Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of COMT, DRD2, BDNF, and APOE Genotypic Variation on Treatment Efficacy and Cognitive Side Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy

Objectives The aim of this study was to explore the main and interaction effects of the COMT Val158Met, DRD2 C957T, BDNF Val66Met, and APOE polymorphisms on treatment efficacy and cognitive side effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Methods A total of 117 adult inpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder recruited from 3 hospitals were administered the Montgomery-Äsberg Depression Rating Scale and a cognitive battery assessing global cognition, anterograde memory, executive function, speed and concentration, as well as retrograde memory at baseline and after ECT treatment. Results DRD2 C957T heterozygotes had 3.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.13–12.25; P = 0.032) greater odds of remission compared with CC homozygotes. Among the men, COMT Val/Val carriers had greater depressive symptom reduction compared with Met/Met carriers (Montgomery-Äsberg Depression Rating Scale percentage of reduction, 76% vs 35%; P = 0.020) but not among the women (P = 0.903) after ECT. For cognitive outcomes, an interaction effect on anterograde memory was observed between the DRD2 and BDNF polymorphisms (P = 0.016), in which carriers of the DRD2 TT and BDNF Val/Val genotypes had significantly less decline in anterograde performance than those that carried the TC and Met-allele (P = 0.001) or CC and Met-allele (P = 0.003) genotypes. However, no results withstood correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusions These observations provide preliminary evidence supporting an association between common functional genotypic variation and ECT efficacy as well as anterograde memory side effects after ECT. Validation of these findings is required before firm conclusions can be made and clinical utility can be assessed.
Ultrasensitive Quantum-Limited Far-Infrared STJ Detectors

We describe recent work at Yale on Superconducting Tunnel Junction (STJ) direct detectors that have been developed for submillimeter astronomy. To monitor the response of the detector with large readout bandwidth and excellent sensitivity, we use a novel readout based on radio frequency (RF) reflectometry, like the readout invented for the RF-SET. For calibration of the detector, we have developed an in-situ, on-chip, hot-cold photon source. This is a voltage biased gold microbridge. Noise emitted by the microbridge couples via a coplanar stripline to the detector. This provides a calibrated blackbody photon source with near unity coupling, fast chopping, and calculable output. We present recent detection results in the range 100-160 GHz. These demonstrate the expected good responsivity, high sensitivity, and fast response. This approach is easily used with a frequency-multiplexed readout, allowing economy of cold electronics. Ultimate sensitivity is in the range 1 times 10-19 W/(Hz)1/2.
Insight into Biological Apatite: Physiochemical Properties and Preparation Approaches

Biological apatite is an inorganic calcium phosphate salt in apatite form and nano size with a biological derivation. It is also the main inorganic component of biological hard tissues such as bones and teeth of vertebrates. Consequently, biological apatite has a wide application in dentistry and orthopedics by using as dental fillers and bone substitutes for bone reconstruction and regeneration. Given this, it is of great significance to obtain a comprehensive understanding of its physiochemical and biological properties. However, upon the previous studies, inconsistent and inadequate data of such basic properties as the morphology, crystal size, chemical compositions, and solubility of biological apatite were reported. This may be ascribed to the differences in the source of raw materials that biological apatite are made from, as well as the effect of the preparation approaches. Hence, this paper is to provide some insights rather than a thorough review of the physiochemical properties as well as the advantages and drawbacks of various preparation methods of biological apatite.
Single dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons form two chemically distinct synaptic types: Possible transmitter segregation within neurons

These experiments were designed to examine a paradox present in the literature with regard to the fine structure of nigrostriatal dopamine terminals within the rat striatum. Previous studies have shown that anterograde transport of tritiated labeled proteins from the substantia nigra to the striatum over short survival times primarily labels asymmetric synapses (and that these asymmetric synapses are preferentially vulnerable to selective dopaminergic neurotoxins such as 6‐hydroxydopamine). In contrast, fine structural immunohistochemical studies with antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine have consistently labeled primarily symmetric synapses en passant within the striatum. We have now confirmed that these two seemingly contradictory types of labeled synapses (radio‐ and immuno‐labeled) can both be present, but most often separate from one another, in single ultrathin sections. However, we also found that radiolabeled unmyelinated axons were usually double‐labeled by tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. Employing longer survival times (10 days after the nigral isotope injections) in order to enhance the ratio of “enpassant” to terminal labeling produced a large increase in the occurrence of radiolabeled striatal axonal varicosities with the result that many symmetric synapses en passant were double‐labeled with both the autoradiographic and the immunohistochemical markers. Given that more than 95% of the nigrostriatal projection arises from dopamine fluorescent neurons, it would appear that both the asymmetric and symmetric terminals belong to the same type of neuron. Thus, we suggest that single dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra make two types of synaptic contact with striatal cells: (1) symmetric synapses en passant, which can be stained with tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine and which contact dendritic spine necks, and (2) asymmetric terminal boutons of unknown chemical nature which end on dendritic spine heads. We conclude that both the asymmetric terminal and symmetric en passant synapses take origin from a single nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuronal population and that dopaminergic transmitter markers occur only in one of these synaptic types in the rat striatum.
The Impact of Formal Adult Education on the Likelihood of Being Employed: a Comparative Overview

This article aims to map formal adult education in terms of the determinants of educational upgrading later in life, relating these back to social inequalities from a comparative perspective, and to labour market outcomes following participation, particularly the probability of being employed. It relies on a longitudinal analysis of data from the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden and Russia. Results show that educational upgrading at mature ages has the potential for reducing social inequalities in all the countries analysed. Upgraders tend to come from a medium to low education background in Russia and the UK but from the tertiary educated in Spain and Sweden. Labour market marginalisation increases the chance of upgrading particularly in Sweden. Upgrading tends to increase employment opportunities, though these are in some cases conditional on being employed whilst studying. This is speciﬁ cally the case for Russia and for men in the UK. We also found important country-speciﬁ c gender diﬀ erences in the eﬀ ect of upgrading on employment opportunities, according to which women beneﬁ t more than men in the UK and Sweden. We conclude with some suggestions about the institutional eﬀ ects that produce diﬀ erences between countries.
Modulation of Myb‐induced NF‐kB ‐STAT3 signaling and resulting cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer by dietary factors

c‐Myb regulates tumorigenesis in multiple cancers. Here we show, for the first time, the mechanism of c‐Myb‐mediated proliferation, invasion, and drug resistance in ovarian cancer (OC), the most lethal gynecological cancer, and a comparative analyses of dietary agents, curcumin, epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG), and sulforaphane in inhibiting c‐Myb activity. We evaluated myb expression in patients with OC and found its increased expression in patients with cancer, compared with normal controls and in higher grade tumors, compared with low‐grade tumors. Using ES2 and OVCAR3 cell line models, along with the silencing or overexpression of c‐Myb, we establish a role of c‐Myb in determining resistance to cisplatin. c‐Myb overexpression activated NF‐κB and STAT3 signaling leading to enhanced proliferation, invasion, and cisplatin resistance. Contrary to this, silencing of c‐Myb inhibited proliferation, invasion, and sensitized OC cells to cisplatin. Further, among the dietary agents tested, EGCG almost completely inhibited the c‐Myb‐induced proliferation and invasion whereas sulforaphane also had significant inhibitory effect. Both compounds significantly sensitized OC cells to cisplatin, reversing the c‐Myb effects. Higher c‐Myb levels in patients with ovarian cancer lead to poor survival and our results indicate a possible effect of dietary factors EGCG and sulforaphane against c‐Myb‐mediated ovarian cancer progression and chemoresistance.
Activated Conformations of Very Late Activation Integrins Detected by a Group of Antibodies (HUTS) Specific for a Novel Regulatory Region(355425) of the Common 1 Chain (*)

The very late activation antigens (VLA) or β1 integrins mediate cell attachment to different extracellular matrix proteins and intercellular adhesions. The ligand binding activity of these adhesion receptors is not constitutive and can be regulated by temperature, presence of extracellular divalent cations, stimulatory monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and cellular activation. We have generated three novel mAbs, HUTS-4, HUTS-7, and HUTS-21, recognizing specific epitopes on the common β1 subunit (CD29) of VLA integrins whose expression correlates with the ligand binding activity of these heterodimeric glycoproteins. This correlation has been demonstrated for several integrin heterodimers in different cell systems using a variety of extracellular and intracellular stimuli for integrin activation. Thus, the presence of micromolar concentrations of extracellular Mn, preincubation with the activating anti-β1 mAb TS2/16, and cell treatment with phorbol esters or calcium ionophores, induced the expression of the HUTS β1 epitopes on T lymphoblasts. Using a panel of human-mouse β1 chimeric molecules, we have mapped these epitopes to the 355-425 sequence of the β1 polypeptide. This segment represents therefore a novel regulatory region of β1 that is exposed upon integrin activation. Interestingly, binding of HUTS mAbs to partially activated VLA integrins results in maximal activation of these adhesion receptors and enhancement of cell adhesion to β1 integrin ligands collagen, laminin, and fibronectin.
The impact of JIT-II-selling on organizational performance

Purpose – In response to the just‐in‐time (JIT) II purchasing strategy developed at Bose, sellers in the manufacturing sector have become JIT‐II sellers. The purpose of this study is to test the propositions that implementation of a JIT‐II‐selling strategy strengthens the strategic link between the production and marketing functions and leverages the impact of a market orientation on organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach – Data related to JIT‐II‐selling, market orientation and organizational performance were collected from 166 managers of large US‐based manufacturing companies and analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach.Findings – Results indicate that market orientation fully mediates the relationship between JIT‐II‐selling and organizational performance.Practical/implications – Manufacturers adopting a JIT‐II‐selling strategy to enhance a market orientation philosophy can expect improvements in organizational performance.Originality/value – This study is the first to desc.
PLAs in quantum-dot cellular automata

Research in the fields of physics, chemistry and electronics has demonstrated that quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is a viable alternative for nano-scale computing. However, little work on QCA has studied designing implementation-friendly programmable QCA circuits. This paper fills this gap by presenting a novel QCA-based programmable logic array (PLA) structure. In addition to being compact, the proposed PLA structure exploits some unique properties of QCA cells to achieve ease of implementation, programming and defect detection. These features are indispensable to the successful adoption of any nano-scale circuits
Extended Access to Nicotine Self-Administration Leads to Dependence: Circadian Measures, Withdrawal Measures, and Extinction Behavior in Rats

The present study characterized nicotine intake, circadian patterns of food and water intake, precipitated somatic signs of withdrawal, and extinction of nicotine-seeking behavior in rats with 23-h access to intravenous self-administration (IVSA). Separate groups of animals were allowed access to nicotine IVSA (0.015, n = 9; 0.03, n = 14; 0.06, n = 16; mg/kg/0.1 ml infusion/s; fixed ratio 1) and trained to nosepoke for food and water 23 h/day for 40 consecutive days. Somatic signs of nicotine withdrawal were examined following saline or mecamylamine administration (1.5 mg/kg i.p.), and extinction of nicotine-seeking behavior was assessed. A dose-dependent decrease in lever responding and an increase in nicotine intake were observed, with the highest nicotine dose producing the lowest amount of lever responding and the highest amount of nicotine intake. Nicotine acutely reduced diurnal and nocturnal food intake, producing smaller and fewer meals, and an increased rate of eating. Differences in rate of nicotine intake between the light and dark phase decreased significantly, especially in rats receiving higher unit nicotine doses (0.03 and 0.06 mg/kg), along with long-term decreases in the circadian profile and amplitude of feeding. Mecamylamine precipitated robust withdrawal signs, the magnitude of which was positively correlated with the total amount of self-administered nicotine. Extinction of nicotine-seeking behavior was observed and was facilitated by removal of nicotine-associated cues. The results demonstrate that rats will self-administer nicotine to the point of producing dependence, as measured by somatic signs, resistance to extinction, and measures of food intake.
Verification-Guided Soft Error Resilience

Algorithmic techniques for formal verification can be used not just for bug-finding, but also to estimate vulnerability to reliability problems and to reduce overheads of circuit mechanisms for error resilience. We demonstrate this idea of verification-guided error resilience in the context of soft errors in latches. We show how model checking can be used to identify latches in a circuit that must be protected in order that the circuit satisfies a formal specification. Experimental results on a Verilog implementation of the ESA SpaceWire communication protocol indicate that the power overhead of soft error protection can be reduced by a factor of 4.35 by using our approach rather than protecting all latches
Long-lasting transition toward sustainable elimination of desert malaria under irrigation development

Significance It is recognized that the risk of malaria in dry areas is increased in the proximity of irrigation infrastructure. Although historical evidence shows that eventually malaria risks subside on the road to greater prosperity and food security, how this comes about remains poorly understood. We studied changes in land use and malaria risk in a large irrigation project in a semidesert region in northwest India. The transition phase we describe, characterized by elevated malaria despite raised control efforts, has already lasted for over a decade. The protracted nature of this transition highlights the need for a long-term commitment by health authorities and international agencies supporting irrigation schemes, to monitor health impacts and sustain control measures. In arid areas, people living in the proximity of irrigation infrastructure are potentially exposed to a higher risk of malaria due to changes in ecohydrological conditions that lead to increased vector abundance. However, irrigation provides a pathway to economic prosperity that over longer time scales is expected to counteract these negative effects. A better understanding of this transition between increased malaria risk and regional elimination, in particular whether it is slow or abrupt, is relevant to sustainable development and disease management. By relying on space as a surrogate for stages of time, we investigate this transition in a semidesert region of India where a megairrigation project is underway and expected to cover more than 1,900 million hectares and benefit around 1 million farmers. Based on spatio-temporal epidemiological cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria and land-use irrigation from remote sensing sources, we show that this transition is characterized by an enhanced risk in areas adjacent to the trunk of the irrigation network, despite a forceful and costly insecticide-based control. Moreover, this transition between climate-driven epidemics and sustained low risk has already lasted a decade. Given the magnitude of these projects, these results suggest that increased health costs have to be planned for over a long time horizon. They further highlight the need to integrate assessments of both health and environmental impacts to guide adaptive mitigation strategies. Our results should help to define and track these transitions in other arid parts of the world subjected to similar tradeoffs.
Identifying the Infarct-Related Artery in Patients With Non-ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND Determining the infarct-related artery (IRA) in non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) can be challenging. Delayed-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (DE-CMR) can accurately identify small MIs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether DE-CMR improves the ability to identify the IRA in patients with non-ST-segment-elevation MI. METHODS AND RESULTS In this 3-center, prospective study, we enrolled 114 patients presenting with their first MI. Patients underwent DE-CMR followed by coronary angiography. The interventional cardiologist was blinded to the DE-CMR results. Later, coronary angiography and DE-CMR images were reviewed independently and blindly for identification of the IRA. The pattern of DE-CMR hyperenhancement was also used to determine whether there was a nonischemic pathogenesis for myocardial necrosis. The IRA was not identifiable by coronary angiography in 37% of patients (n=42). In these, the IRA or a new noncoronary artery disease diagnosis was identified by DE-CMR in 60% and 19% of patients, respectively. Even in patients with an IRA determined by coronary angiography, a different IRA or a noncoronary artery disease diagnosis was identified by DE-CMR in 14% and 13%, respectively. Overall, DE-CMR led to a new IRA diagnosis in 31%, a diagnosis of nonischemic pathogenesis in 15%, or either in 46% (95% CI, 37%-55%) of patients. Of 55 patients undergoing revascularization, 27% had revascularization solely to nonculprit coronary artery territories as determined by DE-CMR. CONCLUSIONS Identification of the IRA by coronary angiography can be challenging in patients with non-ST-segment-elevation MI. In nearly half, DE-CMR may lead to a new IRA diagnosis or elucidate a nonischemic pathogenesis. Revascularization solely of coronary arteries that are believed to be nonculprit arteries by DE-CMR is not uncommon.
Spaced Learning Enhances Episodic Memory by Increasing Neural Pattern Similarity Across Repetitions

Spaced learning has been shown consistently to benefit memory compared with massed learning, yet the neural representations and processes underlying the spacing effect are still poorly understood. In particular, two influential models (i.e., the encoding variability hypothesis and the study-phase retrieval hypothesis) could both model behavioral performance very well, but they make opposite hypotheses regarding the spacing effect's neural mechanisms. The present study attempted to provide empirical neural evidence to adjudicate these competing hypotheses. Using spatiotemporal pattern similarity (STPS) analysis of EEG data, this study investigated whether and how repetition lags (massed/short-spaced/long-spaced) modulated the STPS's contribution to episodic memory encoding in male and female human participants. The results revealed that greater item-specific STPS in the right frontal electrodes at 543–727 ms after stimulus onset was associated with better memory performance. More importantly, this STPS was larger under the spaced-learning condition than the massed-learning condition and partially mediated the spacing effect on memory performance. In addition, we found that massed learning was associated with stronger repetition suppression in the N400 component that reflected momentary retrieval strength, but reduced activity in the late positive component that was associated with memory retrieval. These results suggest that spaced learning improves long-term memory by increasing retrieval effort and enhancing the pattern reinstatement of prior neural representations, which may be achieved by reducing the momentary retrieval strength as the extended repetition lags might help to eliminate the residual representation in working memory. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT As one of the most ubiquitous and fundamental phenomena in the history of memory research, the spacing effect provides an important window into understanding how enduring memory is formed in the brain and how different practice strategies could modulate these mechanisms to affect memory performance. By leveraging the neural representational analysis on scalp EEG data, the current study provides the first empirical data to show that spaced learning enhances memory by improving the spatiotemporal similarity that occurs at a late time window. Our results support the study-phase retrieval hypothesis but not the encoding variability hypothesis and emphasize the role of neural pattern reinstatement in strengthening memory via repeated study.
Optimization of Culture Conditions for Some Identified Fungal Species and Stability Profile of α-Galactosidase Produced

Microbial α-galactosidase preparations have implications in medicine and in the modification of various agricultural products as well. In this paper, four isolated fungal strains such as AL-3, WF-3, WP-4 and CL-4 from rhizospheric soil identified as Penicillium glabrum (AL-3), Trichoderma evansii (WF-3), Lasiodiplodia theobromae (WP-4) and Penicillium flavus (CL-4) based on their morphology and microscopic examinations, are screened for their potential towards α-galactosidases production. The culture conditions have been optimized and supplemented with specific carbon substrates (1%, w/v) by using galactose-containing polysaccharides like guar gum (GG), soya casein (SC) and wheat straw (WS). All strains significantly released galactose from GG, showing maximum production of enzyme at 7th day of incubation in rotary shaker (120 rpm) that is 190.3, 174.5, 93.9 and 28.8 U/mL, respectively, followed by SC and WS. The enzyme activity was stable up to 7days at −20°C, then after it declines. This investigation reveals that AL-3 show optimum enzyme activity in guar gum media, whereas WF-3 exhibited greater enzyme stability. Results indicated that the secretion of proteins, enzyme and the stability of enzyme activity varied not only from one strain to another but also differed in their preferences of utilization of different substrates.