Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of subretinal electrical stimulation in mer-KO mice.

PURPOSE Subretinal electrical stimulation (SES) from microphotodiode arrays protects photoreceptors in the RCS rat model of retinitis pigmentosa. The authors examined whether mer(kd) mice, which share a Mertk mutation with RCS rats, showed similar neuroprotective effects from SES. METHODS Mer(kd) mice were implanted with a microphotodiode array at postnatal day (P) 14. Weekly electroretinograms (ERGs) followed by retinal histology at week 4 were compared with those of age-matched controls. RT-PCR for fibroblast growth factor beta (Fgf2), ciliary nerve trophic factor (Cntf), glial-derived neurotrophic factor (Gdnf), insulin growth factor 1 (Igf1), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (Gfap) was performed on retinas at 1 week after surgery. Rates of degeneration using ERG parameters were compared between mer(kd) mice and RCS rats from P28 to P42. RESULTS SES-treated mer(kd) mice showed no differences in ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes or photoreceptor numbers compared with controls. However, the expression of Fgf2 and Cntf was greater (6.5 ± 1.9- and 2.5 ± 0.5-fold, respectively; P < 0.02) in SES-treated mer(kd) retinas. Rates of degeneration were faster for dark-adapted maximal b-wave, log σ, and oscillatory potentials in mer(kd) mice than in RCS rats. CONCLUSIONS Although SES upregulated Fgf2 in mer(kd) retinas, as reported previously for RCS retinas, this was not accompanied by neuroprotection of photoreceptors. Comparisons of ERG responses from mer(kd) mice and RCS rats across different ages showed inner retinal dysfunction in mer(kd) mice but not in RCS rats. This inner retinal dysfunction and the faster rate of degeneration in mer(kd) mice may produce a retinal environment that is not responsive to neuroprotection from SES.
An integrative in vitro approach to analyse digestion of wheat polysaccharides and the effect of enzyme supplementation

The digestion of polysaccharides from the wheat cultivars Caphorn and Isengrain was investigated, and the efficiency of an enzyme preparation was tested using the TNO gastrointestinal model (TIM-1). The apparent digestibility (AD) of carbohydrates was determined based on the measurement of organic matter (OM), total monosaccharides, reducing ends (RE) and end products (EP: glucose, maltose and xylobiose). The AD of the OM from Caphorn and Isengrain measured using caecectomised cockerels did not differ from that measured using TIM-1: 72·0 (sd 2·6) v. 70·6 (sd 0·6) % for Caphorn (P = 0·580) and 73·0 (sd 2·3) v. 71·1 (sd 1·9) % for Isengrain (P = 0·252). After the 6 h TIM-1 digestion, 41·4–58·9 % of the OM, RE and EP were recovered from the jejunal compartment and 18·3–27·1 % from the ileal compartment, while ileal deliveries and digestive residues constituted the remainder. A commercial enzyme cocktail tested at 0·2 μl/g of wheat improved TIM-1 digestibility of Caphorn and Isengrain polysaccharides: 3·9 % (P = 0·0203) and 3·4 % (P = 0·0058) based on the OM; 9·7 % (P < 0·0001) and 3·1 % (P = 0·031) based on the total glucose; 47·2 % (P < 0·0001) and 14·2 % (P = 0·0004) based on the RE, respectively. The enzyme cocktail improved the release of the EP for Caphorn (3·8 %, P = 0·008) but not for Isengrain ( − 0·8 %, P = 0·561). The higher efficiency of the enzyme supplementation on the digestion of Caphorn polysaccharides compared with Isengrain seems to be linked to the higher soluble carbohydrate contents and/or less ramified arabinoxylan of Caphorn.
Improved method for virological analysis of food

A single, simple method for recovering enteroviruses from several different kinds of food, such as ground beef, fish, oysters, and mussels, has been improved. First, sample contamination technique was studied. It appears that virus adsorption occurs at food pH and varies according to the kind of food and the food-virus exchange surface. Second, virus recovery was evaluated. According to the experimental results obtained, we propose the following method. Samples are submerged in 100 ml of demineralized water adjusted to pH 9 with a conductivity of 8,000 mg of NaCl per liter. Then, viruses are concentrated by ultrafiltration or by ultracentrifugation. This method was efficient for virus recovery from the four kinds of food, even in cases of very low contamination.
Pathological pattern formation and cortical propagation of epileptic seizures

The stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs) stated by Steyn-Ross and co-workers constitute a model of mesoscopic electrical activity of the human cortex. A simplification in which spatial variation and stochastic input are neglected yields ordinary differential equations (ODEs), which are amenable to analysis by techniques of dynamical systems theory. Bifurcation diagrams are developed for the ODEs with increased subcortical excitation, showing that the model predicts oscillatory electrical activity in a large range of parameters. The full SPDEs with increased subcortical excitation produce travelling waves of electrical activity. These model results are compared with electrocortical data recorded at two subdural electrodes from a human subject undergoing a seizure. The model and observational results agree in two important respects during seizure: (i) the average frequency of maximum power, and (ii) the speed of spatial propagation of voltage peaks. This suggests that seizing activity on the human cortex may be understood as an example of pathological pattern formation. Included is a discussion of the applications and limitations of these results.
Analyses of Spectral Behaviors of Semiconductor Lasers under Weak Optical Injection Locked to External Light Injected

We have investigated the spectral characteristics of semiconductor lasers locked to the external light injected from a modulated laser. study on FM sideband injection locking has shown that when SLs are locked to the target sidebands of the directly modulated ML, the presence of the unselected sidebands influences the resulting microwave signals. The unselected signals can produce the unwanted beat signals around the desired beat signal, which degrade the overall system performance. This analysis way to generate Giga HZ signal generation.
A QoS-Aware Interference Balancing Scheme for Multiuser MIMO Systems

In multiuser MIMO systems, the achievable system data rate as well as quality of service (QoS) of individual users is limited by the inter-user interference (IUI). The interference balancing issue via power allocation can be usually formulated as a nonconvex optimization problem which will become more intractable with nonconvex QoS constraints. In this paper we focus on the challenging QoS-aware optimal power allocation problem, aiming to maximize the system sum rate and guarantee the users' minimum data rates. As a result, a "Polynomial Approximations based on Single Condensation" (PASC) strategy is proposed which transforms the underlying problem to a series of tractable Geometric Programming (GP) problems through single condensation scheme. Extensive simulations have been conducted and the results indicate that PASC is quite suitable to tackle the problem, which can achieve a good balance between the system sum rate and the individual QoS requirements.
The Geographic Distribution of Muslim Jurists During the First Four Centuries AH

Using data derived from thousands of biographical entries, we present an overview of the geographic distribution of Muslim jurists ( fuqahā ) during the first four centuries AH, i.e., from the beginning of Islam up to the date of the establishment of the Islamic college ( madrasa ) toward the end of the fourth/tenth century CE. We also examine the overall share during this period of each of the four Sunnī schools of law ( madhāhib , sg., madhhab ), together with jurists who switched from one Sunnī school of law to another, as well as fuqahā who did not belong to a particular Sunnī madhhab . Our primary focus, however, is on the geographical distribution of these jurists throughout the Islamic world in this period. Some of our findings confirm earlier studies while others afford new insights.
Social Tagging and Dublin Core: A Preliminary Proposal for an Application Profile for DC Social Tagging.

The Web 2.0 maximizes the Internet concept of encouraging its users to cooperate effectively for the offer of virtual services and content organization. Among the various potentialities of the Web 2.0, folksonomy appears as a result of the free assignment of tags to the Web’s resources by their users/ readers. Despite tags describe the Web’s resources, generally they are not integrated in the metadata. In order for them to be intelligible by machines and therefore used in the Semantic Web context, they have to be automatically allocated to specific metadata elements. There are many metadata formats. The focus of this investigation will be the Dublin Core Metadata Terms (DCTerms) that is a widely used set of properties for the description of electronic resources. A subset of DCTerms, the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES), has been adopted by the majority of Institutional Repositories’ platforms as a way to promote interoperability. We propose a research that intends to identify elements of the metadata originated from folksonomies and propose an application profile for DC Social Tagging. That will allow tags to be conveniently processed by interoperability protocols, particularly the Open Archives Initiative – Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). This paper will present the results of the pilot study developed in the beginning of the research as well as the metadata elements preliminarily defined.
A Specific Class of Interneuron Mediates Inhibitory Plasticity in the Lateral Amygdala

The lateral amygdala (LA) plays a key role in emotional learning and is the main site for sensory input into the amygdala. Within the LA, pyramidal neurons comprise the major cell population with plasticity of inputs to these neurons thought to underlie fear learning. Pyramidal neuron activity is tightly controlled by local interneurons, and GABAergic modulation strongly influences amygdala-dependent learning. Synaptic inputs to some interneurons in the LA can also undergo synaptic plasticity, but the identity of these cells and the mechanisms that underlie this plasticity are not known. Here we show that long-term potentiation (LTP) in LA interneurons is restricted to a specific type of interneuron that is defined by the lack of expression of synaptic NR2B subunits. We find that LTP is only present at cortical inputs to these cells and is initiated by calcium influx via calcium-permeable AMPA receptors. LTP is maintained by trafficking of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors that require an interaction with SAP97 and the actin cytoskeleton. Our results define a novel population of interneurons in the LA that control principal neuron excitability by feed-forward inhibition of cortical origin. This selective enhanced inhibition may contribute to reducing the activity of principal neurons engaged during extinction of conditioned fear.
A new method for analyzing histograms of brain magnetization transfer ratios: comparison with existing techniques.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Previously reported quantitative parameters for the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) do not give identical results, which can limit their ability to differentiate normal from diseased tissue and render them vulnerable to variations among MR systems. Our purpose was to systematically study different MTR metrics; propose a new MTR histogram parameter, AMTR(2/3); and compare AMTR(2/3) with existing parameters in a study of multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS Seven conventional MTR parameters were proposed: global and mean MTR; peak height and position of the histogram; and percentiles MTR25, MTR50, and MTR75. Additionally, we investigated a parameter, AMTR(2/3), to indicate the normalized pixel count (area under the histogram curve) inside the band size of two-thirds MTR histogram peak height. All parameters were measured in 10 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (group A), 10 healthy control subjects from the same imaging center as that of patients (group B), and four healthy control subjects from an outside institution (group C). Comparison of findings was performed between groups A and B to assess the discriminating ability of MTR parameters and groups B and C to evaluate intersystem variations. RESULTS All MTR parameters differed between groups A and B, but the difference was significant for only global MTR, mean MTR, MTR25, and AMTR(2/3). With the exception of AMTR(2/3), all parameters differed significantly between the two control groups. CONCLUSION AMTR(2/3) is less sensitive to MR imaging system variations than are other MTR parameters and was most effective in differentiating patients with MS from healthy control subjects. This finding supports the use of AMTR(2/3) in multicenter MT MR imaging studies of MS.
Automatic Taxonomy Extraction from Bipartite Graphs

Given a large bipartite graph that represents objects and their properties, how can we automatically extract semantic information that provides an overview of the data and -- at the same time -- enables us to drill down to specific parts for an in-depth analysis? In this work, we propose extracting a taxonomy that models the relation between the properties via an is a hierarchy. The extracted taxonomy arranges the properties from general to specific providing different levels of abstraction. Our proposed method has the following desirable properties: (a) it requires no user-defined parameters, by exploiting the principle of minimum description length, (b) it is effective, by utilizing the inheritance of objects when representing the hierarchy, and (c) it is scalable, being linear in the number of edges. We demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of our method on a broad spectrum of real, publicly available graphs from drug-property graphs to social networks with up to 22 million vertices and 286 million edges.
Perfectionism, attachment, and adjustment.

This research examined differences between types of perfectionists and whether perfectionism related to attachment, academic integration, and depression. University students completed the same attachment and perfectionism measures in two studies. In the 2nd study, measures of academic integration and depression were also used. Replicated cluster analyses revealed 3 groups of perfectionists: adaptive, maladaptive, and nonperfectionists Attachment predicted type of perfectionist, with adaptive perfectionists reporting more secure attachments than did maladaptive perfectionists. Adaptive perfectionists also had better academic integration than maladaptive perfectionists. Maladaptive perfectionists, on average, reported depression in the clinically significant range. Results revealed academic and emotional benefits of adaptive perfectionism, contrasted with the adverse emotional effects and no academic advantages of maladaptive perfectionism.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Background: Mapping has been used to convert scores from condition-specific measures into utility scores, and to produce estimates of cost-effectiveness. We sought to compare the QALY gains, and incremental cost per QALY estimates, predicted on the basis of mapping to those based on actual EQ-5D scores. Methods: In order to compare 4 different interventions 389 individuals were asked to complete both the EQ5D and the Western Ontartio and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months post-intervention. Using baseline data various mapping models were developed, where WOMAC scores were used to predict the EQ-5D scores. The performance of these models was tested by predicting the EQ-5D post-intervention scores. The preferred model (that with the lowest mean absolute error (MAE)) was used to predict the EQ-5D scores, at all time points, for individuals who had complete WOMAC and EQ-5D data. The mean QALY gain associated with each intervention was calculated, using both actual and predicted EQ-5D scores. These QALY gains, along with previously estimated changes in cost, were also used to estimate the actual and predicted incremental cost per QALY associated with each of the four interventions. Results: The EQ-5D and the WOMAC were completed at baseline by 348 individuals, and at all time points by 259 individuals. The MAE in the preferred model was 0.129, and the mean QALY gains for each of the four interventions was predicted to be 0.006, 0.058, 0.058, and 0.136 respectively, compared to the actual mean QALY gains of 0.087, 0.081, 0.120, and 0.149. The most effective intervention was estimated to be associated with an incremental cost per QALY of £6,068, according to our preferred model, compared to £13,154 when actual data was used. Conclusion: We found that actual QALY gains, and incremental cost per QALY estimates, differed from those predicted on the basis of mapping. This suggests that though mapping may be of value in predicting the costeffectiveness of interventions which have not been evaluated using a utility measure, future studies should be encouraged to include a method of actual utility measurement. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN93206785 Published: 14 July 2008 Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2008, 6:51 doi:10.1186/1477-7525-6-51 Received: 4 February 2008 Accepted: 14 July 2008 This article is available from: http://www.hqlo. com/content/6/1/51 © 2008 Barton et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Protein misfolding is the molecular mechanism underlying MCADD identified in newborn screening

Newborn screening (NBS) for medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD) revealed a higher birth prevalence and genotypic variability than previously estimated, including numerous novel missense mutations in the ACADM gene. On average, these mutations are associated with milder biochemical phenotypes raising the question about their pathogenic relevance. In this study, we analyzed the impact of 10 ACADM mutations identified in NBS (A27V, Y42H, Y133H, R181C, R223G, D241G, K304E, R309K, I331T and R388S) on conformation, stability and enzyme kinetics of the corresponding proteins. Partial to total rescue of aggregation by co-overexpression of GroESL indicated protein misfolding. This was confirmed by accelerated thermal unfolding in all variants, as well as decreased proteolytic stability and accelerated thermal inactivation in most variants. Catalytic function varied from high residual activity to markedly decreased activity or substrate affinity. Mutations mapping to the β-domain of the protein predisposed to severe destabilization. In silico structural analyses of the affected amino acid residues revealed involvement in functionally relevant networks. Taken together, our results substantiate the hypothesis of protein misfolding with loss-of-function being the common molecular basis in MCADD. Moreover, considerable structural alterations in all analyzed variants do not support the view that novel mutations found in NBS bear a lower risk of metabolic decompensation than that associated with mutations detected in clinically ascertained patients. Finally, the detailed insight into how ACADM missense mutations induce loss of MCAD function may provide guidance for risk assessment and counseling of patients, and in future may assist delineation of novel pharmacological strategies.
After 9/11: Canada, the Israel/Palestine Conflict, and the Surveillance of Public Discourse

Since September 11, 2001, a growing body of scholarship has traced the intensification of surveillance in countries of the industrialized West. However, less attention has been paid to analyzing the impact of surveillance of discourse, particularly public discourse normally considered a hallmark of liberal democratic freedoms of speech and association. In this article we consider the case of Canadian public discourse and illustrate how surveillance has intensified in relation to freedom of expression regarding the Israel/Palestine conflict. Drawing on accounts from media, government, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we highlight notable moments in the Canadian state's deepening ties with Israel, tracing direct intervention in public discourse concerning the Israel/Palestine conflict. The regulation of public discourse on the part of state and non-state actors in Canada is aimed to influence universities, civil society events, access to meetings and events with international speakers, and even the expressions of NGOs abroad. In addition, the regulation of public discourse has impacted the securitization of borders, immigration, and surveillance in light of an ascribed "terrorist threat. " This has resulted in a new and distinct pattern of surveillance—or watching—of words, loyalty, and organizations, according to their presumed political views concerning the Israel/Palestine conflict.Depuis le 11 septembre 2001, un nombre croissant de recherches ont pour sujet l'intensification de la surveillance dans les pays industriels occidentaux. Toutefois, moins d'attention a été accordée à l'analyse de l'impact de la surveillance sur les discours, notamment le discours public considéré comme une caractéristique marquante des libertés démocratiques et libérales de parole et d'association. Si l'on considère le cas du discours public canadien, il est possible de démontrer comment la surveillance s'est intensifiée en ce qui a trait à la liberté d'expression par rapport au conflit israélo-palestinien. En se penchant sur les témoignages des médias, du gouvernement et des organisations non gouvernementales, nous soulignons les moments marquants du renforcement des liens étroits noués entre le Canada et Israël, renforcement qui signale une intervention directe au sein du discours public relatif au conflit israélo-palestinien. Le contrôle du discours public de la part des acteurs étatiques et non étatiques vise à influencer les universités, les manifestations de la société civile, l'accès aux rencontres et aux conférences avec des intervenants internationaux, et même les propos des ONG à l'étranger. De plus, le contrôle du discours public a eut un impact sur la sécurisation des frontières, sur l'immigration et sur la surveillance liée à la « menace terroriste ». Ceci a eut pour conséquences un nouveau régime distinct de surveillance, où l'on surveille les mots, les loyautés ainsi que les organisations, selon les présumées opinions politiques à propos du conflit israélo-palestinien.
Lycopene cyclase and phytoene synthase activities in the marine yeast Rhodosporidium diobovatum are encoded by a single gene crtYB

crtYB, encoding lycopene cyclase and phytoene synthase was cloned from Rhodosporidium diobovatum ATCC 2527 by rapid amplification of cDNA ends method. The full‐length cDNA of crtYB is 2, 330 bp and contains eight introns. The gene products is a 594 amino acids, with a predicted molecular mass of 65.63 kDa and a pI of 6.73. The N‐terminus of the protein contains six transmembrane regions, which has been characterized as a lycopene beta‐cyclase. The C‐terminal half has squalene and phytoene synthase signatures that identified as phytoene synthetase. By heterologous complementary detection of this gene in E. coli and HPLC analysis, the regions responsible for phytoene synthesis and lycopene cyclization were localized within the protein.