Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Analysis of a Higher Olfactory Center, the Lateral Horn

The lateral horn (LH) of the insect brain is thought to play several important roles in olfaction, including maintaining the sparseness of responses to odors by means of feedforward inhibition, and encoding preferences for innately meaningful odors. Yet relatively little is known of the structure and function of LH neurons (LHNs), making it difficult to evaluate these ideas. Here we surveyed >250 LHNs in locusts using intracellular recordings to characterize their responses to sensory stimuli, dye-fills to characterize their morphologies, and immunostaining to characterize their neurotransmitters. We found a great diversity of LHNs, suggesting this area may play multiple roles. Yet, surprisingly, we found no evidence to support a role for these neurons in the feedforward inhibition proposed to mediate olfactory response sparsening; instead, it appears that another mechanism, feedback inhibition from the giant GABAergic neuron, serves this function. Further, all LHNs we observed responded to all odors we tested, making it unlikely these LHNs serve as labeled lines mediating specific behavioral responses to specific odors. Our results rather point to three other possible roles of LHNs: extracting general stimulus features such as odor intensity; mediating bilateral integration of sensory information; and integrating multimodal sensory stimuli.
Analysis of the Gut Microbiome of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus L. Fed Diets Supplemented with Previda® and Saponin

The use of prebiotics in aquaculture aims at increasing the numbers of beneficial microbes in the gastrointestinal tract of fishes. However, the true effect of prebiotics exert on the fish microbiome is for the most part unknown. This study aimed at investigating the effects of the commercial prebiotic Previda® and the feed supplement saponin on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.). We used 454 pyrosequencing to characterize the gut microbiome of fish fed diets containing Previda®, saponin, a combination of both, and a control diet. After data normalization, 98,300 sequence reads were analyzed resulting in 331 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Three phyla were present in all samples: Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria. Fusobacteria was the predominant phylum in all samples accounting for more than 80% of the OTUs. Within the Fusobacteria, the predominant genus was Cetobacterium with more than 76% of the sequences being ascribed to that species. Barnesiella was the second most common genus with more than 6% of the total sequences. Overall, there was not a significant difference in the composition of the gut microbiomes regardless of the diet. The overwhelming numbers of Cetobacterium sp. present in the gut of Nile tilapia could overshadow the effect of the treatments on other genera.
ENACTING INQUIRY LEARNING IN MATHEMATICS THROUGH HISTORY

We explain how history of mathematics can function as a means for enacting inquiry learning activities in mathematics as a scientific subject. It will be discussed how students develop informed conception about i) the epistemology of mathematics, ii) of how mathematicians produce mathematical knowledge, and iii) what kind of questions that drive mathematical research. We give examples from the mathematics education at Roskilde University and we show how (teacher) students from this program are themselves capable of using history to establish inquiry learning environments in mathematics in high school. The realization is argued for in the context of an explicit-reflective framework in the sense of Abd-El-Khalick (2013) and his work in science education.
Effects of splicing mutations on NF2‐transcripts: Transcript analysis and information theoretic predictions

This study examined the effects of 22 putative splicing mutations in the NF2 gene by means of transcript analysis and information theory based prediction. Fourteen mutations were within the dinucleotide acceptor and donor regions, often referred to as (AG/GT) sequences. Six were outside these dinucleotide regions but within the more broadly defined splicing regions used in the information theory based model. Two others were in introns and outside the broadly defined regions. Transcript analysis revealed exon skipping or activation of one or more cryptic splicing sites for 17 mutations. No alterations were found for the two intronic mutations and for three mutations in the broadly defined splicing regions. Concordance and partial concordance between the calculated predictions and the results of transcript analysis were found for 14 and 6 mutations, respectively. For two mutations, the predicted alteration was not found in the transcripts. Our results demonstrate that the effects of splicing mutations in NF2 are often complex and that information theory based analysis is helpful in elucidating the consequences of these mutations. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cooking Methods and Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in High-Risk Areas of Iran

Cooking methods have been implicated in the etiology of gastrointestinal cancers, reflecting exposure to potential carcinogens as results of cooking. We used a validated food frequency questionnaire and a pretested cooking method questionnaire in 3 groups: 40 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cases from a high-risk area in northeast of Iran, 40 healthy subjects from the same high-risk area, and 40 healthy subjects from a low-risk area in Southern Iran. We compared the frequency of boiling, grilling, and frying, and the frying score among these 3 groups. We also calculated “frying index” by multiplying the frequency of each fried food item by its frying score. Mean frying to boiling ratios were 18.2:1, 12.8:1, and 2.6:1 for cases, high-risk controls, and low-risk controls, respectively (P < 0.01). Reuse of cooking oil for frying was reported in 37.5% of the ESCC cases, 25% of high-risk controls, and 7.5% of low-risk controls (P < 0.001). Frying index was higher in the high-risk than in the low-risk controls (P < 0.001) and in cases than in the high-risk controls (P < 0.05) after adjusting for smoking, opium use, rural residence, education, and ethnicity. High-temperature cooking and frying may be associated with increased risk of ESCC in high-risk areas.
Integrated opioid substitution therapy and HIV care: a qualitative systematic review and synthesis of client and provider experiences

ABSTRACT People who use drugs in many contexts have limited access to opioid substitution therapy and HIV care. Service integration is one strategy identified to support increased access. We reviewed and synthesized literature exploring client and provider experiences of integrated opioid substitution therapy and HIV care to identify acceptable approaches to care delivery. We systematically reviewed qualitative literature. We searched nine bibliographic databases, supplemented by manual searches of reference lists of articles from the database search, relevant journals, conferences, key organizations and consultation with experts. Thematic synthesis was used to develop descriptive themes in client and provider experiences. The search yielded 11 articles for inclusion, along with 8 expert and policy reports. We identify five descriptive themes: the convenience and comprehensive nature of co-located care, contrasting care philosophies and their role in shaping integration, the limits to disclosure and communication between clients and providers, opioid substitution therapy enabling HIV care access and engagement, and health system challenges to delivering integrated services. The discussion explores how integrated opioid substitution therapy and HIV care needs to adapt to specific social conditions, rather than following universal approaches. We identify priorities for future research. Acceptable integrated opioid substitution therapy and HIV care for people who use drugs and providers is most likely through co-located care and relies upon attention to stigma, supportive relationships and client centred cultures of delivery. Further research is needed to understand experiences of integrated care, particularly delivery in low and middle income settings and models of care focused on community and non-clinic based delivery.
Depth Control of a Bioinspired Robotic Dolphin Based on Sliding-Mode Fuzzy Control Method

This paper presents a hybrid controller that combines sliding-mode control (SMC) with a fuzzy strategy to regulate the vertical displacement of a bioinspired robotic dolphin. The structure of the robot and a simplified mathematical model for depth control are described. An SMC based on the line-of-sight guidance law and the sliding-mode observer is developed to overcome systematic uncertainties and environmental disturbances. The Lyapunov stability theory is utilized to analyze the stability and convergence properties of the closed-loop system. Depth control in the physical robot is realized by utilizing a fuzzy logic controller, which is represented as the mapping of the input propulsion forces/moments and output control parameters. Numerical and experimental results show that the proposed control strategy successfully steers the robot toward and along the desired depth.
Safety and efficacy of loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic ointment 0.5% for the treatment of inflammation and pain following cataract surgery

Background: To compare the safety and efficacy of loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic ointment 0.5% (LE ointment), a new topical ointment formulation, with vehicle for the treatment of inflammation and pain following cataract surgery. Methods: Two randomized, multicenter, double-masked, parallel-group, vehicle-controlled studies were conducted. Patients aged ≥18 years with a combined postoperative anterior chamber cells and flare (ACI) ≥ Grade 3 following uncomplicated cataract surgery participated in seven study visits. Patients self-administered either topical LE ointment or vehicle four times daily for 14 days. Efficacy outcomes included the proportion of patients with complete resolution of ACI and the proportion of patients with no (Grade 0) pain at postoperative day 8. Safety outcomes included the incidence of adverse events, ocular symptoms, changes in intraocular pressure and visual acuity, and biomicroscopy and funduscopy findings. Results: Data from the two studies were combined. The integrated intent-to-treat population consisted of 805 patients (mean [standard deviation] age 69.0 [9.2] years; 58.0% female and 89.7% white). Significantly more LE ointment-treated patients than vehicle-treated patients had complete resolution of ACI (27.7% versus 12.5%) and no pain (75.5% versus 43.1%) at day 8 (P < 0.0001 for both). Fewer LE ointment-treated patients required rescue medication (27.7% versus 63.8%), and fewer had an ocular adverse event (47.2% versus 78.0%, P < 0.0001) while on study treatment. The most common ocular adverse events with LE ointment were anterior chamber inflammation, photophobia, corneal edema, conjunctival hyperemia, eye pain, and iritis. Mean intraocular pressure decreased in both treatment groups. Four patients had increased intraocular pressure ≥10 mmHg (three LE ointment and one vehicle) prior to rescue medication. Visual acuity and dilated funduscopy results were similar between the treatment groups, with the exception of visual acuity at visits 5 and 6, which favored LE ointment. Conclusion: LE ointment was efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following cataract surgery.
Frequency-Dependent Inversion of Net Striatal Output by Endocannabinoid-Dependent Plasticity at Different Synaptic Inputs

Understanding how striatal neurons integrate glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs is essential for understanding the control of movement and the formation of striatal-based memories. Here we show that GABAergic synapses on striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are more sensitive than glutamatergic synapses on the same cells to endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling, and that protocols that induce short-lasting cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R)-dependent depression at glutamatergic synapses are sufficient to induce long-term depression (LTD) at GABAergic synapses. We also show that the frequency and duration of glutamatergic input are strong determinants of the net effect of eCB signaling, and key factors in determining if LTD has a net disinhibitory or inhibitory action in striatum. Plastic changes in net output from striatal MSNs are thus a complex function of disinhibitory and inhibitory LTD combined with other forms of synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation at excitatory synapses.
Risk factors for esotropia and exotropia.

OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors associated with the two major types of strabismus--esotropia and exotropia--in a cohort of children followed up from gestation to age 7 years. DESIGN Pregnant women were enrolled in the Collaborative Project of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Md, from 1959 to 1965 at 12 university centers. This large multidisciplinary study was designed to evaluate the developmental consequences of complications during pregnancy and the perinatal period. Data on maternal, socioeconomic, perinatal, and neonatal characteristics were collected from 39,227 children and their mothers by medical examination and interview. Examinations of the children were performed at birth, 4 months, 8 months, 1 year, and 7 years. OUTCOME MEASURES The evaluation of the presence of strabismus was performed during follow-up examinations and confirmed at the 7-year follow-up visit. Potential risk factors for strabismus were evaluated from the maternal, socioeconomic, perinatal, and neonatal characteristics. RESULTS Esotropia developed in 1187 children (3.0%), and exotropia developed in 490 children (1.2%). Esotropia was more common in whites (3.9% in whites vs 2.2% in blacks, P < .0001). The occurrence of exotropia was similar in the two races (1.2% in whites and 1.3% in blacks). Results of multivariable logistic regression models showed that the risk of strabismus increased with low birth weight (P < .0001). For infants weighing 1500 g at birth compared with those weighing 4000 g at birth, the odd ratios were 3.26 (95% confidence interval, 2.50 to 4.25) for esotropia and 4.01 (95% confidence interval, 2.77 to 5.80) for exotropia. Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy also increased the risk of each type of strabismus (P < .0001). For offspring of mothers who smoked more than two packs of cigarettes per day compared with those whose mothers did not smoke, the odds ratios were 1.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.51 to 2.22) for esotropia and 2.32 (95% confidence interval, 1.72 to 3.13) for exotropia. Maternal age was also a significant risk factor for esotropia (P = .0005). The risk of esotropia increased with increasing age until age 34 years. In particular, the odds ratio for mothers aged 30 to 34 years relative to that for mothers aged 20 to 24 years was 1.43 (95% confidence interval, 1.19 to 1.70). CONCLUSIONS Esotropia was more common in whites than in blacks. The occurrence of exotropia was similar in the two races. Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy and low birth weight were independent and important risk factors for both esotropia and exotropia. There was an increased risk of esotropia with increasing maternal age.
Intrarenal Arterial Lesions Are Associated with Higher Blood Pressure, Reduced Renal Function and Poorer Renal Outcomes in Patients with IgA Nephropathy

Background/Aims: Arterial fibrotic intimal thickening and arteriolar hyaline are considered common pathological features in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), whereas little is known about the acute pathological manifestations of endothelial cell injury. The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics of intrarenal arterial lesions and to estimate their prognostic values in patients with IgAN. The primary renal endpoint was a 50% reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Methods: Various renal arterial lesions (arterial fibrotic intimal thickening, arteriolar hyaline, arteriolar endotheliocyte swelling, arteriolar inflammatory cell infiltration, and arteriolar thrombosis) in 1683 patients with IgAN were reviewed and reclassified using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Their correlations with clinical features, pathological characteristics, and renal outcomes were evaluated. Results: The prevalence of intrarenal arterial lesions was up to 72.2% in IgAN patients. There were 978 patients (58.1%) with arterial fibrotic intimal thickening, 350 patients (20.8%) with arteriolar hyaline, 432 patients (25.7%) with arteriolar endotheliocyte swelling, 356 patients (21.2%) with arteriolar inflammatory cell infiltration and 43 patients (2.6%) with arteriolar thrombosis. Arterial fibrotic intimal thickening and arteriolar hyaline were strongly associated with higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) and reduced eGFR (P < 0.001) but were not related to proteinuria at the time of renal biopsy. In contrast, arteriolar endotheliocyte swelling and arteriolar thrombosis were correlated with heavier proteinuria as well as higher MAP and reduced eGFR. During follow-up, patients with vascular lesions received more renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade and less glucocorticoid and showed poorer renal outcomes. Univariate Cox model showed that the presence of renal vascular lesions [hazard ratio (HR) = 25.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.19 to 101.03, P < 0.001] was a risk factor for renal outcomes. However, in multivariable Cox analysis, which included clinical factors and the Oxford-MEST-C, vascular lesions were not significantly associated with an increased risk of renal failure. Remarkably, the impact of vascular lesions on the survival from ESRD or 50% reduction in renal function was eliminated by the use of RAS blockade after adjustment for eGFR, proteinuria, and MAP. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the high prevalence of vascular lesions, including the chronic and acute arterial pathological changes, in patients with IgAN. The presence of vascular lesions is associated with higher MAP, reduced eGFR and poorer renal outcomes, which could be influenced by the RAS blockade treatment.
Bacterial growth and motility in sub-micron constrictions

In many naturally occurring habitats, bacteria live in micrometer-size confined spaces. Although bacterial growth and motility in such constrictions is of great interest to fields as varied as soil microbiology, water purification, and biomedical research, quantitative studies of the effects of confinement on bacteria have been limited. Here, we establish how Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis bacteria can grow, move, and penetrate very narrow constrictions with a size comparable to or even smaller than their diameter. We show that peritrichously flagellated E. coli and B. subtilis are still motile in microfabricated channels where the width of the channel exceeds their diameters only marginally (∼30%). For smaller widths, the motility vanishes but bacteria can still pass through these channels by growth and division. We observe E. coli, but not B. subtilis, to penetrate channels with a width that is smaller than their diameter by a factor of approximately 2. Within these channels, bacteria are considerably squeezed but they still grow and divide. After exiting the channels, E. coli bacteria obtain a variety of anomalous cell shapes. Our results reveal that sub-micron size pores and cavities are unexpectedly prolific bacterial habitats where bacteria exhibit morphological adaptations.
ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDIES ON THE SURFACE COAT OF THE NEPHRON

Attempts to make visible the carbohydrate coat at the free cell surface of glomeruli as well as the tubules of rabbit kidney were undertaken. The ruthenium red procedure was performed, according to Luft, at various pH values. Moreover, the colloidal iron and the colloidal thorium methods were used. Neuraminidase digestion was also performed. In the ruthenium red procedure the luminal face of the epithelial cells of the nephron was coated distinctly with reaction product. The results obtained revealed that some of the differences at various levels of the nephron depended on the pH values. In glomeruli and proximal convoluted tubules the optimum pH value was 7.4; in the ascending limb of Henle loops and distal convoluted tubules the optimum pH value was 6.8. The ruthenium red-positive surface coat was either closely connected with, or appeared as a part of, the outer leaflet of the unit membrane. The slit pores of glomeruli were also covered by a coat continuous with the surface coat of the adjacent foot processes. The coat lining the microvilli of proximal convoluted tubules completely filled the intervillous spaces. Also, both the colloidal iron method and the colloidal thorium method evidenced the presence of surface coat. Pre-treatment with neuraminidase abolished the effect of the Hale reaction. These results may indicate that the surface coat of the epithelia of the nephron shows the presence of glycoproteins containing siliac acid residues.
A Burkholderia endophyte of the ancient maize landrace Chapalote utilizes c-di-GMP-dependent and independent signaling to suppress diverse plant fungal pathogen targets

Chapalote is a maize (corn) landrace grown continuously by subsistence farmers in the Americas since 1000 BC, valued in part for its broad-spectrum pathogen resistance. Previously, we showed that Chapalote possesses a bacterial endophyte, Burkholderia gladioli strain 3A12, which suppresses growth of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, a fungal pathogen of a maize relative, used as a model system. Ten mutants that lost the anti-pathogen activities were identified, corresponding to five genes. However, S. homoeocarpa is not a known maize pathogen; hence, the relevance of these anti-fungal mechanisms to its ancient host has not been clear. Here, the strain 3A12 mutants were tested against a known pathogen of maize and many crops, Rhizoctonia solani. Microscopy established that wild-type 3A12 swarms towards, and attaches onto, the pathogen, forming microcolonies, resulting in hyphal cleavage. Analysis of the mutants revealed that 3A12 uses common downstream gene products (e.g. fungicides) to suppress the growth of both S. homoeocarpa and R. solani, but apparently different upstream regulatory machinery, with the former, but not latter pathogen, requiring YajQ, a receptor for the secondary messenger c-di-GMP. We conclude that B. gladioli strain 3A12, an endophyte of an ancient maize, employs both c-di-GMP-dependent and independent signaling to target diverse fungal pathogens.