Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ca 2 ! Binding Alters the Interdomain Flexibility between the Two Cytoplasmic Calcium-binding Domains in the Na ! / Ca 2 ! Exchanger *

The Na! /Ca2! exchanger (NCX) is a membrane protein, which catalyzes the counter transport of Na! and Ca2! ions across the plasma membrane, playing a key role in the maintenance of the intracellularCa2! homeostasis in various cell types. NCX consists of a transmembrane part and a large intracellular loop. The activation of the NCX transport function requires the binding of Ca2! to two tandem C2 domains, CBD1 and CBD2, which are an integral part of the exchanger’s intracellular loop. Although high-resolution structures of individual CBD1 and CBD2 are available, their interdomain structure and dynamics and the atomic level mechanism of allosteric Ca2! -regulation remains unknown. Here, we use solution NMR spectroscopy to study the interdomain dynamics of CBD12, a 32 kDa construct that contains both the CBD1 andCBD2 domains connected by a short linker. Analysis of NMR residual dipolar couplings shows that CBD12 assumes on average an elongated shape both in the absence and in thepresenceofCa2! NMR15Nrelaxationdata of theApo state indicate that the two domains sample awide range of relative arrangements on the nanosecond time scale. These arrangements comprise significantly non-linear interdomain orientations. Binding of Ca2! toCBD1 significantly restricts the interdomain flexibility, stabilizing a more rigid elongated conformation. These findings suggest a molecular mechanism for the role of CBD12 in the function of NCX.
Accounting Information Systems End-User Satisfaction: Evidence of Hong Kong Housing Authority

This research studies the level of satisfaction among end-users of estate management system in a Hong Kong public housing organization. It identifies the interactions of prior experience, perceived usefulness and confirmation for achieving user satisfaction and usage continuance intention. It illustrates the relationships among expectation, perceived usefulness, user satisfaction and usage continuance intention. Confirmation was found to be correlated to perceived usefulness and user satisfaction. User satisfaction in Accounting Information Systems (AIS) environment was affected by perceived performance. There are correlation between perceived usefulness and usage continuance intention, and a direct positive effect of use satisfaction on usage continuance intention. These empirical results support the expectation confirmation theory.
A NEW LOOK AT SPITZER PRIMARY TRANSIT OBSERVATIONS OF THE EXOPLANET HD 189733b

Blind source separation techniques are used to reanalyze two exoplanetary transit light curves of the exoplanet HD 189733b recorded with the IR camera IRAC on board the Spitzer Space Telescope at 3.6 μm during the “cold” era. These observations, together with observations at other IR wavelengths, are crucial to characterize the atmosphere of the planet HD 189733b. Previous analyses of the same data sets reported discrepant results, hence the necessity of the reanalyses. The method we used here is based on the Independent Component Analysis (ICA) statistical technique, which ensures a high degree of objectivity. The use of ICA to detrend single photometric observations in a self-consistent way is novel in the literature. The advantage of our reanalyses over previous work is that we do not have to make any assumptions on the structure of the unknown instrumental systematics. Such “admission of ignorance” may result in larger error bars than reported in the literature, up to a factor 1.6. This is a worthwhile tradeoff for much higher objectivity, necessary for trustworthy claims. Our main results are (1) improved and robust values of orbital and stellar parameters, (2) new measurements of the transit depths at 3.6 μm, (3) consistency between the parameters estimated from the two observations, (4) repeatability of the measurement within the photometric level of ∼2 × 10−4 in the IR, and (5) no evidence of stellar variability at the same photometric level within one year.
Experiments On Matching Markets: A Survey

The paper surveys the experimental literature on matching markets. It covers house allocation, school choice, and two-sided matching markets such as college admissions. The main focus of the survey is on truth-telling and strategic manipulations by the agents, on the stability and efficiency of the matching outcome, as well as on the distribution of utility.
Low-cycle fatigue of thermally-cycled carbon-epoxy composite

Investigation of low-cycle fatigue of composites is of vital importance for the design of structural components. In this study, the effects of thermal cycling on low-cycle fatigue behavior of carbon-epoxy laminate are investigated in a purely bending mode at strain ratios of -1 and 0.1. It is found that a very small increase in the plastic strain amplitude catastrophically shortens the fatigue life N of the composite determined as a number of cycles corresponding to 0.9 of the initial force. The preliminary thermal cycling of the composite at the temperature varied from 180°C to −195.8°C shortens N values in comparison to the reference at small strains.
Title : “ Evaluation of contributions to seasonal reproductive inefficiency . ” NPB # 14-052 Investigators :

Seasonal reproductive inefficiency is globally observed within the swine industry. Even when photoperiod and temperature are controlled, reductions in pregnancies and subsequent farrowing rates are noted. The most obvious contributor to this phenomenon is the young female. In all likelihood, we see greater effects of seasonality on the young dam as a result of her inherent nature to care for herself first and foremost before imparting energies into fostering a pregnancy. However, it has been coming to light that seasonality also has impacts on the male contribution; sperm. Therefore, we comprehensively investigated the basic knowledge of how the primary contributors (male and female) behave physiologically and at a molecular level during heat and cool events.
Successional trajectory of the fouling community on a tropical upwelling ecosystem in southeast Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The present study describes the successional trajectory of the fouling community in the upwelling region of Cabo Frio in southeastern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For 12 months, five PVC panels were sampled monthly by underwater photography to record the percent cover of fouling organisms, which allowed for the evaluation of the successional process through functional groups. The variability in the composition of the fouling community increased throughout the successional trajectory, creating a mosaic pattern. The identification of two associations after a year of observation, with one characterized by filamentous algae, Hydrozoa and Cirripedia and another mainly by articulated calcareous algae, shows that divergent trajectories can be observed even under the same environmental conditions. As an important seasonal factor of the local oceanographic characteristics, the upwelling events allowed for an environmental heterogeneity, and rejecting the classic orderly and directional succession model.
Nicolas Geeraert Revisited Measures Matter : Adaptation , Cultural Distance , and Acculturation Orientation

Building upon existing measures, four new brief acculturation scales are presented, measuring sociocultural adaptation, psychological adaptation, perceived cultural distance, and acculturation orientation. Following good scale reliability in initial samples, the English scales were translated into nine different languages (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Turkish). The translated scales were administered to a large sample of sojourners (N = 1,929), demonstrating good reliability and adequate structural equivalence across languages. In line with existing theory, sociocultural adaptation and psychological adaptation were positively correlated, and showed a negative association with perceived cultural distance. General measures of well-being were correlated with adaptation and distance, with better adaptation relating to higher well-being, and more distance relating to lower well-being. Acculturation orientation toward the home and host culture were measured separately and a weak negative correlation was found between the two, supporting their independence. Arguing against dichotomization, these subscales were analyzed as continuous variables. Regression analysis showed sojourners to be better adapted, if they were oriented more toward the host culture and less toward the home culture. These new scales are proposed as alternatives to existing measures.
Physical and chemical properties of persimmon fruit

A b s t r a c t. Physical and chemical properties of persimmon fruit (cv. Fuyu) were determined. The plywood surface offered the maximum coefficient of static friction, followed by chipboard and galvanized metal. The skin and flesh firmnesses of persimmon fruits along Y-axis were higher than the X-axis. K e y w o r d s: persimmon, physical properties, chemical properties
The time‐domain solution of the wide‐angle parabolic equation including the effects of sediment dispersion

The wide‐angle time‐domain parabolic equation (TDPE), which is the inverse Fourier transform of the wide‐angle parabolic equation (PE), is derived. A numerical solution for the model is described and a benchmark calculation is presented. The narrow‐angle TDPE is also considered and its error is analyzed and compared with the error of the narrow‐angle PE. The TDPE is compared with the progressive wave equation, which is shown to be restricted to narrow‐angle propagation for practical purposes. In the sediment, attenuation is assumed to depend linearly on frequency and the corresponding causal dispersion law is assumed. The model is used to show that the effect of sediment dispersion on pulse propagation in the ocean can be significant.
FoxG1 Directly Represses Dentate Granule Cell Fate During Forebrain Development

The cortex consists of 100s of neuronal subtypes that are organized into distinct functional regions; however, the mechanisms underlying cell fate determination remain unclear. Foxg1 is involved in several developmental processes, including telencephalic patterning, cell proliferation and cell fate determination. Constitutive disruption of Foxg1 leads to the transformation of cortical neurons into Cajal-Retzius (CR) cells, accompanied by a substantial expansion of the cortical hem through the consumption of the cortex. However, rather than the induction of a cell fate switch, another group has reported a large lateral to medial repatterning of the developing telencephalon as the explanation for this change in cell type output. Here, we conditionally disrupted Foxg1 in telencephalic progenitor cells by crossing Foxg1fl/fl mice with Nestin-CreERTM mice combined with tamoxifen (TM) induction at distinct developmental stages beginning at E10.5 to further elucidate the role of FoxG1 in cell fate determination after telencephalon pattern formation. The number of dentate gyrus (DG) granule-like cells was significantly increased in the cortex. The increase was even detected after deletion at E14.5. In vivo mosaic deletion and in vitro cell culture further revealed a cell-autonomous role for FoxG1 in repressing granule cell fate. However, the cortical hem, which is required for the patterning and the development of the hippocampus, was only slightly enlarged and thus may not contribute to the cell fate switch. Lef1 expression was significantly upregulated in the lateral, cortical VZ and FoxG1 may function upstream of Wnt signaling. Our results provide new insights into the functions of FoxG1 and the mechanisms of cell fate determination during telencephalic development.
A Novel hAPP/htau Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease: Inclusion of APP With Tau Exacerbates Behavioral Deficits and Zinc Administration Heightens Tangle Pathology

The brains of those with Alzheimer's disease have amyloid and tau pathology; thus, mice modeling AD should have both markers. In this study, we characterize offspring from the cross of the J20 (hAPP) and rTg4510 (htau) strains (referred to as dual Tg). Behavior was assessed at both 3.5 and 7 months, and biochemical differences were assessed at 8 months. Additionally, mice were placed on zinc (Zn) water or standard lab water in order to determine the role of this essential biometal. Behavioral measures examined cognition, emotion, and aspects of daily living. Transgenic mice (dual Tg and htau) showed significant deficits in spatial memory in the Barnes Maze at both 3.5 and 7 months compared to controls. At 7 months, dual Tg mice performed significantly worse than htau mice (p < 0.01). Open field and elevated zero maze (EZM) data indicated that dual Tg and htau mice displayed behavioral disinhibition compared to control mice at both 3.5 and 7 months (p < 0.001). Transgenic mice showed significant deficits in activities of daily living, including burrowing and nesting, at both 3.5 and 7 months compared to control mice (p < 0.01). Dual Tg mice built very poor nests, indicating that non-cognitive tasks are also impacted by AD. Overall, dual Tg mice demonstrated behavioral deficits earlier than those shown by the htau mice. In the brain, dual Tg mice had significantly less free Zn compared to control mice in both the dentate gyrus and the CA3 of the hippocampus (p < 0.01). Dual Tg mice had increased tangles and plaques in the hippocampus compared to htau mice and the dual Tg mice given Zn water displayed increased tangle pathology in the hippocampus compared to htau mice on Zn water (p < 0.05). The dual Tg mouse described here displays pathology reminiscent of the human AD condition and is impaired early on in both cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors. This new mouse model allows researchers to assess how both amyloid and tau in combination impact behavior and brain pathology.
Nonfragile Sampled-Data Synchronization for Delayed Complex Dynamical Networks With Randomly Occurring Controller Gain Fluctuations

In this paper, the problem of nonfragile sampled-data synchronization of delayed complex dynamical networks with randomly occurring controller gain fluctuations (ROCGFs) is studied. First, more applicable nonfragile memory sampled-data controllers are designed, which involve the signal transmission delay and ROCGFs. The controller gain fluctuations appear in a random way, which obey certain Bernoulli distributed white noise sequences. Second, a modified piecewise Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF), which involves cubic sawtooth structure term, is constructed for the first time. Third, based on the LKF, less conservative synchronization criteria are established. In comparison with the existing results, the constraint condition of the positive definition of the LKF is less restrictive, since it does not need to be positive definite for all time, but is only required to be positive definite at sampling times. Finally, the effectiveness and advantages of the obtained results are illustrated by two numerical examples.
Coseismic Deformation Field of the Mw 7.3 12 November 2017 Sarpol-e Zahab (Iran) Earthquake: A Decoupling Horizon in the Northern Zagros Mountains Inferred from InSAR Observations

The study of crustal deformation fields caused by earthquakes is important for a better understanding of seismic hazard and growth of geological structures in tectonically active areas. In this study, we present, using interferometric measurements constructed from Sentinel-1 Terrain Observation with Progressive Scan (TOPS) data and ALOS-2 ScanSAR, coseismic deformation and source model of the Mw 7.3, 12 November 2017 earthquake that hit northwest of the Zagros Mountains in the region between Iran–Iraq border. This was one of the strongest seismic events to hit this region in the past century, and it resulted in an uplift area of about 3500 km2 between the High Zagros Fault (HZF) and Mountain Front Fault (MFF) with a maximum amount of 70 cm south of Miringe fault. A subsidence over an area of 1200 km2 with a maximum amount of 35 cm occurred near Vanisar village at the hanging wall of the HZF. Bayesian inversion of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observations suggests a source model at a depth between 14 and 20 km that is consistent with the existence of a decoupling horizon southwest edge of the northern portion of the Zagros Mountains near the MFF. Moreover, we present evidence for a number of coseismically induced rockslides and landslides, the majority of them which occurred along or close to pre-existing faults, causing decorrelation in differential interferograms. Exploiting the offset-tracking technique, we estimated surface motion by up to 34 and 10 m in horizontal and vertical directions, respectively, due to lateral spreading on a big coseismic-induced landslide near Mela-Kabod. Field observations also revealed several zones of en echelon fractures and crack zones developed along a pre-existing fault passing through Qasr-e Shirin City, which exhibited secondary surface slip by up to 14 cm along its strike.
Astroglial Ca2+-Dependent Hyperexcitability Requires P2Y1 Purinergic Receptors and Pannexin-1 Channel Activation in a Chronic Model of Epilepsy

Astrocytes from the hippocampus of chronic epileptic rats exhibit an abnormal pattern of intracellular calcium oscillations, characterized by an augmented frequency of long lasting spontaneous Ca2+ transients, which are sensitive to purinergic receptor antagonists but resistant to tetrodotoxin. The above suggests that alterations in astroglial Ca2+-dependent excitability observed in the epileptic tissue could arise from changes in astrocyte-to-astrocyte signaling, which is mainly mediated by purines in physiological and pathological conditions. In spite of that, how purinergic signaling contributes to astrocyte dysfunction in epilepsy remains unclear. Here, we assessed the possible contribution of P2Y1R as well as pannexin1 and connexin43 hemichannels—both candidates for non-vesicular ATP-release—by performing astroglial Ca2+ imaging and dye uptake experiments in hippocampal slices from control and fully kindled rats. P2Y1R blockade with MRS2179 decreased the mean duration of astroglial Ca2+ oscillations by reducing the frequency of slow Ca2+ transients, and thereby restoring the balance between slow (ST) and fast transients (FT) in the kindled group. The potential contribution of astroglial pannexin1 and connexin43 hemichannels as pathways for purine release (e.g., ATP) was assessed through dye uptake experiments. Astrocytes from kindled hippocampi exhibit three-fold more EtBr uptake than controls, whereby pannexin1 hemichannels (Panx1 HCs) accounts for almost all dye uptake with only a slight contribution from connexin43 hemichannels (Cx43 HCs). Confirming its functional involvement, Panx1 HCs inhibition decreased the mean duration of astroglial Ca2+ transients and the frequency of slow oscillations in kindled slices, but had no noticeable effects on the control group. As expected, Cx43 HCs blockade did not have any effects over the mean duration of astroglial Ca2+ oscillations. These findings suggest that P2Y1R and Panx1 HCs play a pivotal role in astroglial pathophysiology, which would explain the upregulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the epileptic brain and thus represents a new potential pharmacological target for the treatment of drug-refractory epilepsy.
Medieval Archaeology Under the Canopy with LiDAR. The (Re)Discovery of a Medieval Fortified Settlement in Southern Italy

Despite the recognized effectiveness of LiDAR in penetrating forest canopies, its capability for archaeological prospection can be strongly limited in areas covered by dense vegetation for the detection of subtle remains scattered over morphologically complex areas. In these cases, an important contribution to improve the identification of topographic variations of archaeological interest is provided by LiDAR-derived models (LDMs) based on relief visualization techniques. In this paper, diverse LDMs were applied to the medieval site of Torre Cisterna to the north of Melfi (Southern Italy), selected for this study because it is located on a hilly area with complex topography and thick vegetation cover. These conditions are common in several places of the Apennines in Southern Italy and prevented investigations during the 20th century. Diverse LDMs were used to obtain maximum information and to compare the performance of both subjective (through visual inspections) and objective (through their automatic classification) methods. To improve the discrimination/extraction capability of archaeological micro-relief, noise filtering was applied to Digital Terrain Model (DTM) before obtaining the LDMs. The automatic procedure allowed us to extract the most significant and typical features of a fortified settlement, such as the city walls and a tower castle. Other small, subtle features attributable to possible buried buildings of a habitation area have been identified by visual inspection of LDMs. Field surveys and in-situ inspections were carried out to verify the archaeological points of interest, microtopographical features, and landforms observed from the DTM-derived models, most of them automatically extracted. As a whole, the investigations allowed (i) the rediscovery of a fortified settlement from the 11th century and (ii) the detection of an unknown urban area abandoned in the Middle Ages.
Vestibular System and Self-Motion

Detection of the state of self-motion, such as the instantaneous heading direction, the traveled trajectory and traveled distance or time, is critical for efficient spatial navigation. Numerous psychophysical studies have indicated that the vestibular system, originating from the otolith and semicircular canals in our inner ears, provides robust signals for different aspects of self-motion perception. In addition, vestibular signals interact with other sensory signals such as visual optic flow to facilitate natural navigation. These behavioral results are consistent with recent findings in neurophysiological studies. In particular, vestibular activity in response to the translation or rotation of the head/body in darkness is revealed in a growing number of cortical regions, many of which are also sensitive to visual motion stimuli. The temporal dynamics of the vestibular activity in the central nervous system can vary widely, ranging from acceleration-dominant to velocity-dominant. Different temporal dynamic signals may be decoded by higher level areas for different functions. For example, the acceleration signals during the translation of body in the horizontal plane may be used by the brain to estimate the heading directions. Although translation and rotation signals arise from independent peripheral organs, that is, otolith and canals, respectively, they frequently converge onto single neurons in the central nervous system including both the brainstem and the cerebral cortex. The convergent neurons typically exhibit stronger responses during a combined curved motion trajectory which may serve as the neural correlate for complex path perception. During spatial navigation, traveled distance or time may be encoded by different population of neurons in multiple regions including hippocampal-entorhinal system, posterior parietal cortex, or frontal cortex.