Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
M Channel KCNQ2 Subunits Are Localized to Key Sites for Control of Neuronal Network Oscillations and Synchronization in Mouse Brain

Mutations in the potassium channel subunit KCNQ2 lead to benign familial neonatal convulsions, a dominantly inherited form of generalized epilepsy. In heterologous cells, KCNQ2 expression yields voltage-gated potassium channels that activate slowly (τ, ∼0.1 sec) at subthreshold membrane potentials. KCNQ2 associates with KCNQ3, a homolog, to form heteromeric channels responsible for the M current (IM) in superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons. Muscarinic acetylcholine and peptidergic receptors inhibit SCG IM, causing slow EPSPs and enhancing excitability. Here, we use KCNQ2N antibodies, directed against a conserved N-terminal portion of the KCNQ2 polypeptide, to localize KCNQ2-containing channels throughout mouse brain. We show that KCNQ2N immunoreactivity, although widespread, is particularly concentrated at key sites for control of rhythmic neuronal activity and synchronization. In the basal ganglia, we find KCNQ2N immunoreactivity on somata of dopaminergic and parvalbumin (PV)-positive (presumed GABAergic) cells of the substantia nigra, cholinergic large aspiny neurons of the striatum, and GABAergic and cholinergic neurons of the globus pallidus. In the septum, GABAergic, purinergic, and cholinergic neurons that contribute to the septohippocampal and septohabenular pathways exhibit somatic KCNQ2 labeling. In the thalamus, GABAergic nucleus reticularis neurons that regulate thalamocortical oscillations show strong labeling. In the hippocampus, many PV-positive and additional PV-negative interneurons exhibit strong somatic staining, but labeling of pyramidal and dentate granule somata is weak. There is strong neuropil staining in many regions. In some instances, notably the hippocampal mossy fibers, evidence indicates this neuropil staining is presynaptic.
Blockade of Persistent Sodium Currents Contributes to the Riluzole-Induced Inhibition of Spontaneous Activity and Oscillations in Injured DRG Neurons

In addition to a fast activating and immediately inactivating inward sodium current, many types of excitable cells possess a noninactivating or slowly inactivating component: the persistent sodium current (INaP). The INaP is found in normal primary sensory neurons where it is mediated by tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels. The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is the gateway for ectopic impulses that originate in pathological pain signals from the periphery. However, the role of INaP in DRG neurons remains unclear, particularly in neuropathic pain states. Using in vivo recordings from single medium- and large-diameter fibers isolated from the compressed DRG in Sprague-Dawley rats, we show that local application of riluzole, which blocks the INaP, also inhibits the spontaneous activity of A-type DRG neurons in a dose-dependent manner. Significantly, riluzole also abolished subthreshold membrane potential oscillations (SMPOs), although DRG neurons still responded to intracellular current injection with a single full-sized spike. In addition, the INaP was enhanced in medium- and large-sized neurons of the compressed DRG, while bath-applied riluzole significantly inhibited the INaP without affecting the transient sodium current (INaT). Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that the INaP blocker riluzole selectively inhibits INaP and thereby blocks SMPOs and the ectopic spontaneous activity of injured A-type DRG neurons. This suggests that the INaP of DRG neurons is a potential target for treating neuropathic pain at the peripheral level.
Additional Antiepileptic Mechanisms of Levetiracetam in Lithium-Pilocarpine Treated Rats

Several studies have addressed the antiepileptic mechanisms of levetiracetam (LEV); however, its effect on catecholamines and the inflammatory mediators that play a role in epilepsy remain elusive. In the current work, lithium (Li) pretreated animals were administered LEV (500 mg/kg i.p) 30 min before the induction of convulsions by pilocarpine (PIL). Li-PIL-induced seizures were accompanied by increased levels of hippocampal prostaglandin (PG) E2, myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-10. Moreover, it markedly elevated hippocampal lipid peroxides and nitric oxide levels, while it inhibited the glutathione content. Li-PIL also reduced hippocampal noradrenaline, as well as dopamine contents. Pretreatment with LEV protected against Li-PIL-induced seizures, where it suppressed the severity and delayed the onset of seizures in Li-PIL treated rats. Moreover, LEV reduced PGE2 and MPO, yet it did not affect the level of both cytokines in the hippocampus. LEV also normalized hippocampal noradrenaline, dopamine, glutathione, lipid peroxides, and nitric oxide contents. In conclusion, alongside its antioxidant property, LEV anticonvulsive effect involves catecholamines restoration, as well as inhibition of PGE2, MPO, and nitric oxide.
A methodology for constructing the calculation model of scientific spreadsheets

Spreadsheets models are frequently used by scientists to analyze research data. These models are typically described in a paper or a report, which serves as single source of information on the underlying research project. As the calculation workflow in these models is not made explicit, readers are not able to fully understand how the research results are calculated, and trace them back to the underlying spreadsheets. This paper proposes a methodology for semi-automatically deriving the calculation workflow underlying a set of spreadsheets. The starting point of our methodology is the cell dependency graph, representing all spreadsheet cells and connections. We automatically aggregate all cells in the graph that represent instances and duplicates of the same quantities, based on analysis of the formula syntax. Subsequently, we use a set of heuristics, incorporating knowledge on spreadsheet design, computational procedures and domain knowledge, to select those quantities, that are relevant for understanding the calculation workflow. We explain and illustrate our methodology by actually applying it on three sets of spreadsheets from existing research projects in the domains of environmental and life science. Results from these case studies show that our constructed calculation models approximate the ground truth calculation workflows, both in terms of content and size, but are not a perfect match.
Progress towards clover cyst nematode resistant white clover

Clover cyst nematode (Heterodera trifolii) reduces growth and nutrient uptake of white clover (Trifolium repens) in New Zealand, and breeding resistant cultivars is the preferred control method for ecological and economic reasons. Resistant and susceptible selections were taken from a wide range of white clover seedlines. Selected plants were intercrossed and reselected over two cycles of selection. Cysts per gram of root dry weight (cysts/ g) was the measure of resistance used, with low cysts/g plants being more resistant. The mean cysts/ g value of the progenies from resistant parents was 69% of the mean value of the progenies from susceptible parents in the first generation, and 38% in the second generation. Root weights were similar, while the resistant selections had 58% and 34% (first and second generations respectively) of the number of cysts in the susceptible selections. There were no immune plants (0 cysts) in the first generation and only two in the second. Counts were made of cysts, eggs per cyst and eggs per plant on clones of two resistant and two susceptible genotypes. The resistant genotypes had lower counts than the susceptible genotypes in terms of cysts per plant (means of 6 cf. 108), eggs per cyst (11 cf. 21) and eggs per plant (35 cf. 1650). The differences in numbers of cysts between resistant and susceptible lines increased during two generations of selection, supporting earlier results that indicated that progress in breeding for resistance was possible. Furthermore, the resistance is also acting on clover cyst nematode egg production which would further reduce recruitment to later generations of clover cyst nematode.
Context conditioning and extinction in humans: differential contribution of the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate the role of the hippocampus, amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in a contextual conditioning and extinction paradigm provoking anxiety. Twenty‐one healthy persons participated in a differential context conditioning procedure with two different background colours as contexts. During acquisition increased activity to the conditioned stimulus (CS+) relative to the CS− was found in the left hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The amygdala, insula and inferior frontal cortex were differentially active during late acquisition. Extinction was accompanied by enhanced activation to CS+ vs. CS− in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The results are in accordance with animal studies and provide evidence for the important role of the hippocampus in contextual learning in humans. Connectivity analyses revealed correlated activity between the left posterior hippocampus and dACC (BA32) during early acquisition and the dACC, left posterior hippocampus and right amygdala during extinction. These data are consistent with theoretical models that propose an inhibitory effect of the mPFC on the amygdala. The interaction of the mPFC with the hippocampus may reflect the context‐specificity of extinction learning.
Cultural Differences in Belief Bias Associated with Deductive Reasoning?

Norenzayan, Smith, Jun Kim, and Nisbett (2002) investigated cultural differences in the use of intuitive versus formal reasoning in 4 experiments. Our comment concerns the 4th experiment where Norenzayan et al. reported that, although there were no cultural differences in accuracy on abstract logical arguments, Koreans made more errors than U.S. undergraduates in judging the logical validity of concrete arguments. Norenzayan et al. concluded that Koreans are less likely than European Americans to decontextualize an argument's content from its logical structure, as Koreans were more likely to consider the believability of the conclusion when assessing an argument's validity (a belief bias). Notably, Korean participants were more conservative (less likely to say an argument is valid) than European American participants when assessing arguments. An analysis of the average of the hit and correct rejection rates in each of the conditions (abstract, concrete-believable, concrete-nonbelievable) revealed that, contrary to conclusions of Norenzayan et al., European Americans were no better than Koreans at determining the validity of concrete deductive arguments with conclusions varying in believability.
Synergies Disclosure in Mergers and Acquisitions ∗

When announcing an acquisition, firms frequently choose to disclose estimates of the synergies they expect from the deal. We hypothesize that they do so to address information asymmetry problems. In order to test this hypothesis, we hand-collect the information disclosed by bidders in M&A transactions announced between US public firms over the period 1995-2008. Consistent with our prediction, we find that the synergy disclosure decision is positively influenced by the deal size, the percentage of stock used for payment, and the level of negotiation costs associated with the deal. We also find that both the decision to disclose synergies and the value of the synergy expected to accrue to the acquirer have a significantly positive impact on the abnormal stock returns of the acquiring firm at the time of the announcement of the deal, suggesting that disclosure is used to signal deal quality. We find no evidence that disclosure is used to increase the likelihood of successfully completing the deal or to reduce competition for the target.
A View Inside Corporate Risk Management

Why do firms manage risk? According to theory, firms hedge to mitigate credit rationing, to alleviate information asymmetry, and to reduce the risk of financial distress. Empirical support for these theories is mixed. Our paper addresses the “why” by directly questioning the managers that make risk management decisions. Our results suggest that personal risk aversion in combination with other executive traits plays a key role in hedging. Our analysis also indicates that risk averse executives are more likely to rely on (more conservative) fat-tailed distributions to estimate risk exposure. While most theories of risk management ignore the human dimension, our results suggest that managerial traits play an important role. Presentation slides for this paper and other research are presented in “A Guide to Corporate Risk Management” which is available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2479483.
Expanding Assessments of Translational Research Programs

The University of Washington (UW) Institute for Translational Health Sciences (ITHS), funded by a Clinical and Translational Sciences Award program, has supplemented its initial Kellogg Logic Model–based program evaluation with the eight judgment-based evaluative elements of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Services Assessment Model. This article describes the relationship between the two models, the rationale for the decision to supplement the evaluation with WHO evaluative elements, the value-added results of the WHO evaluative elements, and plans for further developing the WHO assessments.
What Information is Helpful for Dependency Based Semantic Role Labeling

Semantic Role Labeling (SRL) is an important task since it benefits a wide range of natural language processing applications. Given a sentence, the task of SRL is to identify arguments for a predicate (target verb or noun) and assign semantically meaningful labels to them. Dependency parsing based methods have achieved much success in SRL. However, due to errors in dependency parsing, there remains a large performance gap between SRL based on oracle parses and SRL based on automatic parses in practice. In light of this, this paper investigates what additional information is necessary to close this gap. Is it worthwhile to introduce additional dependency information in the form of N-best parse features, or is it better to incorporate orthogonal nondependency information (base chunk constituents)? We compare the above features in a SRL system that achieves state-of-theart results on the CoNLL 2009 Chinese task corpus. Our findings suggest that orthogonal information in the form of constituents is much more helpful in improving dependency based SRL in practice.
GTS allocation analysis in IEEE 802.15.4 for real-time wireless sensor networks

The IEEE 802.15. 4 protocol proposes a flexible communication solution for low-rate wireless personal area networks including sensor networks. It presents the advantage to fit different requirements of potential applications by adequately setting its parameters. When enabling its beacon mode, the protocol makes possible real-time guarantees by using its guaranteed time slot (GTS) mechanism. This paper analyses the performance of the GTS allocation mechanism in IEEE 802.15. 4. The analysis gives a full understanding of the behavior of the GTS mechanism with regards to delay and throughput metrics. First, we propose two accurate models of service curves for a GTS allocation as a function of the IEEE 802.15. 4 parameters. We then evaluate the delay bounds guaranteed by an allocation of a GTS using network calculus formalism. Finally, based on the analytic results, we analyse the impact of the IEEE 802.15. 4 parameters on the throughput and delay bound guaranteed by a GTS allocation. The results of this work pave the way for an efficient dimensioning of an IEEE 802.15. 4 cluster
Hydrophobic Properties of tRNA with Varied Conformations Evaluated by an Aqueous Two-Phase System

The surface properties of transfer RNA (tRNA) were analyzed using a poly(ethylene glycol)/dextran aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), where the surface net hydrophobicity (HFS) and the local hydrophobicity (LH) were evaluated based on the partition coefficient of tRNA in the ATPS. According to the evaluated HFS values, the surface of the tRNA molecule was hydrophilic at 20° -40 °C, and it became hydrophobic at 50° -80 °C because of the exposure of the intrinsic nucleobases of tRNA. In contrast, the LH values were found to be maximal at 20° -40 °C. The conformation of tRNA was investigated by Raman and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies, corroborating the results with the calculated prediction of its secondary structure (Mfold). It was shown that 66% of A-form structure existed at room temperature; the base stacking (θ265) was gradually decreased, and the A-form structure (θ208) was denatured along with a sigmoid curve against the temperature increase; the denatured secondary structures were observed above 50° C by Mfold prediction. The HFS value of the DNA duplex was found to be hydrophilic, compared to that of the single-stranded DNA, indicating that the exposure of nucleobases is a key factor of the hydrophobic properties of nucleotides. We conclude that the hydrophobic property of the tRNA surface was directly affected by its conformational transition.
A Review of Mobile Robotic Telepresence

Mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) systems incorporate video conferencing equipment onto mobile robot devices which can be steered from remote locations. These systems, which are primarily used in the context of promoting social interaction between people, are becoming increasingly popular within certain application domains such as health care environments, independent living for the elderly, and office environments. In this paper, an overview of the various systems, application areas, and challenges found in the literature concerning mobile robotic telepresence is provided. The survey also proposes a set terminology for the field as there is currently a lack of standard terms for the different concepts related to MRP systems. Further, this paper provides an outlook on the various research directions for developing and enhancing mobile robotic telepresence systems per se, as well as evaluating the interaction in laboratory and field settings. Finally, the survey outlines a number of design implications for the future of mobile robotic telepresence systems for social interaction.
Comparison between the Reflux Finding Score and the Reflux Symptom Index in the Practice of Otorhinolaryngology

Abstract Introduction The Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease has a prevalence of ∼12% of the urban population in Brazil. Koufman proposed the term to designate Laryngeal Pharyngeal Reflux (LPR) symptoms, signs or tissue damage resulting from aggression of the gastrointestinal contents in the upper aerodigestive tract. Belafsky et al proposed a score that points to inflammatory laryngeal signs through videolaryngoscopic findings, the Reflux Finding Score (RFS). Moreover, in 2002, they published the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI). Objective The objective of this study is to provide a comparison between the Reflux Finding Score and the Reflux Symptom Index in the practice of Otorhinolaryngology. Methods Our study involved a total of 135 patients who visited the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) clinic Núcleo de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço de São Paulo between April 2014 and May 2015 with suspected LPR. We excluded nine patients and the study group was 126 patients. All patients were ranked by their RSI and RFS scores. Results The study group consisted of 126 patients (88 women and 38 men). Their main complaints were cough (40.4%), globus (21.4%), dysphonia (19.8%), throat clearing (15.8%), postnasal drip (3.17%), snoring (1.5%), dysphagia (1.5%), cacosmia (0.7%), and regurgitation (1.5%). The RSI ranges from 13 to 42 with a mean of 20.7 (SD = 6.67). The RFS ranged from 3 to 19 with a mean of 9.53 (SD = 2.64). Conclusion The RSI and RFS can easily be included in ENT routines as objective parameters, with low cost and high practicality. Based on the clinical index, the specialist can evaluate the need for further tests.
The Impact of Message-buffer Alignment on Communication Performance

Of the many factors that contribute to communication performance, perhaps one of the least investigated is that of message-buffer alignment. Although the generally accepted practice is to page-align buffer memory for best performance, our studies show that the actual relationship of buffer alignment to communication performance cannot be expressed with such a simple formula. This paper presents a case study in which porting a simple network performance test from one language to another resulted in a large performance discrepancy even though both versions of the code consist primarily of calls to messaging-layer functions. Careful analysis of the two code versions revealed that the discrepancy relates to the alignment in memory of the message buffers. Further investigation revealed some surprising results about the impact of message-buffer alignment on communication performance: (1) different networks and node architectures prefer different buffer alignments; (2) page-aligned memory does not always give the best possible performance, and, in some cases, actually yields the worst possible performance; and, (3) on some systems, the most significant factor affecting network performance is the relative alignment of send and receive buffers with respect to each other.
Global existence for high dimensional quasilinear wave equations exterior to star-shaped obstacles

We study long time existence for high dimensional quasilinear wave equations exterior to star-shaped obstacles. In particular, we obtain exterior domain analogs of the four dimensional results of Hormander where the nonlinearity is permitted to depend on the solution not just its first and second derivatives. Previous proofs in exterior domains omitted this dependence as it did not mesh well with the energy methods in use.
Variant Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Val66Met) Alters Adult Olfactory Bulb Neurogenesis and Spontaneous Olfactory Discrimination

Neurogenesis, the division, migration, and differentiation of new neurons, occurs throughout life. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been identified as a potential signaling molecule regulating neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ), but its functional consequences in vivo have not been well defined. We report marked and unexpected deficits in survival but not proliferation of newly born cells of adult knock-in mice containing a variant form of BDNF [a valine (Val) to methionine (Met) substitution at position 66 in the prodomain of BDNF (Val66Met)], a genetic mutation shown to lead to a selective impairment in activity-dependent BDNF secretion. Utilizing knock-out mouse lines, we identified BDNF and tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) as the critical molecules for the observed impairments in neurogenesis, with p75 knock-out mice showing no effect on cell proliferation or survival. We then localized the activated form of TrkB to a discrete population of cells, type A migrating neuroblasts, and demonstrate a decrease in TrkB phosphorylation in the SVZ of Val66Met mutant mice. With these findings, we identify TrkB signaling, potentially through activity dependent release of BDNF, as a critical step in the survival of migrating neuroblasts. Utilizing a behavioral task shown to be sensitive to disruptions in olfactory bulb neurogenesis, we identified specific impairments in spontaneous olfactory discrimination, but not general olfactory sensitivity or habituation to olfactory stimuli in BDNF mutant mice. Through these observations, we have identified novel links between genetic variant BDNF and adult neurogenesis in vivo, which may contribute to significant impairments in olfactory function.