Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial reference memory in GluR‐A‐deficient mice using a novel hippocampal‐dependent paddling pool escape task

Genetically modified mice lacking the L‐α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionate (AMPA) receptor subunit, GluR‐A (GluR1), and deficient in hippocampal CA3‐CA1 long‐term potentiation (LTP), were assessed on a novel, hippocampal‐dependent spatial reference memory, paddling pool escape task. The mice were required to use the extramaze cues around the laboratory to find a hidden escape tube that was in a constant location at one of 12 possible positions around the perimeter of the paddling pool, in order to escape from shallow water. The knockout mice performed well on this task. They displayed a small initial impairment (in terms of both escape latencies and choice errors), but they were soon as efficient as the wild‐type mice in escaping from the water. This was further demonstrated by performance during a 20‐s probe trial in which the exit tube was blocked. Both groups of mice spent most of the time searching in the quadrant of the pool in which the exit tube had previously been located. In a subsequent experiment, entirely normal spatial acquisition was observed in the knockout mice when the paddling pool was moved to a novel spatial environment. The GluR‐A−/− mice were also unimpaired in a further reversal phase in which the correct exit location was moved by 180° around the perimeter wall. These results are consistent with previous watermaze studies, providing further demonstration of intact hippocampus‐dependent spatial reference memory in GluR‐A knockout mice. They contrast strikingly with the profound deficits in hippocampus‐dependent, short‐term, flexible spatial working memory observed in these knockout mice. This study also demonstrates a novel behavioral task for assessing spatial memory in genetically modified mice. This task shares the behavioral profile of the well‐established watermaze paradigm, but may have advantages for the study of genetically modified mice. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Deep Learning-Based Image Kernel for Inductive Transfer

We propose a method to classify images from target classes with a small number of training examples based on transfer learning from non-target classes. Without using any more information than class labels for samples from non-target classes, we train a Siamese net to estimate the probability of two images to belong to the same class. With some post-processing, output of the Siamese net can be used to form a gram matrix of a Mercer kernel. Coupled with a support vector machine (SVM), such a kernel gave reasonable classification accuracy on target classes without any fine-tuning. When the Siamese net was only partially fine-tuned using a small number of samples from the target classes, the resulting classifier outperformed the state-of-the-art and other alternatives. We share class separation capabilities and insights into the learning process of such a kernel on MNIST, Dogs vs. Cats, and CIFAR-10 datasets.
Cryptotanshinone inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin pathway is dependent on oestrogen receptor alpha in breast cancer

Cryptotanshinone (CPT) has been demonstrated to inhibit proliferation and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in MCF‐7 breast cancer cells. However, the same results are unable to be repeated in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. Given the main difference of oestrogen receptor α (ERα) between two types of breast cancer cells, It is possibly suggested that CPT inhibits mTOR pathway dependent on ERα in breast cancer. CPT could significantly inhibit cell proliferation of ERα‐positive cancer cells, whereas ERα‐negative cancer cells are insensitive to CPT. The molecular docking results indicated that CPT has a high affinity with ERα, and the oestrogen receptor element luciferase reporter verified CPT distinct anti‐oestrogen effect. Furthermore, CPT inhibits mTOR signalling in MCF‐7 cells, but not in MDA‐MB‐231 cells, which is independent on binding to the FKBP12 and disrupting the mTOR complex. Meanwhile, increased expression of phosphorylation AKT and insulin receptor substrate (IRS1) induced by insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) was antagonized by CPT, but other molecules of IGF‐1/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway such as phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and phosphatidylinositol‐4,5‐bisphosphate 3‐kinase (PI3K) were negatively affected. Finally, the MCF‐7 cells transfected with shERα for silencing ERα show resistant to CPT, and p‐AKT, phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase 1 (p‐S6K1) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E‐BP1) were partially recovered, suggesting ERα is required for CPT inhibition of mTOR signalling. Overall, CPT inhibition of mTOR is dependent on ERα in breast cancer and should be a potential anti‐oestrogen agent and a natural adjuvant for application in endocrine resistance therapy.
Malaria and helminth interactions in humans: an epidemiological viewpoint

Abstract In the tropics, helminths are among the most common chronic infections of humans and Plasmodium infections the most deadly. As these two groups of parasites have similar geographical distributions, co-infection is commonplace. It has increasingly been speculated that helminth infections may alter susceptibility to clinical malaria, and there is now increasing interest in investigating the consequences of co-infection, with studies yielding contrasting results. The immunological interactions between helminths and malarial parasites are unclear, although several hypotheses have been proposed. This review provides an epidemiological overview of the possible interactions between helminths and malarial parasites, in relation to geographical distributions and disease patterns, and provides a critical discussion of the results of the epidemiological studies that have so far been conducted to investigate the possible associations. Future studies that might be considered, in order to address the gaps in knowledge, are also considered.
Clear Cell Myoepithelioma of Palate with Emphasis on Clinical and Histological Differential Diagnosis

Myoepitheliomas account for less than 1% of all salivary gland tumors and mostly occur in the parotid gland and palate. A 58-year old male patient reported to the Outpatient Department of PMS College of Dental Science and Research (Kerala, India) with a slow growing painless swelling on the palate for 4 years. Pleomorphic adenoma, basal cell adenoma, myoepithelioma, cyst adenoma, lipoma, neurofibroma, neurilemmoma and leiomyoma were considered. Histopathology revealed a thinly encapsulated tumor composed mainly of sheets of clear cells mixed with cells having eosinophilic cytoplasm. Histopathological differential diagnosis included pleomorphic adenoma, oncocytoma, oncocytic hyperplasia, sebaceous adenoma, malignant salivary gland neoplasms and metastatic lesions from kidney and thyroid. Myoepitheliomas mostly occur in the parotid gland and palatal region and various histological types of myoepithelioma are described. Myoepitheliomas of the palate are rare with clear cell variant even rarer.
Microglia and neurodegeneration: The role of systemic inflammation

It is well accepted that CNS inflammation has a role in the progression of chronic neurodegenerative disease, although the mechanisms through which this occurs are still unclear. The inflammatory response during most chronic neurodegenerative disease is dominated by the microglia and mechanisms by which these cells contribute to neuronal damage and degeneration are the subject of intense study. More recently it has emerged that systemic inflammation has a significant role to play in the progression of these diseases. Well‐described adaptive pathways exist to transduce systemic inflammatory signals to the brain, but activation of these pathways appears to be deleterious to the brain if the acute insult is sufficiently robust, as in severe sepsis, or sufficiently prolonged, as in repeated stimulation with robust doses of inflammogens such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Significantly, moderate doses of inflammogens produce new pathology in the brain and exacerbate or accelerate features of disease when superimposed upon existing pathology or in the context of genetic predisposition. It is now apparent in multiple chronic disease states, and in ageing, that microglia are primed by prior pathology, or by genetic predisposition, to respond more vigorously to subsequent inflammatory stimulation, thus transforming an adaptive CNS inflammatory response to systemic inflammation, into one that has deleterious consequences for the individual. In this review, the preclinical and clinical evidence supporting a significant role for systemic inflammation in chronic neurodegenerative diseases will be discussed. Mechanisms by which microglia might effect neuronal damage and dysfunction, as a consequence of systemic stimulation, will be highlighted. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Replay of Very Early Encoding Representations during Recollection

Long-term memories are linked to cortical representations of perceived events, but it is unclear which types of representations can later be recollected. Using magnetoencephalography-based decoding, we examined which brain activity patterns elicited during encoding are later replayed during recollection in the human brain. The results show that the recollection of images depicting faces and scenes is associated with a replay of neural representations that are formed at very early (180 ms) stages of encoding. This replay occurs quite rapidly, ∼500 ms after the onset of a cue that prompts recollection and correlates with source memory accuracy. Therefore, long-term memories are rapidly replayed during recollection and involve representations that were formed at very early stages of encoding. These findings indicate that very early representational information can be preserved in the memory engram and can be faithfully and rapidly reinstated during recollection. These novel insights into the nature of the memory engram provide constraints for mechanistic models of long-term memory function.
Amblyomma americanum as a Bridging Vector for Human Infection with Francisella tularensis

The γ-proteobacterium Francisella tularensis causes seasonal tick-transmitted tularemia outbreaks in natural rabbit hosts and incidental infections in humans in the south-central United States. Although Dermacentor variabilis is considered a primary vector for F. tularensis, Amblyomma americanum is the most abundant tick species in this endemic region. A systematic study of F. tularensis colonization of A. americanum was undertaken to better understand its potential to serve as an overwintering reservoir for F. tularensis and as a bridging vector for human infections. Colony-reared A. americanum were artificially fed F. tularensis subspecies holarctica strain LVS via glass capillaries and colonization levels determined. Capillary-fed larva and nymph were initially infected with 104 CFU/tick which declined prior to molting for both stages, but rebounded post-molting in nymphs and persisted in 53% at 103 to 108 CFU/nymph at 168 days post-capillary feeding (longest sampling time in the study). In contrast, only 18% of adults molted from colonized nymphs maintained LVS colonization at 101 to 105 CFU/adult at 168 days post-capillary feeding (longest sampling time). For adults, LVS initially colonized the gut and disseminated to salivary glands by 24 h and had an ID50 of <5CFU in mice. Francisella tularensis infected the ovaries of gravid females, but transmission to eggs was infrequent and transovarial transmission to hatched larvae was not observed. The prolonged persistence of F. tularensis in A. americanum nymphs supports A. americanum as an overwintering reservoir for F. tularensis from which seasonal epizootics may originate; however, although the rapid dissemination of F. tularensis from gut to salivary glands in adults A. americanum is compatible with intermittent feeding adult males acting as bridging vectors for incidental F. tularensis infections of humans, acquisition of F. tularensis by adults may be unlikely based on adult feeding preference for larger mammals which are not involved in maintenance of sylvatic tularemia.
Local content game: The preferred choice for mobile learning space

Two studies to find out Malaysian students’ preferences towards learning using mobile space are conducted.This first study is a survey gathered from 591 secondary school students, age 13 to 17 years old.The main objective of the survey is to acquire relevant data to support a mobile gamebased learning (mGBL) development.The outcome of this survey indicates that almost 60% of the students prefer mobile phone as the chosen platform for game-based learning rather than other devices.Further finding suggests that, in order to provide successful learning environment for students; both entertainment and education values should be embraced, suggesting mGBL as the possible solution.Also, 83% stated that they preferred local designed characters with local culture based contents.Next, the second study determines what types of game characters appeal to the students. From this, two points are concluded, which are (i) local, appealing and well-developed characters are important elements to motivate students and (ii) local uniqueness must always be incorporated to increase mGBL acceptance.
Social Deprivation and Exclusion of Immigrants in Germany

This paper aims at providing empirical evidence on social exclusion of immigrants in Germany. We demonstrate that when using a conventional definition of the social inclusion index typically applied in the literature, immigrants appear to experience a significant degree of social deprivation and exclusion, confirming much of the economic literature examining the economic assimilation of immigrants in Germany. We propose a weighting scheme that weights components of social inclusion by their subjective contribution to an overall measure of life satisfaction.Using this weighting scheme to calculate an index of social inclusion, we find that immigrants are in fact as "included" as Germans. This result is driven strongly by the disproportionately positive socio-demographic characteristics that immigrants possess as measured by the contribution to their life satisfaction.
Small Scale Gold Mining And Heavy Metal Pollution: Assessment of Drinking Water Sources In Datuku In The Talensi-Nabdam District.

Most people in rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa are poverty stricken. They support their livelihoods by the exploitation of natural resources in their vicinity which often result in environmental degradation. This study was carried out in Datuku in the Talensi-Nabdam District in the Upper East region of Ghana to assess the effect of small scale gold mining on the quality of drinking water in the community. Water quality was based on physico- chemical analysis of samples collected from water source in the community. A total of seventy-two water samples were collected from surface and ground water sources in the study area for a period of six months and analysed. Generally many of the parameters analysed wer e well within the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended limits for drinking water quality. pH ranged from 6.72 to 7.95 (7.3), conductivity ranged from 204 to 1565 µs/cm (666.5 µs/cm), chloride ranged from 8 to 113 mg/l (44.13 mg/l), sulfate ranged from 4.7 to 428 mg/l (39.81 mg/l) and 0 . 018 to 19.41 mg/l (2.23 mg/l) for total iron. A few of the parameters were however, above WHO's limits. Turbidity, nitrate, cadmium, total iron, manganese and arsenic levels were higher than WHO's recommended limits for drinking water quality. Turbidity ranged from 1 to 447 NTU (55 NTU), nitrate ranged from 0.15 to 595 (47.1), cadmium ranged from 0.005 to 0.029 mg/l (0.014 mg/l), manganese ranged from 0.036 to 2.24 mg/l (0.66 mg/l) and 0.001 to 0.009 mg/l (0.003 mg/l) for arsenic.
Ethnic Speech and Ethnic Action as Ethnic Behavior: Part 2. Validation of the Brunel Ethnic Behavior Inventory

ABSTRACT This study sought to validate the Brunel Ethnic Behavior Inventory (BEBI) as a measure of two aspects of “doing” (i.e., ethnic speech and ethnic action) among the “ways of ethnicity” identified by Verkuyten. It also evaluates the construct validity of the BEBI alongside the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure-Revised (MEIM-R) and evaluates the BEBI and the MEIM-R (the latter of which measures exploration as “thinking” and commitment as “feeling” among ways of ethnicity) regarding criterion-related validity. Across two samples (n = 120 for Sample 1 and n = 148 for Sample 2), the BEBI and the MEIM-R performed suitably with regard to construct validity. However, the BEBI arguably performed better with regard to criterion-related validity (i.e., in predicting scores on life satisfaction, flourishing, positive and negative moods, and positive and negative emotions). Implications for validation studies on ways of ethnicity are discussed.
Fundamental differences in spontaneous synaptic inhibition between deep and superficial layers of the rat entorhinal cortex

We have previously shown that there are clear differences between spontaneous excitatory synaptic currents recorded in layers V and II of the rat entorhinal cortex (EC) in vitro, and have suggested that these might contribute to a more pronounced susceptibility of the deeper layer to epileptogenesis. In the present study, we have made a detailed comparison of spontaneous synaptic inhibition between the two layers by recording spontaneous inhibitory synaptic currents (sIPSCs) using whole‐cell patch‐clamp techniques in EC slices. Pharmacological studies indicated that sIPSCs were mediated exclusively by γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptors. There was little difference in average amplitudes, rise or decay times of sIPSCs in layer II compared with layer V. However, in the former, events occurred at 4–5 times the frequency seen in the latter, and frequencies of ≤40 Hz were not uncommon. When activity‐independent, miniature IPSCs were isolated in tetrodotoxin (TTX), the frequency in layer V was more than halved, but in layer II only a small reduction was seen, and the frequency remained very high. In terms of kinetics, while averaged sIPSCs in each layer were very similar, detailed comparison of individual sIPSCs within layers revealed distinct differences, possibly reflecting inputs from different subtypes of interneurons or inputs at different somatodendritic locations. In layer V, sIPSCs could be divided into three groups, one with slow rise and decay kinetics and a second with fast rise kinetics, further distinguished into two groups by either fast or slow decay kinetics. The distinction between events in layer II was simpler, one group having both fast rise and decay times and the second with both parameters much slower. Finally, IPSCs could occur in high‐frequency bursts in both layers, although these were much more prevalent in layer II. The results are discussed in terms of the overall level of background inhibition in the two layers, as well as how this might relate to their susceptibilities to epileptogenesis. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Improved kernel estimation of copulas: Weak convergence and goodness-of-fit testing

We reconsider the existing kernel estimators for a copula function, as proposed in Gijbels and Mielniczuk [Comm. Statist. Theory Methods 19 (1990) 445-464], Fermanian, Radulovic and Wegkamp [Bernoulli 10 (2004) 847-860] and Chen and Huang [Canad. J. Statist. 35 (2007) 265-282]. All of these estimators have as a drawback that they can suffer from a comer bias problem. A way to deal with this is to impose rather stringent conditions on the copula, outruling as such many classical families of copulas. In this paper, we propose improved estimators that take care of the typical corner bias problem. For Gijbels and Mielniczuk [Comm. Statist. Theory Methods 19 (1990) 445-464] and Chen and Huang [Canad. J. Statist. 35 (2007) 265-282], the improvement involves shrinking the bandwidth with an appropriate functional factor; for Fermanian, Radulovic and Wegkamp [Bernoulli 10 (2004) 847-860], this is done by using a transformation. The theoretical contribution of the paper is a weak convergence result for the three improved estimators under conditions that are met for most copula families. We also discuss the choice of bandwidth parameters, theoretically and practically, and illustrate the finite-sample behaviour of the estimators in a simulation study. The improved estimators are applied to goodness-of-fit testing for copulas.
Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Adenylyl Transferase 2: A Promising Diagnostic and Therapeutic Target for Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers all over the world. It is essential to search for more effective diagnostic and therapeutic methods for CRC. Abnormal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) metabolism has been considered as a characteristic of cancer cells. In this study, nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyl transferases (NMNATs) as well as p53-mediated cancer signaling pathways were investigated in patients with colorectal cancer. The CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 95 untreated colorectal cancer patients and were stained for expression of nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyl transferase 2 (NMNAT2) and p53. The survival rate was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted as well. Our data demonstrated that expression of NMNAT2 and p53 was significantly higher in CRC tissues, while NMNAT2 expression is in correlation with the invasive depth of tumors and TNM stage. Significant positive correlation was found between the expression of NMNAT2 and the expression of p53. However, NMNAT2 expression was not a statistically significant prognostic factor for overall survival. In conclusion, our results indicated that NMNAT2 might participate in tumorigenesis of CRC in a p53-dependent manner and NMNAT2 expression might be a potential therapeutic target for CRC.
Empirical comparison of Chirp and Multitones on experimental UWB software defined radar prototype

This paper proposes and tests an approach for an unbiased study of radar waveforms' performances. Using the ultrawide band software defined radar prototype, the performances of Chirp and Multitones are compared in range profile and detection range. The architecture was implemented and has performances comparable to the state of the art in software defined radar prototypes. The experimental results are consistent with the simulations.
Stereo Matching via Learning Multiple Experts Behaviors

Window-based matching such as normalized cross-correlation (NCC) can reliably estimate depth even when the constant brightness assumption is violated in stereo due to imaging noise or different camera gains. However, fixed window methods tend to have poor performance at depth discontinuities and in low-texture regions. In this paper, we describes a novel learning-based algorithm, for stereo matching. The algorithm is based on the observation that the matching behavior of each expert is determined by the image texture and the underlying scene structure. In the proposed approach, the behaviors of multiple experts are first learned from ground truth using a simple histogrambased method and the likelihood under each expert is then combined probabilistically into a global MAP-MRF depth estimation framework. Since the resultant likelihood is a function of both stereo image and scene depth in a large neighboring area, we present an iterative Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for the MAP estimation that alternates between predicting expert behaviors and updating the disparity map. The experimental results show that our algorithm is comparable with state-of-the-art methods when the stereo images have identical intensity level but outperforms them when the intensities vary.