in 172 ageand sex-matched control subjects with stable coronary artery disease. Echo assessment of LV volumes, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and wall motion index score were assessed before discharge and at follow-up (median 176, range 138–262 days) for patients and on a single occassion in controls. Plasma MMP-2 was similar at all times after AMI, elevated when compared with control (P 1⁄4 0.005–0.001) and unrelated to LV function or volume during index admission or at follow-up. Maximal MMP-9 was seen at 0–12 h and was elevated when compared with control (P 1⁄4 0.002) followed by fall to a plateau. Both maximal and plateau MMP-9 concentration correlated with white blood cell (WBC, P 1⁄4 0.023 to ,0.001) and neutrophil count (P 1⁄4 0.014 to ,0.001). Maximal MMP-9 had independent predictive value for lower LVEF (P 1⁄4 0.004) during admission and for greater change in LV end-diastolic volume between admission and follow-up (R 1⁄4 0.3, P 1⁄4 0.016). In contrast, higher plateau levels of MMP-9 were associated with relative preservation of LV function (increasing LVEF, P 1⁄4 0.002; decreasing WMIS, P 1⁄4 0.009) and less change in end-systolic volume and end-diastolic volumes after discharge (P 1⁄4 0.001 and 0.024, respectively). Conclusion Both MMP-9 and MMP-2 are elevated following AMI. The biphasic profile of plasma MMP-9 is related to LV remodelling and function following AMI in man. Higher early levels of MMP-9 associate with the extent of LV remodelling and circulating WBC levels. In contrast, higher plateau levels later after AMI are associated with relative preservation of LV function. Temporal profile, rather than absolute magnitude, of MMP-9 activity appears to be important for LV remodelling after AMI.
An algorithm for compression of bilevel images

This paper presents the block arithmetic coding for image compression (BACIC) algorithm: a new method for lossless bilevel image compression which can replace JBIG, the current standard for bilevel image compression. BACIC uses the block arithmetic coder (BAC): a simple, efficient, easy-to-implement, variable-to-fixed arithmetic coder, to encode images. BACIC models its probability estimates adaptively based on a 12-bit context of previous pixel values; the 12-bit context serves as an index into a probability table whose entries are used to compute p(1) (the probability of a bit equaling one), the probability measure BAC needs to compute a codeword. In contrast, the Joint Bilevel Image Experts Group (JBIG) uses a patented arithmetic coder, the IBM QM-coder, to compress image data and a predetermined probability table to estimate its probability measures. JBIG, though, has not get been commercially implemented; instead, JBIG's predecessor, the Group 3 fax (G3), continues to be used. BACIC achieves compression ratios comparable to JBIG's and is introduced as an alternative to the JBIG and G3 algorithms. BACIC's overall compression ratio is 19.0 for the eight CCITT test images (compared to JBIG's 19.6 and G3's 7.7), is 16.0 for 20 additional business-type documents (compared to JBIG's 16.0 and G3's 6.74), and is 3.07 for halftone images (compared to JBIG's 2.75 and G3's 0.50).
Frequency agile stepped OFDM waveform for HRR

High Range Resolution (HRR) is an important feature for radar, aiming at target classification. The range resolution is inversely proportional to the bandwidth of the transmitted signal. Pulse burst waveforms can achieve HRR at low expenses when the carrier frequency increases from one pulse to the next, stepping and synthesizing the wide bandwidth. In such a stepped frequency approach the resolution is determined by the bandwidth of the total pulse burst. With the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveform, the time/frequency pattern of the transmitted radar signal is fully flexible while the waveform can be generated easily by IFFT. The novelty of this paper is to demonstrate how the combination of frequency agility and HRR processing into one system can benefit from the OFDM flexibility. An elementary scenario with a single stationary or low speed point target is assumed.
Influence of a threonine residue in the S2 ligand binding domain in determining agonist potency and deactivation rate of recombinant NR1a/NR2D NMDA receptors

NR1/NR2D NMDA receptors display unusually slow deactivation kinetics which may be critical for their role as extrasynaptic receptors. A threonine to alanine point mutation has been inserted at amino acid position 692 of the NR2D subunit (T692A). Recombinant NR1a/NR2D(T692A) NMDA receptors have been expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and their pharmacological and single‐channel properties examined using two‐electrode voltage‐clamp and patch‐clamp recording techniques. Glutamate dose–response curves from NR1a/NR2D(T692A) receptor channels produced an approximately 1600‐fold reduction in glutamate potency compared to wild‐type NR1a/NR2D receptors. There was no change in Hill slopes or gross reduction in mean maximal currents recorded in oocytes expressing either wild‐type or mutant receptors. The mutation did not affect the potency of the co‐agonist glycine. The shifts in potency produced by NR2D(T692A) containing receptors when activated by other glutamate‐site agonists such as aspartate or NMDA were 30‐ to 60‐fold compared to wild‐type. Single‐channel conductance levels of NR1a/NR2D(T692A) mutant receptors were indistinguishable from wild‐type NR2D‐containing channels. Additionally NR1a/NR2D(T692A) receptors showed the transitional asymmetry that is characteristic of NR2D‐containing NMDA receptors. Rapid applications of glutamate on outside‐out patches containing NR1a/NR2D(T692A) receptors produced macroscopic current deactivations that were about 60‐fold faster than wild‐type NR1a/NR2D receptors. Our results suggest that this conserved threonine residue plays a crucial role in ligand binding to NMDA NR2 receptor subunits and supports the idea that the slow decay kinetics associated with NR1a/NR2D NMDA receptors can be explained by the slow dissociation of glutamate from this NMDA receptor subtype.
Leptin-dependent neurotoxicity via induction of apoptosis in adult rat neurogenic cells

Adipocyte-derived hormone leptin has been recently implicated in the control of neuronal plasticity. To explore whether modulation of adult neurogenesis may contribute to leptin control of neuronal plasticity, we used the neurosphere assay of neural stem cells derived from the adult rat subventricular zone (SVZ). Endogenous expression of specific leptin receptor (ObRb) transcripts, as revealed by RT-PCR, is associated with activation of both ERK and STAT-3 pathways via phosphorylation of the critical ERK/STAT-3 amino acid residues upon addition of leptin to neurospheres. Furthermore, leptin triggered withdrawal of neural stem cells from the cell cycle as monitored by Ki67 labeling. This effect was blocked by pharmacological inhibition of ERK activation thus demonstrating that ERK mediates leptin effects on neural stem cell expansion. Leptin-dependent withdrawal of neural stem cells from the cell cycle was associated with increased apoptosis, as detected by TUNEL, which was preceded by cyclin D1 induction. Cyclin D1 was indeed extensively colocalized with TUNEL-positive, apoptotic nuclei. Cyclin-D1 silencing by specific shRNA prevented leptin-induced decrease of the cell number per neurosphere thus pointing to the causal relationship between leptin actions on apoptosis and cyclin D1 induction. Leptin target cells in SVZ neurospheres were identified by double TUNEL/phenotypic marker immunocytofluorescence as differentiating neurons mostly. The inhibition of neural stem cell expansion via ERK/cyclin D1-triggered apoptosis defines novel biological action of leptin which may be involved in adiposity-dependent neurotoxicity.
RAPD and Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequence Analyses Reveal Zea nicaraguensis as a Section Luxuriantes Species Close to Zea luxurians

Genetic relationship of a newly discovered teosinte from Nicaragua, Zea nicaraguensis with waterlogging tolerance, was determined based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA using 14 accessions from Zea species. RAPD analysis showed that a total of 5,303 fragments were produced by 136 random decamer primers, of which 84.86% bands were polymorphic. RAPD-based UPGMA analysis demonstrated that the genus Zea can be divided into section Luxuriantes including Zea diploperennis, Zea luxurians, Zea perennis and Zea nicaraguensis, and section Zea including Zea mays ssp. mexicana, Zea mays ssp. parviglumis, Zea mays ssp. huehuetenangensis and Zea mays ssp. mays. ITS sequence analysis showed the lengths of the entire ITS region of the 14 taxa in Zea varied from 597 to 605 bp. The average GC content was 67.8%. In addition to the insertion/deletions, 78 variable sites were recorded in the total ITS region with 47 in ITS1, 5 in 5.8S, and 26 in ITS2. Sequences of these taxa were analyzed with neighbor-joining (NJ) and maximum parsimony (MP) methods to construct the phylogenetic trees, selecting Tripsacum dactyloides L. as the outgroup. The phylogenetic relationships of Zea species inferred from the ITS sequences are highly concordant with the RAPD evidence that resolved two major subgenus clades. Both RAPD and ITS sequence analyses indicate that Zea nicaraguensis is more closely related to Zea luxurians than the other teosintes and cultivated maize, which should be regarded as a section Luxuriantes species.
Homomorphism preservation theorems

The homomorphism preservation theorem (h.p.t.), a result in classical model theory, states that a first-order formula is preserved under homomorphisms on all structures (finite and infinite) if and only if it is equivalent to an existential-positive formula. Answering a long-standing question in finite model theory, we prove that the h.p.t. remains valid when restricted to finite structures (unlike many other classical preservation theorems, including the Łoś--Tarski theorem and Lyndon's positivity theorem). Applications of this result extend to constraint satisfaction problems and to database theory via a correspondence between existential-positive formulas and unions of conjunctive queries. A further result of this article strengthens the classical h.p.t. : we show that a first-order formula is preserved under homomorphisms on all structures if and only if it is equivalent to an existential-positive formula of equal quantifier-rank.