Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short-Term Synaptic Depression in the Neonatal Mouse Spinal Cord: Effects of Calcium and Temperature

Li, Yan and R. E. Burke. Short-term synaptic depression in the neonatal mouse spinal cord: effects of calcium and temperature. J Neurophysiol85: 2047–2062, 2001. We have studied short-term synaptic depression of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in lumbosacral motoneurons in the isolated, in vitro spinal cord of neonatal mice at 2–4 days postnatal age. We used 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5; 100 mM) to suppress spontaneous and stimulus-evoked polysynaptic activity. Monosynaptic EPSPs were generated by trains of 10 pulses stimuli delivered to a dorsal root at eight frequencies between 0.125 and 16 Hz. The amplitudes of the second (R2), third (R3), and the average of R8, R9, and R10 (tail) EPSPs, normalized by the first EPSP (R1), defined the shapes of synaptic depression curves. Tail responses were increasingly depressed as stimulation frequency increased but R2 and R3 exhibited relative facilitation at frequencies.1 Hz. Control experiments indicated that the depression curves were not explained by presynaptic activation failure. Lowering external Ca 21 concentration ([Ca ]o) from 2.0 to 0.8 mM without changing [Mg ]o reduced average R1 amplitudes and R2 depression with little change in tail depression. Conversely, increasing [Ca ]o to 4.0 mM increased average R1 amplitude and R2 depression but again did not change tail depression. Increasing the bath temperature from 24 to 32°C produced little change in R1 amplitudes but markedly reduced the depression of all responses at most frequencies. We developed an empirical model, based on mechanisms described in more accessible synaptic systems, that assumes: transmitter is released from a constant fraction, f, of release-ready elements in two presynaptic compartments ( N andS) that are subsequently renewed by independent processes with exponential time constants ( tN and tS); an activation-dependent facilitation of trans mitter release with constant increment and fast exponential decay; and a more slowly decaying, activation-dependent augmentation of the rate of renewal ( tN) of N. The model gave satisfactory fits to data from all [Ca]o conditions and implied that f and the increments of the facilitation and augmentation processes were all changed in the same direction as [Ca ]o, without changing the time constants. In contrast, model fits to the 32°C data implied that the process time constants all decreased by 40–45% while the presumably Ca -related weighting factors were unchanged. The model also successfully matched the normalized amplitudes of EPSPs during trains with irregular intervals.
Effects of nitration on Prx2 functionality

Backround: Peroxiredoxin 2 (Prx2) reduces peroxides through a cysteine-dependent mechanism and is susceptible to overoxidation of its reactive cysteine during catalysis. Results: Nitration rendered a more active peroxidase, less sensitive to overoxidation. Conclusion: Nitration of Prx2 favors disulfide bond formation over overoxidation. Significance: Understanding the mechanisms by which post-translational modifications modify Prx2 functionality in vitro is crucial to evaluate potential in vivo consequences for redox signaling. ABSTRACT Peroxiredoxins (Prx) are efficient thioldependent peroxidases and key players in the mechanism of H2O2-induced redox signaling. Any structural change that could affect their redox state, oligomeric structure, and/or interaction with other proteins could have a significant impact on the cascade of signaling events. Several post-translational modifications (PTM) have been reported to modulate Prx activity. One of these, overoxidation of the peroxidatic cysteine to the sulfinic derivative, inactivates the enzyme and has been proposed http://www.jbc. org/cgi/doi/10.1074/jbc.M113.539213 The latest version is at JBC Papers in Press. Published on April 9, 2014 as Manuscript M113.539213
Annihilation of cohomology, generation of modules and finiteness of derived dimension

Let $(R,\m,k)$ be a commutative noetherian local ring of Krull dimension $d$. We prove that the cohomology annihilator $\ca(R)$ of $R$ is $\m$-primary if and only if for some $n\ge0$ the $n$-th syzygies in $\mod R$ are constructed from syzygies of $k$ by taking direct sums/summands and a fixed number of extensions. These conditions yield that $R$ is an isolated singularity such that the bounded derived category $\db(R)$ and the singularity category $\ds(R)$ have finite dimension, and the converse holds when $R$ is Gorenstein. We also show that the modules locally free on the punctured spectrum are constructed from syzygies of finite length modules by taking direct sums/summands and $d$ extensions. This result is exploited to investigate several ascent and descent problems between $R$ and its completion $\widehat R$.
CodexDB: Synthesizing Code for Query Processing from Natural Language Instructions using GPT-3 Codex

CodexDB enables users to customize SQL query processing via natural language instructions. CodexDB is based on OpenAI's GPT-3 Codex model which translates text into code. It is a framework on top of GPT-3 Codex that decomposes complex SQL queries into a series of simple processing steps, described in natural language. Processing steps are enriched with user-provided instructions and descriptions of database properties. Codex translates the resulting text into query processing code. An early prototype of CodexDB is able to generate correct code for up to 81% of queries for the WikiSQL benchmark and for up to 62% on the SPIDER benchmark.
Earthquake contributions to coastal cliff retreat

Abstract. Modeling suggests that steep coastal regions will experience increasingly rapid erosion related to climate-change-induced sea level rise. Earthquakes can also cause intense episodes of coastal cliff retreat, but coseismic failures are rarely captured in the historical record used to calibrate most cliff retreat forecast models. Here, we disaggregate cliff-top retreat related to strong ground motion and non-seismic sources, providing a unique window into earthquake contributions to multidecadal coastal cliff retreat. Widespread landsliding and up to ca. 19 m of coastal cliff-top retreat occurred in the area of Conway Flat during the 2016 Kaikōura (New Zealand) earthquake despite relatively low (ca. 0.2 g) peak ground accelerations. While coastal cliff-top retreat has been spatially and temporally variable over the historical record, aerial imagery suggests that large earthquake-induced landslide-triggering events disproportionately contribute to an average 0.25 m yr−1 retreat at Conway Flat. The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake represents ca. 24 % of the total cliff-top retreat over 72 years and ca. 39 % of cliff-top retreat over 56 years. Additionally, we infer that significant retreat between 1950 and 1966 is the result of local seismicity. Together these two events account for ca. 57 % of cliff-top retreat over 72 years. Earthquake-related debris piles at the base of the cliffs have been rapidly eroded since the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake (more than 25 % loss of debris volume in 5 years), and there will likely be little evidence of the earthquake within the next decade. In regions with similar lithologic and coastal conditions, evidence of past widespread single-event cliff-top retreat may be limited or non-existent. The results demonstrate that cliff-top retreat projections using historical records may significantly underestimate true retreat rates in seismically active regions.
Metal Rich Stars in omega Centauri

I present some preliminary results from a high-resolution spectroscopic observing campaign conducted with UVES at the ESO VLT, devoted to the study of the newly discovered, metal-rich red giant branch (RGB-a) in omega Centauri. In particular, I derive and discuss accurate abundances of iron-peak elements, alpha-elements and s-process elements. The main results discussed in this contribution are: (i) the RGB-a is the most metal-rich component of the RGB stellar mix in omega Cen, with [Fe/H]=-0.62+/-0.06; (ii) the RGB-a has a lower alpha-enhancement compared to the other red giants, possibly due to SNe type Ia pollution and (iii) the s-process elements overabundance of the RGB-a is similar to that of the other red giants in omega Cen, and unusually high for globular cluster stars, due to pollution by low mass AGB stars.
Effects of Mannanase and Citric Acid Supplementation on the Growth Performance of Broilers

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of citric acid and mannanase feed supplementation on the growth performance of broiler chickens. Three hundred twenty day-old unsexed Cobb broiler chicks from a commercial hatchery plant were used in the study. The chicks were randomly assigned to four treatment groups following a completely randomized design. The following treatment groups were used: T1: Control, T2: 3% (w/w) Citric Acid supplementation, T3: 80 ppm β-Mannanase supplementation, and T4: 3% (w/w) Citric Acid and 80 ppm β-Mannanase supplementation. The supplementation of citric acid and mannanase significantly improves the growth performance of broiler chickens. Body weight and body weight gain were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the citric acid and β-mannanase combination group compared to all the treatment groups. The evaluation of feed intake revealed that T3 and T4 had significantly lower (P<0.05) feed intake than the other groups. The combination of citric acid and β-Mannanase also resulted in a significantly more efficient (P<0.05) feed conversion ratio. No mortality was observed during the experiment. It may be concluded that the supplementation of citric acid and β- mannanase resulted in a better performance in broilers.
The effect of Baroque background music on reading comprehension test anxiety

The present study sought to investigate the effect of Baroque background music on EFL learners’ reduction of reading comprehension test anxiety. The relationship between gender and test anxiety was examined as well. Sixty Iranian EFL learners were chosen for this study. A Placement test was used to determine the English proficiency level of the participants and the test showed that all of the participants were at the same level of proficiency. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups (one experimental and one control) and there were thirty participants (15 males and 15 females) in each group. A reading comprehension course was held for each group; one for the experimental group while playing background music and the other for the control group without playing any music. Then, a reading comprehension test (test1) was administered to all of the participants while hearing Baroque music in background and another test (test 2) was administered without music. The revised 20-item version of the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) proposed by Spielberger (1980) was used for measuring the test anxiety level of the participants. T-test and ANCOVA were applied for statistical analysis of the data. Results obtained from this study revealed that Baroque background music had a significant effect on reducing reading test anxiety. Results also showed that gender had no significant effect on reading test anxiety experienced by the participants.
Paleoceanography Eﬀects of Drake Passage on a strongly eddying global ocean

The climate impact of ocean gateway openings during the Eocene-Oligocene transition is still under debate. Previous model studies employed grid resolutions at which the impact of mesoscale eddies has to be parameterized. We present results of a state-of-the-art eddy-resolving global ocean model with a closed Drake Passage and compare with results of the same model at noneddying resolution. An analysis of the pathways of heat by decomposing the meridional heat transport into eddy, horizontal, and overturning circulation components indicates that the model behavior on the large scale is qualitatively similar at both resolutions. Closing Drake Passage induces (i) sea surface warming around Antarctica due to equatorward expansion of the subpolar gyres, (ii) the collapse of the overturning circulation related to North Atlantic Deep Water formation leading to surface cooling in the North Atlantic, and (iii) signiﬁcant equatorward eddy heat transport near Antarctica. However, quantitative details signiﬁcantly depend on the chosen resolution. The warming around Antarctica is substantially larger for the noneddying conﬁguration ( ∼ 5 . 5 ∘ C) than for the eddying conﬁguration ( ∼ 2 . 5 ∘ C). This is a consequence of the subpolar mean ﬂow which partitions diﬀerently into gyres and circumpolar current at diﬀerent resolutions. We conclude that for a deciphering of the diﬀerent mechanisms active in Eocene-Oligocene climate change detailed analyses of the pathways of heat in the diﬀerent climate subsystems are crucial in order to clearly identify the physical processes actually at work.
Scholars' Assessing Probilistic Methods for Liquefaction Potential Evaluation n An Update

This paper presents an assessment of existing probabilistic methods for liquefaction potential evaluation. Emphasis is placed on comparison of probabilities of liquefaction calculated with four different methods. Two of these methods are based on SPT, and the other two are based on CPT. In both SPT- and CPT-based evaluations, logistic regression and Bayesian techniques are applied to map factor of safety to probability of liquefaction. The present study shows that the Bayesian approach yields more conservative results than does the logistic regression approach, although results from the two approaches are quite comparable. Discussion of the procedure for risk-based liquefaction potential evaluation is also presented.
Efficacy of ozone application and disinfection treatments on pathogens in fresh − cut vegetables

Consumers and regulators are concerned about the safety of fruits, vegetables, salad, and other ready to eat (RTE) products. This includes preventing contamination from both pathogens and chemical contaminants. Novel industrial applications and improvements in ozone technology were used together with new regulatory actions. Ozone does not leave any residues on the treated produce and it is also accepted by many organic grower organizations. The purpose of this research was to investigate the disinfection efficacy of ozone (O(3)) (2 ppm, 15 and 30 min), water (10 min), and with other four disinfectant: 0.75% normal saline, 3% acetic acid, 0.375% sodium bicarbonate, and 0.1% potassium permanganate with contact time for 10 min for reducing pathogen of fresh − cut kale, cantonese, cauliflower, red chili, and yard long bean. Furthermore, the decontamination efficacy and the effect of these technologies on physicochemical quality of vegetable samples were analyzed. Vegetable quality throughout the storage period (12 days) was determined to employ color and microbiological indexes, such as Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli . O(3) was effective disinfection treatments on vegetable wash water, with a maximum microbial reduction of 1.0 − 2.0 log CFU mL( − 1) after 15 min of 2 ppm of ozone treatment. The advantages of this method are the use of much lower sanitizer doses and reduce the frequency of changing the water in the washing step at the packing house. on the quality and compared that of the treatment and household sanitizers not reported. The present study evaluated the efficacy of ozone (O(3)) 2 ppm, 0.75% normal saline, 3% acetic acid, 0.375% sodium bicarbonate, and 0.1% potassium permanganate for the inactivation of microorganisms ( Salmonella spp. and E.coli ) on the surface of fresh produce. The findings will help extend the shelf life and visual quality of fresh − cut kale, cantonese, red chili, and yard long bean in order to help support the quality and safety of fresh
Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus K-bZIP Represses Gene Transcription via SUMO Modiﬁcation

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human gammaherpesvirus implicated in AIDS- related neoplasms. Previously, we demonstrated that the early lytic gene product K-bZIP is a transcriptional repressor that affects a subset of viral gene transcriptions mediated by the viral transactivator K-Rta (Y. Izumiya et al. J. Virol. 77:1441–1451, 2003). Sumoylation has emerged as an important posttranslational modiﬁcation that affects the location and function of cellular and viral proteins and also plays a signiﬁcant role in transcriptional repression along with Ubc9, the E2 SUMO conjugation enzyme. Here, we provide evidence that K-bZIP is sumoylated at the lysine 158 residue and associates with Ubc9 both in a cell-free system and in virus-infected BCBL-1 cells. Reporter assays showed that the expression of SUMO-speciﬁc protease 1 attenuated the transcriptional repression activity of K-bZIP. The expression of a K-bZIPK158R mutant, which was no longer sumoylated, exhibited the reduced transcriptional repression activity. This indicates that sumoylation plays an important part in the transcriptional repression activity of K-bZIP. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that K-bZIP interacts with and recruits Ubc9 to speciﬁc KSHV promoters. Thus, our data indicate that K-bZIP is a SUMO adaptor, which recruits Ubc9 to speciﬁc viral target promoters, thereby exerting its transcriptional repression activity.
Effect of Smoking on Treatment Outcome Among Tuberculosis Patients in Study CURRENT STATUS: UNDER REVIEW

Background : Smoking plays a key role in the development of tuberculosis (TB) infection and is also a predictor of poor TB treatment prognosis and outcomes. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of smoking and to assess the effects of smoking on treatment outcomes among TB patients. Methods : A multi-center retrospective study design was used to collect data from TB patients in four different states of Malaysia, namely Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, and Selangor. The study included medical records of TB patients admitted to the selected hospitals in the period from January 2006 to March 2009. Medical records with incomplete data were not included. Patient demographics and clinical data were collected using a validated data collection form. Results: Of all patients with TB (9337), the prevalence of smokers was 4313 (46.2%). Among smoker’s, 3584 (83.1%) were associated with pulmonary TB, while 729 (16.9%) were associated with Extra-pulmonary TB. Male gender (OR= 1.43, 95% CI 1.30-1.58), Chinese ethnicity (OR= 1.23, 95% CI 1.02-1.49), Sarawak indigenous ethnicity (OR= 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95), urban residents (OR= 1.46, 95% CI 1.33-1.61), employed individuals (OR= 1.21, 95% CI 1.09-1.34), alcoholics (OR= 4.91, 95% CI 4.04-5.96), drug abusers (OR= 7.43, 95% CI 5.70-9.60) and presence of co-morbid condition (OR= 1.27, 95% CI 1.16-1.40) showed significant association with smoking habits. This study found that 3236 (75.0 %) patients were successfully treated in the smoker group, while 4004 (79.7 %) patients were non-smokers. The proportion of death rate 283 (6.6%), defaulters 284 (6.6%) and treatment interruption 204 (4.7%) was high in the smoker's group. Conclusions: Smoking had a strong influence on TB and is a major barrier towards treatment success (OR= 0.76, 95%
Correlation and path coefficient analysis of grain yield and yield contributing traits in single cross hybrids of maize (Zea mays L.).

The yield is a complex trait, which is highly influenced by the environment and hence indirect selection through component traits would be an advisable strategy to increase the efficiency of selection. Eighty seven single cross hybrids of maize were developed by crossing twenty nine newly developed inbred lines from the National Yellow Pool with three testers in a line x tester mating design and were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with two replications to assess the direct and indirect effects of grain yield among twelve quantitative traits. Plant height, ear length, ear circumference, number of kernel rows/ear, number of kernels/row, 100-grain weight, shelling per cent, grain yield per plant and fodder yield per ha recorded significantly positive genetic correlation with grain yield. However, path coefficient analysis revealed that days to 50 per cent silking, plant height, number of kernels rows/ear, number of kernels/row, 100-grain weight, shelling per cent, grain yield per plant and fodder yield have highest direct effect on grain yield.
PTT_A_328460 231..250

Although innovative targeted therapies have positively revolutionized psoriasis treatment shifting treatment goals to complete or almost complete skin clearance, primary or secondary lack of efficacy is still possible. Hence, identifying robust biomarkers that reflect the various clinical psoriasis phenotypes would allow stratify patients in subgroups or endotypes, and tailor treatments according to the characteristics of each individual (precision medicine). To sum up the current progress in personalized medicine for psoriasis, we performed a review on the available evidence on biomarkers predictive of response to psoriasis treatments, with focus on phototherapy and systemic agents. Relevant literature published in English was searched for using the following databases from the last five years up to March 20, 2022: PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, EBSCO, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane library. Currently, more evidence exists towards biologicals, as justified by the huge health care costs as compared to phototherapy or conventional systemic drugs. Among them, most of the studies focused on anti-TNF and IL12/23, with still few on IL17 (mainly secukinumab). The most discussed biomarker gene is the HLA-C*02:06 status that has been shown to be associated with psoriasis, and also differential response to biologicals. Although its positivity is associated with great response to MTX, debatable results were retrieved concerning both anti-TNF and IL12/23 while it seems not to affect secukinumab response. Personalized treatment in psoriasis would provide excellent outcome minimizing the risk of side effects. To date, although several candidates were proposed and assessed, the scarcity and heterogeneity of the results do not allow the identification of the gold-standard biomarker per each treatment. Anyway, the creation of a more comprehensive panel would be more reliable for the treatment decision process.
Vacancy ordering and phonon spectrum of the iron-based superconductor K0.8Fe1.6Se2

We have performed Raman-scattering measurements on a high-quality single crystal of the recently discovered Fe-based superconductor K0.8Fe1. 6Se2 (T-c = 32 K). At least 13 phonon modes were observed in the wave number range 10-300 cm(-1). The spectra possess a fourfold symmetry indicative of bulk vacancy order in the Fe-deficient planes. We perform a vibration analysis based on first-principles calculations, which both confirms the ordered structure and allows a complete mode assignment. We observe an anomaly at T-c in the 180 cm(-1) A(g) mode, which indicates a rather specific type of electron-phonon coupling.