Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mixed Inhibitory Synaptic Balance Correlates with Glutamatergic Synaptic Phenotype in Cerebellar Unipolar Brush Cells

Inhibitory synapses display a great diversity through varying combinations of presynaptic GABA and glycine release and postsynaptic expression of GABA and glycine receptor subtypes. We hypothesized that increased flexibility offered by this dual transmitter system might serve to tune the inhibitory phenotype to the properties of afferent excitatory synaptic inputs in individual cells. Vestibulocerebellar unipolar brush cells (UBC) receive a single glutamatergic synapse from a mossy fiber (MF), which makes them an ideal model to study excitatory–inhibitory interactions. We examined the functional phenotypes of mixed inhibitory synapses formed by Golgi interneurons onto UBCs in rat slices. We show that glycinergic IPSCs are present in all cells. An additional GABAergic component of large amplitude is only detected in a subpopulation of UBCs. This GABAergic phenotype is strictly anti-correlated with the expression of type II, but not type I, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) at the MF synapse. Immunohistochemical stainings and agonist applications show that global UBC expression of glycine and GABAA receptors matches the pharmacological profile of IPSCs. Paired recordings of Golgi cells and UBCs confirm the postsynaptic origin of the inhibitory phenotype, including the slow kinetics of glycinergic components. These results strongly suggest the presence of a functional coregulation of excitatory and inhibitory phenotypes at the single-cell level. We propose that slow glycinergic IPSCs may provide an inhibitory tone, setting the gain of the MF to UBC relay, whereas large and fast GABAergic IPSCs may in addition control spike timing in mGluRII-negative UBCs.
Epidemiology of drug resistance: the case of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci infections.

OBJECTIVE To study the activity of several antibiotics against Staphylococcus spp. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 1209 strains of Staphylococcus spp. from two institutions; Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (National Institute of Pediatrics) and Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez (Mexico City Children's Hospital). Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations of all antibiotics were determined by the agar macrodilution technique and standard methods from the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. RESULTS Resistance of S. aureus was 14.2% and that of coagulase-negative staphylococci was 53.4%. The activity of different antibiotics is presented in detail. CONCLUSIONS Surveillance of strains resistant to methicillin is necessary. The English version of this paper is available too at: http://www.insp. mx/salud/index.html.
Pain Perception Can Be Modulated by Mindfulness Training: A Resting-State fMRI Study

The multi-dimensional nature of pain renders difficult a holistic understanding of it. The conceptual framework of pain is said to be cognitive-evaluative, in addition to being sensory-discriminative and affective-motivational. To compare participants’ brain-behavior response before and after a 6-week mindfulness-based stress reduction training course on mindfulness in relation to pain modulation, three questionnaires (the Dallas Pain Questionnaire, Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-SFMPQ, and Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness) as well as resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were administered to participants, divided into a pain-afflicted group (N = 18) and a control group (N = 16). Our results showed that the pain-afflicted group experienced significantly less pain after the mindfulness treatment than before, as measured by the SFMPQ. In conjunction, an increased connection from the anterior insular cortex (AIC) to the dorsal anterior midcingulate cortex (daMCC) was observed in the post-training pain-afflicted group and a significant correlation was found between AIC-daMCC connectivity and SFMPQ scores. The results suggest that mindfulness training can modulate the brain network dynamics underlying the subjective experience of pain.
Ab initio Studies of O 2 Adsorption on ( 110 ) Nickel-Rich Pentlandite ( Fe 4 Ni 5 S 8 ) Mineral Surface

Ab initio density functional theory was used to investigate the adsorption of oxygen molecule on the nickel-rich pentlandite (110) surface, which is important for mineral extraction. The three most reactive adsorption sites: Fe-top, Ni-top, and fcc-hollow have been considered. Firstly, the non-adsorbed pentlandite surface reflects the Ni atoms relaxing inwards. Consequently, their electronic structure showed high Fe 3d-orbital contribution than the Ni 3d-orbitals at the EF (indicating that the Fe atoms are more reactive than Ni). Secondly, the O2-adsorbed surface predicted lowest adsorption energy for Fe-top ( ́1.902 eV), as a more spontaneous reaction is likely to occur than on fcc-hollow ( ́1.891 eV) and Ni-top ( ́0.040 eV) sites, suggesting Fe preferential oxidation. The density of states indicates that the O2 show prevalence of electrons in the πp* antibonding orbitals, and are reduced to zero states at the valence band on metal-bonded oxygen (O1). The σp* orbital is observed to reside just above the EF for Fe-top and fcc-hollow site, while on Ni-top is half-occupied for both metal-bonded oxygen (O1) and terminal oxygen (O2). Finally, the isosurface charge density difference showed electron (charge) depletion on Ni/Fe metals and accumulation on the O2 molecule. Bader analysis indicated that the oxidized Fe and Ni atoms adopt more positive charge, while O2 on Fe-top atoms possesses more negative charge than on Ni-top, resulting with O1 possessing a smaller charge than O2 atom.
Face processing occurs outside the fusiform 'face area' in autism: evidence from functional MRI.

Processing the human face is at the focal point of most social interactions, yet this simple perceptual task is difficult for individuals with autism, a population that spends limited amounts of time engaged in face-to-face eye contact or social interactions in general. Thus, the study of face processing in autism is not only important because it may be integral to understanding the social deficits of this disorder, but also, because it provides a unique opportunity to study experiential factors related to the functional specialization of normal face processing. In short, autism may be one of the only disorders where affected individuals spend reduced amounts of time engaged in face processing from birth. Using functional MRI, haemodynamic responses during a face perception task were compared between adults with autism and normal control subjects. Four regions of interest (ROIs), the fusiform gyrus (FG), inferior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and amygdala were manually traced on non-spatially normalized images and the percentage ROI active was calculated for each subject. Analyses in Talairach space were also performed. Overall results revealed either abnormally weak or no activation in FG in autistic patients, as well as significantly reduced activation in the inferior occipital gyrus, superior temporal sulcus and amygdala. Anatomical abnormalities, in contrast, were present only in the amygdala in autistic patients, whose mean volume was significantly reduced as compared with normals. Reaction time and accuracy measures were not different between groups. Thus, while autistic subjects could perform the face perception task, none of the regions supporting face processing in normals were found to be significantly active in the autistic subjects. Instead, in every autistic patient, faces maximally activated aberrant and individual-specific neural sites (e.g. frontal cortex, primary visual cortex, etc.), which was in contrast to the 100% consistency of maximal activation within the traditional fusiform face area (FFA) for every normal subject. It appears that, as compared with normal individuals, autistic individuals 'see' faces utilizing different neural systems, with each patient doing so via a unique neural circuitry. Such a pattern of individual-specific, scattered activation seen in autistic patients in contrast to the highly consistent FG activation seen in normals, suggests that experiential factors do indeed play a role in the normal development of the FFA.
Care Seeking Behavior of Chest Symptomatics: A Community Based Study Done in South India after the Implementation of the RNTCP

Introduction With the creation of the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), tuberculosis services have become decentralized and more accessible. A 1997 study prior to RNTCP implementation reported that most chest symptomatics accessed first private health care facilities and a general dissatisfaction with government health facilities. The study was repeated post-RNTCP implementation to gain insight into the current care seeking behavior of chest symptomatics. Methodology A cross-sectional community-based study carried out between March-August 2008 in 4 sites (2 rural [R] and 2 urban [U]) from the same two districts of Chennai and Madurai, southern India, as in the 1997 study. Six hundred and forty chest symptomatics were identified (R 314; U 326), and detailed interviews were done for 606 (R311; U295). Results Prevalence of chest symptomatics in the urban and rural areas were 2.7% and 4.9% respectively (p<0.01), and was found to increase with age (Chi-square for trend, p<0.01). Longer delays in seeking care were seen amongst symptomatics above 45 years of age (p 0.01), and those who had taken previous TB treatment (p = 0.05). Overall, 50% (222/444) of the chest symptomatics approached a government health care facility first (R 142 (61%); U 80 (38%), p = <0.001). This was significantly (p<0.001) more than were observed in the 1997 study, where only 38.4% approached a government facility first. Sixty two (28%) of the 222 made a second visit to a government facility (R26%; U31%), while 17% shifted to a private facility (R14%; U21%). Dissatisfaction with the health care facility was one of the major reasons expressed. Conclusions It appears that the RNTCP has had an impact in the community with regard to the availability and accessibility of TB services in government health facilities. However the relatively high levels of subsequent shifting to private health facilities calls for urgent action to make government facilities more patients friendly with quality care facilities in the delivery of RNTCP services.
ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LUMINAL MEMBRANES FROM URINARY BLADDER

A method is reported for the isolation of a highly purified fraction of urinary bladder membranes containing hexagonal plaques. The method uses zonal centrifugation as the final step of fractionation. The purified fraction was characterized by its electron microscopic morphology, by its enzymatic profile, by quantitative and qualitative analysis of lipids and by the protein pattern obtained by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. The fraction contains 65% lipids and 35% proteins. The major protein component has a molecular weight of 27,000 daltons. Phospholipids are more than the 54% of the total lipid weight. Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylinositol are the major phospholipids with 50%, 30%, and 7% of the total lipid phosphorus, respectively. The glycolipid fraction is 10% of the total lipid weight and is formed by only two components, both sulfatides. Total cholesterol makes up 36% of the total neutral lipid fraction of which cholesterol esters constitute 6%. Glycoproteins are also found to be present in the fraction.
Origin and minimization of residual motion‐related artifacts in navigator‐corrected segmented diffusion‐weighted EPI of the human brain

Motion sensitivity in diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) can be effectively suppressed using single‐shot echo‐planar imaging (EPI). However, segmented (multishot) EPI is often used to increase resolution and reduce spatial distortions, which in turn increases susceptibility to brain motion. The sources of these residual motion artifacts in navigator‐echo‐corrected segmented EPI images of the brain were investigated. The results indicate that the dominant source of these artifacts is cardiac pulsation with occasional involuntary movement of the subject. The relationship between the cardiac cycle and motion artifacts shows that optimum timing for the data acquisition is possible. In addition it is shown that the effects of involuntary motion can be removed by swapping k‐space data between redundant datasets. Magn Reson Med 47:818–822, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Studying a creative act with computers: Music performance studies with automated discovery methods

Abstract The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how advanced computer methods may be able to provide new insights into a complex creative activity such as music performance. The context is an inter-disciplinary research project in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods are used to analyse patterns in performances by human artists. In asking how the computer can take us closer to an understanding of creativity in music performance, we identify two pertinent research strategies within our project: the use of machine learning algorithms that try to discover common performance principles and thus help separate the “rationally explainable” aspects of performance from the more genuinely “creative” ones, and the use of data mining methods that can discover, visualise and describe performance patterns that seem to be characteristic of the style of particular artists and thus may be more directly related to their individual creativity. Some preliminary results are briefly presented that are indicative of the kinds of discoveries these algorithms can make. Some general issues regarding (musical) creativity and its relation to Artificial Intelligence are also briefly discussed.
Boys keep swinging? Sex-composition of the school and pressure for gender-conformity

ABSTRACT This study assesses the effect of secondary schools’ sex-composition on boys’ and girls’ felt pressure for gender-conformity. Whereas gender-conformity pressure affects adolescents’ well-being, little large-scale research examines school features’ influence. Multilevel-analyses are conducted on representative Flemish data of first grade students, 2688 boys and 2430 girls, in 57 secondary schools, gathered at the beginning of school-year 2012/13 and the end of 2013/14. When estimating the effects on gender-conformity pressure at time 2, the gender-conformity pressure at time 1 is accounted for. For girls, no effects of the school’s sex-composition are found. Boys in schools with more girls display lower levels of felt pressure at the start of secondary education. The felt pressure at time 2 increases with the proportion of girls, indicating that boys forming a numerical minority at school, report more growth in gender-conformity pressure. This effect is stronger for boys holding more traditional gender-role attitudes.
Detecting planets around stars in nearby galaxies

The only way to detect planets around stars at distances & several kpc is by (photometric or astrometric) microlensing (µL) observations. In this paper, we show that the capability of photometric µL extends to the detection of signals caused by planets around stars in nearby galaxies (e.g. M31) and that there is no other method that can achieve this. Due to the large crowding, µL experiments towards M31 can only observe the high-magnification part of a lensing light curve. Therefore, the dominating channel for µL signals by planets is in distortions near the peak of high-magnification events as discussed by Griest & Safizadeh ([1998]). We calculate the probability to detect planetary anomalies for µL experiments towards M31 and find that jupiter-like planets around stars in M31 can be detected. Though the characterization of the planet(s) involved in this signal will be difficult, the absence of such signals can yield strong constraints on the abundance of jupiter-like planets.
Accelerated expansion and the Goldstone ghost

A vacuum instability due to a massless ghost in a hidden sector can lead to an effective equation of state for dark energy that changes smoothly from w = −3/2 at large redshifts, to w ≈ −1.2 today, to w = −1 in the future. We discuss how this ghost can be the Goldstone boson of Lorentz symmetry breaking, and we find that this breaking in the hidden sector should occur at a scale below ~ 10 KeV. The normal particles that are produced along with the ghosts are then predominantly neutrinos.
Application of aggregation operators in regime-switching models for exchange rates

A new method of construction of regimeswitching models based on utilization of aggregation operators has been recently indicated in [2] (without any appropriate investigation of its practical usability). The goal of this paper is to provide a comprehensive exposition of the new method of model construction and mainly to explore their usability in practical modeling (using the time series of exchange rates of the Slovak Crown to Euro). We conclude that the new models exhibit superior in-sample as well as outof-sample fitting performance in comparison with models based on more standard approaches to time series analysis.
Using SentiWordNet for multilingual sentiment analysis

This paper introduces a methodology for determining polarity of text within a multilingual framework. The method leverages on lexical resources for sentiment analysis available in English (SentiWordNet). First, a document in a different language than English is translated into English using standard translation software. Then, the translated document is classified according to its sentiment into one of the classes "positive" and "negative". For sentiment classification, a document is searched for sentiment bearing words like adjectives. By means of SentiWordNet, scores for positivity and negativity are determined for these words. An interpretation of the scores then leads to the document polarity. The method is tested for German movie reviews selected from Amazon and is compared to a statistical polarity classifier based on n-grams. The results show that working with standard technology and existing sentiment analysis approaches is a viable approach to sentiment analysis within a multilingual framework.
From Physical to Human Capital Accumulation: Inequality in the Process of Development

This paper presents a unified theory that provides an intertemporal reconciliation between conflicting viewpoints about the effect of inequality on economic growth. It argues that the replacement of physical capital accumulation by human capital accumulation as a prime engine of economic growth has changed the qualitative impact of inequality on the process of development. In early stages of industrialization as physical capital accumulation is a prime source of economic growth, inequality enhances the process of development by channeling resources towards individuals whose marginal propensity to save is higher. In later stages of development, however, as the return to human capital increases due to capital-skill complementarity, human capital becomes the prime engine of growth and equality, given credit constraints, stimulating investment in human capital and economic growth. As wages increase, however, credit constraints become less binding and the overall effect of inequality becomes insignificant.
A Kicked oscillator as a Model of a Pulsed MEMS System

In this paper, we study the behavior of a MEMS oscillator by applying methods of nonlinear dynamics. We model the system as a kicked damped oscillator and obtain the iterative maps that describe the MEMS system. The dynamics of the maps are studied numerically: we present a study of limit cycles and their rotation numbers and show how the control parameters and initial conditions may affect the output frequencies.
Lack of Selection and Limits to Delegation: Firm Dynamics in Developing Countries

Delegating managerial tasks is essential for firm growth. Most firms in developing countries, however, do not hire outside managers but instead rely on family members. In this paper, we ask if this lack of managerial delegation can explain why firms in poor countries are small and whether it has important aggregate consequences. We construct a model of firm growth where entrepreneurs have a fixed time endowment to run their daily operations. As firms grow large, the need to hire outside managers increases. Firms’ willingness to expand therefore depends on the ease with which delegation can take place. We calibrate the model to plant-level data from the United States and India. We identify the key parameters of our theory by targeting the experimental evidence on the effect of managerial practices on firm performance from Bloom et al. (2013). We find that inefficiencies in the delegation environment account for 11 percent of the income per capita difference between the United States and India. They also contribute to the small size of Indian producers, but would cause substantially more harm for US firms. The reason is that US firms are larger on average and managerial delegation is especially valuable for large firms, thus making delegation efficiency and other factors affecting firm growth complements. (JEL D22, G32, L25, L26, O14)
Is autism due to cerebral-cerebellum disconnection?

Autism has been linked to thalidomide exposure at 20-24 days gestation. At this stage, the embryo is roughly the size of this 'C', and has yet to develop its brain (except for brainstem cranial motor nerve nuclei). The neuropathology responsible for autism is presently unknown, but whatever it is, it must logically be one that can be induced by such an early occurring brainstem cranial motor nerve nuclei defect. Many mental faculties impaired in autism (such as theory of mind) depend upon the prefrontal cortex. The maturation of cerebral-cerebellar connections, due to oddities in axon development, is vulnerable to pre-existing brainstem nuclei integrity. Many higher cognitions (including prefrontal ones) are dependent upon these links raising the possibility that abnormalities in them might produce autism. I conjecture that impaired cerebral-cerebellar connections, whether caused early, as by thalidomide, or later (including postnatally) by other factors, is the missing neuropathological cause of autism.
Leaders and followers in adolescent close friendships: Susceptibility to peer influence as a predictor of risky behavior, friendship instability, and depression

Adolescents' susceptibility to peer influence was examined as a marker of difficulties in the general process of autonomy development that was likely to be related to deficits across multiple domains of psychosocial functioning. A laboratory-based assessment of susceptibility to peer influence in interactions with a close friend was developed and examined in relation to corollary reports obtained from adolescents, their mothers, and close peers at ages 13 and 14. As hypothesized, observed susceptibility to peer influence with a close friend predicted future responses to negative peer pressure, but it was also related to broader markers of problems in functioning, including decreases in popularity, and increasing levels of depressive symptoms, over time. Susceptibility to peer influence was also linked to higher concurrent levels of substance use, externalizing behavior, and sexual activity. Results are interpreted as reflecting the central role of establishing autonomy with peers in psychosocial development.This study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH44934 and R01-MH58066).