Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Mouse Model Reveals that Polycystin-1 Deficiency in Ependyma and Choroid Plexus Results in Dysfunctional Cilia and Hydrocephalus

Polycystin-1 (PC-1), the product of the PKD1 gene, mutated in the majority of cases of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), is a very large (∼520 kDa) plasma membrane receptor localized in several subcellular compartments including cell-cell/matrix junctions as well as cilia. While heterologous over-expression systems have allowed identification of several of the potential biological roles of this receptor, its precise function remains largely elusive. Studying PC-1 in vivo has been a challenging task due to its complexity and low expression levels. To overcome these limitations and facilitate the study of endogenous PC-1, we have inserted HA- or Myc-tag sequences into the Pkd1 locus by homologous recombination. Here, we show that our approach was successful in generating a fully functional and easily detectable endogenous PC-1. Characterization of PC-1 distribution in vivo showed that it is expressed ubiquitously and is developmentally-regulated in most tissues. Furthermore, our novel tool allowed us to investigate the role of PC-1 in brain, where the protein is abundantly expressed. Subcellular localization of PC-1 revealed strong and specific staining in ciliated ependymal and choroid plexus cells. Consistent with this distribution, we observed hydrocephalus formation both in the ubiquitous knock-out embryos and in newborn mice with conditional inactivation of the Pkd1 gene in the brain. Both choroid plexus and ependymal cilia were morphologically normal in these mice, suggesting a role for PC-1 in ciliary function or signalling in this compartment, rather than in ciliogenesis. We propose that the role of PC-1 in the brain cilia might be to prevent hydrocephalus, a previously unrecognized role for this receptor and one that might have important implications for other genetic or sporadic diseases.
Place and Position Learning in Honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Foraging honeybees (Apis mellifera) were trained individually to choose between 2 identical targets set close together on a large table in a heterogeneous surround. Discrimination was facilitated by the introduction of a small object that was nearer to 1 target than the other. It was also facilitated by the introduction of a longer object or a curved shield that was not differentially placed with respect to the targets but designed to encourage a fixed orientation to them. The results support a distinction between place learning and position learning in honeybees. When a honeybee is trained to choose between two targets that differ in some integral property, such as color, the locations of the targets must be interchanged to demonstrate discrimination of color apart from location. Discrimination of location, which may be evident in a preference displayed at the outset of training or established by differential reinforcement (Couvillon, Klosterhalfen, & Bitterman, 1983; Klosterhalfen, Fischer, & Bitterman, 1978), is interesting because location is not an integral property of a target but may be given in relation either to its surround (place learning) or to the orientation of the animal (position learning). Place and position learning were first clearly distinguished in some early experiments with rats (Blodgett & McCutchan, 1947; Tolman, Ritchie, & Kalish, 1946). Trained on an elevated T maze whose situation in a visually heterogeneous environment is changed from trial to trial, rats can learn readily to go always to a fixed place, whether a left or a right turn at the choice point is required to take them there on any given trial. They also can learn—more readily in a homogeneous environment than in a heterogeneous one (Restle, 1957)—to turn always to the left or always to the right at the choice point, although the same turn takes them to different places on different trials. Learning always to turn left or right at a choice point has traditionally been characterized as response learning rather than position learning on the assumption that the motor system is uniquely involved. That assumption is clearly expressed by Leonard and McNaughton (1990) in a recent essay on the neurobiology of spatial representation in rats: "The response strategy," they wrote, "employs a specific sequence of motor acts, largely independently of the distribution of sensory cues, to attain a goal of navigation" (p. 375). Our own preference is for the more neutral term, position learning, because persuasive evidence for the motor interpretation is
Prevalence of self-care practices and assessment of their sociodemographic risk factors among diabetes in the urban slums of Bengaluru

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-care practices in the urban slums of Bengaluru among diabetes and also to assess their sociodemographic risk factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in the two slums of Bengaluru comprising 163 diabetes patients. The prevalence of self-care practices and their sociodemographic risk was analyzed. Results: Maximum adherence was seen for blood sugar testing (77.91%), and least adherence was seen for diet (12.26%). Adherence to exercise was 30.67%, adherence to foot care was 48.46%, and adherence to medication was 60.73%. Some of the sociodemographic factors associated with good self-care practices are young age, gender, formal education, occupation, and religion. Good adherence to medication is associated with better control of blood sugars. Conclusion: A clinician should be able to identify these risk factors and give special attention to these groups of patients and make realistic recommendations for self-care activities.
Articular Joint Lubricants during Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis Display Altered Levels and Molecular Species

Background Hyaluronic acid (HA), lubricin, and phospholipid species (PLs) contribute independently or together to the boundary lubrication of articular joints that is provided by synovial fluid (SF). Our study is the first reporting quantitative data about the molecular weight (MW) forms of HA, lubricin, and PLs in SF from cohorts of healthy donors, patients with early (eOA)- or late (lOA)-stage osteoarthritis (OA), and patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods We used human SF from unaffected controls, eOA, lOA, and RA. HA and lubricin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. PLs was quantified by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Fatty acids (FAs) were analyzed by gas chromatography, coupled with mass spectrometry. The MW distribution of HA was determined by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results Compared with control SF, the concentrations of HA and lubricin were lower in OA and RA SF, whereas those of PLs were higher in OA and RA SF. Moreover, the MW distribution of HA shifted toward the lower ranges in OA and RA SF. We noted distinct alterations between cohorts in the relative distribution of PLs and the degree of FA saturation and chain lengths of FAs. Conclusions The levels, composition, and MW distribution of all currently known lubricants in SF—HA, lubricin, PLs—vary with joint disease and stage of OA. Our study is the first delivering a comprehensive view about all joint lubricants during health and widespread joint diseases. Thus, we provide the framework to develop new optimal compounded lubricants to reduce joint destruction.
4-Aminopyridine Restores Impaired Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction in Endotoxemic Mice

Background:Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is impaired during inflammatory lung processes such as pneumonia or the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Voltage-gated potassium channels play a central role in mediating HPV. The aim of this study was to determine whether 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a known voltage-gated potassium channel inhibitor, may restore HPV in sepsis. Methods:The effects of 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mm 4-AP on HPV responsiveness were assessed in isolated lungs of untreated mice and of mice 18 h after lipopolysaccharide injection (20 mg/kg intraperitoneal Escherichia coli 0111:B4 lipopolysaccharide). HPV was quantified as the increase in perfusion pressure in response to hypoxic ventilation in percent of baseline perfusion pressure. Intrinsic pulmonary vascular resistance (R0) and pulmonary vascular distensibility (&agr;) were determined by nonlinear regression analysis of pulmonary vascular pressure–flow curves generated during normoxic and hypoxic ventilation, respectively. Results:HPV was impaired in lungs isolated from lipopolysaccharide-challenged mice. Addition of 4-AP to the perfusate did not alter HPV responsiveness in untreated mice but dose dependently restored HPV in endotoxemic mice. Analysis of pulmonary vascular pressure–flow curves revealed that 4-AP (1) counteracted the observed lipopolysaccharide-induced changes in &agr; and R0 under normoxic conditions and (2) augmented the hypoxia-induced increase in R0 in lungs of endotoxemic mice. Conclusions:This study demonstrates that lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary vascular hyporesponsiveness to hypoxia can be restored by 4-AP in murine endotoxemia and, thus, may be a new therapeutic approach to treat patients with hypoxemia due to impaired HPV.
Spatial genetic structure of a small rodent in a heterogeneous landscape

Gene flow in natural populations may be strongly influenced by landscape features. The integration of landscape characteristics in population genetic studies may thus improve our understanding of population functioning. In this study, we investigated the population genetic structure and gene flow pattern for the common vole, Microtus arvalis, in a heterogeneous landscape characterised by strong spatial and temporal variation. The studied area is an intensive agricultural zone of approximately 500 km2 crossed by a motorway. We used individual‐based Bayesian methods to define the number of population units and their spatial borders without prior delimitation of such units. Unexpectedly, we determined a single genetic unit that covered the entire area studied. In particular, the motorway considered as a likely barrier to dispersal was not associated with any spatial genetic discontinuity. Using computer simulations, we demonstrated that recent anthropogenic barriers to effective dispersal are difficult to detect through analysis of genetic variation for species with large effective population sizes. We observed a slight, but significant, pattern of isolation by distance over the whole study site. Spatial autocorrelation analyses detected genetic structuring on a local scale, most probably due to the social organisation of the study species. Overall, our analysis suggests intense small‐scale dispersal associated with a large effective population size. High dispersal rates may be imposed by the strong spatio‐temporal heterogeneity of habitat quality, which characterises intensive agroecosystems.
Effects of Sorafenib on C-Terminally Truncated Androgen Receptor Variants in Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Recent evidence suggests that the development of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPCa) is commonly associated with an aberrant, ligand-independent activation of the androgen receptor (AR). A putative mechanism allowing prostate cancer (PCa) cells to grow under low levels of androgens, is the expression of constitutively active, C-terminally truncated AR lacking the AR-ligand binding domain (LBD). Due to the absence of a LBD, these receptors, termed ARΔLBD, are unable to respond to any form of anti-hormonal therapies. In this study we demonstrate that the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib inhibits AR as well as ARΔLBD-signalling in CRPCa cells. This inhibition was paralleled by proteasomal degradation of the AR- and ARΔLBD-molecules. In line with these observations, maximal antiproliferative effects of sorafenib were achieved in AR and ARΔLBD-positive PCa cells. The present findings warrant further investigations on sorafenib as an option for the treatment of advanced AR-positive PCa.
Expanding the Boundaries of Special Education Preservice Teachers: The Impact of a Six-Week Special Education Study Abroad Program.

Special Education (SPED) in Scotland was a six-week study abroad program where pre-service special education teachers lived with host families and observed in Scottish schools in the area of special education. The program included coursework in the area of Emotional Behavioral Disabilities and traveling. This study sought to determine the impact of the SPED in Scotland program on students' intercultural awareness, perceptions of educational practices, and awareness of global interconnectedness. Participants took the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) before departure and after their return from Scotland. Seventy percent of participants remained at the same level of intercultural sensitivity after the program. Thirty percent moved to a more culturally sensitive view of cultures. In addition, participants wrote weekly reflective journal entries which were analyzed using Grounded Theory approach. Three stages through which students moved emerged from the journals: (a) observation, (b) reflective awareness, and (c) life change. These stages were present across four domains: culture, education, homestays, and travel. Program duration, prior experiences and personal characteristics appeared to influence a participant’s progression through the stages. Emotional expressions at times of program transitions were also found throughout the weekly entries.
Global properties of the HI high velocity sky. A statistical investigation based on the LAB survey

Context. Since 1973, it has been known that some H i high velocity clouds (HVCs) have a core-envelope structure. Recent observations of compact HVCs confirm this, but more general investigations have been missing so far. Aims. We study the properties of all major HVC complexes from a sample compiled in 1991 by Wakker & van Woerden (WvW). Methods. We use the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn all sky 21-cm line survey and decompose the profiles into Gaussian components. Results. We find the WvW line widths and column densities to be underestimated by ~40%. In 1991, these line widths could not be measured directly, but had to be estimated with the help of higher resolution data. We find a well-defined multi-component structure for most of the HVC complexes. The cold HVC phase has lines with typical velocity dispersions of $\sigma = 3$ km s -1 and exists only within more extended broad line regions, typically with $\sigma = 12$ km s -1 . The motions of the cores relative to the envelopes are characterized by Mach numbers $M = (v_{{\rm core}}-v_{{\rm envelope}})/\sigma_{{\rm envelope}} \sim 1.5$. The center velocities of the cores within a HVC complex have typical dispersions of 20 km s -1 . The well-defined two-component structure of some prominent HVC complexes in the outskirts of the Milky Way is remakable: Complex H lies approximately in the Galactic plane, and the most plausible distance estimate of $R \sim 33$ kpc places it at the edge of the disk. The Magellanic Stream and the Leading Arm (complex EP) reach higher latitudes and are probably more distant, $R \sim 50$ kpc. There might be some indications for an interaction between HVCs and disk gas at intermediate velocities. This is possible for complex H, M, C, WB, WD, WE, WC, R, G, GCP, and OA, but not for complex A, MS, ACVHV, EN, WA, and P. Conclusions. The line widths, determined by us, imply that estimates of HVC masses, as far as those derived from the WvW database are concerned, need to be scaled up by a factor 1.4. Correspondingly, guesses for the external pressure of a confining coronal gas need to be revised upward by a factor of 2. The HVC multi-phase structure implies in general that currently the halo pressure is significantly underestimated. In consequence, the HVC multi-phase structure may indicate that most of the complexes are circumgalactic. HVCs have turbulent energy densities which are an order of magnitude larger than that of comparable clumps in the Galactic disk.
Power estimation in adiabatic circuits: a simple and accurate model

A simple procedure to evaluate the energy consumption of adiabatic gate circuits is proposed and validated. The proposed strategy is based on a linearization of the circuit and simplifying the analytical result obtained on the equivalent network. The approach leads to simple relationships which can be used for a pencil-and-paper evaluation or implemented on software. The accuracy of the results is validated by means of Spice simulations on an adiabatic full adder designed with a 0.8 /spl mu/m technology.
Speed and Accuracy in Shallow and Deep Stochastic Parsing

Abstract : This paper reports some experiments that Compare the accuracy and performance of two stochastic parsing systems. The currently popular Collins parser is a shallow parser whose output contains more detailed semantically relevant information than other such parsers. The XLE parser is a deep-parsing system that couples a Lexical Functional Grammar to a log- linear disambiguation component and provides much richer representations theory. We measured the accuracy of both systems against a gold standard of the PARC 700 dependency bank, and also measured their processing times. We found the deep-parsing system to be more accurate than the Collins parser with only a slight reduction in parsing speed.
A Short Hardiness Scale

Abstract : This paper presents a short, 15-item scale for measuring personality hardiness. Personality hardiness has been found to be a stress/health moderator in a wide range of studies. Still, there are problems with its measurement. The present 15-item scale has excellent psychometric properties, and has demonstrated validity with several samples including soldiers exposed to combat stressors, and Army Special Forces candidates.
Activation of caspases occurs downstream from radical oxygen species production, Bcl‐xL down‐regulation, and early cytochrome C release in apoptosis induced by transforming growth factor β in rat fetal hepatocytes

Most of the morphologic changes that are observed in apoptotic cells are caused by a set of cysteine proteases (caspases) that are activated during this process. In previous works from our group we found that treatment of rat fetal hepatocytes with transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) is followed by apoptotic cell death. TGF‐β1 mediates radical oxygen species (ROS) production that precedes bcl‐xL down‐regulation, loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, release of cytochrome c, and activation of caspase‐3 (Herrera et al., FASEB J 2001;15:741‐751). In this work, we have analyzed how TGF‐β1 activates the caspase cascade and whether or not caspase activation precedes the oxidative stress induced by this factor. Our results show that TGF‐β1 activates at least caspase‐3, ‐8, and ‐9 in rat fetal hepatocytes, which are not required for ROS production, glutathione depletion, bcl‐xL down‐regulation, and initial cytochrome c release. However, caspase activation mediates cleavage of Bid and Bcl‐xL that could originate an amplification loop on the mitochondrial events. An interesting result is that transmembrane potential disruption occurs later than the initial cytochrome c release and is mostly blocked by the pan‐caspase inhibitor Z‐VAD.fmk, indicating that the decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) may be a consequence of caspase activity rather than the mechanism by which TGF‐β induces cytochrome c efflux. Finally, although Z‐VAD.fmk completely blocks nucleosomal DNA fragmentation, it only delays cell death, which suggests that activation of the apoptotic program by TGF‐β in fetal hepatocytes inevitably leads to death, with or without caspases. (HEPATOLOGY 2001;34:548‐556.)
Coherent Coupled Qubits for Quantum Annealing

Quantum annealing is an optimization technique which potentially leverages quantum tunneling to enhance computational performance. Existing quantum annealers use superconducting flux qubits with short coherence times, limited primarily by the use of large persistent currents $I_\mathrm{p}$. Here, we examine an alternative approach, using qubits with smaller $I_\mathrm{p}$ and longer coherence times. We demonstrate tunable coupling, a basic building block for quantum annealing, between two flux qubits with small ($\sim 50~\mathrm{nA}$) persistent currents. Furthermore, we characterize qubit coherence as a function of coupler setting and investigate the effect of flux noise in the coupler loop on qubit coherence. Our results provide insight into the available design space for next-generation quantum annealers with improved coherence.
The bit extraction problem or t-resilient functions

We consider the following adversarial situation. Let n, m and t be arbitrary integers, and let f : {0, 1}n → {0, 1}m be a function. An adversary, knowing the function f, sets t of the n input bits, while the rest (n-t input, bits) are chosen at random (independently and with uniform probability distribution) The adversary tries to prevent the outcome of f from being uniformly distributed in {0, 1}m. The question addressed is for what values of n, m and t does the adversary necessarily fail in biasing the outcome of f : {0,1}n → {0, 1}m, when being restricted to set t of the input bits of f. We present various lower and upper bounds on m's allowing an affirmative answer. These bounds are relatively close for t ≤ n/3 and for t ≥ 2n/3. Our results have applications in the fields of faulttolerance and cryptography.
Modal and temporal extensions of non-distributive propositional logics

A notorious difficulty with modal extensions over a non-distributive propositional basis is to construct canonical Kripke models (time flow structures, when a temporal interpretation is intended) that respect the well-established intuitions about the meaning of modal (temporal) operators. Indeed, advances in modal logics over a non-distributive propositional basis over the last decade or so address a number of issues of significance, such as Sahlqvist (algorithmic) correspondence and completeness, yet they do this while resting on a notion of frame and model, canonical or otherwise, that compromises the intuitive semantics of the modal operators in important ways. This becomes particularly apparent when a dynamic, or a temporal reading of boxes and diamonds is intended. This article is restricted to the simplest temporal logic, a Priorean Tense Logic over a negation and implication free non-distributive propositional basis. We build up to this system by considering separately systems with modal operators in isolation, or in related groups, and we prove, for each system, completeness via a traditional canonicity argument. We establish that the absence of a distributivity assumption of conjunctions over disjunctions and conversely has no effect on the interpretation of boxes and diamonds, which are interpreted exactly as in classical normal modal logics. The motivation of this work resides in the realization that at least part of the reason for the manifest dissatisfaction with studying and applying modal logics over a non-distributive propositional basis is due precisely to the fact that a large number of semantic intuitions, results and techniques familiar from distributive logics seem to have to be inescapably abandoned. We argue in this article that this is not necessarily the case. The results we present can be applied, e.g. in studying dynamic, or temporal extensions of Orthomodular Quantum Logic, as well as in the relational semantics for Substructural Logics.