Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncoordinated Firing Rate Changes of Striatal Fast-Spiking Interneurons during Behavioral Task Performance

Basal ganglia circuits make key contributions to decision making. Distributed, synchronous feedforward inhibition of striatal medium spiny neurons by fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons (FSIs) has been argued to be important for the suppression of unwanted actions, and a deficit in FSIs has been found in human patients with Tourette syndrome. However, no studies have yet examined how striatal FSIs change their activity during behavioral tasks. Here I describe 36 presumed striatal FSIs recorded in rats during well practiced performance of a radial maze win–stay task. Although most FSIs showed robust task-related activity, the temporal patterns of firing rate change were highly idiosyncratic. In contrast to other classes of striatal neurons, FSIs showed little or no coordinated population response to major task events such as instruction cues or rewards. Even when multiple FSIs were recorded simultaneously from the same local region of striatum, firing rate changes were dissimilar, and no clear evidence for synchronous firing was found using cross-correlograms (18 FSI pairs examined). These results suggest that FSIs play a more complex role in the information processing achieved by striatal microcircuits than supposed by current theoretical models.
Antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter strains isolated from French broilers before and after antimicrobial growth promoter bans.

OBJECTIVES The antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter strains isolated from standard and free-range broilers in 1992-1996 and 2001-2002 was studied. METHODS Strains were isolated from caeca or skin samples collected from standard or free-range broilers arriving in slaughterhouses. The MICs of ampicillin, nalidixic acid, enrofloxacin, tetracycline, erythromycin and gentamicin were determined by agar dilution and compared according to species (Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli), production system and sampling period. RESULTS Results showed that all chickens harboured Campylobacter. An increase over time of the C. coli/C. jejuni ratio for standard chickens occurred. A wide range of MICs was observed among isolates from the same broiler or from the same farm. Strains collected on entry to the slaughterhouse and after storage showed no significant difference in their antibiotic resistance. C. coli was more resistant than C. jejuni to tetracycline and erythromycin during the first period and to all tested molecules (except gentamicin) during the second period. Strains isolated from standard chickens were also more often resistant than those isolated from free-range broilers. The percentage of C. jejuni strains resistant to ampicillin decreased from 1992-1996 to 2001-2002, whereas no change could be observed for the other antimicrobial agents. However, for C. coli the resistance to ampicillin, nalidixic acid, enrofloxacin, tetracycline and erythromycin significantly increased. CONCLUSION There was an increase in the incidence of antibiotic resistance of C. coli between 1992-1996 and 2001-2002.
Common Mental Disorders in rural Tanzania: How do patients explain their distress?

The aim of the study was to investigate the explanatory models of Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in a primary health care setting in rural Tanzania. 28 patients who attended a primary health care out-patient clinic in rural Tanzania and reported CMD on a self-report questionnaire, were interviewed regarding explanatory models for their complaints. All patients reported high levels of distress related to CMD across three self-report questionnaires. However, when interviewed, patients did not report CMD as the reason for coming to the doctor or as an explanation for their problems. Somatic complaints were reported as the main reason for attending the health care clinic, and emphasized as the primary concern for the patients. The discrepancy between reported CMD distress on the self report questionnaires and information revealed in the qualitative interview may be explained by factors such as stigma of mental disorders, lack of knowledge about CMD and being in a medical setting while interviewed.
Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Exerts Antiviral Activity against Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Increased lung levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) are frequently observed during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and elevated MMP9 concentrations are associated with severe disease. However little is known of the functional role of MMP9 during lung infection with RSV. To determine whether MMP9 exerted direct antiviral potential, active MMP9 was incubated with RSV, which showed that MMP9 directly prevented RSV infectivity to airway epithelial cells. Using knockout mice the effect of the loss of Mmp9 expression was examined during RSV infection to demonstrate MMP9’s role in viral clearance and disease progression. Seven days following RSV infection, Mmp9 -/- mice displayed substantial weight loss, increased RSV-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and reduced clearance of RSV from the lungs compared to wild type mice. Although total bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell counts were similar in both groups, neutrophil recruitment to the lungs during RSV infection was significantly reduced in Mmp9 -/- mice. Reduced neutrophil recruitment coincided with diminished RANTES, IL-1β, SCF, G-CSF expression and p38 phosphorylation. Induction of p38 signaling was required for RANTES and G-CSF expression during RSV infection in airway epithelial cells. Therefore, MMP9 in RSV lung infection significantly enhances neutrophil recruitment, cytokine production and viral clearance while reducing AHR.
SOPC based flexible architecture for JPEG enconder

The new generation of field programmable gate array (FPGA) technologies enables an embedded processor intellectual property (IP) and an application IP to be integrated into a system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) developing environment. Therefore, in this paper, we present an efficient HW/SW codesign architecture for JPEG encoder and its FPGA implementation. It consists of a NIOS II processor that controls the scheduling of a set of specialized processors that perform the discrete cosine transform (DCT), quantization (Q), RLC, Huffman encoder. The architecture also includes pre-processing modules for the input video signal from the camera and interfaces for the external video memory and the LCD. The JPEG encoder supports the baseline JPEG mode and an efficient architecture for the 2-D DCT is suggested to reduce the chip size. The whole design is described in verilog HDL language, verified in simulations and implemented in Cyclone II EP2C35 FPGA. Finally, the encoder has been tested on a NIOS II development board and some experimental results are demonstrated.
Exploitations agricoles: pourquoi poursuivre la recherche sur les méthodes typologiques ? : Méthodes d'études en milieu paysan

La modelisation par les typologies de fonctionnement de la diversite des exploitations agricoles dans la logique de «types-construits» s'appuie sur une approche systemique du fonctionnement des exploitations agricoles. La plupart des methodes utilisees s'appuient sur des enquetes typologiques directes en exploitation, ce qui leur impose certaines limites. Les typologies, malgre leurs richesses, s'averent souvent imparfaitement adaptees aux besoins des utilisateurs. S'agissant de construire des outils d'aide a la decision, il serait plus efficace d'y associer les utilisateurs des leur conception
Immunocytochemical localization by electron microscopy of 2'3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase in developing oligodendrocytes of normal and mutant brain

Oligodendrocytes or their putative progenitors were the only cells found to be immunoreactive to polyclonal antisera against the enzyme 2′3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNP) in developing and mature brains of rats and mice, as visualized by light and electron microscopy. Prior to myelination (day 6), oligodendrocytes of the corpus callosum have reticular networks of CNP-containing filopodia, in addition to abundant CNP throughout the cytoplasm. Some glioblast-like cells of the subventricular zone are also immunoreactive to anti-CNP, suggesting that, as progenitors of oligodendroglia, they express this myelination-related protein as one of the earliest events in myelinogenesis. Following the commencement of myelination (day 15), many oligodendrocytes lose much of their lacelike network of fine projections, possessing, instead, larger CNP-filled processes that extend to myelin-bearing fibers. CNP was always found only in the cytoplasm-containing compartments of the cells and myelin sheaths; neither lamellae nor cellular membranes were immunostained. These data support our contention that CNP is not an intrinsic membrane protein, despite its strong interaction with membrane components when cells are disrupted. In mutant (mld) mice (day 25), the many distended and uncompacted oligodendroglial processes that invest axons with only a few turns of membrane contained cytoplasmic CNP, accounting for the elevated levels of CNP activity previously noted in tissue fractions.
Limits on the domain of coupling constants for binding N-body systems with no bound subsystems.

We study the domain of coupling constants for which a 3-body or 4-body system is bound while none of its subsystems is bound. Limits on the size of the domain are derived from a variant of the Hall--Post inequalities which relate $N$-body to $(N-1)$-body energies at given coupling. Possible applications to halo nuclei and hypernuclei are briefly outlined.
Association between Dietary Vitamin C Intake and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most prevalent chronic liver disease all over the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between dietary vitamin C intake and NAFLD. Method Subjects were diagnosed with NAFLD by abdominal ultrasound examination and the consumption of alcohol was less than 40g/day for men or less than 20g/day for women. Vitamin C intake was classified into four categories according to the quartile distribution in the study population: ≤74.80 mg/day, 74.81–110.15 mg/day, 110.16–146.06 mg/day, and ≥146.07 mg/day. The energy and multi-variable adjusted odds ratio (OR), as well as their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), were used to determine the relationship between dietary vitamin C intake and NAFLD through logistic regression. Result The present cross-sectional study included 3471 subjects. A significant inverse association between dietary vitamin C intake and NAFLD was observed in the energy-adjusted and the multivariable model. The multivariable adjusted ORs (95%CI) for NAFLD were 0.69 (95%CI: 0.54–0.89), 0.93 (95%CI: 0.72–1.20), and 0.71 (95%CI: 0.53–0.95) in the second, third and fourth dietary vitamin C intake quartiles, respectively, compared with the lowest (first) quartile. The relative odds of NAFLD was decreased by 0.71 times in the fourth quartile of dietary vitamin C intake compared with the lowest quartile. After stratifying data by sex or the status of obesity, the inverse association remained valid in the male population or non-obesity population, but not in the female population or obesity population. Conclusion There might be a moderate inverse association between dietary vitamin C intake and NAFLD in middle-aged and older adults, especially for the male population and non-obesity population.
Racial Identity, Acculturation, and Well-Being among Black Canadian Immigrant Youth

The present study examined what successful acculturation looks like for Black Canadian immigrants using a tridimensional model of acculturation (Ferguson, Bornstein, & Pottinger, 2012), as well as how Black Canadian immigrants conceptualize their racial identity. Participants were 120 first and second generation Black Canadians with African and/or Caribbean heritage (Mage = 21.27, SD = 3.50, Range = 16-30). Although the tridimensional model did not predict subjective well-being (SWB) above and beyond the traditional bidimensional model of acculturation, participants who were oriented toward their heritage culture and mainstream Black culture had the highest SWB. Conversely, participants who were oriented solely toward mainstream Black culture had the lowest SWB. Additionally, perceiving cultural incompatibility with White culture predicted lower life satisfaction and positive affect, and greater negative affect. The only statistically significant difference between African heritage and Caribbean heritage Canadians among the study variables was that African heritage participants reported being more oriented toward mainstream Black culture than did Caribbean heritage participants. Participants shared what being Black in Canada means to them in openended questions. Although there was no consensus among participants on how to define mainstream Black culture, their responses indicated that mainstream Black culture is an important destination culture for Black Canadian immigrants, and its role in the acculturation of Black Canadian immigrants needs to be further explored.
Isothiocyanatostilbenes as novel c-Met inhibitors

The hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR or c-Met) is a driver of multiple cancer subtypes. While there are several c-Met inhibitors in development, few have been approved for clinical use, warranting the need for continued research and development of c-Met targeting therapeutic modalities. The research presented here demonstrates a particular class of compounds known as isothiocyanatostilbenes can act as c-Met inhibitors in multiple cancer cell lines. Specifically, we found that 4,4′-Diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS) and 4,4′-Diisothiocyanatodihydrostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (H2DIDS) had c-Met inhibitory effective doses in the low micromolar range while 4-acetamido-4′-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (SITS) and 4,4′-dinitrostilbene-2, 2′-disulfonic acid (DNDS) exhibited IC50s 100 to 1000 fold higher. These compounds displayed much greater selectivity for inhibiting c-Met activation compared to similar receptor tyrosine kinases. In addition, DIDS and H2DIDS reduced hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced, but not epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced, cell scattering, wound healing, and 3-dimensional (3D) proliferation of tumor cell spheroids. In-cell and cell-free assays suggested that DIDS and H2DIDS can inhibit and reverse c-Met phosphorylation, similar to SU11274. Additional data demonstrated that DIDS is tolerable in vivo. These data provide preliminary support for future studies examining DIDS, H2DIDS, and derivatives as potential c-Met therapeutics.
Is Native-Language Decoding Skill Related to Second-Language Learning ?

The authors investigated the mechanisms through which native-language word decoding ability predicted individual differences in nativeand second-language learning. First, native-language decoding skill predicted college-age adults’ native-language competency. However, this direct relationship was mediated by native-language vocabulary skill. Second, native-language decoding skill also predicted secondlanguage competency. Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by participants’ second-language word decoding ability. Third, native-language decoding was also an important predictor of course grade in the 1st quarter of Introductory Spanish. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that second-language learning is founded on native-language phonological–orthographic ability among college-age adults, especially during the early stages of second-language learning.
Impacts of playing after school on academic performance: a propensity score matching approach

ABSTRACT We present a plausible causal analysis of the impact of playing after school on academic performance and investigate parental support as a potential channel. We exploit the data from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Survey to evaluate the effects by using a propensity score matching approach. The results show that playing after school increases math and science scores of fourth grade students. We find that White students benefit from playing after school, but non-White students do not. Furthermore, we present evidence that parental support enhances the effects of playing after school.
Large Number Discrimination by Mosquitofish

Background Recent studies have demonstrated that fish display rudimentary numerical abilities similar to those observed in mammals and birds. The mechanisms underlying the discrimination of small quantities (<4) were recently investigated while, to date, no study has examined the discrimination of large numerosities in fish. Methodology/Principal Findings Subjects were trained to discriminate between two sets of small geometric figures using social reinforcement. In the first experiment mosquitofish were required to discriminate 4 from 8 objects with or without experimental control of the continuous variables that co-vary with number (area, space, density, total luminance). Results showed that fish can use the sole numerical information to compare quantities but that they preferentially use cumulative surface area as a proxy of the number when this information is available. A second experiment investigated the influence of the total number of elements to discriminate large quantities. Fish proved to be able to discriminate up to 100 vs. 200 objects, without showing any significant decrease in accuracy compared with the 4 vs. 8 discrimination. The third experiment investigated the influence of the ratio between the numerosities. Performance was found to decrease when decreasing the numerical distance. Fish were able to discriminate numbers when ratios were 1∶2 or 2∶3 but not when the ratio was 3∶4. The performance of a sample of undergraduate students, tested non-verbally using the same sets of stimuli, largely overlapped that of fish. Conclusions/Significance Fish are able to use pure numerical information when discriminating between quantities larger than 4 units. As observed in human and non-human primates, the numerical system of fish appears to have virtually no upper limit while the numerical ratio has a clear effect on performance. These similarities further reinforce the view of a common origin of non-verbal numerical systems in all vertebrates.
Foodborne Transmission of Nipah Virus in Syrian Hamsters

Since 2001, outbreaks of Nipah virus have occurred almost every year in Bangladesh with high case-fatality rates. Epidemiological data suggest that in Bangladesh, Nipah virus is transmitted from the natural reservoir, fruit bats, to humans via consumption of date palm sap contaminated by bats, with subsequent human-to-human transmission. To experimentally investigate this epidemiological association between drinking of date palm sap and human cases of Nipah virus infection, we determined the viability of Nipah virus (strain Bangladesh/200401066) in artificial palm sap. At 22°C virus titers remained stable for at least 7 days, thus potentially allowing food-borne transmission. Next, we modeled food-borne Nipah virus infection by supplying Syrian hamsters with artificial palm sap containing Nipah virus. Drinking of 5×108 TCID50 of Nipah virus resulted in neurological disease in 5 out of 8 hamsters, indicating that food-borne transmission of Nipah virus can indeed occur. In comparison, intranasal (i.n.) inoculation with the same dose of Nipah virus resulted in lethal respiratory disease in all animals. In animals infected with Nipah virus via drinking, virus was detected in respiratory tissues rather than in the intestinal tract. Using fluorescently labeled Nipah virus particles, we showed that during drinking, a substantial amount of virus is deposited in the lungs, explaining the replication of Nipah virus in the respiratory tract of these hamsters. Besides the ability of Nipah virus to infect hamsters via the drinking route, Syrian hamsters infected via that route transmitted the virus through direct contact with naïve hamsters in 2 out of 24 transmission pairs. Although these findings do not directly prove that date palm sap contaminated with Nipah virus by bats is the origin of Nipah virus outbreaks in Bangladesh, they provide the first experimental support for this hypothesis. Understanding the Nipah virus transmission cycle is essential for preventing and mitigating future outbreaks.
The relationship between teaching styles and motivation to teach among physical education teachers.

UNLABELLED This study aims to investigate how teachers' motivation to teach is related to different teaching styles. A hundred and seventy six physical education teachers from five European countries participated in the study. Teachers' motivation was measured using an instrument developed by Roth et al., 2007 based on the Self-Determination Theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985) which was tested for suitability for use with physical education teachers. The use of teaching styles was assessed through teachers' self-reported data according to the description of teaching styles presented by Curtner-Smith et al., 2001. The revised confirmatory factor model of the teachers' motivation instrument, with three factors, met the criteria for satisfactory fit indices. The results showed that teachers were more intrinsically motivated to teach than externally. Cross-cultural comparison indicated that the Spanish teachers were more intrinsically motivated whilst Lithuanian teachers were more externally motivated than teachers from the other four countries. Teachers from all five countries reported a more frequent use of reproductive styles than productive styles. The results of the present study confirmed the hypotheses that teachers' autonomous motivation is related to the student-centered or productive teaching styles whilst non-autonomously motivated teachers adopt more teacher-centered or reproductive teaching styles. Intrinsic and introjected motivation was significantly higher among teachers who more frequently employed productive teaching styles than teachers who used them less frequently. Intrinsically motivated teachers using more productive teaching styles can contribute more to the promotion physical activity among students. KEY POINTS PE teachers were more intrinsically motivated to teach than externally.Spanish PE teachers were more intrinsically motivated, whereas Lithuanian PE teachers were more externally motivated.Teachers from all five countries reported a more frequent use of reproductive styles than productive styles.Teachers' autonomous motivation is related to student-centered teaching styles and not autonomously motivated teachers adopt more teacher-centered teaching styles.Intrinsic and introjected motivations were significantly higher among PE teachers using frequently productive teaching styles.
A red card for women: Female officials ostracized in South Korean football

Referees play an essential role in most sports, but only a few studies have investigated the experiences of female sports officials. This study aims to identify the reasons why women tend to give up the work of refereeing. Six former female referees were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. The findings show that female officials tend to give up their jobs in Korean football due to the negative attitudes held about them, as reflected in remarks and other behavior; the absence of a peer group or a mentoring system for female referees; work–family conflict, in particular following pregnancy and childcare; and a lack of administrative support. Since both the equality and gynocentric feminist theories are applicable in the context of Korean football, effective management strategies are required in order to empower female referees and enhance their capacities to tackle traditional gender inequalities.