Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bruchpilot and Synaptotagmin collaborate to drive rapid glutamate release and active zone differentiation

The active zone (AZ) protein Bruchpilot (Brp) is essential for rapid glutamate release at Drosophila melanogaster neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Quantal time course and measurements of action potential-waveform suggest that presynaptic fusion mechanisms are altered in brp null mutants (brp69). This could account for their increased evoked excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) delay and rise time (by about 1 ms). To test the mechanism of release protraction at brp69 AZs, we performed knock-down of Synaptotagmin-1 (Syt) via RNAi (sytKD) in wildtype (wt), brp69 and rab3 null mutants (rab3rup), where Brp is concentrated at a small number of AZs. At wt and rab3rup synapses, sytKD lowered EPSC amplitude while increasing rise time and delay, consistent with the role of Syt as a release sensor. In contrast, sytKD did not alter EPSC amplitude at brp69 synapses, but shortened delay and rise time. In fact, following sytKD, these kinetic properties were strikingly similar in wt and brp69, which supports the notion that Syt protracts release at brp69synapses. To gain insight into this surprising role of Syt at brp69 AZs, we analyzed the structural and functional differentiation of synaptic boutons at the NMJ. At ‘tonic’ type Ib motor neurons, distal boutons contain more AZs, more Brp proteins per AZ and show elevated and accelerated glutamate release compared to proximal boutons. The functional differentiation between proximal and distal boutons is Brp-dependent and reduced after sytKD. Notably, sytKD boutons are smaller, contain fewer Brp positive AZs and these are of similar number in proximal and distal boutons. In addition, super-resolution imaging via dSTORM revealed that sytKD increases the number and alters the spatial distribution of Brp molecules at AZs, while the gradient of Brp proteins per AZ is diminished. In summary, these data demonstrate that normal structural and functional differentiation of Drosophila AZs requires concerted action of Brp and Syt.
Association between secondhand smoking in the home and respiratory morbidity in preschool children.

OBJECTIVE Identifying the prevalence of secondhand smoking in the home and its association with morbidity and hospitalization from respiratory causes in preschool children. METHOD This is a cross-sectional study conducted in five early childhood education centers at a public university in São Paulo. Sample size calculation was performed and the participants were randomly determined. Data were collected through questionnaires completed by family members or caregivers of 215 children. Chi-square and Student's t-test were used for the statistical analysis, using a 0.05 significance level. RESULTS The prevalence of secondhand smoke in the household was 15.3%. Bivariate analysis revealed that secondhand smoke in the household was associated with the occurrence of rapid breathing, subdiaphragmatic retractions in the past three months, and treated ear infections/otitis. CONCLUSION A low prevalence of secondhand smoking in the home was found. Secondhand smoke was associated with a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and morbidity. OBJETIVO Identificar a prevalência de tabagismo passivo em domicílio e verificar sua associação com morbidades e hospitalização por causas respiratórias em crianças pré-escolares. MÉTODO Trata-se de estudo transversal conduzido em cinco centros de educação infantil de uma universidade pública de São Paulo. Foi realizado cálculo de tamanho amostral, e a seleção dos participantes foi feita por sorteio. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionários preenchidos pelos familiares ou cuidadores de 215 crianças. Na análise estatística foram empregados os testes Qui-quadrado e t-Student, considerando-se um nível de significância de 0,05. RESULTADOS A prevalência de tabagismo passivo em domicílio foi de 15,3%. Verificou-se na análise bivariada que o tabagismo passivo em domicílio esteve associado à ocorrência de respiração rápida, retração subdiafragmática nos últimos três meses, e otite tratada. CONCLUSÃO Verificou-se uma baixa prevalência de tabagismo passivo domiciliar. O tabagismo passivo esteve associado a uma prevalência maior de sintomas e morbidade respiratória.
Reactive Planning and Control of Planar Spring–Mass Running on Rough Terrain

An important motivation for work on legged robots has always been their potential for high-performance locomotion on rough terrain. Nevertheless, most existing control algorithms for such robots either make rigid assumptions about their environments or rely on kinematic planning at low speeds. Moreover, the traditional separation of planning from control often has negative impact on the robustness of the system. In this paper, we introduce a new method for dynamic, fully reactive footstep planning for a planar spring-mass hopper, based on a careful characterization of the model dynamics and the design of an associated deadbeat controller, used within a sequential composition framework. This yields a purely reactive controller with a large domain of attraction that requires no explicit replanning during execution. We show in simulation that plans constructed for a simplified dynamic model can successfully control locomotion of a more complete model across rough terrain. We also characterize the performance of the planner over rough terrain and show that it is robust against both model uncertainty and measurement noise without replanning.
"Sedimentological characteristics, provenance and hydrocarbon potential of Post Santonian sediments in Anambra Basin, Southeastern Nigeria "

Field studies of outcrop samples from part of Anambra basin, southeastern Nigeria, were investigated to unravel the lithofacies distribution, provenance, palaeotectonic history as well as aspects of hydrocarbon potential of the basin. The sandstone facies of the Nkporo, Owelli, Mamu and Ajali Formations are cross bedded, medium to coarse grained, poorly sorted to moderately well sorted, negatively skewed and leptokurtic to platykurtic. Textural plots and multivariate parameters indicate fluvial to shallow marine environment. Paleocurrents signify southwest direction for the Nkporo and Ajali Formations while the Owelli Formation points to a northwest direction. The sandstones classify as quartz arenite with heavy mineral assemblages that revealed the presence of zircon, rutile, tourmaline, staurolite, sillimanite, kyanite, garnet and apatite; having ZTR index of 63 %. These typify products of weathering of basement rocks under humid climatic setting with long transportation and/or recycling history. Organic matter quantity of the shales ranges from mass fractions 0.89 % to 3.98 % TOC and Rock-eval parameters indicate immature, poor to fair hydrocarbon potential. Cross plots of rock eval parameters revealed gas proned terrestrially derived Types III and IV kerogen. It can be deduced that the sandstones were sourced from the Adamawa–Abakaliki folded belt and part of Oban Massif while the shales have prospect to generate gas at appropriate maturation, especially from the Nkporo Shale.
Changing Attitudes Towards Sexual Orientation and the Effect of Documentary Film

Attitudes towards LGBT people are shifting rapidly, with over half (51%) of the US population now favoring same-sex marriage. LGBT issues are also being hotly debated in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church. The purpose of this research is to examine how the film, Seventh-Gay Adventist (SGA) influences SDA college students' attitudes regarding homosexuality. My study compares attitude scores of students (N=46) using an experimental design with random assignment. Both the experimental group and the control group completed a commonly used Homosexuality Attitude Scale and modified version of Fulton's Adventists and LGB's survey at pretest and posttest. Results show that the film had no significant effect on students' overall attitudes. However, a significant difference in attitude change was found on one individual item: a homosexual's ability to become heterosexual. This suggested that after watching the film, subjects were more likely to think that lesbian and gay individuals cannot change their sexual orientation.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Deficits in Hippocampal Structure in Fire Victims with Recent-Onset Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Objective: To explore hippocampal structural abnormalities in fire victims with recent-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: We compared 12 patients with recent-onset PTSD diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria 6 to 8 months after a major fire with 12 individuals without PTSD who were victims of the same fire accident. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) were combined to examine hippocampal structural abnormalities in patients with recent-onset PTSD. Results: Results of VBM showed that the grey matter density of the left hippocampus was lower in the group with PTSD than it was in the group without PTSD. Results of MRS showed that the ratio of N-acetyl asparate and creatine in the left hippocampus was significantly lower in patients with PTSD than in control subjects. Conclusion: Patients with recent-onset PTSD had hippocampal structural abnormalities.
Tumor suppression by miR-26 overrides potential oncogenic activity in intestinal tumorigenesis

To investigate the contexts in which the tumor suppressor versus oncogenic activity of miR-26 predominates in vivo, Zeitels et al. generated miR-26a transgenic mice. Despite measurable repression of Pten, elevated miR-26a levels were not associated with malignancy in transgenic animals. miR-26a expression potently suppressed intestinal adenoma formation in Apcmin/+ mice. This study reveals a tumor suppressor role for miR-26 in intestinal cancer that overrides putative oncogenic activity.
On the Functional Value of Attitudes: The Influence of Accessible Attitudes on the Ease and Quality of Decision Making

A series of experiments relevant to the functional value of accessible attitudes is reported. Experiment 1 established that diastolic blood pressure was sensitive to the task demands involved in subjects' expression of a preference between pairs of abstract paintings. In Experiments 2 and 3, subjects who had developed and rehearsed attitudes toward the individual paintings displayed a smaller elevation in diastolic blood pressure while performing this pairwise preference task than control subjects, suggesting that attitudes can ease decision making. Experiment 4 provided converging evidence for this hypothesis in that faster decision latencies were observed during the pairwise preference task when subjects had previously developed accessible attitudes toward the individual paintings. Evidence was also obtained suggesting that accessible attitudes enhanced the quality of the decisions made during the pairwise preference task.
Portable System for Practical Permittivity Measurements Improved by Homomorphic Deconvolution

This paper presents a versatile low-cost procedure for complex permittivity measurements of liquids from 400 MHz to 5 GHz. Our procedure uses handheld instrumentation and custom software for data acquisition and postprocessing. The purpose is to replace the benchtop vector network analyzer (VNA) generally used in such applications with a portable and cheaper handheld spectrum analyzer used in the VNA mode. Postprocessing software based on homomorphic deconvolution is used to remove possible inaccuracies in the permittivity spectra coming from the reduced performance of the handheld VNA with respect to benchtop models. Our measurements are evaluated by comparison with those of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The results of the real and imaginary parts of the permittivity spectra of two well characterized organic compounds, ethanediol and 2-propanol, are in very good agreement with the NPL reference standards, showing a relative root-mean-square error (RRMSE) always less than 5%. Low values of the RRMSE, together with an expanded uncertainty less than 3%, ensure that our permittivity measurements are repeatable and accurate. Thanks to its versatility, portability, and at least half of the cost of commercial models, our system is suitable for on-site measurements in different applications, including food quality monitoring and control of medical treatments and biological procedures.
Evolutionary derived modulations of attention to two common fear stimuli: Serpents and hostile humans

In this paper we present an evolutionary analysis of attention to stimuli that are threatening from an evolutionary perspective, such as angry faces and snakes. We review data showing that angry, photographically depicted angry faces are more rapidly detected than happy faces in a visual search setting provided that they are male and that distractors are redundant in the sense that they are drawn from a small set of faces. Following Isbell's (2009) novel Snake Detection Theory, we predicted that snakes, as the prototypical predators, should be more rapidly detected than spiders, given that spiders have provided less of a predatory threat for primates. We review a series of experiments from our laboratory showing that snakes indeed are more rapidly detected than spiders provided that the target stimuli are presented in a demanding visual context, such as many distractor stimuli, or in peripheral vision. Furthermore, they are more distracting than spiders on the performance of a primary attention task. Because snakes were not affected by perceptual load, whereas spiders followed the usual rule of better detection with low perceptual load, we concluded that attending to snakes might constitute an evolutionary adaptation.
Synthesis and optical properties of colloidal gold nanoparticles

Colloidal gold nanoparticles (spheres) have been prepared from HAuCl4 containing aqueous solution by using X-ray irradiation and by chemical reduction method. Gold nanorods were synthesized according to the seed-mediated growth method. The colloidal gold nanoparticles were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. It was found that the concentration of the precursors affects the size of the nanoparticles. In the chemical reduction approach the size of nanoparticles can be controlled by varying amount of trisodium citrate, but in the photochemical method the size of nanoparticles can been controlled by varying the ratio of HAuCl4 to TX-100 and X-ray irradiation duration. Gold nanorods have been synthesized according to the seed-mediated growth method with two steps. The effect of silver acetate and CTAB on formation of gold nanorods has been studied.
Perceptually-based data-driven join costs: comparing join types

Unit selection synthesis has improved the quality of synthetic speech by making it possible to concatenate speech from a large database to produce intelligible synthesis while preserving much of the naturalness of the original signal. Such synthesis is by no means perfect, however, and this paper describes work to achieve more optimal joins between concatenated units. Results from a psychoacoustic experiment, acoustic parameters and phonetic factors are analyzed and used in statistical training of join costs so that audible discontinuities at concatenation boundaries can be minimized.
Pediatric emergency room visits: a risk factor for acquiring measles.

In recent years, measles outbreaks have occurred among unimmunized children in inner cities in the United States. From May 1988 through June 1989, 1214 measles cases were reported in Los Angeles, and from October 1988 through June 1989, 1730 cases were reported in Houston. More than half of cases were in children younger than 5 years of age, most of whom were unvaccinated. Of cases of measles in preschool-aged children, nearly one fourth in Los Angeles and more than one third in Houston were reported by one inner-city emergency room. To evaluate whether emergency room visits were a risk factor for acquiring measles, in Los Angeles, 35 measles patients and 109 control patients with illnesses other than measles, and in Houston, 49 measles patients and 128 control patients, who visited these emergency rooms, were enrolled in case-control studies. Control patients were matched to case patients for ethnicity, age, and week of visit. Records were reviewed to determine whether case patients had visited the emergency room during the period of potential measles exposure, which was defined as 10 to 18 days before rash onset, and whether control patients had visited 10 to 18 days before their enrollment visit. In Los Angeles, 23% of case patients and 5% of control patients (odds ratio = 5.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.7, 15.9; P less than .01), and in Houston, 41% of case patients and 6% of control patients (odds ratio = 8.4, 95% confidence interval = 3.3, 21.2; P less than .01), visited the emergency room during these periods. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
How Accurate Is the Prediction of Maximal Oxygen Uptake with Treadmill Testing?

Background Cardiorespiratory fitness measured by treadmill testing has prognostic significance in determining mortality with cardiovascular and other chronic disease states. The accuracy of a recently developed method for estimating maximal oxygen uptake (VO2peak), the heart rate index (HRI), is dependent only on heart rate (HR) and was tested against oxygen uptake (VO2), either measured or predicted from conventional treadmill parameters (speed, incline, protocol time). Methods The HRI equation, METs = 6 x HRI– 5, where HRI = maximal HR/resting HR, provides a surrogate measure of VO2peak. Forty large scale treadmill studies were identified through a systematic search using MEDLINE, Google Scholar and Web of Science in which VO2peak was either measured (TM-VO2meas; n = 20) or predicted (TM-VO2pred; n = 20) based on treadmill parameters. All studies were required to have reported group mean data of both resting and maximal HRs for determination of HR index-derived oxygen uptake (HRI-VO2). Results The 20 studies with measured VO2 (TM-VO2meas), involved 11,477 participants (median 337) with a total of 105,044 participants (median 3,736) in the 20 studies with predicted VO2 (TM-VO2pred). A difference of only 0.4% was seen between mean (±SD) VO2peak for TM- VO2meas and HRI-VO2 (6.51±2.25 METs and 6.54±2.28, respectively; p = 0.84). In contrast, there was a highly significant 21.1% difference between mean (±SD) TM-VO2pred and HRI-VO2 (8.12±1.85 METs and 6.71±1.92, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusion Although mean TM-VO2meas and HRI-VO2 were almost identical, mean TM-VO2pred was more than 20% greater than mean HRI-VO2.
Joint association of screen time and physical activity with anthropometric measures in Iranian children and adolescents: the weight disorders survey of the CASPIAN-IV study

Abstract Background: This study aims to assess the joint association of screen time (ST) and physical activity (PA) with anthropometric indices among Iranian children and adolescents. Methods: In this national study, 23,183 school students, aged 6–18 years, were studied. By using a multi-stage cluster sampling method, they were selected from rural and urban areas of 30 provinces of Iran. ST and PA were assessed by self-administered validated questionnaires. Height, weight, hip and waist circumferences (WC) were measured according to standard protocols, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. ST of <2 h per day was categorized as “low” and ≥2 h per day as “high”. PA levels were obtained by a 7-day recall of sports or activities that made participants sweat or make their legs feel tired, or games that made them breathe heavily. Using this questionnaire, the score of 1–1.9 was categorized as “low” and scores between 2 and 5 as “high” PA. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the joint association of PA and ST categories with odds of anthropometric measures. Results: In both genders, those students categorized as “Low PA & High ST” had the highest levels of BMI z-scores (boys: 0.15±1.12, girls: 0.17±1.08), WC (boys: 69.93±13.89 cm, girls: 67.30±11.26 cm), and hip circumference (boys: 82.41±13.90 cm, girls: 84.05±13.7 cm), as well as the highest prevalence of overweight (boys: 15.32%, girls: 14.04%) (p<0.001 in all comparisons). In linear multivariate model, students with “High PA & High ST” had significant increased levels of z-scores for BMI, WC and hip circumference (p<0.05). Conclusions: The current findings underscore the importance of reducing ST along with increasing PA for prevention and control of excess weight in children and adolescents.
S32504, a Novel Naphtoxazine Agonist at Dopamine D3/D2 Receptors: II. Actions in Rodent, Primate, and Cellular Models of Antiparkinsonian Activity in Comparison to Ropinirole

These studies evaluated the potential antiparkinsonian properties of the novel dopamine D3/D2 receptor agonist S32504 [(+)-trans-3,4,4a,5,6, 10b-hexahydro-9-carbamoyl-4-propyl-2H-naphth[1,2-b]-1,4-oxazine] in comparison with those of the clinically employed agonist ropinirole. In rats with a unilateral, 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the substantia nigra, S32504 (0.0025–0.04 mg/kg, s.c.) more potently elicited contralateral rotation than S32601 [(-)-trans-3,4,4a,5,6, 10b-hexahydro-9-carbamoyl-4-propyl-2H-naphth-[1,2-b]-1,4-oxazine (its less active enantiomer)], ropinirole, and l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA). Rotation elicited by S32504 was blocked by the D2/D3 receptor antagonists haloperidol and raclopride and by the D2 antagonist L741,626 [4-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)piperidin-4-ol], but not by the D3 antagonist S33084 [(3aR,9bS)-N-[4-(8-cyano-1,3a,4,9b-tetrahydro-3H-benzopyrano[3,4-c]pyrrole-2-yl)-butyl]-(4-phenyl)benzamide]. As assessed by dialysis in both lesioned and nonlesioned animals, S32504 (0.04–2.5 mg/kg, s.c.) reduced striatal levels of acetylcholine. This effect was blocked by raclopride, haloperidol, and L741,626 but not S33084. In rats treated with reserpine, hypolocomotion was reversed by S32504 and, less potently, by ropinirole. In “unprimed” marmosets treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, both s.c. (0.01–0.04 mg/kg) and p.o. (0.04–1.25 mg/kg) administration of S32504 dose-dependently and rapidly (within 10 min) increased locomotor activity and reduced disability. Furthermore, S32504 dose-dependently reversed bradykinesia and improved posture in “l-DOPA-primed” animals, whereas eliciting less pronounced dyskinesia than l-DOPA. Finally, in terminally differentiated SH-SY5Y cells presenting a dopaminergic phenotype, S32504, but not S32601, abrogated the neurotoxic effects of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, an action inhibited by raclopride and S33084 but not L741,626. Ropinirole was weakly neuroprotective in this model. In conclusion, S32504 displays potent and stereospecific activity in rodent, primate, and cellular models of antiparkinsonian properties. Although activation of D2 receptors is crucial to the motor actions of S32504, engagement of D3 receptors contributes to its neuroprotective properties.