Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Regulate Tau Phosphorylation in Cultured Human Neurons*

Hyperphosphorylated tau is the major component of paired helical filaments in neurofibrillary lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Hyperphosphorylation reduces the affinity of tau for microtubules and is thought to be a critical event in the pathogenesis of this disease. Recently, glycogen-synthase kinase-3 has been shown to phosphorylate tau in vitro and in non-neuronal cells transfected with tau. The activity of glycogen-synthase kinase-3 can be down-regulated in response to insulin or insulin-like growth factor-1 through the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway. We therefore hypothesize that insulin or insulin-like growth factor-1 may affect tau phosphorylation through the inhibition of glycogen-synthase kinase-3 in neurons. Using cultured human neuronal NT2N cells, we demonstrate that glycogen-synthase kinase-3 phosphorylates tau and reduces its affinity for microtubules and that insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 stimulation reduces tau phosphorylation and promotes tau binding to microtubules. We further demonstrate that these effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 are mediated through the inhibition of glycogen-synthase kinase-3 via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway.
Ethnic Diversity and Social Cohesion in Melbourne

Robert Putnam has recently published research showing that, in the United States, higher levels of ethnic diversity are associated with lower levels of social capital. Volunteering is a key indicator of social capital. Data from the 2006 Australian census show that, in Melbourne, migrants from non-English-speaking countries (NESCs) are less likely to have volunteered in the previous 12 months than are migrants from the main English-speaking-countries or people who were born in Australia. This association holds when income, time of arrival and English proficiency are controlled for. But in areas that are very ethnically diverse levels of volunteering are not only low for the NESC-born, they are also low for the Australia-born.
A Conceptual Model of Software Engineering Research Approaches

A key motivation for undertaking software engineering research is a need to improve industrial software engineering practice. In order to address this need, it is necessary to adopt an approach to research that responds to industry problems and facilitates the orderly evaluation, adoption and continuous improvement of research outputs. This paper proposes a simple conceptual model which can be used to describe, discuss and compare a broad range of research approaches. The model is validated by using it to unify prior contributions in the area of software engineering research approaches and presenting a case study.
A detailed study of the 5-Hz quasi-periodic oscillations in the bright X-ray transient and black hole candidate GRS 1739-278

We present a detailed study of the 5-Hz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) recently discovered in the bright X-ray transient and black hole candidate (BHC) GRS (Borozdin & Trudolyubov) during a Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observation taken on 1996 March 31. In total 6.6 ksec of on-source data were obtained, divided in two data sets of 3.4 and 3.2 ksec which were separated by ∼2.6 ksec. The 5-Hz QPO was only present during the second data set. The QPO increased in strength from below 2 per cent rms amplitude for photon energies below 4 keV to ∼5 per cent rms amplitude for energies above 10 keV. The soft QPO photons (below 5 keV) lagged the hard ones (above 10 keV) by almost 1.5 rad. Besides the QPO fundamental, its first overtone was detected. The strength of the overtone increased with photon energy (from < 2 per cent rms below 5 keV to ∼8 per cent rms above 10 keV). Although limited statistics did not allow for an accurate determination of the lags of the first overtone, indications are that also for this QPO the soft photons lagged the hard ones. When the 5-Hz QPO was not detected (i.e., during the first part of the observation), a broad noise component was found for photon energies below 10 keV but it became almost a true QPO (with a Q value of ∼1.9) above that energy, with a frequency of ∼3 Hz. Its hard photons preceded the soft ones in a way reminiscent of the 5-Hz QPO, strongly suggesting that both features are physically related. We discuss our finding in the framework of low-frequency QPOs and their properties in BHCs.
The European Union Interest System in Comparative Perspective: A Bridge Too Far?

Can we meaningfully compare within a single theoretical framework the politics of interest representation in the European Union with its counterparts in the United States and other national political systems? We address this question by first considering several candidate explanations for the lack of broad-ranging comparative research on interest representation, focusing in the end on the problem of context. We then argue that much of the recent progress in the literature is a result more of segmentation of theoretical issues. The third section discusses how this successful strategy of segmentation has unfortunately raised new theoretical barriers to comparative analysis. This argument is explored by comparing work on organised interests in the EU with two other cases – the hyper-pluralistic interest politics of the United States and the neo-corporatist politics of the Netherlands.
Inference for VARs Identified with Sign Restrictions

There is a fast growing literature that partially identifies structural vector autoregressions (SVARs) by imposing sign restrictions on the responses of a subset of the endogenous variables to a particular structural shock (sign-restricted SVARs). To date, the methods that have been used are only justified from a Bayesian perspective. This paper develops methods of constructing error bands for impulse response functions of sign-restricted SVARs that are valid from a frequentist perspective. We also provide a comparison of frequentist and Bayesian error bands in the context of an empirical application--the former can be twice as wide as the latter.
Platelet counts, MPV and PDW in culture proven and probable neonatal sepsis and association of platelet counts with mortality rate.

OBJECTIVE To determine frequency of thrombocytopenia and thrombocytosis, the MPV (mean platelet volume) and PDW (platelet distribution width) in patients with probable and culture proven neonatal sepsis and determine any association between platelet counts and mortality rate. STUDY DESIGN Descriptive analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY NICU, Fazle Omar Hospital, from January 2011 to December 2012. METHODOLOGY Cases of culture proven and probable neonatal sepsis, admitted in Fazle Omar Hospital, Rabwah, were included in the study. Platelet counts, MPV and PDW of the cases were recorded. Mortality was documented. Frequencies of thrombocytopenia (< 150000/mm3) and thrombocytosis (> 450000/mm3) were ascertained. Mortality rates in different groups according to platelet counts were calculated and compared by chi-square test to check association. RESULTS Four hundred and sixty nine patients were included; 68 (14.5%) of them died. One hundred and thirty six (29%) had culture proven sepsis, and 333 (71%) were categorized as probable sepsis. Thrombocytopenia was present in 116 (24.7%), and thrombocytosis was present in 36 (7.7%) cases. Median platelet count was 213.0/mm3. Twenty eight (27.7%) patients with thrombocytopenia, and 40 (12.1%) cases with normal or raised platelet counts died (p < 0.001). Median MPV was 9.30, and median PDW was 12.30. MPV and PDW of the patients who died and who were discharged were not significantly different from each other. CONCLUSION Thrombocytopenia is a common complication of neonatal sepsis. Those with thrombocytopenia have higher mortality rate. No significant difference was present between PDW and MPV of the cases who survived and died.
Low S‐allele numbers limit mate availability, reduce seed set and skew fitness in small populations of a self‐incompatible plant

Summary 1. The role of genetic factors in species decline and extinction is the subject of a long-running controversy, with demographical factors often seen as more important for the immediate persistence of populations and species. One gene system that directly links genetic diversity with reproduction, through its influence on fertilization success, is the self-incompatibility (SI) locus in angiosperm plants. Despite the potential importance of SI allele diversity for demographical function, there are few direct measures of S-allele numbers in multiple populations, and no studies have simultaneously measured reproductive output, mate availability, S-allele diversity and pollinator service. 2. We used diallel crosses to estimate S-allele number and mate availability in seven populations of the forb Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides ranging in size from 5 to 100 000 plants. Seed set and correlated paternity were assessed from open-pollinated inflorescences to examine reproductive output and variance in female and male fitness. To assess whether populations were receiving adequate pollinator service, the amount of pollen deposited on open-pollinated stigmas was quantified. 3. We found that small populations ( 1000 plants) with higher numbers of S-alleles, despite the maintenance of pollinator service. Greater variance in seed set among plants and higher correlated paternity in small populations suggest that low S-allele numbers are directly limiting mate availability and causing the observed reproductive failure. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our work demonstrates that the loss of genetic diversity at the SI locus can have immediate detrimental effects on reproductive performance, despite the maintenance of pollinator service. These results highlight the importance of genetic factors in determining demographical outcomes when clear links between genotype and individual fitness exist, even when populations are not ecologically constrained. This result is important for the conservation and management of many plant species as approximately half of all angiosperm families contain species with genetically controlled SI and the loss of genetic diversity through habitat loss and fragmentation is an ever-increasing reality for plant species worldwide.
Facilitation and suppression of single striate-cell activity by spatially discrete pattern stimuli presented beyond the receptive field

Visual stimulation of a region outside the receptive field of single cells in visual cortex often results in the modulation of their responses. The modulatory effects are thought to be mediated through lateral connections within visual cortex. Research on lateral interactions commonly shows suppression. There has been no systematic study of the optimal conditions for facilitation. Here we have studied the nature of the modulation using a new type of compound stimulus: contrast reversal of pattern stimuli made of three discrete grating patches. The middle patch, optimally fitted to the receptive field in orientation, size, and spatial as well as temporal frequencies, was flanked by two similar patches presented well outside the receptive field. We found that (1) both facilitation and suppression occurred often in the same cells, when orientations of the target and flankers matched the receptive-field's optimal orientation; (2) facilitation with collinear flankers occurred most frequently at target contrasts just above the cell's firing threshold and suppression prevailed at high contrasts; (3) facilitative or suppressive modulation was obtained with target-flankers separation of up to 12 deg or more; (4) collinear facilitation was lost when flankers' orientation was rotated by 90 deg, while keeping all other parameters the same; and (5) neither the modulation mode nor the proportion of modulated cells was related to the cell types (simple vs. complex cells) and cells' laminar locations. Here we have provided physiological evidence for contrast-dependent, collinear facilitation probably underlying perceptual grouping in humans.
Redundant Notch1 and Notch2 Signaling Is Necessary for IFNγ Secretion by T Helper 1 Cells During Infection with Leishmania major

The protective immune response to intracellular parasites involves in most cases the differentiation of IFNγ-secreting CD4+ T helper (Th) 1 cells. Notch receptors regulate cell differentiation during development but their implication in the polarization of peripheral CD4+ T helper 1 cells is not well understood. Of the four Notch receptors, only Notch1 (N1) and Notch2 (N2) are expressed on activated CD4+ T cells. To investigate the role of Notch in Th1 cell differentiation following parasite infection, mice with T cell-specific gene ablation of N1, N2 or both (N1N2ΔCD4Cre) were infected with the protozoan parasite Leishmania major. N1N2ΔCD4Cre mice, on the C57BL/6 L. major-resistant genetic background, developed unhealing lesions and uncontrolled parasitemia. Susceptibility correlated with impaired secretion of IFNγ by draining lymph node CD4+ T cells and increased secretion of the IL-5 and IL-13 Th2 cytokines. Mice with single inactivation of N1 or N2 in their T cells were resistant to infection and developed a protective Th1 immune response, showing that CD4+ T cell expression of N1 or N2 is redundant in driving Th1 differentiation. Furthermore, we show that Notch signaling is required for the secretion of IFNγ by Th1 cells. This effect is independent of CSL/RBP-Jκ, the major effector of Notch receptors, since L. major-infected mice with a RBP-Jκ deletion in their T cells were able to develop IFNγ-secreting Th1 cells, kill parasites and heal their lesions. Collectively, we demonstrate here a crucial role for RBP-Jκ-independent Notch signaling in the differentiation of a functional Th1 immune response following L. major infection.
Scheduling and caching strategies for correlated data in push-based information systems

Recently, there has been increasing interest in information systems that deliver data using broadcast in both wired and wireless environments. The strategy in which a server repeatedly broadcasts data to clients can result in a larger throughput, and various methods have been studied to reduce the average response time to data requests in such systems. In this paper, we propose a strategy for scheduling the broadcast program which takes into account the correlation among data items. This strategy puts data items with strong correlation side by side in the broadcast program in order to reduce the average response time. We also propose a caching strategy which extends a conventional caching strategy so that it can take advantage of correlation among broadcast data items for greater efficiency. Finally: we use simulation studies to evaluate the performance of our proposed strategies.
Pragmatic Aspects of the Base-rate Fallacy

An investigation was made of the role played by verbal structure in the problems used to study the base-rate fallacy, which has traditionally been attributed to the role of heuristics (e.g. causality, specificity). It was hypothesized that elements of the verbal form of text problems led to a misunderstanding of the question or the specific information, rendering obscure the independence of the sets of data (specific information is obtained independently from the base rate). Nine texts were presented to various groups of subjects: four were taken from Tversky and Kahneman (1980) and used as controls; five were obtained by modifying the verbal form of the original in order to reveal or conceal the links between the sets of data. The percentage of base-rate fallacies was greatly reduced with texts in which the independence of the data was clear, regardless of the causality and specificity of the information they contained (which was not changed). This result suggests that there is a need to consider the rules of natural language in order to move towards a better understanding of observed phenomena.
Vitamin E therapy prevents hyperoxaluria‐induced calcium oxalate crystal deposition in the kidney by improving renal tissue antioxidant status

To determine whether vitamin E prevents hyperoxaluria‐induced stone formation, using a new animal model of calcium oxalate stone disease, as our previous in‐ vitro and in‐vivo studies showed that oxalate and hyperoxaluria induce free‐radical generation, which results in peroxidative injury to renal tubular cells.
Are Gender Differences in Spatial Ability Real or an Artifact? Evaluation of Measurement Invariance on the Revised PSVT:R

We investigated the extent to which the observed gender differences in mental rotation ability among the 2,468 freshmen studying engineering at a Midwest public university attributed to the gender bias of a test. The Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: Visualization of Rotations (Revised PSVT:R) is a spatial test frequently used to measure students’ spatial visualization ability in three-dimensional mental rotation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. With two major approaches for evaluating measurement invariance, we found that five items in the Revised PSVT:R showed a difference in the response pattern by gender, but the impact of these biased items was marginal on the total scores on the scale. Our findings support the equitable use of the Revised PSVT:R by gender for educational research and practices.
Clinical description of 41 Brazilian patients with oculo-auriculo-vertebral dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE To describe the most prominent clinical features of a cohort of patients with oculo-auriculo-vertebral (OAV) dysplasia in Brazil. METHOD A review of medical records of patients with diagnosis of OAV from 1990 to 2010 was performed in a medical genetics center. RESULTS 41 patients were included in the study. Their average age at diagnosis was 2y 10mo (34,4±48,8 months) and the female proportion was 53.7%. Mean maternal age at patient's birth was 28.5y (min: 17, max: 46y) for mothers and 31.4y (min: 21, max: 51y) for fathers. Most patients (97.5%) had auricular involvement, with facial manifestation in 90.2%, spinal in 65.9%, ocular in 53.7%, 36.6% with cardiovascular involvement, 29.3% urogenital, and 17% of the cases with central nervous system (CNS) involvement. The classic OAV triad was present in only 34%. All patients except one had concomitant problems in other organs or systems. CONCLUSION Since the diagnosis of OAV dysplasia relies only on a comprehensive medical evaluation, it is imperative that clinicians be aware of the most common presentation of the syndrome. Once suspected, every patient should undergo a complete medical evaluation of multiple systems including complementary exams. Treatment of these patients is based on surgical correction of malformations and rehabilitation.
The Dialogic Turn in Educational Psychology El giro dialógico en la Psicología de la Educación

The increasing presence of and claim for dialogue in today's society has already had an impact on the theory and practice of learning. Whereas in the past individual and cog- nitive elements were seen as crucial to learning, since about two decades ago, scientific lit- erature indicates that culture, interaction and dialogue are the key factors. In addition, the research project of highest scientific rank and with most resources dedicated to the study of school education in the Framework Program of the European Union: INCLUD-ED shows that the practices of successful schools around Europe are in line with the dialogic approach to learning. This article presents the dialogic turn in educational psychology, consisting of moving from symbolic conceptions of mind and internalist perspectives that focus on mental schemata of previous knowledge, to theories that see intersubjectivity and communication as the primary factors in learning. The paper deepens on the second approach.
Scale Space Surface Recovery using Binocular Shading and Stereo Information

Shape-from-shading algorithms that use a single image often find incorrect solutions because of ambiguity in the image shading. We describe a robust shape-from-shading algorithm using scale space tracking that can resolve most of these ambiguities by using two images taken from slightly different positions. Further improvements are obtained by combining stereo with shape-fromshading. Results are shown for synthetic test images (with and without added noise) for a Scanning Electron Microscope stereo pair, and for a stereo pair taken using a video camera.
A common signaling pathway is activated in erythroid cells expressing high levels of fetal hemoglobin: a potential role for cAMP-elevating agents in β-globin disorders

Background Although erythroid cells prepared from fetal liver, cord blood, or blood from β-thalassemia patients are known to express fetal hemoglobin at high levels, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We previously showed that cyclic nucleotides such as cAMP and cGMP induce fetal hemoglobin expression in primary erythroid cells. Here we report that cAMP signaling contributes to high-level fetal hemoglobin expression in erythroid cells prepared from cord blood and β-thalassemia. Methods The status of the cAMP signaling pathway was investigated using primary erythroid cells prepared from cord blood and the mononuclear cells of patients with β-thalassemia; erythroid cells from adult bone marrow mononuclear cells served as the control. Results We found that intracellular cAMP levels were higher in erythroid cells from cord blood and β-thalassemia than from adult bone marrow. Protein kinase A activity levels and cAMP-response element binding protein phosphorylation were higher in erythroid cells from cord blood or β-thalassemia than in adult bone marrow progenitors. Mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, which play a role in fetal hemoglobin expression, were not consistently activated in cord blood or β-thalassemia erythroid cells. When cAMP signaling was activated in adult erythroid cells, fetal hemoglobin was induced at high levels and associated with reduced expression of BCL11A, a silencer of the β-globin gene. Conclusion These results suggest that activated cAMP signaling may be a common mechanism among erythroid cells with high fetal hemoglobin levels, in part because of downregulation of BCL11A. Activation of the cAMP signaling pathway with cAMP-elevating agents may prove to be an important signaling mechanism to reactivate fetal hemoglobin expression in erythroid cells.