Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Somatostatin Signaling in Neuronal Cilia Is Criticalfor Object Recognition Memory

Most neurons possess a single, nonmotile cilium that projects out from the cell surface. These microtubule-based organelles are important in brain development and neurogenesis; however, their function in mature neurons is unknown. Cilia express a complement of proteins distinct from other neuronal compartments, one of which is the somatostatin receptor subtype SST3. We show here that SST3 is critical for object recognition memory in mice. sst3 knock-out mice are severely impaired in discriminating novel objects, whereas they retain normal memory for object location. Further, systemic injection of an SST3 antagonist (ACQ090) disrupts recall of familiar objects in wild-type mice. To examine mechanisms of SST3, we tested synaptic plasticity in CA1 hippocampus. Electrically evoked long-term potentiation (LTP) was normal in sst3 knock-out mice, while adenylyl cyclase/cAMP-mediated LTP was impaired. The SST3 antagonist also disrupted cAMP-mediated LTP. Basal cAMP levels in hippocampal lysate were reduced in sst3 knock-out mice compared with wild-type mice, while the forskolin-induced increase in cAMP levels was normal. The SST3 antagonist inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP increases, whereas the SST3 agonist L-796,778 increased basal cAMP levels in hippocampal slices but not hippocampal lysate. Our results show that somatostatin signaling in neuronal cilia is critical for recognition memory and suggest that the cAMP pathway is a conserved signaling motif in cilia. Neuronal cilia therefore represent a novel nonsynaptic compartment crucial for signaling involved in a specific form of synaptic plasticity and in novelty detection.
Ophthalmological long term follow up of preterm infants: a population based, prospective study of the refraction and its development

BACKGROUND Numerous studies have reported an increased risk of refractive errors in prematurely born infants, but only few have been long term and strictly population based. METHODS A 3.5 year ophthalmological long term follow up of 248 preterm infants was performed. The infants had been included in a previous epidemiological study of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (birth weight ⩽ 1500 grams). The incidence of refractive errors and development of refraction were studied, based on retinoscopies at 6 and 30 months of corrected age. RESULTS The overall incidence ofmyopia was 8% at 6 months, of which 35% was transient, and 10% at 30 months. Of the cryotreated infants, 30–40% were myopic at both retinoscopies. The incidence of astigmatism was 52% at 6 months and 26% at 30 months. Astigmatism was associated with ROP, but not with cryotreated ROP itself. Astigmatism “against the rule” was commoner than astigmatism “with the rule”. Anisometropia occurred in 6.5% of the infants at 6 months and in 8.4% at 30 months. The incidence of anisometropia was higher in eyes with ROP, particularly in cryotreated eyes, which tended to have high and persistent anisometropia. CONCLUSION The risk of refractive errors is higher in preterm infants than in infants born at term, and also prematurely born infants without ROP do run an increased risk of having myopia and anisometropia. We recommend follow up examinations with retinoscopy for all infants included in screening programmes for ROP.
Crickets Are Not a Free Lunch: Protein Capture from Scalable Organic Side-Streams via High-Density Populations of Acheta domesticus

It has been suggested that the ecological impact of crickets as a source of dietary protein is less than conventional forms of livestock due to their comparatively efficient feed conversion and ability to consume organic side-streams. This study measured the biomass output and feed conversion ratios of house crickets (Acheta domesticus) reared on diets that varied in quality, ranging from grain-based to highly cellulosic diets. The measurements were made at a much greater population scale and density than any previously reported in the scientific literature. The biomass accumulation was strongly influenced by the quality of the diet (p<0.001), with the nitrogen (N) content, the ratio of N to acid detergent fiber (ADF) content, and the crude fat (CF) content (y=N/ADF+CF) explaining most of the variability between feed treatments (p = 0.02; R2 = 0.96). In addition, for populations of crickets that were able to survive to a harvestable size, the feed conversion ratios measured were higher (less efficient) than those reported from studies conducted at smaller scales and lower population densities. Compared to the industrial-scale production of chickens, crickets fed a poultry feed diet showed little improvement in protein conversion efficiency, a key metric in determining the ecological footprint of grain-based livestock protein. Crickets fed the solid filtrate from food waste processed at an industrial scale via enzymatic digestion were able to reach a harvestable size and achieve feed and protein efficiencies similar to that of chickens. However, crickets fed minimally-processed, municipal-scale food waste and diets composed largely of straw experienced >99% mortality without reaching a harvestable size. Therefore, the potential for A. domesticus to sustainably supplement the global protein supply, beyond what is currently produced via grain-fed chickens, will depend on capturing regionally scalable organic side-streams of relatively high-quality that are not currently being used for livestock production.
A New Procedure for Analysis of Medical Classification

A number of classification techniques have been applied to the analysis of medical diagnostic systems and decision making. Commonly used approaches such as cluster analysis, linear discriminant analysis and Bayesian classification are subject to logical and statistical limitations. In this paper we present a methodology, called »grade of membership« analysis, which resolves many of those limitations. This methodology deals simultaneously with the dual problems of case clustering and estimation of discriminant coefficients. The methodology also permits the assessment of the reliability of externally defined medical diagnoses, multiple diagnoses for individuals, disease progression and severity, and permits the representation of patient heterogeneity within diagnostic category. Maximum likelihood principles are invoked both to obtain parameter estimates and as a basis for likelihood ratio testing of complex hypotheses about the model structure. The model is illustrated by an analysis of data on abdominal symptoms and disease.
Voice characteristics in women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21‐hydroxylase deficiency

Objective Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder resulting in lack of cortisol and often aldosterone and overproduction of androgens. Raised levels of androgens can lead to increased mass in the laryngeal tissues, which may lower the fundamental frequency (F0) of the voice.
A 40 Gb/s 74.9 mW PAM4 receiver with novel clock and data recovery

A 40 Gb/s PAM4 receiver with novel digital clock and data recovery (CDR) and one tap decision feedback equalizer (DFE) has been presented. Without sophisticated transition detection and selection modules, the proposed CDR utilizes three bang-bang phase detectors sampling all the transitions to detect the phase error between the data and clock, achieving larger transition density and CDR bandwidth. Eight interleaved 5 GHz clocks with sense amplifiers are utilized to sample the data and edge, decreasing the power consumption of DFE. Two serial sense amplifiers are used to improve the gain, while two sets of phase interpolators are implemented to reduce the delay of the DFE loop. The 40 Gb/s PAM4 receiver is realized in 65nm CMOS technology. It provides as much as 16.7 dB equalization with linear equalizer and DFE. The overall power consumption is 74.9 mW at 1.2V supply, achieving a power efficiency of 1.87pJ/bit.
Compression creep behaviour of polyester needle-punched nonwoven fabrics

This present study deals with the compression creep behaviour of polyester needle-punched nonwoven fabrics. Polyester fibres of three different cross-sectional shapes (round, circular hollow and trilobal) have been selected for this study. An instrument has been designed and fabricated to measure the compression creep property of needle-punched fabrics. The effect of duration of compression load, fabric weight, fibre cross-sectional shapes and reinforcing material on percentage compression creep has been studied. It has been observed that initially, compression creep decreases rapidly and with increase in time, decrease of percentage creep becomes minimal. After about 8500 min of application of the same compression load, no change in compression creep is noticed. The percentage compression creep decreases with the increase in fabric weight irrespective to fibre cross-sectional shapes of polyester needle-punched nonwoven fabrics. Trilobal cross-sectional fabric shows maximum amount of percentage compression creep at all levels of fabric weight followed by round and hollow cross-sectional polyester samples, respectively. The percentage compression creep is higher in case of fabric samples made without reinforcing material compared to the samples with reinforcing material. Hollow cross-sectional polyester fibre can be successfully used as raw material for the preparation of needle-punched nonwoven fabrics with or without reinforcing material carpet or floor mats. However, normal round cross-sectional polyester fibre only with reinforcing material can be used for the said application. Compression creep values of these selected polyester needle-punched fabric samples are much lesser in comparison with commercial market polypropylene needle-punched carpet samples.
A compositional approach to performance modelling

1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Performance evaluation process algebra 4. Modelling study: multi-server multi-queue systems 5. Notions of equivalence 6. Isomorphism and weak isomorphism 7. Strong bisimilarity 8. Strong equivalence 9. Conclusions Bibliography Index.
Epigenomic Mechanisms of Early Adversity and HPA Dysfunction: Considerations for PTSD Research

Childhood adversity can have life-long consequences for the response to stressful events later in life. Abuse or severe neglect are well-known risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), at least in part via changes in neural systems mediating the endocrine response to stress. Determining the biological signatures of risk for stress-related mental disorders such as PTSD is important for identifying homogenous subgroups and improving treatment options. This review will focus on epigenetic regulation in early life by adversity and parental care – prime mediators of offspring neurodevelopment – in order to address several questions: (1) what have studies of humans and analogous animal models taught us about molecular mechanisms underlying changes in stress-sensitive physiological systems in response to early life trauma? (2) What are the considerations for studies relating early adversity and PTSD risk, going forward? I will summarize studies in animals and humans that address the epigenetic response to early adversity in the brain and in peripheral tissues. In so doing, I will describe work on the glucocorticoid receptor and other well-characterized genes within the stress response pathway and then turn to genomic studies to illustrate the use of increasingly powerful high-throughput approaches to the study of epigenomic mechanisms.
Investigation and management of uveitis

#### Summary points Uveitis is estimated to account for 10% of blindness in people of working age in the Western world.1 A retrospective review of patients attending a uveitis clinic in the United Kingdom found that 70% of patients had visual impairment (visual acuity 6/18 or worse) and half of these patients had bilateral visual impairment.2 Acute anterior uveitis, which is the most common form of uveitis in the UK, usually has a good visual outcome, but other forms of uveitis have a poorer visual prognosis. Uveitis is associated with many systemic diseases, including sarcoidosis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Behcet’s syndrome, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. For patients with systemic disease a management approach that involves collaboration with other specialties is important. In about half of cases, no systemic association is found and uveitis is presumed to be autoimmune.3 The introduction of biological treatments for many autoimmune conditions, and intravitreal injection of drugs for some eye diseases, has led to several of these treatments being used in patients with uveitis, despite limited evidence from randomised trials to support their use. This review discusses recent advances in the diagnosis of uveitis, ocular imaging, and treatments. It does not cover uveitis induced by ocular surgery. Uveitis describes a group of intraocular inflammatory disorders that may be related to infection or …
Nuclear congression is driven by cytoplasmic microtubule plus end interactions in S. cerevisiae

Nuclear movement before karyogamy in eukaryotes is known as pronuclear migration or as nuclear congression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, S. cerevisiae is used as a model system to study microtubule (MT)-dependent nuclear movements during mating. We find that nuclear congression occurs through the interaction of MT plus ends rather than sliding and extensive MT overlap. Furthermore, the orientation and attachment of MTs to the shmoo tip before cell wall breakdown is not required for nuclear congression. The MT plus end–binding proteins Kar3p, a class 14 COOH-terminal kinesin, and Bik1p, the CLIP-170 orthologue, localize to plus ends in the shmoo tip and initiate MT interactions and depolymerization after cell wall breakdown. These data support a model in which nuclear congression in budding yeast occurs by plus end MT capture and depolymerization, generating forces sufficient to move nuclei through the cytoplasm. This is the first evidence that MT plus end interactions from oppositely oriented organizing centers can provide the force for organelle transport in vivo.
Leverage of cenosphere filler size on mechanical and dry sliding wear peculiarity of polyester composites

This investigation focuses on understanding the effects of submicron size cenosphere fillers on mechanical and wear properties of unsaturated polyester composites. The composites in this study are fabricated with 10 wt. % of 900 nm, 600 nm and 300 nm diameter cenosphere filler particulates. Neat unsaturated polyester composite is also prepared for comparative analysis. The sliding wear test is performed on a pin-on-disc tribometer with the composite pin sliding over a disc comprising hardened ground steel. Friction and wear tests are conducted over a range of sliding velocities (1.57–4.71 m/s), normal loads (10–40 N) and sliding distances (1000–4000 m). In this study, 300 nm size of cenosphere particulate-filled composite shows high wear resistance ability among all fabricated composites. Mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, flexural strength and compressive strength are also investigated. It is observed that mechanical properties of the composites increase with decrease in the particle size. Composites reinforced with 300 nm size of cenosphere particulate shows superior mechanical properties when compared to the other composites in this study. Worn surface morphology of composite specimens has been examined by scanning electron microscopy to understand dominant wear mechanisms.
Mechanical, Fracture, and Microstructural Investigations of Rubber Concrete

Waste tire rubber constitute a serious worldwide problem due to the lack of landfills and the health hazards associated with these landfills. In addition to the environmental motivation for providing a means of recycling large quantities of waste tire rubbers, the use of tire rubber particles provides a new type of concrete that has unique mechanical and fracture criteria. This paper presents the results of recent experimental investigations on rubber concrete. Chipped and crumbed tire rubber particles were used to replace coarse and fine aggregate with different volume replacement levels. The mechanical and fracture properties of rubber concrete were examined. Quasi-brittle fracture mechanics models are used to determine the effect of incorporating tire rubber particles on the fracture performance of rubber concrete. Finally, some microstructural features of rubber concrete are also reported. It is concluded that the choice of the optimal replacement ratio of the tire rubber particles can yield concretes with desirable strength and fracture toughness criteria for different applications.
Strain-life approach in thermo-mechanical fatigue evaluation of complex structures

This paper is a contribution to strain-life approach evaluation of thermo-mechanically loaded structures. It takes into consideration the uncoupling of stress and damage evaluation and has the option of importing non-linear or linear stress results from finite element analysis (FEA). The multiaxiality is considered with the signed von Mises method. In the developed Damage Calculation Program (DCP) local temperature-stress-strain behaviour is modelled with an operator of the Prandtl type and damage is estimated by use of the strain-life approach and Skelton's energy criterion. Material data were obtained from standard isothermal strain-controlled low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests, with linear parameter interpolation or piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation being used to estimate values at unmeasured temperature points. The model is shown with examples of constant temperature loading and random force-temperature history. Additional research was done regarding the temperature dependency of the Kp used in the Neuber approximate formula for stress-strain estimation from linear FEA results. The proposed model enables computationally fast thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) damage estimations for random load and temperature histories.
Repeatability of the Modified Thorington Card Used to Measure Far Heterophoria

Purpose To determine the interexaminer and intraexaminer repeatability of the modified Thorington test (TH) for distance vision in young adults and to compare these results with those observed for the heterophoria tests most commonly used in clinical practice. Agreement among tests was also assessed. Methods Distance heterophoria was quantified on two separate occasions by two examiners in 110 subjects aged 18 to 32 years (mean, 19.74 years; SD, 2.5 years) using four different tests: cover test (CT) Von Graefe, Maddox rod, and modified TH. The repeatability of the tests and agreement between them was estimated by the Bland and Altman method whereby the mean difference and the 95% limits of agreement were determined as the coefficient of repeatability (COR) and coefficient of agreement. Results The Thorington test showed best interexaminer repeatability (COR = ±1.43&Dgr;), followed closely by CT (COR = ±1.65&Dgr;), whereas best intraexaminer repeatability was observed for CT (COR = ±1.28&Dgr;) followed by TH (COR = ±1.51&Dgr;). Among the different combinations of tests, TH and CT showed best agreement indicated by the lowest coefficient of agreement (±2.23&Dgr;) and a low mean difference (−0.63&Dgr;) between measurements. Conclusions Good interexaminer and intraexaminer repeatability was observed for both TH and CT, and agreement between the two tests was also good. Given the simple administration of the TH, we recommend its clinical use to quantify distance horizontal heterophoria.
The release of histamine from nasal polyp tissue and peripheral blood when challenged with antihuman IgE, house dust mite extract and mixed grass pollen extract and compared with positive skin tests

Abstract Nasal polyps are a condition of uncertain aetiology but are associated with diseases of the lower respiratory tract, in particular, asthma and cystic fibrosis. Asthma may be mediated by mastcell reactions and the commonest allergen to degranulate mast cells is house dust mite. Mast cells have been shown to be degranulated in nasal polyps. This study looks at thirty-six patients who had nasal polypectomy and of whom fourteen were asthmatic to see if histamine wasreleased from polyp tissue and peripheral blood when they were challenged with antihuman IgE and extracts of house dust mite and mixed grass pollens. These results were compared with skin tests to these allergens. A release of above 15 per cent of the total histamine was considered positive. Eight patients released histamine from polyp tissue but only three patients released histamine with both anti IgE and allergen extracts. The release from blood compared well with positive skin tests (p >0.05 corrected chi square). Although allergy may cause mast cell degranulation in polyp tissue, this study suggests that it is unlikely to be a common cause of nasal polyps.
A combination of computational and experimental approaches identifies DNA sequence constraints associated with target site binding specificity of the transcription factor CSL

Regulation of transcription is fundamental to development and physiology, and occurs through binding of transcription factors to specific DNA sequences in the genome. CSL (CBF1/Suppressor of Hairless/LAG-1), a core component of the Notch signaling pathway, is one such transcription factor that acts in concert with co-activators or co-repressors to control the activity of associated target genes. One fundamental question is how CSL can recognize and select among different DNA sequences available in vivo and whether variations between selected sequences can influence its function. We have therefore investigated CSL–DNA recognition using computational approaches to analyze the energetics of CSL bound to different DNAs and tested the in silico predictions with in vitro and in vivo assays. Our results reveal novel aspects of CSL binding that may help explain the range of binding observed in vivo. In addition, using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that domain–domain correlations within CSL differ significantly depending on the DNA sequence bound, suggesting that different DNA sequences may directly influence CSL function. Taken together, our results, based on computational chemistry approaches, provide valuable insights into transcription factor-DNA binding, in this particular case increasing our understanding of CSL–DNA interactions and how these may impact on its transcriptional control.
Lipid Droplet Biogenesis and Function in the Endothelium

Rationale: Fatty acids (FA) are transported across the capillary endothelium to parenchymal tissues. However, it is not known how endothelial cells (EC) from large vessels process a postprandial surge of FA. Objective: This study was designed to characterize lipid droplet (LD) formation in EC by manipulating pathways leading to the formation and degradation of LD. In addition, several functions of LD-derived FA were assessed. Methods and Results: LD were present in EC lining the aorta after the peak in plasma triglycerides initiated by a gavage of olive oil in mice, in vivo. Similarly, in isolated aorta, oleic acid treatment generates LD in EC ex vivo. Cultured EC readily form LD largely via the enzyme DGAT (diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1) and degrade LD via ATGL (adipocyte triglyceride lipase) after FA loading. Functionally, LD-derived FA are dynamically regulated and function to protect EC from lipotoxic stress and provide FA for metabolic needs. Conclusions: Our results delineate endothelial LD dynamics for the first time in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, LD formation protects EC from lipotoxic stress, regulates EC glycolysis, and provides a source of FA for adjacent cells in the vessel wall or tissues.