Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural Basis for Map Formation in the Thalamocortical Pathway of the Barrelless Mouse

Barrelless mice (BRL) homozygous for the BRL mutation that disrupts the gene coding for adenylyl cyclase type I on chromosome 11 lack spatial segregation of layer IV cortical cells and of the thalamocortical axons (TCAs) into barrel domains. Despite these morphological perturbations, a functional topographic map has been demonstrated. We reconstructed individual biocytin-injected TCAs from thalamus to barrel cortex in NOR (normal) and BRL mice to analyze to what extent the TCA arborization pattern and bouton distribution could explain the topographic representation of the whisker follicles. In BRL, the geometry of TCA is modified within layer IV as well as in infragranular layers. However, in both strains, the spatial distribution of TCA in layer IV reflects the spatial relationship of their cell bodies in the ventrobasal nucleus of the thalamus. The morphometric analysis revealed that TCAs of both strains have the same length, branch number, and number of axonal boutons in layer IV. However, in barrelless, the boutons are distributed within a larger tangential extent. Analysis of the distribution of boutons from neighboring thalamic neurons demonstrated the existence in layer IV of domains of high bouton density that in both strains equal the size and shape of individual barrels. We propose that the domains of high bouton density are at the basis of the whisker map in barrelless mice.
Exploring Predictions of Abundance from Body Mass Using Hierarchical Comparative Approaches

Understanding and predicting how and why abundance varies is one of the central questions in ecology. One of the few consistent predictors of variation in abundance between species has been body mass, but the nature of this relationship has been contentious. Here I explore the relationship between body mass and abundance in birds of North America, using hierarchical partitioning of variance and regressions at taxonomic levels above the species. These analyses show that much variation in abundance is found across space, while a moderate amount of variation is found at the species/genus and also at the family/order level. However, body size and trophic level primarily vary at the family/order level, suggesting that mechanisms based on body size and energy should primarily explain only this moderate‐sized, taxonomically conserved component of variation in abundance. Body size does explain more than 50% of the variation at this level (and almost 75% when trophic level is also included). This tighter relationship makes clear that energetic equivalence ( \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $$\mathrm{slope}\,=-3/ 4$$ \end{document} ) sets an upper limit but does not describe the relationship between body mass and average abundance for birds of North America. Finally, I suggest that this hierarchical, multivariate approach should be used more often in macroecology.
Tumor suppressor XAF1 induces apoptosis, inhibits angiogenesis and inhibits tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP)-associated factor 1 (XAF1), a XIAP-binding protein, is a tumor suppressor gene. XAF1 was silent or expressed lowly in most human malignant tumors. However, the role of XAF1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of XAF1 on tumor growth and angiogenesis in hepatocellular cancer cells. Our results showed that XAF1 expression was lower in HCC cell lines SMMC-7721, Hep G2 and BEL-7404 and liver cancer tissues than that in paired non-cancer liver tissues. Adenovirus-mediated XAF1 expression (Ad5/F35-XAF1) significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in HCC cells in dose- and time- dependent manners. Infection of Ad5/F35-XAF1 induced cleavage of caspase -3, -8, -9 and PARP in HCC cells. Furthermore, Ad5/F35-XAF1 treatment significantly suppressed tumor growth in a xenograft model of liver cancer cells. Western Blot and immunohistochemistry staining showed that Ad5/F35-XAF1 treatment suppressed expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is associated with tumor angiogenesis, in cancer cells and xenograft tumor tissues. Moreover, Ad5/F35-XAF1 treatment prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice. Our results demonstrate that XAF1 inhibits tumor growth by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. XAF1 may be a promising target for liver cancer treatment.
Prognostic Value of Body Mass Index in Korean Patients with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Purpose We investigated the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the prognosis of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in patients who received docetaxel treatment. Materials and Methods A retrospective study was conducted of 55 patients who were diagnosed with CRPC and received docetaxel treatment between 2003 and 2009 at our institution. Patients with a normal or lower BMI (<23.0 kg/m2) were categorized as group I and patients with an overweight or greater BMI (≥23.0 kg/m2) were categorized as group II. Clinicopathological features and survival rates were evaluated by using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models. Results On the basis of BMI, 27 patients (49.1%) belonged to group I and 28 (50.9%) patients belonged to group II. Mean follow-up periods were 30 months and 34.2 months, respectively (p=0.381). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, hemoglobin level, alkaline phosphatase level, distant metastasis, radiation treatments, or performance of radical prostatectomy (p>0.05). In the univariate analysis for predicting survival rates, BMI (p=0.005; hazard ratio [HR], 0.121), logPSA (p=0.044; HR, 2.878), and alkaline phosphatase level (p=0.039; HR, 8.582) were significant factors for prediction. In the multivariate analysis, BMI (p=0.005; HR, 0.55), logPSA (p=0.008; HR, 7.836), Gleason score (p=0.018; HR, 6.434), hemoglobin (p=0.006; HR, 0.096), alkaline phosphatase level (p=0.005; HR, 114.1), and metastasis to the internal organs (p=0.028; HR, 5.195) were significant factors for prediction. Conclusions Better effects on the cancer-specific survival rate were observed in cases with higher BMI.
Sex Differences in UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase 2B17 Expression and Activity

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are enzymes involved in the metabolism of steroid hormones, carcinogens, cancer chemotherapy agents, and addictive agents from cigarettes. Because the UGT2B family of genes has been linked to hormonal regulation in human cell lines in vitro, we hypothesized that there may be sex-related differences in the expression and activity of these genes in human tissues. To evaluate whether there are sex differences in UGT2B expression and activity, we examined 103 normal human liver specimens for UGT2B expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction and in vitro glucuronidation activities in human liver microsomes (HLM). Men exhibited an approximately 4-fold higher level of expression of UGT2B17 than women (p = 0.007). Consistent with the increased expression of UGT2B17 in men, HLM from men also had a higher level of glucuronidation activity than HLM from women against three UGT2B17 substrates: 3-fold higher for 17-dihydroexemestane (p = 0.002); 3-fold higher for 3-hydroxycotinine (p < 0.001); and 1.5-fold higher for suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (p = 0.014). When we stratified by UGT2B17 gene deletion genotype, similar patterns were observed for all three substrates, with HLM from men with the UGT2B17 (+/+) or (+/0) genotypes exhibiting significantly higher levels of glucuronidation activity against all three substrates compared with HLM from women. These data suggest that men have a higher amount of UGT2B17 glucuronidation activity then women. This sex difference in UGT2B17 gene expression and corresponding protein activity could potentially result in different levels of carcinogen detoxification or drug elimination in men versus women.
Automatic PCA Dimension Selection for High Dimensional Data and Small Sample Sizes

Bayesian inference from high-dimensional data involves the integration over a large number of model parameters. Accurate evaluation of such high-dimensional integrals raises a unique set of issues. These issues are illustrated using the exemplar of model selection for principal component analysis (PCA). A Bayesian model selection criterion, based on a Laplace approximation to the model evidence for determining the number of signal principal components present in a data set, has previously been show to perform well on various test data sets. Using simulated data we show that for d-dimensional data and small sample sizes, N, the accuracy of this model selection method is strongly affected by increasing values of d. By taking proper account of the contribution to the evidence from the large number of model parameters we show that model selection accuracy is substantially improved. The accuracy of the improved model evidence is studied in the asymptotic limit d ! ∞ at fixed ratio α = N=d, with α < 1. In this limit, model selection based upon the improved model evidence agrees with a frequentist hypothesis testing approach.
INTERNAL MODEL CONTROL FOR NONLINEAR DYNAMIC PLANTS USING U-MODEL

______________ Date iii Acknowledgement Praise and thanks be to Allah, the Almighty and the Most Merciful, with whose gracious help it was possible to accomplish this task. Acknowledgement is due to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals for extending support to this research. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Muhammad Shafiq, for his patient guidance, generous support and encouragement. I would like to express my gratefulness to the committee members, Dr. their kind cooperation and support.
When first language is not first: an functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation of the neural basis of diglossia in Arabic

In Arabic, the language used for everyday conversation (‘spoken Arabic’ – SA) differs markedly from literary Arabic (LA), which is used for written communication and formal functions. This fact raises questions regarding the cognitive status of the two varieties and their processing in the brain. Previous studies using auditory stimuli suggested that LA is processed by Arabic native speakers as a second language. The current study examined this issue in the visual modality. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses were collected while Arabic–Hebrew bilinguals performed a semantic categorization task on visually presented words in LA, SA and Hebrew. Performance on LA was better than SA and Hebrew, which did not differ from each other. Activation in SA was stronger than in LA in left inferior frontal, precentral, parietal and occipito‐temporal regions, and stronger than in Hebrew in left precentral and parietal regions. Activation in SA was also less lateralized than activation for LA and Hebrew, which did not differ from each other in terms of lateralization, though activation for Hebrew was more extensive in both hemispheres than activation for LA. Altogether, these results indicate an advantage for LA in the current study, presumably due to participants' proficiency in reading in this language. Stronger activation for SA appears to be due to the relative unfamiliarity of written word forms in SA, which could also explain differences in performance between the two languages. However, the stronger activation observed in the left parietal cortex may also reflect stronger associations among words in SA.
Gendered dimensions of Catalan nationalism and identity construction on Twitter

Support for independence in Catalonia has been rapidly increasing since 2010. Civil organisations have been instrumental in the secessionist movement and have used social media to mobilise the Catalan public and raise national consciousness. Drawing on theories of national identity, gender and nation, and the discursive construction of national identity, this article examines constructions of national identity and the gendered dimensions of these constructions in a Twitter corpus collected in the week up to the public consultation on independence held in Catalonia in November 2014. Analysis of the contrasting representations of men and women found in the data suggests that, among both the elites and the public, the contemporary Catalan nationalist project continues to be built on traditional gender normative models of nationalism. The study concludes that this type of nationalism has now become so banal that it has been naturalised and suggests that a more inclusive approach may be needed in future campaigns or in the Catalan nationalist project as a whole.
The European Union: Sword or shield? Comparing counterterrorism law in the EU and the USA after 9/11

Drawing on the developing literature on a ‘European penology’ this article seeks to use counterterrorism as a lens through which to re-examine arguments concerning penal moderation in Europe. Counterterrorism measures adopted in the EU and the USA in the post-9/11 period are therefore scrutinized for the lessons they hold about the role of European values and institutions as a ‘shield’ against punitiveness or indeed their ability to, swordlike, cut deep into citizens’ freedoms. The resulting analysis raises questions about the need for a more refined approach to the question of ‘European’ penal values as well as pointing up the continued existence of a culture of rights in the USA.
Tubular and Glomerular Kidney Effects in Swedish Women with Low Environmental Cadmium Exposure

Cadmium is a well-known nephrotoxic agent in food and tobacco, but the exposure level that is critical for kidney effects in the general population is not defined. Within a population-based women’s health survey in southern Sweden (Women’s Health in the Lund Area, WHILA), we investigated cadmium exposure in relation to tubular and glomerular function, from 1999 through early 2000 in 820 women (71% participation rate) 53–64 years of age. Multiple linear regression showed cadmium in blood (median, 0.38 μg/L) and urine (0.52 μg/L; density adjusted = 0.67 μg/g creatinine) to be significantly associated with effects on renal tubules (as indicated by increased levels of human complex-forming protein and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase in urine), after adjusting for age, body mass index, blood lead, diabetes, hypertension, and regular use of nephrotoxic drugs. The associations remained significant even at the low exposure in women who had never smoked. We also found associations with markers of glomerular effects: glomerular filtration rate and creatinine clearance. Significant effects were seen already at a mean urinary cadmium level of 0.6 μg/L (0.8 μg/g creatinine). Cadmium potentiated diabetes-induced effects on kidney. In conclusion, tubular renal effects occurred at lower cadmium levels than previously demonstrated, and more important, glomerular effects were also observed. Although the effects were small, they may represent early signs of adverse effects, affecting large segments of the population. Subjects with diabetes seem to be at increased risk.
The impact of job satisfaction, training and leadership on performance of employees while taking role ambiguity as a moderating variable: empirical study on public universities of KSA

Employee performance is always considered as one of the important factors of employee management that determines the success of an organization.The higher education sector of any country is considered one as important sectors which need toconcentrate on achieving their goals successfully.Thus, this research aimed to investigate effect of job satisfaction, leadership and training on the employees’ performance by taking role ambiguity as a moderating variable in the higher education of KSA.A questionnaire survey was used to collect the data from 366 emplyees working in higher education of KSA.The results found that job satisfaction and training have significant positive impact on employee performance.Surprisingly leadership style has significant negative impact on employee performance.The value of this paper was in showing the role ambiguity significantly moderates the job satisfaction, leadership style and training in higher education sector of KSA.
Chronic Kidney Disease-Induced Cardiac Fibrosis Is Ameliorated by Reducing Circulating Levels of a Non-Dialysable Uremic Toxin, Indoxyl Sulfate

Cardiovascular death commonly occurs in patients with chronic kidney disease. Indoxyl sulfate (IS), a uremic toxin, has been demonstrated in vitro as a contributory factor in cardiac fibrosis, a typical pathological finding in uremic cardiomyopathy. This study aimed to determine if cardiac fibrosis is reversible by lowering serum IS levels using an oral charcoal adsorbent, AST-120. Subtotal-nephrectomized (5/6-STNx) Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to receive either AST-120 (AST-120, n = 13) or no treatment (vehicle, n = 17) for 12 weeks. Sham operated rats (n = 12) were used as controls. Early left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction was demonstrated by an increase in peak velocity of atrial filling [A and A’ waves] and a decrease of E/A and E’/A’ ratios obtained by echocardiography. This was accompanied by a 4.5-fold increase in serum IS (p<0.001) as well as elevated tail-cuff blood pressure (p<0.001) and heart weight (p<0.001). Increased LV fibrosis (p<0.001), gene expression of pro-fibrotic (TGF-β, CTGF) and hypertrophic (ANP, β-MHC and α-skeletal muscle actin) markers, as well as TGF-β and phosphorylated NF-κB protein expression were observed in STNx + vehicle rats. Treatment with AST-120 reduced serum creatinine (by 54%, p<0.05) and urine total protein (by 27%, p<0.05) vs vehicle whilst having no effect on blood pressure (AST-120 = 227±11 vs vehicle = 224±8 mmHg, ns) and heart weight. The increase in serum IS was prevented with AST-120 (by 100%, p<0.001) which was accompanied by reduced LV fibrosis (68%, p<0.01) and TGF-β and phosphorylated NF-κB protein expression (back to sham levels, p<0.05) despite no significant change in LV function. In conclusion, STNx resulted in increased cardiac fibrosis and circulating IS levels. Reduction of IS with AST-120 normalizes cardiac fibrosis, in a blood pressure independent manner.
Medial temporal lobe volume predicts rate of learning in Rey-AVLT

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) has been assigned a central role in human episodic memory and learning. Evidence for this comes from PET and fMRI studies as well as lesion studies. This study aimed at comparing the effect of atrophy at repeated trials of a supraspan test of memory. Included in the study were patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Subjective Memory Disorders as well as Controls (n = 116). The supraspan test used was the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test (RAVLT). Comparisons between extreme groups with high (Stanine 6 - 9) and low (Stanine 1 - 4) intracranial proportions (IP) of MTL were made at the five trials of RAVLT. There was a significantly higher rate of learning among subjects with high MTL IP compared to those with low MTL IP in both hemispheres. There was no difference in the rate of list learning performance due to education or age and interestingly: the list learning rates among subjects with high/low Lateral Temporal Lobe IPs were almost similar. The hemispheric differences regarding learning rate were small and insignificant. Results are discussed in terms of hippocampal involvement in associative processes necessary in supraspan list learning.
Bullying Experiences and Resilience in LGBTQ Youth

questions served as a transition to the final aspects of the interview process. Again, such tactics were aimed at continuing rapport and respect with each participant, as well as remaining consistent in procedures across interviews. From here I moved into my final two questions of each interview, which focused on resilience. I read these questions directly to the participants in order to phrase them appropriately and consistently: (1) Is there anything in particular you have been able to hold on to that helps
New DNA Cyclic Codes over Rings

This paper is dealing with DNA cyclic codes which play an important role in DNA computing and have attracted a particular attention in the literature. Firstly, we introduce a new family of DNA cyclic codes over the ring $R=\mathbb{F}_2[u]/(u^6)$. Such codes have theoretical advantages as well as several applications in DNA computing. A direct link between the elements of such a ring and the $64$ codons used in the amino acids of the living organisms is established. Such a correspondence allows us to extend the notion of the edit distance to the ring $R$ which is useful for the correction of the insertion, deletion and substitution errors. Next, we define the Lee weight, the Gray map over the ring $R$ as well as the binary image of the cyclic DNA codes allowing the transfer of studying DNA codes into studying binary codes. Secondly, we introduce another new family of DNA skew cyclic codes constructed over the ring $\tilde {R}=\mathbb{F}_2+v\mathbb{F}_2=\{0,1,v,v+1\}$ where $v^2=v$ and study their property of being reverse-complement. We show that the obtained code is derived from the cyclic reverse-complement code over the ring $\tilde {R}$. We shall provide the binary images and present some explicit examples of such codes.
Schizophrenia-associated methylomic variation: molecular signatures of disease and polygenic risk burden across multiple brain regions

Abstract Genetic association studies provide evidence for a substantial polygenic component to schizophrenia, although the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the disorder remain largely undefined. Building on recent studies supporting a role for developmentally regulated epigenetic variation in the molecular aetiology of schizophrenia, this study aimed to identify epigenetic variation associated with both a diagnosis of schizophrenia and elevated polygenic risk burden for the disease across multiple brain regions. Genome-wide DNA methylation was quantified in 262 post-mortem brain samples, representing tissue from four brain regions (prefrontal cortex, striatum, hippocampus and cerebellum) from 41 schizophrenia patients and 47 controls. We identified multiple disease-associated and polygenic risk score-associated differentially methylated positions and regions, which are not enriched in genomic regions identified in genetic studies of schizophrenia and do not reflect direct genetic effects on DNA methylation. Our study represents the first analysis of epigenetic variation associated with schizophrenia across multiple brain regions and highlights the utility of polygenic risk scores for identifying molecular pathways associated with aetiological variation in complex disease.