Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling Maintenance of Long-Term Potentiation in Clustered Synapses: Long-Term Memory without Bistability

Memories are stored, at least partly, as patterns of strong synapses. Given molecular turnover, how can synapses maintain strong for the years that memories can persist? Some models postulate that biochemical bistability maintains strong synapses. However, bistability should give a bimodal distribution of synaptic strength or weight, whereas current data show unimodal distributions for weights and for a correlated variable, dendritic spine volume. Thus it is important for models to simulate both unimodal distributions and long-term memory persistence. Here a model is developed that connects ongoing, competing processes of synaptic growth and weakening to stochastic processes of receptor insertion and removal in dendritic spines. The model simulates long-term (>1 yr) persistence of groups of strong synapses. A unimodal weight distribution results. For stability of this distribution it proved essential to incorporate resource competition between synapses organized into small clusters. With competition, these clusters are stable for years. These simulations concur with recent data to support the “clustered plasticity hypothesis” which suggests clusters, rather than single synaptic contacts, may be a fundamental unit for storage of long-term memory. The model makes empirical predictions and may provide a framework to investigate mechanisms maintaining the balance between synaptic plasticity and stability of memory.
Temporal and spatial parameters of gait during pregnancy.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to describe spatial and temporal parameters during gait in pregnant women, and to compare it with women in post-partum and with a control group. METHODS To investigate alteration in natural locomotion, we used an electronic walkway (GAITRite system). Fifty-eight pregnant women (four last months of pregnancy), nine post-partum women and twenty-three healthy nulligravidae women participated in this study. The women performed the motor task at three different speeds: preferred, fast and slow. Spatial and temporal parameters for pregnant and non-pregnant were compared. RESULTS In pregnant women, gait speed, step length and cadence were reduced. Consequently, cycle time was longer. The gait cycle was modified by an increase of stance phase and a decrease of swing phase. As a result, an increase of double support and a decrease of single support phases were observed. Step width increased by 15%. CONCLUSIONS The pattern of gait displayed significant modifications during pregnancy as compared to nulliparous women. These changes favour a more stable and safe gait. After childbirth, women kept some characteristics of gait in pregnancy during 8 months.
Association between PDCD 1 , CTLA 4 , and MECP 2 gene polymorphisms and systemic lupus erythematosus in the Chinese Northern

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that results in chronic inflammation of different organ systems. Several susceptibility loci for SLE have been suggested in different populations, but the nature of the susceptibility genes has yet to be determined. The programmed cell death 1 gene (PDCD1), the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) gene, and the methyl-CpGbinding protein 2 gene (MECP2) are considered to be the candidate genes associated with SLE. We analyzed the role of PDCD1, CTLA4, and MECP2 gene polymorphisms in Han patients suffering from SLE. Using a casecontrol study, 263 SLE patients and 263 healthy controls were collected from Chinese Northern Han people. Genomic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood leukocytes and the genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction/ligase detection reaction assay. A statistically 17568 H.R. Dong et al. ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp. com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 14 (4): 17567-17573 (2015) significant difference was observed in the rs2239464 and rs2075596 polymorphisms of MECP2 between SLE subjects and controls. The GG genotype in rs2239464 and the GG genotype in rs2075596 might protect against SLE. In contrast, no such association was found in the CTLA4 or PDCD1 polymorphisms. The rs2239464 and rs2075596 polymorphisms of MECP2 might play a significant role in the development of SLE in the Northern Han of China.
Flashover Performance of HVDC Iced Insulator Strings

Based on artificial icing test results, it was found that the DC flashover voltage of iced insulator strings was non-linear with different string lengths. An experimental formula of flashover voltage on iced insulators of different string lengths is introduced in this paper. Icing tests were carried out on different kinds of insulators including DC anti-fog, double-shed and three-shed insulators. Under serious ice conditions, the DC flashover voltages of the different types of insulator strings were very close. The flashover voltage of energized iced strings was a little higher than that of de-energized ones.
Sirt3 Regulates Metabolic Flexibility of Skeletal Muscle Through Reversible Enzymatic Deacetylation

Sirt3 is an NAD+-dependent deacetylase that regulates mitochondrial function by targeting metabolic enzymes and proteins. In fasting mice, Sirt3 expression is decreased in skeletal muscle resulting in increased mitochondrial protein acetylation. Deletion of Sirt3 led to impaired glucose oxidation in muscle, which was associated with decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, accumulation of pyruvate and lactate metabolites, and an inability of insulin to suppress fatty acid oxidation. Antibody-based acetyl-peptide enrichment and mass spectrometry of mitochondrial lysates from WT and Sirt3 KO skeletal muscle revealed that a major target of Sirt3 deacetylation is the E1α subunit of PDH (PDH E1α). Sirt3 knockout in vivo and Sirt3 knockdown in myoblasts in vitro induced hyperacetylation of the PDH E1α subunit, altering its phosphorylation leading to suppressed PDH enzymatic activity. The inhibition of PDH activity resulting from reduced levels of Sirt3 induces a switch of skeletal muscle substrate utilization from carbohydrate oxidation toward lactate production and fatty acid utilization even in the fed state, contributing to a loss of metabolic flexibility. Thus, Sirt3 plays an important role in skeletal muscle mitochondrial substrate choice and metabolic flexibility in part by regulating PDH function through deacetylation.
Climate Model Assessment of Changes in Winter–Spring Streamflow Timing over North America

Over regions where snowmelt runoff substantially contributes to winter–spring streamflows, warming can accelerate snowmelt and reduce dry-season streamflows. However, conclusive detection of changes and attribution to anthropogenic forcing is hindered by the brevity of observational records, model uncertainty, and uncertainty concerning internal variability. In this study, the detection/attribution of changes in midlatitude North American winter–spring streamflow timing is examined using nine global climate models under multiple forcing scenarios. Robustness across models, start/end dates for trends, and assumptions about internal variability are evaluated. Marginal evidence for an emerging detectable anthropogenic influence (according to four or five of nine models) is found in the north-central United States, where winter–spring streamflows have been starting earlier. Weaker indications of detectable anthropogenic influence (three of nine models) are found in the mountainous western United States/southwestern Canada and in the extreme northeastern United States/Canadian Maritimes. In the former region, a recent shift toward later streamflows has rendered the full-record trend toward earlier streamflows only marginally significant, with possible implications for previously published climate change detection findings for streamflow timing in this region. In the latter region, no forced model shows as large a shift toward earlier streamflow timing as the detectable observed shift. In other (including warm, snow free) regions, observed trends are typically not detectable, although in the U.S. central plains we find detectable delays in streamflow, which are inconsistent with forced model experiments.
Diurnal blood pressure change varies with stroke subtype in the acute phase.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE It is unclear whether acute stroke is associated with a loss of the normal diurnal blood pressure (BP) change and whether stroke type influences this. Some of this confusion results from the use of fixed time definitions of day and night, which can be overcome by the use of cumulative sums analysis (cusums). METHODS Ninety-eight stroke patients had 24-hour BP monitoring (Spacelabs 90207) performed within 48 hours of ictus. Three subgroups were identified: cortical infarct, n=50; subcortical infarct, n=29; and primary intracerebral hemorrhage [PICH], n= 19. An age-matched control group of 74 subjects was also studied. Diurnal change was assessed by both day-night differences (absolute and percentage) and cusums (cusums plot height [CPH] and circadian alteration magnitude [CDCAM]); ANCOVA was used to compare groups. RESULTS Compared with control subjects, cortical infarct and PICH subgroups had significantly reduced mean diurnal systolic changes using day-night differences (absolute, -12 and -17 mm Hg; percentage, -10 and -12, respectively; P < 0.0001) and cusums (CDCAM, -6.96 and -8.6 mm Hg; CPH, -32.05 and -46.04 mm Hg, respectively; P < 0.005), only the subcortical infarct subgroup demonstrated reduced percentage differences (-4.4%, P < 0.02). Mean diastolic differences were significantly reduced in all stroke subgroups(CPH, -24.84, -17.31, and -36.92 mm Hg; absolute, -8.26, -4.04, and -11.44 mm Hg; percentage, -10.65, -5.81, and -15.23%, for cortical infarct, subcortical infarct, and PICH subgroups, respectively; P < 0.05), except for CDCAM, which was not reduced in subcortical infarcts (-4.78 and -7.70 mm Hg for cortical infarct and PICH subgroups, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Diurnal BP change was reduced in the 3 stroke subgroups studied, especially in patients with cortical infarcts and PICH. This may reflect damage to the central modulation of autonomic BP control. The implications in terms of prognosis and therapy in the acute period require further study.
Quality of Life, Anxiety and Depression in Turkish Women Prior to Receiving Assisted Reproductive Techniques

Background: This study evaluated the quality of life and anxiety-depression levels of patients prior to receiving assisted reproductive techniques. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted in the In-Vitro Fertilization Unit of a private University’s Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Study participants consisted of 160 individuals diagnosed as infertile whose treatment plans were determined, as well as 160 reportedly healthy fertile individuals (n=320). Each participant completed the Patient Identification Form, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory and Quality of Life Scale questionaires. Results: The results of this study indicate a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety in the infertile group (p<0.05). Also, quality of life scores were found to be lower in the infertile group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Individuals who experience infertility need psychological support in order to overcome the psycho-social difficulties they experience. It is essential to have studies that stress the importance of integrating psychological and emotional support into clinical practice.
Movements of Australian Wood Ducks (Chenonetta jubata) in an agricultural landscape

ABSTRACT We deployed satellite transmitters to provide the first detailed picture of the movement behaviour of Australian Wood Ducks (Chenonetta jubata) through agricultural landscapes where the availability and spatial arrangement of resources are highly predictable. We measured movement distances and home-range areas of individual Australian Wood Ducks and investigated their site fidelity by comparing the overlap of successive home-range areas on a fortnightly temporal scale. First passage time (FPT) analysis was used to determine the spatial scales at which foraging occurs within home-range areas. We found a peak of movement activity around the periods of dawn and dusk similar to many waterfowl species. The mean overlap of core home-range areas over successive 2 week periods was 89.81% (± 2.38 SD), which demonstrates strong site fidelity. Area-restricted search (ARS) occurred at the scale of individual foraging (ca.100 m), with no clear peaks at larger spatial scales. This finding implies that search effort was expended equally across the combined utilisation distribution of Australian Wood Ducks in this agricultural landscape. Our results support the conclusions of previous studies suggesting that the movement behaviour of Australian Wood Ducks is shaped strongly by the temporal and spatial predictability of their grazing areas and access to water in the form of farm dams.
Software performance engineering of component-based systems

We propose an automated compositional approach for component-based performance engineering, called the CB-SPE. It adapts to a CB framework the concepts and steps of the well-known SPE technology, and uses for input modeling the standard RT-UML PA profile. The approach is two-layered: it is first applied by the component developer to achieve a parametric evaluation of the components in isolation; then by the system assembler, to predict the performance of the components assembly on the actual platform. We also present the CB-SPE tool architecture and its current status.
Midbrain Dopamine Receptor Availability Is Inversely Associated with Novelty-Seeking Traits in Humans

Novelty-seeking personality traits are a major risk factor for the development of drug abuse and other unsafe behaviors. Rodent models of temperament indicate that high novelty responding is associated with decreased inhibitory autoreceptor control of midbrain dopamine neurons. It has been speculated that individual differences in dopamine functioning also underlie the personality trait of novelty seeking in humans. However, differences in the dopamine system of rodents and humans, as well as the methods for assessing novelty responding/seeking across species leave unclear to what extent the animal models inform our understanding of human personality. In the present study we examined the correlation between novelty-seeking traits in humans and D2-like (D2/D3) receptor availability in the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area. Based on the rodent literature we predicted that novelty seeking would be characterized by lowered levels of D2-like (auto)receptor availability in the midbrain. Thirty-four healthy adults (18 men, 16 women) completed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire-Novelty-Seeking Scale and PET scanning with the D2/D3 ligand [18F]fallypride. Novelty-Seeking personality traits were inversely associated with D2-like receptor availability in the ventral midbrain, an effect that remained significant after controlling for age. We speculate that the lower midbrain (auto)receptor availability seen in high novelty seekers leads to accentuated dopaminergic responses to novelty and other conditions that induce dopamine release.
Congener-Specific Polychlorinated Biphenyl–Induced Cell Death in Human Kidney Cells In Vitro: Potential Role of Caspase

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among the most widespread and persistent pollutants in the global environment. Coplanar and noncoplanar PCBs have been shown to cause congener-specific apoptosis mediated neurotoxicity in rats. Very few, if any, such studies have been reported on human renal cell toxicity. The authors report here caspase-dependent or caspase-independent renal toxicity, as measured by apoptotic death induced by PCBs, depending on the planarity of congeners PCB-77 (coplanar) and PCB-153 (noncoplanar) in human kidney cells (HK2) in vitro. The authors have combined morphological and biological techniques to discover the relevance of apoptosis in renal proximal tubule cell death induced by these two PCB congeners. Treatment with both PCB congeners caused accelerated apoptosis in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. Based on our findings using human kidney (HK2) cells, there was more apoptosis-mediated loss of cell viability by non–ortho-substituted PCB-77 when compared to PCB-153. A significant increase of caspase-3 expression through immunoblot studies showed the involvement of apoptosis by PCB-77 compared to none by PCB-153. The broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk showed increased cell death when treated by PCB-153, but not by PCB-77, confirming that caspase inhibitor induced a switch in the mode of cell death. It is reasonable to assume that apoptotic cell death in the renal proximal tubule cells treated by PCBs may have both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathways.
Comparison of life quality of pregnant adolescents with that of pregnant adults in Turkey

Abstract Objectives. This study aimed to determine the quality of life of pregnant adolescents aged < 20 years and pregnant adults aged between 20–29 years, to evaluate the effects of gestational periods on the quality of life, and to compare the quality of life scores of pregnant adolescents and adults. Methods. This study was performed in Turkey in 2007. Totally, 147 pregnant adolescents aged < 20 years and 156 pregnant adults aged between 20 and 29 years were included. A questionnaire on socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics was administered by face-to-face interviewing method, and Short Form-36 scale was applied. Results. The mean quality of life scores ranged between 44.2 and 56.1 points for the adolescents and between 44.6 and 59.9 points for the adults. All quality of life scores, except bodily pain, were lower for adolescents than for adults. It was determined that the quality of life scores in pregnancy were generally lower in the first trimester, significantly increased in the second trimester, and decreased to the lowest level in the third trimester. Conclusions. Quality of life scores of the pregnant adolescents were significantly lower than the pregnant adults. Physical care, support, and education programs may be beneficial to increase the quality of life levels in pregnancy.
Oral Clonidine Pretreatment for Haemodynamic Stability during Craniotomy

We have studied the effect of clonidine pretreatment on cardiovascular responses to various stimuli during craniotomy. Fifty-eight patients (ASA Class I–II), scheduled for supratentorial surgery, were randomly given either oral clonidine, mean dose 3.6 μg/kg (n = 28), or oral diazepam, 0.2 mg/kg (n = 30), ninety to one hundred minutes before surgery. Anaesthesia was induced with thiopentone and maintained with nitrous oxide:oxygen, pentazocine and halothane. Pancuronium was used as a neuromuscular blocker. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were recorded before and after several stimuli. In the clonidine group hypertensive response was significantly less on laryngoscopy (6.5% increases versus 11.2% in the diazepam group), intubation (9.2% versus 16.5%), Mayfield clamp application (14.5% versus 29.91%) and after skin infiltration with lignocaine-adrenaline solution (2.95% versus 5.42%). Heart rate response to laryngoscopy, intubation and skin infiltration was also significantly attenuated in the clonidine group. The sleep dose of thiopentone was smaller in patients pretreated with clonidine. Patients in the diazepam group required more medical intervention. No adverse effect occurred in any patient.
Modular quantum memories using passive linear optics and coherent feedback

In this paper, we show that quantum memory for qudit states encoded in a single photon pulsed optical field has a conceptually simple modular realization using only passive linear optics and coherent feedback. We exploit the idea that two decaying optical cavities can be coupled in a coherent feedback configuration to create an internal mode of the coupled system which is isolated and decoherence-free for the purpose of qubit storage. The qubit memory can then be switched between writing/read-out mode and storage mode simply by varying the routing of certain freely propagating optical fields in the network. It is then shown that the qubit memories can be interconnected with one another to form a qudit quantum memory. We explain each of the phase of writing, storage, and read-out for this modular quantum memory scheme. The results point a way towards modular architectures for complex compound quantum memories.
Determinants of Childhood Immunization Uptake among Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Migrants in East China

Objective: To determine the coverage of childhood immunization appropriate for age among socio-economically disadvantaged recent migrants living in East China and to identify the determinants of full immunization uptake among these migrant children. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey of 1,426 migrant mothers with a child aged ≤24 months, who were interviewed with a pretested questionnaire. Various vaccines, migration history and some other social-demographic and income details were collected. Single-level logistic regression analyses were applied to identify the determinants of full immunization status. Results: Immunization coverage rates are lower among migrants and even lower among recent migrants. The likelihood of a child receiving full immunization rise with parents’ educational level and the frequency of mother’s utilization of health care. Higher household income also significantly increase the likelihood of full immunization, as dose post-natal visits by a health worker. Conclusions: Recent migrant status favours low immunization uptake, particularly in the vulnerability context of alienation and livelihood insecurity. Services must be delivered with a focus on recent migrants. Investments are needed in education, socio-economic development and secure livelihoods to improve and sustain equitable health care services.
APOE Genotype and Cardio-Respiratory Fitness Interact to Determine Adiposity in 8-Year-Old Children from the Tasmanian Infant Health Survey

APOE plays a well established role in lipid metabolism. Animal model evidence suggests APOE may also be associated with adiposity, but this has not been thoroughly investigated in humans. We measured adiposity (BMI, truncal fat mass, waist circumference), physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness and APOE genotype (E2, E3, E4) in 292 8-year-old children from the Tasmanian Infant Health Survey (TIHS), an Australian population-based prospective birth cohort. Our aims were to examine the association of APOE with child adiposity, and to examine the interplay between this association and other measured factors. We found that APOE was associated with child lipid profiles. APOE was also associated with child adiposity measures. The association was E4 allele-specific, with adiposity lower in the E4-containing group (BMI: Mean difference -0.90 kg/m2; 95% confidence intervals (CI) -1.51, -0.28; p = 0.004). The association of APOE4 with lower BMI differed by fitness status (difference in effect p = 0.002), and was more evident among the less fit (mean difference -1.78 kg/m2; 95% CI -2.74, -0.83; p<0.001). Additionally, associations between BMI and lipids were only apparent in those of lower fitness who did not carry APOE4. Similar overall findings were observed when truncal fat mass and waist circumference were used as alternative adiposity measures. APOE4 and cardiorespitatory fitness could interact to influence child adiposity. In studies addressing the genetic determinants of childhood obesity, the context of child fitness should also be taken into account.