Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subunit-Dependent Postsynaptic Expression of Kainate Receptors on Hippocampal Interneurons in Area CA1

Kainate receptors (KARs) contribute to postsynaptic excitation in only a select subset of neurons. To define the parameters that specify the postsynaptic expression of KARs, we examined the contribution of KARs to EPSCs on hippocampal interneurons in area CA1. Interneurons in stratum radiatum/lacunosum-moleculare express KARs both with and without the GluR5 subunit, but KAR-mediated EPSCs are generated mainly, if not entirely, by GluR5-containing KARs. Extrasynaptic glutamate spillover profoundly recruits AMPA receptors (AMPARs) with little effect on KARs, indicating that KARs are targeted at the synapse more precisely than AMPARs. However, spontaneous EPSCs with a conventional AMPAR component did not have a resolvable contribution of KARs, suggesting that the KARs that contribute to the evoked EPSCs are at a distinct set of synapses. GluR5-containing KARs on interneurons in stratum oriens do not contribute substantially to the EPSC. We conclude that KARs are localized to synapses by cell type-, synapse-, and subunit-selective mechanisms.
Processing and classification of chemical data inspired by insect olfaction

The chemical sense of insects has evolved to encode and classify odorants. Thus, the neural circuits in their olfactory system are likely to implement an efficient method for coding, processing, and classifying chemical information. Here, we describe a computational method to process molecular representations and classify molecules. The three-step approach mimics neurocomputational principles observed in olfactory systems. In the first step, the original stimulus space is sampled by “virtual receptors,” which are chemotopically arranged by a self-organizing map. In the second step, the signals from the virtual receptors are decorrelated via correlation-based lateral inhibition. Finally, in the third step, olfactory scent perception is modeled by a machine learning classifier. We found that signal decorrelation during the second stage significantly increases the accuracy of odorant classification. Moreover, our results suggest that the proposed signal transform is capable of dimensionality reduction and is more robust against overdetermined representations than principal component scores. Our olfaction-inspired method was successfully applied to predicting bioactivities of pharmaceutically active compounds with high accuracy. It represents a way to efficiently connect chemical structure with biological activity space.
Survival and disease progression in UK patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare and progressive disease of young women with no effective treatment. Previous estimates of 10 year survival, based mostly on case series or patients from tertiary centres, have ranged from 40% to 79%; no data are available on the progression of respiratory disability. In order to provide data for patients and for planning intervention studies, we have looked at the time course of LAM using a national cohort. Methods: Time to death, time to MRC dyspnoea grades 2–5, and need for oxygen in patients on the UK LAM database were analysed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. Results: Fifty seven of 72 patients responded with a median duration of follow up of 12.6 years (range 2.3–37) from the onset of symptoms. Ten year survival was 91% from onset of symptoms but varied widely with 11 patients alive after 20 years. Median time to MRC grade 3 dyspnoea (breathless walking on the flat) was 9.3 years (95% CI 5.1 to 13.4) from onset of symptoms. Conclusions: Survival from LAM appears to be better than that reported in early studies. These data should be helpful for patients and for planning clinical trials.
Reconstitution of the Escherichia coli macrolide transporter: the periplasmic membrane fusion protein MacA stimulates the ATPase activity of MacB

Periplasmic membrane fusion proteins (MFPs) are essential components of the type I protein secretion systems and drug efflux pumps in Gram‐negative bacteria. Previous studies suggested that MFPs connect the inner and outer membrane components of the transport systems and by this means co‐ordinate the transfer of substrates across the two membranes. In this study, we purified and reconstituted the macrolide transporter MacAB from Escherichia coli. Here, MacA is a periplasmic MFP and MacB is an ABC‐type transporter. Similar to other MFP‐dependent transporters from E. coli, the in vivo function of MacAB requires the outer membrane channel TolC. The purified MacB displayed a basal ATPase activity in detergent micelles. This activity conformed to Michaelis‐Menten kinetics but was unresponsive to substrates or accessory proteins. Upon reconstitution into proteoliposomes, the ATPase activity of MacB was strictly dependent on MacA. The catalytic efficiency of MacAB ATPase was more than 45‐fold higher than the activity of MacB alone. Both the N‐ and C‐terminal regions of MacA were essential for this activity. MacA stimulated MacB ATPase only in phospholipid bilayers and did not need the presence of macrolides. Our results suggest that MacA is a functional subunit of the MacB transporter.
Blastomeres aggregation as an efficient alternative for trophoblast culture from porcine parthenogenetic embryos

Zona pellucida free (ZPF) oocytes were cultured after electrical activation to allow blastomeres aggregation and compared to ZP intact (ZPI) oocytes. In feeder‐dependent conditions, the trophoblast attachment and primary outgrowths were significantly higher in ZPF than in ZPI groups. In feeder‐free conditions, trophoblast attachment and typical morphological trophoblast primary outgrowths were observed in ZPF group. The primary colonies derived from the ZPF embryos in both culture conditions were able to establish secondary and tertiary colonies and showed mRNA expression of CDX2, TEAD4 and KRT8 as trophoblast markers, while outgrowths from the ZPI embryos could not grow beyond primary colonies.
Drowsiness, counter-measures to drowsiness, and the risk of a motor vehicle crash

Objectives—Knowledge of how different indicators of drowsiness affect crash risk might be useful to drivers. This study sought to estimate how drowsiness related factors, and factors that might counteract drowsiness, are related to the risk of a crash. Methods—Drivers on major highways in a rural Washington county were studied using a matched case-control design. Control (n=199) drivers were matched to drivers in crashes (n=200) on driving location, travel direction, hour, and day of the week. Results—Crash risk was greater among drivers who felt they were falling asleep (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 14.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4 to 147) and those who drove longer distances (aRR 2.2 for each additional 100 miles, 95% CI 1.4 to 3.3). Risk was also greater among drivers who had slept nine or fewer hours in the previous 48 hours, compared with those who had slept 12 hours. Crash risk was less for drivers who used a highway rest stop (aRR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 1.0), drank coffee within the last two hours (aRR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.9), or played a radio while driving (aRR 0.6, 95% CI .4 to 1.0). Conclusion—Drivers may be able to decrease their risk of crashing if they: (1) stop driving if they feel they are falling asleep; (2) use highway rest stops; (3) drink coffee; (4) turn on a radio; (5) get at least nine hours sleep in the 48 hours before a trip; and (6) avoid driving long distances by sharing the driving or interrupting the trip.
Vitamin D Status of HIV-Infected Women and Its Association with HIV Disease Progression, Anemia, and Mortality

Background Vitamin D has a potential role in slowing HIV disease progression and preventing mortality based on its extensive involvement in the immune system; however, this relationship has not been examined in large studies or in resource-limited settings. Methodology/Principal Findings Vitamin D levels were assessed in 884 HIV-infected pregnant women at enrollment in a trial of multivitamin supplementation (not including vitamin D) in Tanzania. Women were followed up for a median of 69.5 months, and information on hemoglobin levels, HIV disease progression, and mortality was recorded. Proportional hazard models and generalized estimating equations were used to assess the relationship of these outcomes with vitamin D status. Conclusions/Significance Low vitamin D status (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D<32ng/mL) was significantly associated with progression to WHO HIV disease stage III or greater in multivariate models (incidence rate ratio [RR]: 1.25; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.05, 1.50). No significant relationship was observed between vitamin D status and T-cell counts during follow-up. Women with low vitamin D status had 46% higher risk of developing severe anemia during follow-up, compared to women with adequate vitamin D levels (RR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.96). Women in the highest vitamin D quintile had a 42% lower risk of all-cause mortality, compared to the lowest quintile (RR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.84). Vitamin D status had a protective association with HIV disease progression, all-cause mortality, and development of anemia during follow-up in HIV-infected women. If confirmed in randomized trials, vitamin D supplementation could represent a simple and inexpensive method to prolonging the time to initiation of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients, particularly in resource-limited settings.
"Subacute" postoperative subdural empyema.

Although subdural empyema (SDE) has long been a recognized postoperative complication, little has been written to suggest that SDE's following operative procedures are different from those occurring in patients who have not had previous surgery. Four cases of postoperative SDE are reported which seem to have several distinguishing features and are grouped under the title of "subacute" subdural empyemas. These include: occurrence in a previous craniotomy site, a prolonged course, the insidious onset of symptoms, and the absence of signs of constitutional illness. The presence of an inner subdural membrane which limits the size of the empyema and separates it from the underlying brain is thought to be the reason for the relatively benign nature of the presenting symptoms and the extremely good prognosis. Computerized tomography scanning was not able to provide a preoperative diagnosis of empyema in any case.
Nonlinear event-triggered tracking control of a mobile robot: design, analysis and experimental results

We consider the scenario where a controller communicates with a mobile robot via a network. Our objective is to design the control law such that the robot tracks a given reference trajectory while reducing the usage of the communication channel. For that purpose, we design a nonlinear event-triggered feedback law. We follow an emulation-like approach in the sense that we first synthesize the controller while ignoring the communication constraints and we then derive an appropriate triggering condition. We prove that the states of the robot's model practically converge towards the states of the reference system which generates the desired trajectory to be tracked, using an invariance principle for hybrid systems. The existence of a dwell-time between any two transmissions is discussed. We have implemented the proposed strategy on a benchmark where the controller is located on a remote computer which communicates with the mobile robot via a IEEE 802.11g wireless network. The proposed event-triggering strategy is shown to significantly reduce the need for communication compared to a classical time-triggered setup while ensuring similar, if not better, tracking performances.
Cause related marketing campaigns and consumer purchase intentions : The mediating role of cultural values and perceptual brand equity

2017 Cause related marketing campaigns and consumer purchase intentions: The mediating role of cultural values and perceptual brand equity Hossein vazifehdust , Hashem nikoomaram, Hassan Saberi (Corresponding author) 3 1, 2, 3 Department of management, Islamic Azad University research and science branch, Tehran, Iran E-mail address: saberi20hassan@yahoo.com Abstract: The purpose of this research is to investigate the kind of relationship between Cause Related Marketing (CRM) campaigns, brand awareness, brand image and perceived quality as possible antecedents of consumer purchase intentions in the country of Iran. An initial conceptualization was developed from mainstream literature to be validated through empirical research. The conceptualization was then tested with quantitative survey data collected from about 400 consumers studying in different purchase centers in Tehran. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the hypothesis derived from literature. The findings indicate that consumer purchase intentions are influenced by the cause related marketing campaigns. Furthermore it was observed that the perceptual brand equity dimensions and cultural values partially mediate the impact of CRM campaigns on consumer purchase intentions. The data was gathered from purchase centers in Tehran only. Hence, future research could extend these findings to other cities in Iran to test their generalizing ability. This research has key implications for companies, charities and academic to effective use of cause related marketing campaigns in Iran. The study contributes to cause related marketing literature by indicating a mediating role of perceptual brand equity and cultural values on CRM campaigns and consumer purchase intentions. The mediating role of culture and perceived quality was ignored in previous studies. Moreover, it contributes to close the gap of empirical research in this field in Iran. [Hossein vazifehdust, Hashem nikoomaram, Hassan Saberi. Cause related marketing campaigns and consumer purchase intentions: The mediating role of cultural values and perceptual brand equity. Life Sci J 2012; 9(4):2017-2025] (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 302
Risk Factors for Development of Subaxial Subluxations Following Atlantoaxial Arthrodesis for Atlantoaxial Subluxations in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Study Design. Retrospective radiographic/imaging study. Objective. To evaluate preoperative and sequential postoperative radiographs following C1–C2 arthrodesis for atlantoaxial subluxation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to determine risk factors for the development of subaxial subluxations (SAS). Summary of Background Data. The development of SAS has often been observed after C1–C2 arthrodesis. However, there have been no previous reports on the correlation between radiographic parameters and the incidence of postoperative SAS. Methods. The study group comprised of 58 patients with RA who underwent C1–C2 arthrodesis due to atlantoaxial subluxation. There were 5 men and 53 women with a mean age of 55.8 years. The mean follow-up period was 137 months. Nineteen patients with a postoperative SAS after C1–C2 arthrodesis were classified as the SAS+ group. Other 39 patients without a postoperative SAS were included in the SAS− group. Clinical outcomes and plain radiographs were reviewed retrospectively and compared between the 2 groups. Results. The difference between pre- and postoperative atlantoaxial (AA) angles in the SAS+ group was significantly greater than those in the SAS− group (P = 0.039). The C2–C7 angles changed significantly between pre- and postoperative periods in the SAS+ group (P = 0.039), but not in the SAS− group (P = 0.897). It was suggested that a large AA angle and a small C2–C7 angle observed at the early postoperative period were the risk factors for the development of SAS. We also demonstrated that a high incidence of the C3–C4 SAS resulted from excessive bone fusion at the C2–C3. Conclusion. Excessive correction of AA angle is likely to cause loss of cervical lordosis, resulting in the development of postoperative SAS. In addition, extensive bony union at C2–C3 following C1–C2 arthrodesis frequently leads to the development of extensive SAS at the C3–C4.
A simple experimental technique for the measurement of the work of adhesion of microstructures

A method to measure the interfacial work of adhesion, gamma /sub s/, between undoped polysilicon beams and a silicon substrate is presented. The method relies on the peeling and detachment of polysilicon cantilever beams. Values of surface energy of gamma /sub s/=140+or-70 mJ m/sup -2/ were found for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic samples. The technique used should also be applicable to the measurement of gamma /sub s/ for other micromechanical material systems. <<ETX>>
Effect of Fidarestat and α-Lipoic Acid on Diabetes-Induced Epineurial Arteriole Vascular Dysfunction

In the present study, the authors examined whether treating streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with the combination of α-lipoic acid and fidarestat, an aldose reductase inhibitor, can promote the formation of dihydrolipoic acid in diabetic animals and thereby enhance the efficacy of α-lipoic acid as monotherapy toward preventing diabetic vascular and neural dysfunction.Treating diabetic rats with the combination of 0.25% α-lipoic acid (in the diet) and fidarestat (3 mg/kg body weight) prevented the diabetesinduced slowing of motor nerve conduction velocity and endoneurial blood flow. This therapy also significantly improved acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation in epineurial arterioles of the sciatic nerve compared to nontreated diabetic rats. Treating diabetic rats with 0.25% α-lipoic acid and fidarestat (3 mg/kg body weight) was equally or more effective in preventing vascular and neural dysfunction than was monotherapy of diabetic rats with higher doses of α-lipoic acid or fidarestat. Treating diabetic rats with the combination of 0.25% α-lipoic acid and fidarestat (3 mg/kg body weight) significantly improved several markers of oxidative stress and increased the serum levels of both α-lipoic acid and dihydrolipoic acid. These studies suggest that combination therapy consisting of α-lipoic acid and fidarestat may be more efficacious in preventing diabetes-induced vascular and neural dysfunction in peripheral tissue compared to monotherapy, which requires higher doses to be equally effective. The effect of this combination therapy may in part be due to the increased production and/or level of dihydrolipoic acid.
Modulation of a dog's internal organ function by selective stimulation of the splanchnic nerve

Abstract The superficial regions of the dog splanchnic nerve were selectively stimulated with 33‐electrode spiral cuffs in 11 circumferential groups of three electrodes to modulate the function of the innervated internal organs and glands. In two adult Beagle dogs under general anaesthesia, the cuffs were chronically implanted on the nerve trunks before the celiac ganglion. Superficial regions of the nerves were selectively stimulated for 15 s with biphasic, rectangular, current pulses (2 mA intensity, 200 µs duration, and 20 Hz frequency) which were delivered sequentially to the corresponding group of three electrodes. The results showed that Group no. 8 of three electrodes elicited the highest influence on pressure within the bladder. Namely, a decrease in pressure starting from 34.97 mmHg at the beginning of stimulation to 34.92 mmHg at the end of stimulation was observed. It was also shown that only Group no. 4 of three electrodes significantly modified the endocrine function of the pancreas. A considerable increase in glucagon secretion with a peak value of 47 pg/ml and an insignificant change in insulin secretion were also observed. The results of histological observations demonstrated that the use of the cuff was associated with a buildup of connective tissue encapsulation around the cuff as well as within it. However, functional deficits were not observed in the animal, and most of the fibers appeared to be histologically normal after stimulation. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that internal organs and glands can be selectively stimulated through the selective stimulation of innervating superficial regions of the autonomous peripheral nerve.
Quantifying the Reconfiguration of Intrinsic Networks during Working Memory

Rapid, flexible reconfiguration of connections across brain regions is thought to underlie successful cognitive control. Two intrinsic networks in particular, the cingulo-opercular (CO) and fronto-parietal (FP), are thought to underlie two operations critical for cognitive control: task-set maintenance/tonic alertness and adaptive, trial-by-trial updating. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we directly tested whether the functional connectivity of the CO and FP networks was related to cognitive demands and behavior. We focused on working memory because of evidence that during working memory tasks the entire brain becomes more integrated. When specifically probing the CO and FP cognitive control networks, we found that individual regions of both intrinsic networks were active during working memory and, as expected, integration across the two networks increased during task blocks that required cognitive control. Crucially, increased integration between each of the cognitive control networks and a task-related, non-cognitive control network (the hand somatosensory-motor network; SM) was related to increased accuracy. This implies that dynamic reconfiguration of the CO and FP networks so as to increase their inter-network communication underlies successful working memory.
The New and Computationally Efficient MIL-SOM Algorithm: Potential Benefits for Visualization and Analysis of a Large-Scale High-Dimensional Clinically Acquired Geographic Data

The objective of this paper is to introduce an efficient algorithm, namely, the mathematically improved learning-self organizing map (MIL-SOM) algorithm, which speeds up the self-organizing map (SOM) training process. In the proposed MIL-SOM algorithm, the weights of Kohonen's SOM are based on the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. Thus, in a typical SOM learning setting, this improvement translates to faster convergence. The basic idea is primarily motivated by the urgent need to develop algorithms with the competence to converge faster and more efficiently than conventional techniques. The MIL-SOM algorithm is tested on four training geographic datasets representing biomedical and disease informatics application domains. Experimental results show that the MIL-SOM algorithm provides a competitive, better updating procedure and performance, good robustness, and it runs faster than Kohonen's SOM.