Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of GABAA and Glutamate Receptor Expression, Synaptic Facilitation and Long-Term Potentiation in the Hippocampus of Prion Mutant Mice

Background Prionopathies are characterized by spongiform brain degeneration, myoclonia, dementia, and periodic electroencephalographic (EEG) disturbances. The hallmark of prioniopathies is the presence of an abnormal conformational isoform (PrPsc) of the natural cellular prion protein (PrPc) encoded by the Prnp gene. Although several roles have been attributed to PrPc, its putative functions in neuronal excitability are unknown. Although early studies of the behavior of Prnp knockout mice described minor changes, later studies report altered behavior. To date, most functional PrPc studies on synaptic plasticity have been performed in vitro. To our knowledge, only one electrophysiological study has been performed in vivo in anesthetized mice, by Curtis and coworkers. They reported no significant differences in paired-pulse facilitation or LTP in the CA1 region after Schaffer collateral/commissural pathway stimulation. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we explore the role of PrPc expression in neurotransmission and neural excitability using wild-type, Prnp −/− and PrPc-overexpressing mice (Tg20 strain). By correlating histopathology with electrophysiology in living behaving mice, we demonstrate that both Prnp −/− mice but, more relevantly Tg20 mice show increased susceptibility to KA, leading to significant cell death in the hippocampus. This finding correlates with enhanced synaptic facilitation in paired-pulse experiments and hippocampal LTP in living behaving mutant mice. Gene expression profiling using Illumina™ microarrays and Ingenuity pathways analysis showed that 129 genes involved in canonical pathways such as Ubiquitination or Neurotransmission were co-regulated in Prnp −/− and Tg20 mice. Lastly, RT-qPCR of neurotransmission-related genes indicated that subunits of GABAA and AMPA-kainate receptors are co-regulated in both Prnp −/− and Tg20 mice. Conclusions/Significance Present results demonstrate that PrPc is necessary for the proper homeostatic functioning of hippocampal circuits, because of its relationships with GABAA and AMPA-Kainate neurotransmission. New PrPc functions have recently been described, which point to PrPc as a target for putative therapies in Alzheimer's disease. However, our results indicate that a “gain of function” strategy in Alzheimer's disease, or a “loss of function” in prionopathies, may impair PrPc function, with devastating effects. In conclusion, we believe that present data should be taken into account in the development of future therapies.
Is surgery for the subacromial pain syndrome ever indicated?

In this issue of Acta Orthopaedica, a randomized study by Ketola et al. questions the value of surgery for the shoulder impingement syndrome. Using self-reported pain as the primary outcome measure, the authors failed to find any difference between patients treated with arthroscopic acromioplasty and patients treated with physiotherapy at both 2-year and 5-year follow-up. Furthermore, patients who did not experience satisfactory relief of symptoms after nonoperative treatment did not do any better after surgery. These findings add to several recent publications (Diercks et al. 2014, Dong et al. 2015, Saltychev et al. 2015) that have not found any significant difference when comparing nonoperative and operative treatment of subacromial pain. Does this mean that surgical treatment with acromioplasty should be discouraged?
On a Simple Measure of Individual Risk Aversion

We ask individuals for their reservation price of a specified lottery and deduce their ArrowPratt measure of risk aversion. This allows direct testing of common hypotheses on risk attitudes in three datasets. We find that risk aversion indeed falls with income and wealth. Entrepreneurs are less risk averse than employees, civil servants are more risk averse than private sector employees, and women are more risk averse than men. We analyze six different specifications of the lottery question in a single data set and find quite consistent results. We conclude that a simple lottery question is a promising survey instrument to extract differences in risk attitudes among individuals. JEL code D81;C81 FILE: RISKRHO.DEF; first draft 1997; this draft 14/08/00 correspondence to: hartog@fee.uva. nl We gratefully acknowledge comments by Roel Beetsma, Mars Cramer, Martin Fase, Peter Kennedy, Hessel Oosterbeek, Hans van Ophem, Joep Sonnemans and Wim Vijverberg and by seminar participants in Tilburg (NAKE Meetings), Amsterdam, Bonn (IZA), Muenchen (SELAPO), Christchurch (University of Canterbury), Auckland, Canberra (ANU).
Mexican medical border towns: A case study of Algodones, Baja California

Abstract Health insurance in the United States has become increasingly expensive and unavailable to large numbers of Americans. As a result, many in the U.S. rely on less expensive foreign sources of pharmaceuticals and health services, especially Canada and Mexico. Mexico's proximity to large population centers and communities of elderly winter visitors has resulted in thriving tourist‐oriented medical retailing in several Mexican border communities. This article explores this form of cross‐border retailing by illustrating the spatial distribution of tourist pharmacies across the Sonora‐Arizona border and into adjacent areas of Baja California. We also show the typical distribution of tourist pharmacies within Mexican border communities that draw large numbers of American visitors. To elaborate on the broader spectrum of cross‐border health care retailing, we present a case study of Los Algodones, Baja California, a community that has transformed itself into a hub of health services provision and pharmaceutical retailing.
Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells are Mechanosensitive to Vibration Stimuli

Low-magnitude high-frequency (LMHF) vibrations have the ability to stimulate bone formation and reduce bone loss. However, the anabolic mechanisms that are mediated by vibration in human bone cells at the cellular level remain unclear. We hypothesized that human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) display direct osteoblastic responses to LMHF vibration signals. Daily exposure to vibrations increased the proliferation of hMSCs, with the highest efficiency occurring at a peak acceleration of 0.3 g and vibrations at 30 to 40 Hz. Specifically, these conditions promoted osteoblast differentiation through an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity and in vitro matrix mineralization. The effect of vibration on the expression of osteogenesis-related factors differed depending on culture method. hMSCs that underwent vibration in a monolayer culture did not exhibit any changes in the expressions of these genes, while cells in three-dimensional culture showed increased expression of type I collagen, osteoprotegerin, or VEGF, and VEGF induction appeared in 2 different hMSC lines. These results are among the first to demonstrate a dose-response effect upon LMHF stimulation, thereby demonstrating that hMSCs are mechanosensitive to LMHF vibration signals such that they could facilitate the osteogenic process.
Long-Term Changes of Macular Thickness after Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Optic Disc Pit Maculopathy: A Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Study

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate macular thickness (MT) changes, using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in patients with optic disc pit (ODP) maculopathy after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with or without internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. Procedures: Our retrospective study included nine patients with ODP maculopathy, treated with either PPV (n = 5) or PPV with ILM peeling (n = 4). All participants, who had a mean long-term follow-up of 33.4 ± 7.0 months, underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and SD-OCT. Due to the preoperative macular elevation, the postoperative MT in the operated patients was compared with that of fellow eyes and with normative data. Results: A significant reduction in MT was noticed in all macular sectors of the operated cases at the last examination. The reduction was more evident in the group of PPV with ILM peeling. At the last examination of the follow-up, there was a statistically significant improvement regarding BCVA in both groups in comparison with baseline, while the two groups did not differ significantly in between (p = 0.245). Conclusions: In the long-term follow-up period, our study demonstrated a significant reduction in MT in patients with ODP maculopathy treated with PPV, which was more profound in those cases where PPV included ILM peeling.
Cohorts, Chronology, and Collective Memories

We asked Americans to tell us the national and world events that they believe to have been especially important since the 1930s, using replicated cross-section surveys carried out in 1985, in 2000, and after September 11, 2001. Our primary interests are, first, in how collective memories change as new events occur, such as the end of the Cold War or the 9/11 terrorist attack; and second, in whether the origin of such memories during the critical period of adolescence and early adulthood, as well as their connection with education, remain stable over time and consistent with theory. As part of our investigation we consider four related issues: collective forgetting as well as collective remembering; the distinction between ease of recalling events and judgments of their importance; compound events, which are composed of sub-events that can be remembered separately by respondents; and larger social and technological changes difficult or impossible to date with any precision. Panel data from the second and third surveys, obtained shortly before and after 9/11, aid in determining which earlier collective memories were superseded by memories of the terrorist attack itself.
Metacognitive online reading strategy use: Readers' perceptions in L1 and L2

This study aimed to explore whether first-language (L1) readers of different language backgrounds would employ similar metacognitive online reading strategies and whether reading online in a second language (L2) could be influenced by L1 reading strategies. To this end, 52 Canadian college students as English L1 readers and 38 Iranian university students as both Farsi L1 and English L2 readers were selected. After completing three reading tasks on the Web, their perceptions about their use of strategies were assessed via a survey of reading strategies. Analyses of the data, using an analysis of variance and the Scheffe post hoc test, revealed certain differences. The Canadian readers perceived themselves to be high-strategy users employing mostly a top-down approach, whereas the Iranian readers in both Farsi and English appeared to be medium-strategy users, favouring mostly a bottom-up approach. Additionally, the correlation between readers' perceived use of strategies and their reading scores was statistically significant.
A comparison of the motivational factors between CrossFit participants and other resistance exercise modalities: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Understanding resistance exercise motives and participation is essential in increasing exercise adherence and reducing comorbidities. CrossFit is a fitness movement that has seen an explosive growth in popularity worldwide; however, little research has investigated the motivational factors within this "niche" resistance exercise environment. The aim of this study was to explore the motivational factors of CrossFit participants in comparison to other resistance exercise participants. METHODS Using an independent-group design, quantitative data was collected using exercise motivations inventory-2 (EMI-2) questionnaire, for a total of 314 male and female participants (CrossFit: N.=68, group resistance exercise: N.=55, alone: N.=125, personal trainer: N.=66). RESULTS The present study suggest that CrossFit participants were more likely to report higher levels of intrinsic motives, such as enjoyment, challenge and affiliation, whereas personal training clients reported higher values for health related motives such as positive health, ill-health avoidance and weight management. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that the motivations for engaging in CrossFit may be similar to those seen in sport participation, and therefore may have an influence on facilitating long-term adherence in comparison with other resistance exercise modalities. This article also discusses health related motives as being extrinsic in nature but reflecting intrinsic characteristics, potentially also facilitating long term adherence. The present research helps develop further understanding of motivational variables within differing resistance exercise modalities.
Renal vasoconstriction is augmented during exercise in patients with peripheral arterial disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients have augmented blood pressure increases during exercise, heightening their cardiovascular risk. However, it is unknown whether patients have exaggerated renal vasoconstriction during exercise and if oxidative stress contributes to this response. Eleven PAD patients and 10 controls (CON) performed 4‐min mild, rhythmic, plantar flexion exercise of increasing intensity (0.5–2 kg) with each leg (most and least affected in PAD). Eight patients also exercised with their most affected leg during ascorbic acid (AA) infusion. Renal blood flow velocity (RBFV; Doppler ultrasound), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP; Finometer), and heart rate (HR; electrocardiogram [ECG]) were measured. Renal vascular resistance (RVR), an index of renal vasoconstriction, was calculated as MAP/RBFV. Baseline RVR and MAP were similar while HR was higher in PAD than CON (2.08 ± 0.23 vs. 1.87 ± 0.20 au, 94 ± 3 vs. 93 ± 3 mmHg, and 72 ± 3 vs. 59 ± 3 bpm [P < 0.05] for PAD and CON, respectively). PAD had greater RVR increases during exercise than CON, specifically during the first minute (PAD most: 26 ± 5% and PAD least: 17 ± 5% vs. CON: 3 ± 3%; P < 0.05). AA did not alter baseline RVR, MAP, or HR. AA attenuated the augmented RVR increase in PAD during the first minute of exercise (PAD most: 33 ± 4% vs. PAD most with AA: 21 ± 4%; P < 0.05). In conclusion, these findings suggest that PAD patients have augmented renal vasoconstriction during exercise, with oxidative stress contributing to this response.
Discovery of a Strongly Lensed Galaxy at z=3.9 behind a z=0.83 Galaxy Cluster

We report on the discovery and spectroscopic confirmation of three gravitationally-lensed images of a galaxy at z =3 . 9 in the background of a distant, rich cluster of galaxies at z =0 . 83, on the basis of observations with Faint Object Camera And Spectrograph on the Subaru telescope. We construct a simple lens model of the cluster mass distribution based on Jee et al.’s weak lensing mass estimates from deep, high-resolution images by Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. The lens model can account simultaneously for the observed image configuration and the flux ratio of the closer pair located close to the critical curve. The parities of the three images are also consistent with the lensing hypothesis. Since this galaxy is apparently bright (i � ∼ 23.7) for its redshift due to magnification, it serves as a good high-redshift target on which we can make extensive and detailed studies based on multi-wavelength imaging and spectroscopy.
Experimental and Numerical Study of the Influence of String Mismatch on the Yield of PV Modules Augmented By Static Planar Reflectors

Photovoltaic (PV) modules are generally installed by the application of empirical rules aimed at reducing shadows during the periods of high solar irradiation. A traditional installation on a horizontal surface results in largely spaced rows of modules with a relatively low tilt angle. The addition of interrow reflectors results in more direct and diffuse flux transmitted to the cells. The Amélioration de l'Efficacité Photovoltaïque (Aleph) project aims to define clear rules for optimal settings of systems of PV module rows with fixed interrow planar reflectors in a given location and under a given climate. Two PV technologies are tested for performance with this type of system: amorphous silicon (a-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (p-Si). This study combines experiments on panel behavior in an outdoor environment on the Site Instrumental de Recherche par Télédétection Atmosphérique (SIRTA) meteorology platform and a multiphysics numerical model used to couple all the important physical phenomena and accurately describe the system behavior. The model includes a ray tracing radiation/optics module based on the Monte-Carlo method, as well as an electrical module simulated in SPICE. This study presents the influence of the string mismatch losses, which is present at periods of heterogeneous illumination, on the yield of PV modules augmented by static planar reflectors.
Diaphragmatic breathing reduces efficiency of breathing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The effects of diaphragmatic breathing learning on chest wall motion, mechanical efficiency of the respiratory muscles, breathing pattern, and dyspnea sensation were studied in seven patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (FEV1 34 +/- 7% of the predicted value) during loaded and unloaded breathing. Chest wall motion was studied focusing on amplitude and phase relation of rib cage and abdominal motion. Mechanical efficiency was defined as the ratio of added external power output and added oxygen consumption during inspiratory threshold loading (40% maximal inspiratory pressure [Plmax]). After 2 wk run-in, all subjects participated in a diaphragmatic breathing program for 3 wk. Variables obtained during diaphragmatic breathing were compared with those obtained during natural breathing. During diaphragmatic breathing the ratio of rib cage to abdominal motion decreased significantly during unloaded (0.86 versus 0.37; p < 0.01) as well as during loaded breathing (0.97 versus 0.50; p < 0.01). Chest wall motion became more asynchronous during diaphragmatic breathing in the unloaded conditions (mean phase difference for natural breathing 3.5 versus 10.4% for diaphragmatic breathing; p < 0.02) and loaded conditions (mean phase difference for natural breathing 6 versus 11.4% for diaphragmatic breathing; p < 0.02). Surprisingly, mechanical efficiency decreased significantly during diaphragmatic breathing (2.57 +/- 0.76%) in comparison with natural breathing (3.35 +/- 1.48%; p < 0.01). Tidal volume, respiratory frequency, and duty cycle did not change significantly during diaphragmatic breathing. Dyspnea sensation tended to increase during diaphragmatic breathing. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Data point selection for self-training

Problems for parsing morphologically rich languages are, amongst others, caused by the higher variability in structure due to less rigid word order constraints and by the higher number of different lexical forms. Both properties can result in sparse data problems for statistical parsing. We present a simple approach for addressing these issues. Our approach makes use of self-training on instances selected with regard to their similarity to the annotated data. Our similarity measure is based on the perplexity of part-of-speech trigrams of new instances measured against the annotated training data. Preliminary results show that our method outperforms a self-training setting where instances are simply selected by order of occurrence in the corpus and argue that self-training is a cheap and effective method for improving parsing accuracy for morphologically rich languages.
RNA-sequence analysis of gene expression from honeybees (Apis mellifera) infected with Nosema ceranae

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are constantly subjected to many biotic stressors including parasites. This study examined honeybees infected with Nosema ceranae (N. ceranae). N. ceranae infection increases the bees energy requirements and may contribute to their decreased survival. RNA-seq was used to investigate gene expression at days 5, 10 and 15 Post Infection (P.I) with N. ceranae. The expression levels of genes, isoforms, alternative transcription start sites (TSS) and differential promoter usage revealed a complex pattern of transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation suggesting that bees use a range of tactics to cope with the stress of N. ceranae infection. N. ceranae infection may cause reduced immune function in the bees by: (i)disturbing the host amino acids metabolism (ii) down-regulating expression of antimicrobial peptides (iii) down-regulation of cuticle coatings and (iv) down-regulation of odorant binding proteins.
The Local Coexistence Pattern of Selfing Genotypes in Caenorhabditis elegans Natural Metapopulations

To study the interplay of rare outcrossing and metapopulation structure, we focus on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Its remarkably low outcrossing rate is at the extreme end of the spectrum for facultative selfing organisms. At the demographic level, C. elegans natural populations undergo boom and bust dynamics on ephemeral resources, with the dauer diapause larva acting as the dispersal form. Here we investigate the small-scale genetic structure of C. elegans populations in two localities over several years, using 2b restriction-associated DNA sequencing of nearly 1000 individuals. We find a remarkably small number of genome-wide haplotypes, almost exclusively in the homozygous state, confirming the low effective outcrossing rate. Most strikingly, the major haplotypes in a locality remain intact and do not effectively recombine over several years. From the spatial pattern of diversity, we estimate that each subpopulation or deme is seeded by a mean of 3–10 immigrating individuals. Populations are thus formed by clones that compete at two levels, within a subpopulation and at the metapopulation level. We test for the presence of local phenotypic variation in pathogen resistance and dauer larva nictation, which could possibly explain the maintenance of different genotypes by heterogeneous selection in different local environments or lifecycles. This study is the first to address the local spatiotemporal genetic structure of C. elegans on feeding substrates. We conclude that these animals coexist as competing homozygous clones at the smallest population scale as well as in the metapopulation.
“Shit Got Cray Cray #MYBAD”: An Examination of the Image-Repair Discourse of Richie Incognito During the Miami Dolphins’ Bullying Scandal

This study examines the image-repair discourse of Richie Incognito throughout the events surrounding the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal during the 2013–2014 nfl season. Incognito embarked on a journey to salvage his image by utilizing both the social-media platform Twitter and through his exclusive one-on-one television interview with Fox Sports 1. For this study, Incognito’s tweets (n = 350) sent during the time frame of the crisis and his comments during the nationally televised interview were examined through mixed-methods content analysis using Benoit’s image repair theory as a theoretical framework. Results suggest that Incognito used competing image-repair strategies on Twitter and traditional media platforms. Via Twitter, Incognito predominantly used strategies of victimization, stonewalling, and attacking the accuser, along with a new category: exposing critics. On traditional media, he used shifting blame, good intentions, and bolstering.
Boxes with Fires: Wisely Integrating Learning Technologies into the Art Classroom

47 FUNNY THING . it took me over 20 years to discover that education is not about teaching—it’s about student learning. Until the last 10 years, I thought education was about delivering dynamic teacher-directed lectures. I thought it was about making dazzling, motivating presentations using the latest mesmerizing technological tools. I thought it was about standards, dispositions, instructional resources, strategies, lesson plans, rubrics, and curriculum. I thought it was about my classroom, my philosophy, my curriculum, and my career. I WAS WRONG!