Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coding Properties of Three Intrinsically Distinct Retinal Ganglion Cells under Periodic Stimuli: A Computational Study

As the sole output neurons in the retina, ganglion cells play significant roles in transforming visual information into spike trains, and then transmitting them to the higher visual centers. However, coding strategies that retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) adopt to accomplish these processes are not completely clear yet. To clarify these issues, we investigate the coding properties of three types of RGCs (repetitive spiking, tonic firing, and phasic firing) by two different measures (spike-rate and spike-latency). Model results show that for periodic stimuli, repetitive spiking RGC and tonic RGC exhibit similar spike-rate patterns. Their spike- rates decrease gradually with increased stimulus frequency, moreover, variation of stimulus amplitude would change the two RGCs' spike-rate patterns. For phasic RGC, it activates strongly at medium levels of frequency when the stimulus amplitude is low. While if high stimulus amplitude is applied, phasic RGC switches to respond strongly at low frequencies. These results suggest that stimulus amplitude is a prominent factor in regulating RGCs in encoding periodic signals. Similar conclusions can be drawn when analyzes spike-latency patterns of the three RGCs. More importantly, the above phenomena can be accurately reproduced by Hodgkin's three classes of neurons, indicating that RGCs can perform the typical three classes of firing dynamics, depending on the distinctions of ion channel densities. Consequently, model results from the three RGCs may be not specific, but can also applicable to neurons in other brain regions which exhibit part(s) or all of the Hodgkin's three excitabilities.
Equivariant symplectic geometry of gauge fixing in Yang–Mills theory

The Faddeev–Popov gauge fixing in Yang–Mills theory is interpreted as equivariant localization. It is shown that the Faddeev–Popov procedure amounts to a construction of a symplectic manifold with a Hamiltonian group action. The BRST cohomology is shown to be equivalent to the equivariant cohomology based on this symplectic manifold with Hamiltonian group action. The ghost operator is interpreted as a (pre)symplectic form and the gauge condition as the moment map corresponding to the Hamiltonian group action. This results in the identification of the gauge fixing action as a closed equivariant form, the sum of an equivariant symplectic form, and a certain closed equivariant 4-form, which ensures convergence. An almost complex structure compatible with the symplectic form is constructed. The equivariant localization principle is used to localize the path integrals onto the gauge slice. The Gribov problem is also discussed in the context of equivariant localization principle. As a simple illustration of the.
The Effect of Cannabis Use and Cognitive Reserve on Age at Onset and Psychosis Outcomes in First-Episode Schizophrenia

Objective: Cannabis use is associated with a younger age at onset of psychosis, an indicator of poor prognosis, but better cognitive function, a positive prognostic indicator. We aimed to clarify the role of age at onset and cognition on outcomes in cannabis users with first-episode schizophrenia as well as the effect of cannabis dose and cessation of use. Methods: Ninety-nine patients without alcohol or substance abuse other than cannabis were divided into lifetime users and never-users of cannabis and compared on measures of premorbid function, cognition, and clinical outcome. Results: Cannabis users demonstrated better cognition at psychosis onset, which was explained by higher premorbid IQ. They also showed better social function and neither measure changed over the subsequent 15 months. Cannabis users had an earlier age at onset of psychosis, and there was a strong linear relationship between age at first cannabis use and age at onset of both prodromal and psychotic symptoms. Cannabis use spontaneously declined over time with 3-quarters of users giving up altogether. Later age at first cannabis use predicted earlier cessation of use and this in turn was linked to fewer positive psychotic symptoms and days in hospital during the first 2 years. Conclusions: Cannabis use brings forward the onset of psychosis in people who otherwise have good prognostic features indicating that an early age at onset can be due to a toxic action of cannabis rather than an intrinsically more severe illness. Many patients abstain over time, but in those who persist, psychosis is more difficult to treat.
Influence of the sample anticoagulant on the measurements of impedance aggregometry in cardiac surgery

Background: The standard method of assessment of platelet function is represented by light transmission aggregometry (LTA), performed in citrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP). With LTA, decrease and subsequent post-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) recovery of platelet function have been reported during cardiac surgery. Multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) may be used as point-of-care method to monitor perioperative changes in platelet function. Since MEA assesses macroaggregation which is influenced by the plasmatic levels of unbound calcium, citrate may be inadequate as anticoagulant for MEA. We used citrate and heparin for MEA samples, to see with which anticoagulant the intraoperative decrease and postoperative recovery in platelet function previously described with other aggregometric methods in cardiac surgery may be observed with MEA. Methods: Blood was obtained from 60 patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery and the samples were collected in standard tubes containing unfractionated heparin (50 U/mL) or trisodium citrate (3.2%). The samples were obtained before CPB, at 30 minutes on CPB, end of CPB and on the first postoperative day. MEA was performed using the Multiplate® analyzer. Collagen (COLtest, 100 μg/mL) and TRAP-6 (thrombin receptor activating peptide, TRAPtest, 1mM/mL) were used as aggregation agonists. Results: Platelet aggregometric response decreased significantly during CPB. Platelet aggregation assessed using TRAP-6 as agonist on heparinized blood significantly correlated with the duration of CPB (r = −0.41, p = 0.001, 2-tailed Pearson test). The aggregometric analysis performed on the first postoperative day showed a significant recovery in platelet activity in the samples containing heparin (increase from 30 ± 22 U to 46 ± 27 U for the COLtest and from 70 ± 34 U to 95 ± 32 U for the TRAPtest, p < 0.001, Student’s t-test), while no significant recovery of platelet function could be established in the MEA measurements performed with citrated blood. Conclusions: The choice of blood sample anticoagulant used for impedance aggregometry influenced the platelet aggregation response. Postoperative platelet function recovery was only detected in the heparinized samples. Heparin seems to be better suited than citrate for the analysis of impedance aggregometry in heart surgery.
Biogeosciences Near-future levels of ocean acidification do not affect sperm motility and fertilization kinetics in the oyster Crassostrea gigas

An increasing number of studies are now reporting the effects of ocean acidification on a broad range of marine species, processes and systems. Many of these are investigating the sensitive early life-history stages that several major reviews have highlighted as being potentially most susceptible to ocean acidification. Nonetheless there remain few investigations of the effects of ocean acidification on the very earliest, and critical, process of fertilization, and still fewer that have investigated levels of ocean acidification relevant for the coming century. Here we report the effects of nearfuture levels of ocean acidification ( ≈−0.35 pH unit change) on sperm swimming speed, sperm motility, and fertilization kinetics in a population of the Pacific oyster C assostrea gigas from western Sweden. We found no significant effect of ocean acidification – a result that was well-supported by power analysis. Similar findings from Japan suggest that this may be a globally robust result, and we emphasise the need for experiments on multiple populations from throughout a species’ range. We also discuss the importance of sound experimental design and power analysis in meaningful interpretation of non-significant results.
The Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: Estimates, Patterns, and Threats

The Mediterranean Sea is a marine biodiversity hot spot. Here we combined an extensive literature analysis with expert opinions to update publicly available estimates of major taxa in this marine ecosystem and to revise and update several species lists. We also assessed overall spatial and temporal patterns of species diversity and identified major changes and threats. Our results listed approximately 17,000 marine species occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. However, our estimates of marine diversity are still incomplete as yet—undescribed species will be added in the future. Diversity for microbes is substantially underestimated, and the deep-sea areas and portions of the southern and eastern region are still poorly known. In addition, the invasion of alien species is a crucial factor that will continue to change the biodiversity of the Mediterranean, mainly in its eastern basin that can spread rapidly northwards and westwards due to the warming of the Mediterranean Sea. Spatial patterns showed a general decrease in biodiversity from northwestern to southeastern regions following a gradient of production, with some exceptions and caution due to gaps in our knowledge of the biota along the southern and eastern rims. Biodiversity was also generally higher in coastal areas and continental shelves, and decreases with depth. Temporal trends indicated that overexploitation and habitat loss have been the main human drivers of historical changes in biodiversity. At present, habitat loss and degradation, followed by fishing impacts, pollution, climate change, eutrophication, and the establishment of alien species are the most important threats and affect the greatest number of taxonomic groups. All these impacts are expected to grow in importance in the future, especially climate change and habitat degradation. The spatial identification of hot spots highlighted the ecological importance of most of the western Mediterranean shelves (and in particular, the Strait of Gibraltar and the adjacent Alboran Sea), western African coast, the Adriatic, and the Aegean Sea, which show high concentrations of endangered, threatened, or vulnerable species. The Levantine Basin, severely impacted by the invasion of species, is endangered as well. This abstract has been translated to other languages (File S1).
The adaptive coherence estimator: a uniformly most-powerful-invariant adaptive detection statistic

We show that the Adaptive Coherence Estimator (ACE) is a uniformly most powerful (UMP) invariant detection statistic. This statistic is relevant to a scenario appearing in adaptive array processing, in which there are auxiliary, signal-free, training-data vectors that can be used to form a sample covariance estimate for clutter and interference suppression. The result is based on earlier work by Bose and Steinhardt, who found a two-dimensional (2-D) maximal invariant when test and training data share the same noise covariance. Their 2-D maximal invariant is given by Kelly's Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) statistic and the Adaptive Matched Filter (AMF). We extend the maximal-invariant framework to the problem for which the ACE is a GLRT: The test data shares the same covariance structure as the training data, but the relative power level is not constrained. In this case, the maximal invariant statistic collapses to a one-dimensional (1-D) scalar, which is also the ACE statistic. Furthermore, we show that the probability density function for the ACE possesses the property of "total positivity," which establishes that it has monotone likelihood ratio. Thus, a threshold test on the ACE is UMP-invariant. This means that it has a claim to optimality, having the largest detection probability out of the class of detectors that are also invariant to affine transformations on the data matrix that leave the hypotheses unchanged. This requires an additional invariance not imposed by Bose and Steinhardt: invariance to relative scaling of test and training data. The ACE is invariant and has a Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) with respect to such scaling, whereas Kelly's GLRT and the AMF are invariant, and CFAR, only with respect to common scaling.
The effects of vestibular stimulation on a child with hypotonic cerebral palsy

[Purpose] The purpose of this case report is to present the effects of vestibular stimulation on a child with hypotonic cerebral palsy through the use of swings. [Case Description] The subject was a 19-month-old boy with a diagnosis of hypotonic cerebral palsy (CP) and oscillating nystagmus. The subject had received both physical therapy and occupational therapy two times per week since he was 5 months old but showed little to no improvement. [Methods] Pre and post-intervention tests were completed by the researcher using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development II. The subject was provided with vestibular stimulation 3 times per week for 10 weeks in 1 hour sessions conducted by his mother as instructed by the researcher. During this research all other therapies were stopped to determine the effects of the vestibular stimulation and to exclude the effects of other therapies. [Results] The subject demonstrated improvement of 4 months in motor skills and of 3 months in mental skills as shown by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development II. [Conclusion] Vestibular stimulation was effective in improving postural control, movement, emotional well-being, and social participation of a child with hypotonic cerebral palsy.
Send Orders of Reprints at Reprints@benthamscience.net the Role of Collagen in the Aorta's Structure

Aorta is the largest artery in the body. Anatomically, it is traditionally divided into the ascending, the aortic arch, the descending, the thoracic and the abdominal aorta. Collagen is one of the most important components of the aortic wall. Its concentration and its total amount play a significant role in the aortas' function and mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and stiffness. The two main types of collagen found in the aorta are types I and III and they account for 80-90% of the total collagen. Age, sex hormones, aneurysms and hypertension are factors that can alter collagen and its subtypes in the aorta wall. As the aorta is a crucial artery and collagen is one of its most important components, collagen study is a helpful way to deal with aorta's abnormalities.
A value-based approach for documenting design decisions rationale: a replicated experiment

The explicit documentation of the rationale of design decisions is a practice generally encouraged but rarely implemented in industry because of a variety of inhibitors. Known methods for Design Decisions Rationale Documentation (DDRD) are aimed to maximize the benefits for practitioners who should utilize the DDRD by imposing the burden on the developers of documenting all the potentially useful information. In our view, the adoption of a tailored DDRD, consisting only of the required set of information, would mitigate the effects of DDRD inhibitors. This paper focuses on confirming empirically the feasibility of a value-based approach for documenting the rationale behind design decisions, and the importance of different DDRD information categories. In this context, this work describes a replicated experiment carried out at the University Rey Juan Carlos of Madrid (Spain) aimed to validate previous results from an analogous study conducted at the University of Roma Tor Vergata (Italy). Results confirm that the level of utility related to the same category of DDRD information significantly changes depending on its purpose.
HOW TRADING INSTITUTIONS AFFECT FINANCIAL MARKET PERFORMANCE: SOME LABORATORY EVIDENCE

The effects of trading institutions on market efficiency and trading volume are examined. The trading institutions are computerized versions of continuous double auction and clearinghouse markets. Traders are experienced, profit-motivated undergraduates. The traded good is a financial asset whose monetary value is state- and trader type-contingent. Traders possess asymmetric private information on asset value. The results show that clearinghouse markets are as informationally efficient as double auction markets and almost as allocationally efficient; the double auction encourages greater trading volume but the clearinghouse provides greater depth; public orderflow information enhances double auction performance but impairs clearinghouse performance. Copyright 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Selected research in applied linguistics and English language teaching in Turkey: 2010–2016

In this state-of-the-art review, we aim to build on Alptekin & Tatar's (2011) article covering research conducted in Turkey between 2005 and 2009, and survey published research in 31 Turkey-based journals between 2010 and 2016. As the second review paper on Turkey's English language teaching (ELT) agenda, our goal is twofold: first, to introduce the research of those researchers whose high-quality, Turkey-based work may not be known outside Turkish academia; and second, to point to recent scholarly developments that have occurred in Turkey and set these in the context of recent shifts in language teaching research worldwide. This paper presents approximately 140 articles that appeared in locally published peer-reviewed academic journals, and clearly demonstrates that Turkey as an English as a foreign language (EFL) context presents a vibrant research scene in language teaching. The reviewed works cover a wide spectrum of timely topics (e.g., computer-assisted language learning (CALL), the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL), language assessment, affective factors), and present findings that have much to contribute to current discussions in the field. Nevertheless, our review also reveals some concerning trends, including an almost exclusive emphasis on practical concerns over conceptual development; shortcomings in locating research within broader disciplinary debates; and few efforts to bring together and build on local research in a manner that might allow for original and creative influences on the broader discipline. It is therefore the further aim of this article to spark debates on these issues among Turkish scholars and contribute to the strengthening of the local disciplinary community.
Elevated ventricular wall stress disrupts cardiomyocyte t-tubule structure and calcium homeostasis

Aims Invaginations of the cellular membrane called t-tubules are essential for maintaining efficient excitation–contraction coupling in ventricular cardiomyocytes. Disruption of t-tubule structure during heart failure has been linked to dyssynchronous, slowed Ca2+ release and reduced power of the heartbeat. The underlying mechanism is, however, unknown. We presently investigated whether elevated ventricular wall stress triggers remodelling of t-tubule structure and function. Methods and results MRI and blood pressure measurements were employed to examine regional wall stress across the left ventricle of sham-operated and failing, post-infarction rat hearts. In failing hearts, elevated left ventricular diastolic pressure and ventricular dilation resulted in markedly increased wall stress, particularly in the thin-walled region proximal to the infarct. High wall stress in this proximal zone was associated with reduced expression of the dyadic anchor junctophilin-2 and disrupted cardiomyocyte t-tubular structure. Indeed, local wall stress measurements predicted t-tubule density across sham and failing hearts. Elevated wall stress and disrupted cardiomyocyte structure in the proximal zone were also associated with desynchronized Ca2+ release in cardiomyocytes and markedly reduced local contractility in vivo. A causative role of wall stress in promoting t-tubule remodelling was established by applying stretch to papillary muscles ex vivo under culture conditions. Loads comparable to wall stress levels observed in vivo in the proximal zone reduced expression of junctophilin-2 and promoted t-tubule loss. Conclusion Elevated wall stress reduces junctophilin-2 expression and disrupts t-tubule integrity, Ca2+ release, and contractile function. These findings provide new insight into the role of wall stress in promoting heart failure progression.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may be helpful in most patients with stroke.

The clinical presentation of this patient with no past history of stroke shows a moderate to severe neurological deficit associating aphasia and hemiparesis (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, 14). Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale score of 35 indicates that some movements with his right side are possible but that he is probably bedridden and unable to walk. One can find several arguments to propose starting this patient on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such as fluoxetine. Small clinical trials in patients with ischemic stroke have shown that SSRIs can induce active changes in cortical excitability.1,2 Recently, the Fluoxetine for motor recovery after acute ischemic stroke (FLAME) trial3 demonstrated a positive action of a 3-month treatment with fluoxetine (20mg daily) against placebo in a selected population of 113 nondepressed patients with ischemic stroke. In this study, patients had severe motor deficit (mean Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale 13.4 and 17.1 in the placebo and fluoxetine groups, respectively; mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 13.1 and 12.8 in the placebo and fluoxetine groups, respectively) and were treated within the first days after the stroke onset. Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale improvement at Day 90 …
Long-Term Recurrence Rates of Peptic Ulcers without Helicobacter pylori

Background/Aims The purpose of this study is to investigate the recurrence rate of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) over a long follow-up period with PUD patients without Helicobacter pylori. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with PUD on endoscopy and divided them into two groups: a H. pylori-negative group (HP-negative group), and a group of patients with untreated H. pylori (HP noneradicated group). We compared the recurrence rates of PUD in these two groups and analyzed the factors that affected ulcer recurrence. Results Total of nine hospitals in Korea participated, and a total of 1,761 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The HP-negative group included 553 patients, and the HP noneradicated group included 372 patients. The 5-year cumulative probabilities of PUD recurrence were 36.4% in the HP-negative group and 43.8% in the HP noneradicated group (p=0.113). The factors that were found to affect recurrence in the HP-negative group were elder, male, and comorbid chronic kidney disease. Conclusions The 5-year cumulative probability of PUD recurrence without H. pylori infection after a long-term follow-up was 36.4% and the factors that affected recurrence were elder, male, and comorbid chronic kidney disease.
Exceptional sequences of invertible sheaves on rational surfaces

Abstract In this article we consider exceptional sequences of invertible sheaves on smooth complete rational surfaces. We show that to every such sequence one can associate a smooth complete toric surface in a canonical way. We use this structural result to prove various theorems on exceptional and strongly exceptional sequences of invertible sheaves on rational surfaces. We construct full strongly exceptional sequences for a large class of rational surfaces. For the case of toric surfaces we give a complete classification of full strongly exceptional sequences of invertible sheaves.