Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intersensory Redundancy Guides the Development of Selective Attention, Perception, and Cognition in Infancy

That the senses provide overlapping information for objects and events is no extravagance of nature. This overlap facilitates attention to critical aspects of sensory stimulation, those that are redundantly specified, and attenuates attention to nonredundantly specified stimulus properties. This selective attention is most pronounced in infancy and gives initial advantage to the perceptual processing of, learning of, and memory for stimulus properties that are redundant, or amodal (e.g., synchrony, rhythm, and intensity), at the expense of modality-specific properties (e.g., color, pitch, and timbre) that can be perceived through only one sense. We review evidence supporting this hypothesis and discuss its implications for theories of perceptual, cognitive, and social development.
The Role of Cannabinoids in Modulating Emotional and Non-Emotional Memory Processes in the Hippocampus

Cannabinoid agonists generally have a disruptive effect on memory, learning, and operant behavior that is considered to be hippocampus-dependent. Nevertheless, under certain conditions, cannabinoid receptor activation may facilitate neuronal learning processes. For example, CB1 receptors are essential for the extinction of conditioned fear associations, indicating an important role for this receptor in neuronal emotional learning and memory. This review examines the diverse effects of cannabinoids on hippocampal memory and plasticity. It shows how the effects of cannabinoid receptor activation may vary depending on the route of administration, the nature of the task (aversive or not), and whether it involves emotional memory formation (e.g., conditioned fear and extinction learning) or non-emotional memory formation (e.g., spatial learning). It also examines the memory stage under investigation (acquisition, consolidation, retrieval, extinction), and the brain areas involved. Differences between the effects of exogenous and endogenous agonists are also discussed. The apparently biphasic effects of cannabinoids on anxiety is noted as this implies that the effects of cannabinoid receptor agonists on hippocampal learning and memory may be attributable to a general modulation of anxiety or stress levels and not to memory per se. The review concludes that cannabinoids have diverse effects on hippocampal memory and plasticity that cannot be categorized simply into an impairing or an enhancing effect. A better understanding of the involvement of cannabinoids in memory processes will help determine whether the benefits of the clinical use of cannabinoids outweigh the risks of possible memory impairments.
Self recognition by T cells. I. Bystander killing of target cells bearing syngeneic MHC antigens

Activated CTL can kill any cell to which they bind or by which they are bound. This observation has been used to determine whether alloreactive CTL can recognize cells bearing self-MHC. When activated by their specific targets, 19 CTL clones of 4 different specificities and origins killed bystander targets bearing syngeneic but not third-party MHC antigens. Using target cells derived from MHC-recombinant animals, syngeneic bystander killing was shown to be restricted to a single self MHC-encoded molecule. These results provide the first clear demonstration that T cells, or more precisely CTL, are capable of self recognition in the absence of their specific antigen. Our findings support the model that T cell repertoire selection occurs as a result of positive selection during maturation in the thymus of precursor cells whose antigen receptors have low but real affinity for self-MHC.
Pancreatic tumours: molecular pathways implicated in ductal cancer are involved in ampullary but not in exocrine nonductal or endocrine tumorigenesis

Alterations of K-ras, p53, p16 and DPC4/Smad4 characterize pancreatic ductal cancer (PDC). Reports of inactivation of these latter two genes in pancreatic endocrine tumours (PET) suggest that common molecular pathways are involved in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic exocrine and endocrine epithelia. We characterized 112 primary pancreatic tumours for alterations in p16 and DPC4 and immunohistochemical expression of DPC4. The cases included 34 PDC, 10 intraductal papillary-mucinous tumours (IPMT), 6 acinar carcinomas (PAC), 5 solid-pseudopapillary tumours (SPT), 16 ampulla of Vater cancers (AVC) and 41 PET. All tumours were also presently or previously analysed for K-ras and p53 mutations and allelic loss at 9p, 17p and 18q. Alterations in K-ras, p53, p16 and DPC4 were found in 82%, 53%, 38% and 9% of PDC, respectively and in 47%, 60%, 25% and 6% of AVC. Alterations in these genes were virtually absent in PET, PAC or SPT, while in IPMT only K-ras mutations were present (30%). Positive immunostaining confirmed the absence of DPC4 alterations in all IPMT, SPT, PAC and PET, while 47% of PDC and 38% of AVC were immunonegative. These data suggest that pancreatic exocrine and endocrine tumourigenesis involves different genetic targets and that among exocrine pancreatic neoplasms, only ductal and ampullary cancers share common molecular events. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer. com
Injury Contagion in Alpine Ski Racing: The Effect of Injury on Teammates’ Performance

Season-ending injuries, particularly those to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), continue to occur at a high rate in many sports. Although multiple factors are thought to contribute to this injury rate, no study has looked at possible psychological influences. Therefore, the present hypothesis suggests that there exists an emotional trauma that affects athletes after seeing someone in their own sport sustain a serious injury. This traumatic response could result in a change in performance tactics that could result in injury to oneself (“injury contagion”). Students numbering 459 (N= 459; 277 males and 182 females) from four ski academies were studied. Results from psychological testing showed an increase in the use of fear words and phrases after injury to a teammate. As a result, it is recommended that coaches and other personnel maintain a heightened awareness of teammates’ emotions after a team member sustains a significant injury.
Attributions of Counseling by Counselor Trainees and Supervisors over Time.

A supervision analogue was used to examine attributional processes in counselor supervision. Specifically, differences between counselor trainees and supervisors and changes during the supervision process were hypothesized. Results failed to confirm previous findings of differences (cf. actor-observer differences) between trainees and supervisors, but did show significant (p ( .05) changes over time for both parties on the attributional measures of locus, stability, and controllability of causality. Counselor trainees were seen as more the locus of causality, and the causes for the events in the analogue counseling sessions were seen as more stable and controllable as supervision progressed. Attributions and Supervision
Enhancement of BDNF Concentration and Restoration of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Accompany Reduced Depressive-Like Behaviour in Stressed Ovariectomised Rats Treated with Either Tualang Honey or Estrogen

A possible interaction between glucocorticoids and estrogen-induced increases in brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in enhancing depressive-like behaviour has been documented. Here we evaluated the effects of Tualang honey, a phytoestrogen, and 17β-estradiol (E2) on the depressive-like behaviour, stress hormones, and BDNF concentration in stressed ovariectomised (OVX) rats. The animals were divided into six groups: (i) nonstressed sham-operated control, (ii) stressed sham-operated control, (iii) nonstressed OVX, (iv) stressed OVX, (v) stressed OVX treated with E2 (20 μg daily, sc), and (vi) stressed OVX treated with Tualang honey (0.2 g/kg body weight daily, orally). Two months after surgery, the animals were subjected to social instability stress procedure followed by forced swimming test. Struggling time, immobility time, and swimming time were scored. Serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone levels, and the BDNF concentration were determined using commercially available ELISA kits. Stressed OVX rats displayed increased depressive-like behaviour with significantly increased serum ACTH and corticosterone levels, while the BDNF concentration was significantly decreased compared to other experimental groups. These changes were notably reversed by both E2 and Tualang honey. In conclusion, both Tualang honey and E2 mediate antidepressive-like effects in stressed OVX rats, possibly acting via restoration of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and enhancement of the BDNF concentration.
Role of the Carbohydrate-Binding Sites of Griffithsin in the Prevention of DC-SIGN-Mediated Capture and Transmission of HIV-1

Background The glycan-targeting C-type DC-SIGN lectin receptor is implicated in the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by binding the virus and transferring the captured HIV-1 to CD4+ T lymphocytes. Carbohydrate binding agents (CBAs) have been reported to block HIV-1 infection. We have now investigated the potent mannose-specific anti-HIV CBA griffithsin (GRFT) on its ability to inhibit the capture of HIV-1 to DC-SIGN, its DC-SIGN-directed transmission to CD4+ T-lymphocytes and the role of the three carbohydrate-binding sites (CBS) of GRFT in these processes. Findings GRFT inhibited HIV-1(IIIB) infection of CEM and HIV-1(NL4.3) infection of C8166 CD4+ T-lymphocytes at an EC50 of 0.059 and 0.444 nM, respectively. The single mutant CBS variants of GRFT (in which a key Asp in one of the CBS was mutated to Ala) were about ∼20 to 60-fold less potent to prevent HIV-1 infection and ∼20 to 90-fold less potent to inhibit syncytia formation in co-cultures of persistently HIV-1 infected HuT-78 and uninfected C8166 CD4+ T-lymphocytes. GRFT prevents DC-SIGN-mediated virus capture and HIV-1 transmission to CD4+ T-lymphocytes at an EC50 of 1.5 nM and 0.012 nM, respectively. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies revealed that wild-type GRFT efficiently blocked the binding between DC-SIGN and immobilized gp120, whereas the point mutant CBS variants of GRFT were ∼10- to 15-fold less efficient. SPR-analysis also demonstrated that wild-type GRFT and its single mutant CBS variants have the capacity to expel bound gp120 from the gp120-DC-SIGN complex in a dose dependent manner, a property that was not observed for HHA, another mannose-specific potent anti-HIV-1 CBA. Conclusion GRFT is inhibitory against HIV gp120 binding to DC-SIGN, efficiently prevents DC-SIGN-mediated transfer of HIV-1 to CD4+ T-lymphocytes and is able to expel gp120 from the gp120-DC-SIGN complex. Functionally intact CBS of GRFT are important for the optimal action of GRFT.
Multiple roles for TGFβ receptor type II in regulating the pancreatic response in acute pancreatitis

In their recent publication in Journal of Pathology, Grabliauskaite and Sapanora and their colleagues in Zurich use a conditional ablation of the TGFβ type II receptor (TBRII) to analyse its specific role in pancreatic epithelial cells in response to a caerulein‐induced model of acute pancreatitis. These experiments help to clarify some confusion that has existed in the literature stemming from the use of a dominant‐negative transgenic TBRII mouse. The results point to a central role for TBRII in acinar cells in mitigating the overall response of the pancreas to the damage and inflammation of acute pancreatitis. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
School Connectedness for Students in Low-Income Urban High Schools

Background/Context In this article, we explore school connectedness for students in a high-poverty urban school. Current approaches to measuring connection conflate behavior and attitudinal measures of connection and rarely explore school connection in urban school settings. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study We examine interpersonal (attitudinal) and institutional (behavioral) connection in the context of an urban high school. We ask, How are affective and behavioral dimensions of school connection related to one another for African American students in a high-poverty urban high school? How does affective and behavioral connection and disconnection play out in the school lives of students? And how is it related to the specifics of the school context? Research Design We surveyed 120 high school students and collected observational and interview data on a subset of 20 case study students at an urban high school. Surveys, observations, and interviews focused on capturing students’ interpersonal and institutional connection as well as students’ academic achievement and academic identities. Findings Data indicate that in this urban school context, dual dimensions of connectedness (interpersonal connection and institutional connection) operated in different ways for students. Specifically, we describe four connectedness quadrants, highlighting both academic outcomes for students in these quadrants and detailing the ways in which interpersonal and institutional connectedness played out in the context of the school. Students who were connected both interpersonally and institutionally had higher grades and graduation rates. Students who were high on institutional connection but low on interpersonal connection fared next best, and students who were institutionally disconnected were worse off on a variety of outcomes. Students’ institutional and interpersonal connection were also deeply tied to aspects of the local school context. Conclusions/Recommendations These findings raise important concerns with respect to using traditional connectedness measures in urban school contexts and suggest the use of more nuanced measures of connectedness in future studies. Findings also suggest that schools play an important role in structuring experiences of connection or disconnection for students.
Performance analysis of EXP/PF and M-LWDF in downlink 3GPP LTE system

This paper investigates the performance of exponential/proportional fair (EXP/PF) and maximum-largest weighted delay first (M-LWDF) scheduling algorithms in the third generation partnership project long term evolution (3GPP LTE) providing packet-switched multimedia services. It, then, identifies a suitable packet scheduling algorithm on a basis of their performance evaluation. The performance evaluation is conducted in terms of system throughput, average real time (RT) and non-real time (NRT) throughput, packet loss for RT service and fairness for NRT service. A video streaming traffic is used to model the RT service, while a web-browsing traffic is modelled for NRT service. Simulation results show that at lower load M-LWDF algorithm provides better performance than EXP/PF while as the load increases the EXP/PF gives better performance.
In Vivo Mechanical Behavior of Intra-abdominal Organs

For realistic surgical simulation in a virtual environment, in vivo material properties of biological tissues are required for simulating the deformations and the reaction forces from the tool-tissue interactions. In this paper, the in vivo static and dynamic mechanical behavior of the liver and lower esophagus of pigs were presented both in linear and nonlinear regions under compressive and shear indentations. A robotic device was programmed to function as a mechanical stimulator with a 2-mm flat-tipped cylindrical probe attached to its tip. A series of ramp and hold stimuli, as well as sinusoidal indentation stimuli, were delivered to the organs and reaction forces were measured. The conditions for these indentation stimuli were designed such that they were similar to conditions in an operating room. Experiments were also carried out on the organs for ex vivo and in vitro conditions. Results show that the breathing and pulse rate significantly affect the measured force responses of the organs. From the obtained force-displacement relationships, steady-state impedances as well as dynamic impedances of both organs were calculated. The results also show that in vivo steady-state impedance of the lower esophagus is significantly higher than that of the liver. The in vivo steady-state response of the liver, however, exhibits a greater degree of nonlinearity than that of the lower esophagus. The in vivo steady-state response of the lower esophagus in the three orthogonal directions also indicates that the lower esophagus is not significantly anisotropic. The impedance of both organs under sinusoidal indentations (0-5 Hz) are fairly similar each other. Magnitudes of the impedance over the stimulus frequencies are fairly constant. The impedance phase angles decrease over the range of stimulus frequencies applied. Comparison of the measurements obtained from the in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro experiments shows that the mechanical properties of the biological tissues change significantly after the death of the animal. The tissues generally become stiffer and exhibit greater nonlinearity. The degree of change in their mechanical properties is dependent on the amount of time after the death of the animal. These data can be further utilized in the computing of the material parameters of tissue models for laparoscopic surgery simulators as well as open surgery simulators
Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) Dynamic Address Reconfiguration

This document describes extensions to the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) [RFC2960] that provide methods to (1) reconfigure IP address information on an existing association and (2) request that a peer set flow limits in units of bytes or messages, either on a per- stream or per-association basis.
Passive Coherent Location With Unknown Transmitter States

This paper addresses the problem of passive coherent location (PCL) using a mobile transmitter with unknown state as an illuminator of opportunity. First, the necessary and sufficient conditions for local observability are derived using the Fisher information matrix (FIM). Second, a two-point track initialization approach, together with an efficient numerical search method, is proposed to initialize the target state as well as the transmitter state. Third, a recursive multitarget tracking algorithm with the proposed PCL system, in which the number of targets is unknown in the presence of measurement origin uncertainty, false alarms, and missed detections, is presented. The target state and the transmitter state are estimated in a sequential manner. In order to improve track continuity, a two-level gating technique is adopted in the data association phase of the proposed algorithm. Fourth, the posterior Cram $\acute{e}$r–Rao lower bound (PCRLB), with measurement origin uncertainty and transmitter state uncertainty, is derived to provide the optimal theoretical performance bound. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Determinants of activation kinetics in mammalian hyperpolarization‐activated cation channels

1 The structural basis for the different activation kinetics of hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated (HCN) channels was investigated with the whole‐cell patch clamp technique by using HCN1, HCN4, chimeric channels and mutants in a mammalian expression system (COS−7). 2 The activation time constant of HCN4 was about 40‐fold longer than that of HCN1 when compared at −100 mV. 3 In chimeras between HCN1 and HCN4, the region of the S1 transmembrane domain and the exoplasmic S1‐S2 linker markedly affected the activation kinetics. The cytoplasmic region between S6 and the cyclic nucleotide‐binding domain (CNBD) also significantly affected the activation kinetics. 4 The S1 domain and S1‐S2 linker of HCN1 differ from those of HCN4 at eight amino acid residues, and each single point mutation of them changed the activation kinetics less than 2‐fold. However, the effects of those mutations were additive and the substitution of the whole S1 and S1‐S2 region of HCN1 by that of HCN4 resulted in a 10− to 20‐fold slowing. 5 The results indicate that S1 and S1‐S2, and S6‐CNBD are the crucial components for the activation gating of HCN channels.
Emerging pharmaceutical therapies for COPD

COPD, for which cigarette smoking is the major risk factor, remains a worldwide burden. Current therapies provide only limited short-term benefit and fail to halt progression. A variety of potential therapeutic targets are currently being investigated, including COPD-related proinflammatory mediators and signaling pathways. Other investigational compounds target specific aspects or complications of COPD such as mucus hypersecretion and pulmonary hypertension. Although many candidate therapies have shown no significant effects, other emerging therapies have improved lung function, pulmonary hypertension, glucocorticoid sensitivity, and/or the frequency of exacerbations. Among these are compounds that inhibit the CXCR2 receptor, mitogen-activated protein kinase/Src kinase, myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate, selectins, and the endothelin receptor. Activation of certain transcription factors may also be relevant, as a large retrospective cohort study of COPD patients with diabetes found that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonists rosiglitazone and pioglitazone were associated with reduced COPD exacerbation rate. Notably, several therapies have shown efficacy only in identifiable subgroups of COPD patients, suggesting that subgroup identification may become more important in future treatment strategies. This review summarizes the status of emerging therapeutic pharmaceuticals for COPD and highlights those that appear most promising.
The Constrained Shortest Path Problem: Algorithmic Approaches and an Algebraic Study with Generalization ∗

The constrained shortest path (CSP) problem requires the determination of a minimum cost s - t path with delay at most a nonzero integer T. In this paper, we first point out the equivalence of certain algorithms, simply called the LARAC (Lagrangian Relaxation Based Aggregated Cost) algorithm presented independently in some earlier works. The LARAC algorithm solves the integer relaxation of the CSP problem (RELAX-CSP) and is based on a geometric approach. We then present an algebraic study of RELAX-CSP and establish several new properties of the optimal solution. These properties also hold for a class of combinatorial optimization problems involving two additive parameters. We follow this by establishing a characterization of optimal solutions for the general CSP problem involving more than two additive parameters. We present a new heuristic called LARAC-BIN based on binary search. This heuristic involves a parameter whose value can be specified in advance depending on the allowable deviation of the cost from the optimum. Using Megiddo’s parametric search, we also present a strongly polynomial time algorithm for RELAX-CSP. This algorithm has the best complexity to date for RELAX-CSP. Finally, we present an integrated approach to the CSP problem and show how the LARAC algorithm can be used to achieve considerable speedup of � -approximation algorithms for the CSP problem.