Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Long-Term Potentiation of Cortico-Amygdala Synaptic Responses and Auditory Fear Memory by Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid

Converging evidence suggests that an imbalance of ω3 to ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the brain is involved in mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. We previously reported that the dietary ratio of ω3 to ω6 PUFA alters this ratio in the brain, and influences contextual fear memory. In addition to behavioral change, enhancement of cannabinoid CB1 receptor-mediated short-term synaptic plasticity and facilitation of the agonist sensitivity of CB1 receptors have been observed in excitatory synaptic responses in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). However, it is not known whether long-term synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is influenced by the dietary ratio of ω3 to ω6 PUFA. In the present study, we examined long-term potentiation (LTP) of optogenetically-evoked excitatory synaptic responses in synapses between the terminal of the projection from the auditory cortex (ACx) and the pyramidal cells in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. We found that LTP in this pathway was attenuated in mice fed with a high ω3 to ω6 PUFA ratio diet (0.97), compared with mice fed with a low ω3 to ω6 PUFA ratio diet (0.14). Furthermore, mice in the former condition showed reduced fear responses in an auditory fear conditioning test, compared with mice in the latter condition. In both electrophysiological and behavioral experiments, the effect of a diet with a high ω3 to ω6 PUFA diet ratio was completely blocked by treatment with a CB1 receptor antagonist. Furthermore, a significant reduction was observed in cholesterol content, but not in the level of an endogenous CB1 receptor agonist, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), in brain samples containing the amygdala. These results suggest that the balance of ω3 to ω6 PUFA has an impact on fear memory and cortico-amygdala synaptic plasticity, both in a CB1 receptor–dependent manner.
Al Qaeda in Europe: The New Battleground of International Jihad

The July 2005 London bombings are yet another example of how Europe has emerged as one of the key battlegrounds in the global War on Terror. The region has become a critical 'ground zero' for Islamist terrorists, not only as a target but as a base of operations. The implications for the United States are tremendous: under existing law, for example, terrorists carrying European passports could easily enter the country. It is not a coincidence, in fact, that every attack planned or executed against the United States, including 9/11, has had strong European ties. This is the first book in English that dissects Islamic terrorism in Europe. The book fills a critical gap in the understanding of the new threats posed by Islamist terrorism. Vidino analyses the causes of this dangerous situation while providing an extensive historical overview of Islamic terrorist activities in Europe. The book shows how terrorists - most of them native to the Continent - raise money, communicate, and hide in plain sight in the suburbs of London, Paris, and Amsterdam. It presents with painful clarity the difficulties that law enforcement agencies world-wide have had in shutting terror cells down. Finally, the book describes three of the most important networks operating in Europe. Vidino analyses events such as the Madrid train bombings, the thwarted plot to attack various European capitals with chemical weapons, and the movements of hundreds of European Muslims who are joining terrorist groups in Iraq to fight U.S. forces. Vidino includes fascinating information taken from a dozen countries' original documentation (intelligence reports, indictments, court transcripts), plus transcripts of conversations among al Qaeda operatives that have been intercepted by intelligence agencies. "Al Qaeda in Europe" is authoritative, informative and written in a lively narrative that will captivate general readers, and become a valuable new resource for scholars and government officials.
RUNAWAY STARS, HYPERVELOCITY STARS, AND RADIAL VELOCITY SURVEYS

Runaway stars ejected from the Galactic disk populate the halo of the Milky Way. To predict the spatial and kinematic properties of runaways, we inject stars into a Galactic potential, compute their trajectories through the Galaxy, and derive simulated catalogs for comparison with observations. Runaways have a flattened spatial distribution, with higher velocity stars at Galactic latitudes less than 30°. Due to their shorter stellar lifetimes, massive runaway stars are more concentrated toward the disk than low mass runaways. Bound (unbound) runaways that reach the halo probably originate from distances of 6–12 kpc (10–15 kpc) from the Galactic center, close to the estimated origin of the unbound runaway star HD 271791. Because runaways are brighter and have smaller velocities than hypervelocity stars (HVSs), radial velocity surveys are unlikely to confuse runaway stars with HVSs. We estimate that at most one runaway star contaminates the current sample. We place an upper limit of 2% on the fraction of A-type main-sequence stars ejected as runaways.
What Is Strategic Competence and Does It Matter? Exposition of the Concept and a Research Agenda

Drawing on a range of theoretical and empirical insights from strategic management and the cognitive and organizational sciences, we argue that strategic competence constitutes the ability of organizations and the individuals who operate within them to work within their cognitive limitations in such a way that they are able to maintain an appropriate level of responsiveness to the contingencies confronting them. Using the language of the resource based view of the firm, we argue that this meta-level competence represents a confluence of individual and organizational characteristics, suitably configured to enable the detection of those weak signals indicative of the need for change and to act accordingly, thereby minimising the dangers of cognitive bias and cognitive inertia. In an era of unprecedented informational burdens and instability, we argue that this competence is central to the longer-term survival and well being of the organization. We conclude with a consideration of the major scientific challenges that lie ahead, if the ideas contained within this paper are to be validated.
Visual gravitational motion and the vestibular system in humans

The visual system is poorly sensitive to arbitrary accelerations, but accurately detects the effects of gravity on a target motion. Here we review behavioral and neuroimaging data about the neural mechanisms for dealing with object motion and egomotion under gravity. The results from several experiments show that the visual estimates of a target motion under gravity depend on the combination of a prior of gravity effects with on-line visual signals on target position and velocity. These estimates are affected by vestibular inputs, and are encoded in a visual-vestibular network whose core regions lie within or around the Sylvian fissure, and are represented by the posterior insula/retroinsula/temporo-parietal junction. This network responds both to target motions coherent with gravity and to vestibular caloric stimulation in human fMRI studies. Transient inactivation of the temporo-parietal junction selectively disrupts the interception of targets accelerated by gravity.
How Does the Institutional Setting for Creditor Rights Affect Bank Lending and Risk-Taking?

This paper investigates how the institutional setting for protection of creditor rights affects bank lending and risk-taking. An analytical model is specified to underpin banks‟ portfolio decisions, between loans and other earning assets such as government securities. The model is augmented with various metrics, which proxy the institutional setting for creditor rights, and is estimated and tested on an unbalanced three-dimensional dataset of commercial banks in 20 African countries for 1995-2008. It is found that three specific metrics induce banks to allocate a high proportion of their earning assets to loans: legal creditor rights; the efficient enforcement of creditor rights; and availability of information sharing mechanisms among banks. However, the three metrics appear to work through different channels. The enforceability of legal rights works not only through mitigating credit risks, but also through a composite effect of market competition and lower costs of information acquisition and contract enforcement. The legal rights metric and information sharing metric exclusively rely on the composite effect.
Norrin/Frizzled4 signalling in the preneoplastic niche blocks medulloblastoma initiation

The tumor microenvironment is a critical modulator of carcinogenesis; however, in many tumor types, the influence of the stroma during preneoplastic stages is unknown. Here we explored the relationship between pre-tumor cells and their surrounding stroma in malignant progression of the cerebellar tumor medulloblastoma (MB). We show that activation of the vascular regulatory signalling axis mediated by Norrin (an atypical Wnt)/Frizzled4 (Fzd4) inhibits MB initiation in the Ptch+/− mouse model. Loss of Norrin/Fzd4-mediated signalling in endothelial cells, either genetically or by short-term blockade, increases the frequency of pre-tumor lesions and creates a tumor-permissive microenvironment at the earliest, preneoplastic stages of MB. This pro-tumor stroma, characterized by angiogenic remodelling, is associated with an accelerated transition from preneoplasia to malignancy. These data expose a stromal component that regulates the earliest stages of tumorigenesis in the cerebellum, and a novel role for the Norrin/Fzd4 axis as an endogenous anti-tumor signal in the preneoplastic niche. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.16764. 001
Impact of irrigation schedules and nutrient management on growth, yield and root traits of wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties

A field experiment was conducted during the winter season (rabi) of 201112 and 201213 at New Delhi, to find out the impact of irrigation schedules and nutrient management on wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Firoi & Paol. ] varieties. Two nutrient-management practices, i.e. 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) and 50% RDF + 50% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through FYM were applied and 3 irrigation schedules i.e. irriga- tion at crown root initiation stage (CRI), CRI + flowering stage and irrigation at all critical stages were allocated to main plots and 4 wheat varieties (HD 2967, WR 544, HD 2987 and HD 2931) were allocated to sub-plots in split-plot design with 3 replications. Application of 50% RDF + 50% RDN through FYM gave significantly higher number of tillers/m2, spike length, number of spikelets/spike, grains/spike, 1,000-grain weight and grain yield. Irri- gations at all critical stages resulted in significantly higher tillers/m2, spike length, spikelets/spike, grains/spike, 1,000-grain weight and gain yield. Leaf-area index (LAI), crop-growth rate (CGR), relative growth rate (RGR) and net assimilation rate (NAR) were found significantly higher under 50% RDF + 50% RDN through FYM and irriga- tions at all critical stages. Among the varieties, HD 2967 gave significantly higher gross returns (77.6 103 /ha) over the other varieties during the first year. However, during the second year the yield was at par with HD 2987. Between irrigations schedules, irrigations at all critical stages and application of 50% RDF + RDN 50% through FYM gave significantly the highest gross returns, net returns and benefit: cost ratio. Root length, volume and dry weight were higher under irrigations at all critical stages and application of 50% RDF + RDN 50% through FYM.
The Culture Broker: Franklin D. Murphy and the Transformation of Los Angeles

preface: the art of the trustee / xi prologue: something to prove / 1 The Kansas Mission . The Mad Governor versus the Boy Wonder . Imprinted by the Heartland part i: chancellor one: into the pastel empire / 21 A City Rethinking Itself . The Three Powerful Southern Regents . Lure of an Adolescent City . The Investiture of Otis Chandler two: ucla in worldwide terms / 42 Taking Command: Hail to the Hills of Westwood . Funding Culture in the Cold War . The Titan Chancellor . Symbols of Authority . The Scions Paul Mellon and Henry Ford II three: turmoil and golden moments / 75 Opening Night, Los Angeles Music Center . Opening Night, Los Angeles County Museum of Art . The Shadow behind the Golden Glow: The Watts Rebellion of August 1965 . University in Turmoil . Colossal Construction . A Threat to Clark Kerr . The Rise of Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Clark Kerr four: 1968--year of crisis / 102 The Embattled Chancellor . Resignation . The Death of Howard Ahmanson part ii: chairman five: the chancellor becomes ceo / 119 "A Beauty to Behold" . The Interlocking Directorate . Politics and the Mighty Chandlers . Jubilant Republicans and the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board six: the chandler empire in the watergate years / 138 A Time of Scandal . The Picasso Room . A Family Crisis . The Passing of Norman Chandler . "A Cancer on the Presidency" . Pressures and Prestige . The Forced Retirement of Dorothy Chandler seven: power and philanthropy / 172 Pushing the New York Times off Its Perch . Henry Ford II versus Lee Iacocca . The Legacy of Howard F. Ahmanson . The Impact of the Ahmanson Foundation on Los Angeles . The Confirmation of Nelson Rockefeller . The Chairman of Times Mirror Retires . Golden Donors part iii: trustee eight: the los angeles county museum of art / 209 The Pursuit of Norton Simon and Armand Hammer . The Challenge for a New Director . The County Museum in Peril . Los Angeles in "Art Heaven" nine: the national gallery of art / 239 Joining Forces with J. Carter Brown . The Visit of Princess Diana . Courting Collectors Armand Hammer and Walter Annenberg . Trusteeship and Successorship ten: the samuel h. kress foundation / 261 The Kress Brothers . Giveaways and Preservation eleven: the j. paul getty trust / 273 Family Dynamics . An Afternoon with J. Paul Getty . The Getty Curse . The Richest Museum in the World . A Golden Moment for Harold Williams . An Acropolis for Los Angeles twelve: three that got away / 319 The Deceptions of Armand Hammer . The Lost Treasures of Norton Simon . The Fateful Wounding of Walter Annenberg part iv: steward thirteen: changing of the guard / 347 A Time of Loss . New Era, New Leaders, New Priorities . Building a Multicultural City . Linking Los Angeles's Libraries . Civic Pride and Civil Unrest . Rescue for the Huntington Library fourteen: the doge of los angeles / 373 Chaos at the County Museum . Shifting Leverage . Final Bows afterword: the mosaic city / 389 acknowledgments / 393 notes / 395 selected bibliography / 451 index / 463
Long-term trends in carnivore abundance using distance sampling in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Summary 1. Carnivores can have critical impacts on ecosystems, provide economic value through tourism and are often important flagships. However, their biological traits (e.g. low density, cryptic colouration and behaviour) make them difficult to monitor and hence wildlife managers rarely have access to reliable information on population trends, and long-term information at the community level is almost completely lacking. 2. We use data from transect counts in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania to examine trends in abundance for seven co-existing carnivore species. Distance-based transect counts between 2002 and 2005 are compared with adjusted data from fixed-width transect counts across the same area in 1977 and 1986. 3. Distance-based methods provided density indices for the seven most commonly seen carnivores: lion Panthera leo, spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta, golden jackal Canis aureus, black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas, cheetah Acinonyx jubatus, side-striped jackal Canis audustis and bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis. Detection curves were used to correct estimates from earlier fixed-width transect counts. 4. Trend analyses detected significant declines in densities of golden and black-backed jackal and bat-eared fox, but found no significant changes in spotted hyaena, lion, cheetah and side-striped jackal. 5. Overall, despite wide confidence intervals, we show that distance-based data can be used effectively to detect long-term trends and provide critical information for conservation managers. Power analysis demonstrated that for the most frequently seen species, spotted hyaena, golden jackal and lion, abrupt declines of up to 20% may be detectable through long-term monitoring; however, for the remaining species, declines of 50% may only be detected half the time. 6. Synthesis and applications. Distance methods provide a tool for rapid counts and monitoring of several species of carnivores simultaneously in suitable habitats and can be combined with historical fixed-width transect counts to test for changes in density. The method can provide key information to managers on long-term population trends and sudden abrupt changes in population size across a carnivore community.
Performance of the rapid plasma reagin and the rapid syphilis screening tests in the diagnosis of syphilis in field conditions in rural Africa

Objectives: To assess the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test performance in the field and to evaluate a new rapid syphilis test (RST) as a primary screen for syphilis. Methods: 1325 women of reproductive age from rural communities in the Gambia were tested for syphilis seropositivity using a RPR 18 mm circle card and a RST strip. Within 1 week a repeat RPR and a TPHA test were carried out using standard techniques in the laboratory. Results: Comparing field tests to a diagnosis of “active” syphilis defined as laboratory RPR and TPHA positive, the RPR test was 77.5% sensitive and 94.1% specific; the RST was 75.0% sensitive and 95.2% specific. The RST was easier to use and interpret than the RPR test especially where field conditions were difficult. In this setting with a low prevalence of syphilis in the community (3%), the chance of someone with a positive test being confirmed as having serologically active syphilis was less than 50% for both tests. Conclusions: The appropriateness of syphilis screening using RPR testing in antenatal clinics and health centres should be questioned if there is a low prevalence in the population, conditions for testing are poor, and resources limited. There is still an urgent need for an appropriate rapid syphilis test for field use.
Can Information Reduce Nonpayment for Public Utilities? Experimental Evidence from South Africa

Nonpayment for public utilities is an important constraint to expanding service access in developing countries. As a potential policy response, this study implements and evaluates a randomized water education campaign in a low income peri-urban area in South Africa. We estimate substantial treatment effects: on the order of a 30% increase in payments over a three-month period. Surprisingly, these effects are not driven by an increase in householdsâ€™ knowledge. We consider various possible explanations, and argue that the intervention likely had "nudging" effects on households. Our findings have important implications for understanding energy conservation and other public information campaigns.
Combining Intensive Counseling by Frontline Workers with a Nationwide Mass Media Campaign Has Large Differential Impacts on Complementary Feeding Practices but Not on Child Growth: Results of a Cluster-Randomized Program Evaluation in Bangladesh123

Background: Complementary feeding (CF) contributes to child growth and development, but few CF programs are delivered at scale. Alive & Thrive addressed this in Bangladesh through intensified interpersonal counseling (IPC), mass media (MM), and community mobilization (CM). Objective: The objective was to evaluate the impact of providing IPC + MM + CM (intensive) compared with standard nutrition counseling + less intensive MM + CM (nonintensive) on CF practices and anthropometric measurements. Methods: We used a cluster-randomized, nonblinded evaluation with cross-sectional surveys [n = ∼600 and 1090 children 6–23.9 mo and 24–47.9 mo/group, respectively, at baseline (2010) and n = ∼500 and 1100 children of the same age, respectively, at endline (2014)]. We derived difference-in-difference impact estimates (DDEs), adjusting for geographic clustering, infant age, sex, differences in baseline characteristics, and differential change in characteristics over time. Results: Groups were similar at baseline. CF improvements were significantly greater in the intensive than in the nonintensive group [DDEs: 16.3, 14.7, 22.0, and 24.6 percentage points (pp) for minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, minimum acceptable diet, and consumption of iron-rich foods, respectively]. In the intensive group, CF practices were high: 50.4% for minimum acceptable diet, 63.8% for minimum diet diversity, 75.1% for minimum meal frequency, and 78.5% for consumption of iron-rich foods. Timely introduction of foods improved. Significant, nondifferential stunting declines occurred in intensive (6.2 pp) and nonintensive (5.2 pp) groups in children 24–47.9 mo. Conclusions: The intensive program substantially improved CF practices compared with the nonintensive program. Large-scale program delivery was feasible and, with the use of multiple platforms, reached 1.7 million households. Nondifferential impacts on stunting were likely due to rapid positive secular trends in Bangladesh. Accelerating linear growth further could require accompanying interventions. This study establishes proof of concept for large-scale behavior change interventions to improve child feeding. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01678716.
Retrograde amnesia for spatial information: a dissociation between intra and extramaze cues following hippocampus lesions in rats

Several recent studies have shown a flat retrograde amnesia for spatial information following lesions to the hippocampus in rats and mice. However, the results of the present investigation demonstrate that in rats that presurgically learned a spatial reference memory task based on extramaze cues, a temporally graded retrograde amnesia is evident following lesions to the hippocampus (1, 16, 32 or 64 days after learning) if two conditions are met. First, that a wide range of retention intervals is used, and second, that independent groups of rats are tested, not a single group that learns different spatial discrimination tasks at different times (expt 1). The results of expt 2 show that the hippocampus does not serve as a consolidating mechanism when the spatial task learned presurgically is based on intramaze cues. Taken together, these results indicate that the hippocampus is critical for the storage and/or retrieval of spatial reference information that was learned up to 1 month before hippocampus damage; however, in the absence of the hippocampus, efficient retention can still occur provided that the spatial knowledge was learned in a simple associative manner.