Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional changes in glutamate transporters and astrocyte biophysical properties in a rodent model of focal cortical dysplasia

Cortical dysplasia is associated with intractable epilepsy and developmental delay in young children. Recent work with the rat freeze-induced focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) model has demonstrated that hyperexcitability in the dysplastic cortex is due in part to higher levels of extracellular glutamate. Astrocyte glutamate transporters play a pivotal role in cortical maintaining extracellular glutamate concentrations. Here we examined the function of astrocytic glutamate transporters in a FCD model in rats. Neocortical freeze lesions were made in postnatal day (PN) 1 rat pups and whole cell electrophysiological recordings and biochemical studies were performed at PN 21–28. Synaptically evoked glutamate transporter currents in astrocytes showed a near 10-fold reduction in amplitude compared to sham operated controls. Astrocyte glutamate transporter currents from lesioned animals were also significantly reduced when challenged exogenously applied glutamate. Reduced astrocytic glutamate transport clearance contributed to increased NMDA receptor-mediated current decay kinetics in lesioned animals. The electrophysiological profile of astrocytes in the lesion group was also markedly changed compared to sham operated animals. Control astrocytes demonstrate large-amplitude linear leak currents in response to voltage-steps whereas astrocytes in lesioned animals demonstrated significantly smaller voltage-activated inward and outward currents. Significant decreases in astrocyte resting membrane potential and increases in input resistance were observed in lesioned animals. However, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR demonstrated no differences in the expression of the astrocytic glutamate transporter GLT-1 in lesioned animals relative to controls. These data suggest that, in the absence of changes in protein or mRNA expression levels, functional changes in astrocytic glutamate transporters contribute to neuronal hyperexcitability in the FCD model.
An Assessment of Technology Learning Styles, Skills, and Perceptions Among Teachers of Grades Pre-Kindergarten Through Four.

This study investigated whether a relationship exists between learning style and the self-reported technology-related needs, beliefs, stages of adoption, software expertise, and technology competencies of teachers in a large suburban school district. The Gregorc Style Delineator was used to identify dominant learning style, and the Snapshot Survey was used to measure technology-related needs, beliefs, stages of adoption, and software expertise. Technology competencies were measured using the Technology in Education Competency Survey. Data collected from 499 participants was included in data analysis. The study was conducted at each of the 12 elementary schools of a large suburban district in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between learning style and the technology-related needs, stages of adoption, software expertise, and competencies of teachers. The relationship between learning style and technology-related needs was significant at the p < . 01 level. The relationships between learning style and technology-related stages of adoption, software expertise, and technology competencies were significant at the p < . 05 level. Members of the abstract sequential [AS] learning style group reported having significantly fewer needs and significantly higher stages of adoption, software expertise, and competency than members of one or more of the other learning style groups. More research is recommended to determine whether these findings could be utilized to improve teacher staff development in the area of technology. Possible applications may include mentoring programs and the customization of training models to more closely match learning style profiles.
Motion analysis of front crawl swimming applying CAST technique by means of automatic tracking

Abstract Kinematic analysis of swimming is of interest to improve swimming performances. Although the video recordings of underwater swimmers are commonly used, the available methodologies are rarely precise enough to adequately estimate the three dimensional (3D) joint kinematics. This is mainly due to difficulties in obtaining the required kinematic parameters (anatomical landmarks, joint centres and reference frames) in the swimming environment. In this paper we propose a procedure to investigate the right upper limb’s 3D kinematics during front crawl swimming in terms of all elbow and shoulder degrees of freedom (three rotations of the shoulder, two of the elbow). The method is based upon the Calibrated Anatomical Systems Technique (CAST), a technique widely used in clinics, which allows estimation of anatomical landmarks of interest even when they are not directly visible. An automatic tracking technique was adopted. The intra-operator repeatability of the manual tracking was also assessed. The root mean squared difference of three anatomical landmarks, processed five times, is always lower than 8 mm. The mean of the root mean squared difference between trajectories obtained with the different methodologies was found to be lower than 20 mm. Results showed that complete 3D kinematics of at least twice as many frames than without CAST can be reconstructed faster and more precisely.
Unhastening Science: Autonomy and Reflexivity in the Social theory of Knowledge

1. The Timescape of Science 2. What (Again) is So Special about Science? 3. Two Traditions in the Social Theory of Knowledge 4. The Natural Proximity of Facts and Values 5. Knowledge Politics and Anti-Politics: Boutdieu on Science and Intellectuals 6. The Politics of Symmetry 7. Reflexivity: One Step Up 8. Intellectual Autonomy and the Politics of Slow Motion Epilogue: Weak Social Theory
The Capability Approach: Frontmatter

List of figures List of tables Introduction 1. Using the capability approach: prospective and evaluative analyses Sabina Alkire Part I. Concepts: 2. Amartya Sen's capability view: insightful sketch or distorted picture? Mozaffar Qizilbash 3. Sen's capability approach and feminist concerns Ingrid Robeyns 4. Beyond individual freedom and agency: structures of living together in the capability approach to development Severine Deneulin 5. Does identity matter? On the relevance of identity and interaction for capabilities Miriam Teschl and Laurent Derobert 6. Measuring Capabilities Flavio Comim Part II. Measures: 7. Do concepts matter? An empirical investigation of the differences between a capability and a monetary assessment of poverty Caterina Ruggeri Laderchi 8. Social exclusion in the EU: a capability-based approach Fotis Papadopoulos and Panos Tsakloglou 9. Complexity and vagueness in the capability approach: strengths or weaknesses? Enrica Chiappero Martinetti 10. Operationalising Sen's capability approach: the influence of the selected technique Sara Lelli 11. Operationalizing capabilities in a segmented society: the role of institutions Kanchan Chopra and Anantha Kumar Duraiappah Part III. Applications: 12. Democracy, decentralisation and access to basic services: an elaboration on Sen's capability approach Santosh Mehrotra 13. Reinforcing household's capabilities as a way to reduce vulnerability and prevent poverty in equitable terms Jean-Luc Dubois and Sophie Rousseau 14. Capabilities over the lifecourse: at what age does poverty damage most? Shahin Yaqub 15. Social policy and the ability to appear in public without shame: some lessons from a food relief programme in Kinshasa Tom De Herdt 16. The capability approach and gendered education:some issues of operationalisation in the context of the HIV/AIDs epidemic in South Africa Elaine Unterhalter 17. Women and poverty In Mozambique: is there a gender bias In capabilities, employment conditions and living standards? Pier Giogio Ardeni and Antonio Andracchio 18. From the quantity to the quality of employment: an application of the capability approach to the Chilean labour market Kirsten Sehnbruch Index.
Low threshold CW operation of circular-grating surface-emitting DBR lasers using MQW and a self-aligned process

In this letter, we present the first room temperature continuous wave operation of circular-grating surface-emitting DBR lasers. The structure is an InGaAs/GaAs strained multiquantum-well. A modified fabrication process with a better control on the steps is used. A CW threshold current as low as 26 mA at a lasing wavelength of about 977 mm are reported. This is the first demonstration of CW operation for these lasers in any material system. <<ETX>>
PREVENTION BY ZINC OF CADMIUM‐INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN PANCREATIC AND HEPATIC FUNCTIONS

1 Subacute cadmium treatment (CdCl2, 1 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days) in rats disturbs glucose homeostasis as shown by hyperglycemia and decreased glucose tolerance associated with suppression of insulin release, enhancement of hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes and decrease in hepatic glycogen content. 2 Exposure to cadmium increases hepatic cyclic adenosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and this is accompanied by stimulation of basal, adrenaline‐as well as glucagon‐stimulated form(s) of adenylate cyclase. 3 In contrast to cadmium, subacute administration of zinc (ZnCl2, 2 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days) fails to alter the activities of hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes, cyclic AMP synthesis, as well as glucose clearance and insulin release in response to a glucose load. 4 Zinc, when administered at the same time as cadmium, prevents the cadmium‐induced lesions in both hepatic and pancreatic functions. 5 The results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms of cadmium toxicity and to the role of sulphydryl groups in the protection exercised by zinc.
Knowledge Processes and Ontologies

In this article, we present an approach for ontology-based knowledge management (KM) that includes a tool suite and a methodology for developing ontology-based KM systems. It builds on the distinction between knowledge processes and knowledge metaprocesses, and is illustrated by CHAR (Corporate History AnalyzeR), a KM system for corporate history analysis.
The majority of transcripts in the squid nervous system are extensively recoded by A-to-I RNA editing

RNA editing by adenosine deamination alters genetic information from the genomic blueprint. When it recodes mRNAs, it gives organisms the option to express diverse, functionally distinct, protein isoforms. All eumetazoans, from cnidarians to humans, express RNA editing enzymes. However, transcriptome-wide screens have only uncovered about 25 transcripts harboring conserved recoding RNA editing sites in mammals and several hundred recoding sites in Drosophila. These studies on few established models have led to the general assumption that recoding by RNA editing is extremely rare. Here we employ a novel bioinformatic approach with extensive validation to show that the squid Doryteuthis pealeii recodes proteins by RNA editing to an unprecedented extent. We identify 57,108 recoding sites in the nervous system, affecting the majority of the proteins studied. Recoding is tissue-dependent, and enriched in genes with neuronal and cytoskeletal functions, suggesting it plays an important role in brain physiology. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.05198. 001
A graph-based approach to Web services composition

Automatic composition of Web services has drawn a great deal of attention recently. By composition, we mean taking advantage of currently existing Web services to provide a new service that does not exist on its own. Therefore, in order to have a more complex service, we can use some semantically related simpler Web services and execute them in such a way that the whole set provides the desired service. There are Web service specification languages that specify semantic properties of Web services. These languages are helpful in searching for those Web services that can participate in a composition. This work is aimed at searching among Web services in order to find those whose composition provides a specific behavior. Those Web services found after this search are incrementally composed together to build a new service that realizes that behavior. Our technique takes advantage of graph structures and also a particular formalism called interface automata.
An Analysis of Domestic Abuse Discourse on Reddit

Domestic abuse affects people of every race, class, age, and nation. There is significant research on the prevalence and effects of domestic abuse; however, such research typically involves population-based surveys that have high financial costs. This work provides a qualitative analysis of domestic abuse using data collected from the social and news-aggregation website reddit.com. We develop classifiers to detect submissions discussing domestic abuse, achieving accuracies of up to 92%, a substantial error reduction over its baseline. Analysis of the top features used in detecting abuse discourse provides insight into the dynamics of abusive relationships.
Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in mice with constitutively active platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been implicated in the pathobiology of vascular remodeling. The multikinase inhibitor imatinib that targets PDGF receptor (PDGFR), c-kit and Abl kinases, shows therapeutic efficacy against experimental pulmonary hypertension (PH); however, the role of PDGFR-β in experimental PH has not been examined by genetic approach. We investigated the chronic hypoxia-induced PH in mice carrying an activating point mutation of PDGFR-β (D849N) and evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of imatinib. In addition, we studied pulmonary global gene expression and confirmed the expression of identified genes by immunohistochemistry. Chronically hypoxic D849N mice developed PH and strong pulmonary vascular remodeling that was improved by imatinib (100 mg/kg/day) as evident from the significantly reduced right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy and muscularization of peripheral pulmonary arteries. Global gene expression analysis revealed that stromal cell derived factor SDF)-1αwas significantly upregulated, which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, an enhanced immunoreactivity for SDF-1α, PDGFR-β and CXCR4, the receptor for SDF-1α was localized to the α-smooth muscle cell (SMC) actin positive pulmonary vascular cells in hypoxic mice and patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). In conclusion, our findings substantiate the major role of PDGFR activation in pulmonary vascular remodeling by a genetic approach. Immunohistochemistry findings suggest a role for SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis in pulmonary vascular remodeling and point to a potential interaction between the chemokine SDF-1 and the growth factor PDGF signaling. Future studies designed to elucidate an interaction between the chemokine SDF-1 and the PDGF system may uncover novel therapeutic targets.
ERBB2 kinase domain mutation in a gastric cancer metastasis

ERBB2 is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family. Recent studies revealed that the kinase domain of the ERBB2 gene was mutated in human cancers, including gastric cancer. Despite the importance of cancer metastasis in the pathogenesis of cancers, data on the ERBB2 kinase domain mutation in cancer metastasis are lacking. In this study, to explore the possibility that ERBB2 mutation is involved in the metastasis mechanism, we analyzed the kinase domain of ERBB2 for the detection of somatic mutations in 58 gastric adenocarcinomas with lymph node metastasis. We found one ERBB2 mutation, which was detected in the lymph node metastasis, but not in the primary tumor of the same patient. The ERBB2 mutation was a missense mutation which substituted an amino acid in exon 21 (V832I). We simultaneously analyzed the somatic mutations of EGFR, K‐RAS, PIK3CA and BRAF genes in the sample with the ERBB2 mutation, and found that this metastatic carcinoma did not harbor any of the mutations. Our data suggest that ERBB2 kinase domain mutation occasionally occurs in metastatic gastric carcinoma and might play a role in the metastatic process of some gastric carcinomas.
Selenoprotein N is required for ryanodine receptor calcium release channel activity in human and zebrafish muscle

Mutations affecting the seemingly unrelated gene products, SepN1, a selenoprotein of unknown function, and RyR1, the major component of the ryanodine receptor intracellular calcium release channel, result in an overlapping spectrum of congenital myopathies. To identify the immediate developmental and molecular roles of SepN and RyR in vivo, loss-of-function effects were analyzed in the zebrafish embryo. These studies demonstrate the two proteins are required for the same cellular differentiation events and are needed for normal calcium fluxes in the embryo. SepN is physically associated with RyRs and functions as a modifier of the RyR channel. In the absence of SepN, ryanodine receptors from zebrafish embryos or human diseased muscle have altered biochemical properties and have lost their normal sensitivity to redox conditions, which likely accounts for why mutations affecting either factor lead to similar diseases.
Axonal and dendritic synaptotagmin isoforms revealed by a pHluorin-syt functional screen

Synaptotagmin-1 regulates synaptic vesicle fusion, but little is known about the remaining syt isoforms. Syt-pHluorin reporters are used to show that only two syts are on synaptic vesicles, whereas other isoforms are selectively targeted to dendrites, axons, or both axons and dendrites, where they undergo exocytosis and endocytosis with distinct kinetics.
Critical Regulation of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-induced Osteoblastic Differentiation by Delta1/Jagged1-activated Notch1 Signaling*

Functional involvement of the Notch pathway in osteoblastic differentiation has been previously investigated using the truncated intracellular domain, which mimics Notch signaling by interacting with the DNA-binding protein CBF-1. However, it is unclear whether Notch ligands Delta1 and Jagged1 also induce an identical cellular response in osteoblastic differentiation. We have shown that both Delta1 and Jagged1 were expressed concomitantly with Notch1 in maturating osteoblastic cells during bone regeneration and that overexpressed and immobilized recombinant Delta1 and Jagged1 alone did not alter the differentiated state of MC3T3-E1 and C2C12 cells. However, they augmented bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2)-induced alkaline phosphatase activity and the expression of several differentiation markers, except for osteocalcin, and ultimately enhanced calcified nodule and in vivo ectopic bone formation of MC3T3-E1. In addition, both ligands transmitted signal through the CBF-1-dependent pathway and stimulated the expression of HES-1, a direct target of Notch pathway. To test the necessity of Notch signaling in BMP2-induced differentiation, Notch signaling was inhibited by the dominant negative extracellular domain of Notch1, specific inhibitor, or small interference RNA. These treatments decreased alkaline phosphatase activity as well as the expression of other differentiation markers and inhibited the promoter activity of Id-1, a target gene of the BMP pathway. These results indicate the functional redundancy between Delta1 and Jagged1 in osteoblastic differentiation whereby Delta1/Jagged1-activated Notch1 enhances BMP2-induced differentiation through the identical signaling pathway. Furthermore, our data also suggest that functional Notch signaling is essential not only for BMP2-induced osteoblast differentiation but also for BMP signaling itself.
Principals' Competency Needs for Effective Schools' Administration In Nigeria

The issue of poor academic performance of students in Nigeria could be attributed to poor administrative skills of school administrators. This study investigated the competency needs of principals for effective schools' administration at secondary school level. This was carried out in South West Geo - Political Zone of Nigeria. Principal Administrative Skills Survey Questionnaire (PASSQ) was used to obtain information through a thirty (30) item questionnaire on instructional skills, personnel management skills and financial skills needed by principals for effective administration. Three research questions formulated to guide the study. Mean scores of principals' opinion were used to answer the research questions.
Theranostic nanoparticles based on bioreducible polyethylenimine-coated iron oxide for reduction-responsive gene delivery and magnetic resonance imaging

Theranostic nanoparticles based on superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) have a great promise for tumor diagnosis and gene therapy. However, the availability of theranostic nanoparticles with efficient gene transfection and minimal toxicity remains a big challenge. In this study, we construct an intelligent SPIO-based nanoparticle comprising a SPIO inner core and a disulfide-containing polyethylenimine (SSPEI) outer layer, which is referred to as a SSPEI-SPIO nanoparticle, for redox-triggered gene release in response to an intracellular reducing environment. We reveal that SSPEI-SPIO nanoparticles are capable of binding genes to form nano-complexes and mediating a facilitated gene release in the presence of dithiothreitol (5–20 mM), thereby leading to high transfection efficiency against different cancer cells. The SSPEI-SPIO nanoparticles are also able to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) for the silencing of human telomerase reverse transcriptase genes in HepG2 cells, causing their apoptosis and growth inhibition. Further, the nanoparticles are applicable as T2-negative contrast agents for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of a tumor xenografted in a nude mouse. Importantly, SSPEI-SPIO nanoparticles have relatively low cytotoxicity in vitro at a high concentration of 100 μg/mL. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of a disulfide-containing cationic polymer-decorated SPIO nanoparticle as highly potent and low-toxic theranostic nano-system for specific nucleic acid delivery inside cancer cells.
Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: Neuropathologic Findings

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy refers to sudden death of an individual with a clinical history of epilepsy, in whom a postmortem examination fails to uncover a gross anatomic, toxicologic, or environmental cause of death. Evidence of terminal seizure activity may not be present. One to two percent of natural deaths certified by the medicolegal death investigator are attributed to epilepsy. Detailed microscopic examination of the brain has increasingly afforded the identification of structural changes representative of epileptogenic foci. The authors present 70 cases of death attributed to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. These cases were classified as follows: individuals who lacked a gross brain lesion, those who had a brain lesion demonstrable at autopsy, and those who lacked neuropathologic evaluation because of decomposition or because only an external examination was done. All of the subjects had a clinical history of seizures. The authors confirm that various microscopic findings, including neuronal clusters, increased perivascular oligodendroglia, gliosis, cystic gliotic lesions, decreased myelin, cerebellar Bergmann’s gliosis, and folial atrophy, are present in a higher percentage of the brains of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy subjects than in the brains of age- and sex-matched control subjects.