Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GALEX UV Color Relations for Nearby Early-Type Galaxies

We use GALEX/optical photometry to construct color-color relationships for early-type galaxies sorted by morphological type. We have matched objects in the GALEX GR1 public release and the first IR1.1 internal release, with the RC3 early-type galaxies having a morphological type -5.5 ⩽ T < − 1.5, with mean error on T < 1.5 and mean error on (B − V)T < 0.05. After visual inspection of each match, we are left with 130 galaxies with reliable GALEX pipeline photometry in the far-UV and near-UV bands. This sample is divided into ellipticals (-5.5 ⩽ T < − 3.5) and lenticulars (-3.5 ⩽ T < − 1.5). After correction for Galactic extinction, the color-color diagrams FUV − NUV versus (B − V)Tc are plotted for the two subsamples. We find a tight anticorrelation between the FUV − NUV and (B − V)Tc colors for ellipticals, with the UV color getting bluer when the (B − V)Tc gets redder. This relationship very likely is an extension of the color-metallicity relationship in the GALEX NUV band. We suspect that the main source of the correlation is metal line blanketing in the NUV band. The FUV − NUV versus B − V correlation has larger scatter for lenticular galaxies; we speculate that this reflects the presence of low-level star formation. If the latter objects (i.e., those that are blue both in FUV − NUV and in B − V) are interpreted as harboring recent star formation activity, this would be the case for a few percent (~4%) of ellipticals and ~15% of lenticulars; this would mean about 10% of early-type galaxies have residual star formation in our full sample of 130 early-type galaxies. We also plot FUV − NUV versus the Mg2 index and central velocity dispersion. We find a tight anticorrelation between FUV − NUV and the Mg2 index; we suspect that this reflects blanketing in the NUV band being correlated with overall metallicity. We find a marginal anticorrelation of FUV − VT with Mg2 for elliptical galaxies.
Exposure to “Exergames” Increases Older Adults’ Perception of the Usefulness of Technology for Improving Health and Physical Activity: A Pilot Study

Background High rates of sedentary behaviors in older adults can lead to poor health outcomes. However, new technologies, namely exercise-based videogames (“exergames”), may provide ways of stimulating uptake and ongoing participation in physical activities. Older adults’ perceptions of the use of technology to improve health are not known. Objective The study aimed to determine use and perceptions of technology before and after using a 5-week exergame. Methods Focus groups determined habitual use of technology and the participant’s perceptions of technology to assist with health and physical activity. Surveys were developed to quantitatively measure these perceptions and were administered before and after a 5-week intervention. The intervention was an exergame that focused on postural balance (“Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012”). Games scores, rates of game participation, and enjoyment were also recorded. Results A total of 24 healthy participants aged between 55 and 82 years (mean 70, SD 6 years) indicated that after the intervention there was an increased awareness that technology (in the form of exergames) can assist with maintaining physical activity (P<.001). High levels of enjoyment (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale [PACES-8] score mean 53.0, SE 0.7) and participation rates over the whole study (83%-100%) were recorded. Conclusions Older adults’ have low perception of the use of technology for improving health outcomes until after exposure to exergames. Technology, in the form of enjoyable exergames, may be useful for improving participation in physical activity that is relevant for older adults.
Degradation Signals Recognized by the Ubc6p-Ubc7p Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme Pair

ABSTRACT Proteolysis by the ubiquitin-proteasome system is highly selective. Specificity is achieved by the cooperation of diverse ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (Ubcs or E2s) with a variety of ubiquitin ligases (E3s) and other ancillary factors. These recognize degradation signals characteristic of their target proteins. In a previous investigation, we identified signals directing the degradation of β-galactosidase and Ura3p fusion proteins via a subsidiary pathway of the ubiquitin-proteasome system involving Ubc6p and Ubc7p. This pathway has recently been shown to be essential for the degradation of misfolded and regulated proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen and membrane, which are transported to the cytoplasm via the Sec61p translocon. Mutant backgrounds which prevent retrograde transport of ER proteins (hrd1/der3Δ and sec61-2) did not inhibit the degradation of the β-galactosidase and Ura3p fusions carrying Ubc6p/Ubc7p pathway signals. We therefore conclude that the ubiquitination of these fusion proteins takes place on the cytosolic face of the ER without prior transfer to the ER lumen. The contributions of different sequence elements to a 16-amino-acid-residue Ubc6p-Ubc7p-specific signal were analyzed by mutation. A patch of bulky hydrophobic residues was an essential element. In addition, positively charged residues were found to be essential. Unexpectedly, certain substitutions of bulky hydrophobic or positively charged residues with alanine created novel degradation signals, channeling the degradation of fusion proteins to an unidentified proteasomal pathway not involving Ubc6p and Ubc7p.
Molecular Mechanisms for Synaptic Modification in the Visual Cortex: Interaction between Theory and Experiment

Abstract : Concurrent with the recent developments in neural network theories of learning and memory has been the experimental demonstration of experience- dependent synaptic plasticity at the highest level of the mammalian nervous system, the cerebral cortex. A neurobiological problem of extraordinary interest is to identify the molecular mechanisms which underlie this process of cortical modification. For the complex forms of plasticity evoked in neocortex by changes in the sensory environment, an essential first step in sorting out the various possibilities is to derive a set of rules that can adequately account for the observed modifications. These rules serve as a guide towards identifying candidate mechanisms that can then be tested experimentally. Hence, it can be seen that two lines of inquiry on concerning neural network theory, the other concerning molecular mechanisms of synapse modification-- converge at the level of the modification rule. We have proposed such a modification rule to explain the rich body of experimental evidence available on the experience-dependent plasticity of the feline visual cortex during early postnatal development. This theoretical form of modification is able to account for the results of a wide variety of deprivation experiments, and has led to a number of predictions that appear to have been confirmed by more recent experiments. In this chapter we shall illustrate how this theory has interacted with experiment to suggest a possible molecular basis for synapse modification in the visual cortex.
Endoscopic Time-Lapse Imaging of Immune Cells in Infarcted Mouse Hearts

Rationale: High-resolution imaging of the heart in vivo is challenging owing to the difficulty in accessing the heart and the tissue motion caused by the heartbeat. Objective: Here, we describe a suction-assisted endoscope for visualizing fluorescently labeled cells and vessels in the beating heart tissue through a small incision made in the intercostal space. Methods and Results: A suction tube with a diameter of 2 to 3 mm stabilizes the local tissue motion safely and effectively at a suction pressure of 50 mm Hg. Using a minimally invasive endoscope integrated into a confocal microscope, we performed fluorescence cellular imaging in both normal and diseased hearts in live mice for an hour per session repeatedly over a few weeks. Real-time imaging revealed the surprisingly rapid infiltration of CX3CR1+ monocytes into the injured site within several minutes after acute myocardial infarction. Conclusions: The time-lapse analysis of flowing and rolling (patrolling) monocytes in the heart and the peripheral circulation provides evidence that the massively recruited monocytes come first from the vascular reservoir and later from the spleen. The imaging method requires minimal surgical preparation and can be implemented into standard intravital microscopes. Our results demonstrate the applicability of our imaging method for a wide range of cardiovascular research.
N-type and L-type calcium channels mediate glycinergic synaptic inputs to retinal ganglion cells of tiger salamanders

Synaptically localized calcium channels shape the timecourse of synaptic release, are a prominent site for neuromodulation, and have been implicated in genetic disease. In retina, it is well established that L-type calcium channels play a major role in mediating release of glutamate from the photoreceptors and bipolar cells. However, little is known about which calcium channels are coupled to synaptic exocytosis of glycine, which is primarily released by amacrine cells. A recent report indicates that glycine release from spiking AII amacrine cells relies exclusively upon L-type calcium channels. To identify calcium channel types controlling neurotransmitter release from the population of glycinergic neurons that drive retinal ganglion cells, we recorded electrical and potassium evoked inhibitory synaptic currents (IPSCs) from these postsynaptic neurons in retinal slices from tiger salamanders. The L-channel antagonist nifedipine strongly inhibited release and FPL64176, an L-channel agonist, greatly enhanced it, indicating a significant role for L-channels. ω-Conotoxin MVIIC, an N/P/Q-channel antagonist, strongly inhibited release, indicating an important role for non-L channels. While the P/Q-channel blocker ω-Aga IVA produced only small effects, the N-channel blocker ω-conotoxin GVIA strongly inhibited release. Hence, N-type and L-type calcium channels appear to play major roles, overall, in mediating synaptic release of glycine onto retinal ganglion cells.
Growth model for multicellular tumor spheroids

Most organisms grow according to simple laws, which in principle can be derived from energy conservation and scaling arguments, critically dependent on the relation between the metabolic rate B of energy flow and the organism mass m. Although this relation is generally recognized to be of the form B(m)=mp, the specific value of the exponent p is the object of an ongoing debate, with many mechanisms being postulated to support different predictions. We propose that multicellular tumor spheroids provide an ideal experimental model system for testing these allometric growth theories, especially under controlled conditions of malnourishment and applied mechanical stress.
Characterization and isolation of immature neurons of the adult mouse piriform cortex

Physiological studies indicate that the piriform or primary olfactory cortex of adult mammals exhibits a high degree of synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, a subpopulation of cells in the layer II of the adult piriform cortex expresses neurodevelopmental markers, such as the polysialylated form of neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA‐NCAM) or doublecortin (DCX). This study analyzes the nature, origin, and potential function of these poorly understood cells in mice. As previously described in rats, most of the PSA‐NCAM expressing cells in layer II could be morphologically classified as tangled cells and only a small proportion of larger cells could be considered semilunar‐pyramidal transitional neurons. Most were also immunoreactive for DCX, confirming their immature nature. In agreement with this, detection of PSA‐NCAM combined with that of different cell lineage‐specific antigens revealed that most PSA‐NCAM positive cells did not co‐express markers of glial cells or mature neurons. Their time of origin was evaluated by birthdating experiments with halogenated nucleosides performed at different developmental stages and in adulthood. We found that virtually all cells in this paleocortical region, including PSA‐NCAM‐positive cells, are born during fetal development. In addition, proliferation analyses in adult mice revealed that very few cells were cycling in layer II of the piriform cortex and that none of them was PSA‐NCAM‐positive. Moreover, we have established conditions to isolate and culture these immature neurons in the adult piriform cortex layer II. We find that although they can survive under certain conditions, they do not proliferate in vitro either. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 748–763, 2016
Concatenated Reed-Solomon/convolutional coding for data transmission in CDMA-based cellular systems

A robust error control scheme for data transmission in CDMA-based cellular systems is proposed which employs outer Reed-Solomon codes concatenated with inner convolutional codes. The performance of this scheme is analyzed assuming nonperiodic random spreading sequences and a Rake receiver with perfect knowledge of the channel. In particular, a simple model for the memoryless inner coding channel that encompasses the effects of multiple access interference, self-noise and thermal noise is first derived. Using new tight upper bounds on bit- and symbol-error probabilities of convolutional codes over Nakagami, Rayleigh, and Rician fading multipath channels, the performance of the concatenated coding scheme is then evaluated. The Reed-Solomon/convolutional coding scheme has been adopted by the European RACE Project Code Division Testbed (CODIT) and implemented in an experimental testbed. The code design methodology, which has been used to specify the 9.6-, 64-, and 128-kbit/s data traffic channels of the CODIT testbed, is presented and the single-cell CDMA capacity is computed.
The Lower Saxony Bank of Health

Summary Introduction: This article is part of a Focus Theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on Health Record Banking. Background: Poor communication of health care information between health care providers (HCP) is still a major problem. One recent approach is the concept of Health Record Banking. Objectives: With this report we want to introduce the Lower Saxony Bank of Health (LSBH) to the international community. The main objective of this paper is to report and explain: 1) why this organization has been founded, 2) which basic principles have been set, 3) which services will be provided, 4) which type of organization has been chosen, and 5) which architectural framework has been selected. Methods: To report and discuss how we plan to achieve the intended objectives. Results: The LSBH was founded as an entrepreneurial company, regarding itself as a neutral third-party information broker. The bank does not store medical documents on its central servers but offers a document registry with links to documents stored at participating health care providers. Subject to valid patient consent, the LSBH grants access to these documents to authorized health care providers. To implement our services, we chose the established technical frameworks of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) initiative using cross-enterprise document sharing (XDS). Conclusions: Different approaches to establish health information exchange (HIE) are in early stages and some have failed in the past. Health Record Banking can address major challenges described in the literature about HIE. The future will show if our provider-sponsored business model is sustainable. After reaching a stable network, we intend to add additional HCPs, e.g., care homes or ambulance services, to the network.
The Attitude–Behavior Relationship in Consumer Conduct: The Role of Norms, Past Behavior, and Self-Identity

The authors used a revised planned behavior model in the consumer domain. The revised model incorporated separate measures of descriptive and injunctive/prescriptive norms, self-identity, and past behavior in an effort to improve the predictive power of the theory of planned behavior (TPB; I. Ajzen, 1985) in relation to a self-reported consumer behavior: purchasing one's preferred soft drink. At Time 1, respondents (N = 112) completed self-report measures of (a) attitudes, (b) perceived behavioral control, (c) descriptive and injunctive/prescriptive norms, (d) self-identity, (e) past behavior, and (f) intentions. The authors assessed self-reported behavior 1 week later (Time 2). Attitudes, injunctive/prescriptive norms, descriptive norms, past behavior, and self-identity were all positively related to purchase intentions, and intentions were predictive of self-reported behavior at Time 2. These findings highlight the utility of the TPB in the consumer domain.
Suppression of Dualtropic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 by the CXCR4 Antagonist AMD3100 Is Associated with Efficiency of CXCR4 Use and Baseline Virus Composition

ABSTRACT In a phase I/II evaluation of the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, human immunodeficiency virus RNA levels were significantly reduced in a single study subject who harbored CXCR4 (X4)-tropic virus, but not in subjects who harbored either dual/mixed (DM)-tropic or CCR5 (R5)-tropic virus (C. W. Hendrix et al., J. Acquir. Immune Defic. Syndr. 37:1253-1262, 2004). In this study, we analyzed the envelope clones of DM-tropic virus in baseline and treated virus populations from 14 subjects. Ten subjects exhibited significant reductions in CXCR4-mediated infectivity after 10 days of AMD3100 therapy relative to baseline (X4 suppressor group), while four subjects had no reduction of CXCR4-mediated infectivity (X4 nonsuppressor group). The baseline viruses of the X4 suppressor group infected CXCR4-expressing cells less efficiently than those of the X4 nonsuppressor group. Clonal analysis indicated that the baseline viruses from the X4 suppressor group contained a higher proportion of R5-tropic variants mixed with CXCR4-using variants, while the X4 nonsuppressor group was enriched for CXCR4-using variants. AMD3100 suppressed X4-tropic variants in all subjects studied, but not all dualtropic variants. Furthermore, dualtropic variants that used CXCR4 efficiently were suppressed by AMD3100, while dualtropic variants that used CXCR4 poorly were not. This study demonstrated that AMD3100 has the ability to suppress both X4-tropic and certain dualtropic variants in vivo. The suppression of CXCR4-using variants by AMD3100 is dependent on both the tropism composition of the virus population and the efficiency of CXCR4 usage of individual variants.
Genetic Basis of Tetracycline and Minocycline Resistance in Potentially Probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Strain CCUG 43738

ABSTRACT The potentially probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum CCUG 43738, which displayed atypical phenotypic resistance to tetracycline (MIC, 512 μg/ml) and minocycline (MIC, 256 μg/ml), was found to contain a tet(S) gene located on a plasmid of approximately 14 kb. Plasmid curing with novobiocin eliminated this plasmid and restored the tetracycline-susceptible phenotype of the host strain.
The significance of p53 codon 72 polymorphism for the development of cervical adenocarcinomas

Infection with the human papillomavirus is an important co-factor in the development of cervical carcinomas. Accordingly, HPV DNA is recognised in most of these tumours. Polymorphism of the p53 gene, codon 72, is also considered a risk factor in the development of cervical carcinoma. However, this finding is contradicted by several observers. In the present investigation, 111 cases of adenocarcinoma of the cervix collected through the Swedish Cancer Registry and 188 controls (females with normal cytology at organised gynaecological screening) were analysed with regard to p53, codon 72, polymorphism using a PCR- and SSCP-based technique. In the controls, 9% showed pro/pro, 44% pro/arg and 47% arg/arg, whereas in the invasive adenocarcinomas, the corresponding figures were 0%, 29% and 71%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). HPV DNA was identified in 86 tumours (HPV 18 in 48, HPV 16 in 31 and HPV of unknown type in 7 cases) and 25 tumours were HPV negative. The p53, codon 72, genotypes observed in HPV-positive and HPV-negative cervical adenocarcinomas were not statistically different (P = 0.690). The results indicate that women homozygotic for arg/arg in codon 72 of the p53 gene are at an increased risk for the development of cervical adenocarcinomas. However, this genetic disposition seems to be unrelated to the HPV infection. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer. com
An Outbreak of Sodium Fluoroacetate (1080) Intoxication in Selenium- and Copper-Deficient Sheep in California

Sodium fluoroacetate is an organofluorine compound toxic to mammals, insects, and birds, currently registered for use only in livestock protection collars as a predacide in some North American states, with restricted use in California. A flock of 445 lambs and ewes in California were moved into a native pasture on a municipal refuse disposal site. Within 24 hours, 14 ewes were found dead, and the remaining sheep were moved off the site. Both ewes and lambs exhibited disoriented running, followed by apparent blindness, weakness, ataxia, coma, and death. Over the next 4 days, 63 ewes and 80 lambs died with a peak at 3 days after grazing the suspect pasture (157/445, 35% mortality). Two dead 4-month-old lambs and 2 ewes were submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory for necropsy. Grossly, there were bilateral diffuse pulmonary congestion and edema, hydrothorax and hydropericardium with fibrin clots, and multifocally extensive areas of epicardial petechiae, ecchymoses, and pallor. In 1 ewe, there was regional caudodorsal pulmonary hemorrhage and intraluminal tracheal clotted blood. Microscopically in all cases, there was multifocal acute myocardial degeneration and necrosis with nonsuppurative pleocellular myocarditis. Sodium fluoroacetate was detected in kidney from a lamb and a ewe at 27.5 and 12.5 parts per billion, respectively. All sheep were selenium deficient, and concurrent copper deficiency was diagnosed in 3. The pathological and toxicological findings were consistent with 1080 poisoning, possibly exacerbated by micronutrient deficiency. This outbreak raised an alert about the use of restricted products with potential lethal effect in animals in California.
Model-Agnostic Meta-Learning for Fast Adaptation of Deep Networks

We propose an algorithm for meta-learning that is model-agnostic, in the sense that it is compatible with any model trained with gradient descent and applicable to a variety of different learning problems, including classification, regression, and reinforcement learning. The goal of meta-learning is to train a model on a variety of learning tasks, such that it can solve new learning tasks using only a small number of training samples. In our approach, the parameters of the model are explicitly trained such that a small number of gradient steps with a small amount of training data from a new task will produce good generalization performance on that task. In effect, our method trains the model to be easy to fine-tune. We demonstrate that this approach leads to state-of-the-art performance on two few-shot image classification benchmarks, produces good results on few-shot regression, and accelerates fine-tuning for policy gradient reinforcement learning with neural network policies.