Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity

The slice patch clamp technique is a powerful tool for investigating learning-induced neural plasticity in specific brain regions. To analyze motor-learning induced plasticity, we trained rats using an accelerated rotor rod task. Rats performed the task 10 times at 30-s intervals for 1 or 2 days. Performance was significantly improved on the training days compared to the first trial. We then prepared acute brain slices of the primary motor cortex (M1) in untrained and trained rats. Current-clamp analysis showed dynamic changes in resting membrane potential, spike threshold, afterhyperpolarization, and membrane resistance in layer II/III pyramidal neurons. Current injection induced many more spikes in 2-day trained rats than in untrained controls. To analyze contextual-learning induced plasticity, we trained rats using an inhibitory avoidance (IA) task. After experiencing foot-shock in the dark side of a box, the rats learned to avoid it, staying in the lighted side. We prepared acute hippocampal slices from untrained, IA-trained, unpaired, and walk-through rats. Voltage-clamp analysis was used to sequentially record miniature excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs and mIPSCs) from the same CA1 neuron. We found different mean mEPSC and mIPSC amplitudes in each CA1 neuron, suggesting that each neuron had different postsynaptic strengths at its excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Moreover, compared with untrained controls, IA-trained rats had higher mEPSC and mIPSC amplitudes, with broad diversity. These results suggested that contextual learning creates postsynaptic diversity in both excitatory and inhibitory synapses at each CA1 neuron. AMPA or GABAA receptors seemed to mediate the postsynaptic currents, since bath treatment with CNQX or bicuculline blocked the mEPSC or mIPSC events, respectively. This technique can be used to study different types of learning in other regions, such as the sensory cortex and amygdala.
Ca2+-dependent Cl- channels in mouse and rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells: regulation by intracellular Ca2+ and NO.

Ca2+-dependent Cl- ([Formula: see text]) channels and their regulation by intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) and nitric oxide (NO) were characterized in mouse and rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) using patch clamp and fura 2 imaging. Single channels (1.8 pS) and whole cell[Formula: see text] currents were activated by caffeine-induced Ca2+ release. Single [Formula: see text] channels were also activated by ≥200 nM Ca2+ in inside-out membrane patches and remained active for >5 min in ≤1 μM Ca2+ but showed rapid rundown in 2 mM Ca2+. Authentic NO or S-nitroso- N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) did not affect their activation or rundown in inside-out patches. In the whole cell, SNAP (100 μM) and 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (50 μM) did not affect [Formula: see text]current, but at a higher concentration SNAP (1 mM) induced a sustained [Ca2+]irise, accompanied by a dramatic decrease in caffeine-induced Ca2+ release and[Formula: see text] current. These results indicate that 1) mouse and rabbit aortic SMC possess 1.8-pS [Formula: see text]channels that are activated by Ca2+ release from the stores, 2) both activation and rundown of single [Formula: see text] channels depend on [Ca2+]i, and 3) NO does not affect[Formula: see text] channels directly or via cGMP but can inhibit their activation indirectly by decreasing Ca2+ release from the stores.
Towards Unsupervised Automatic Speech Recognition Trained by Unaligned Speech and Text only

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) has been widely researched with supervised approaches, while many low-resourced languages lack audio-text aligned data, and supervised methods cannot be applied on them. In this work, we propose a framework to achieve unsupervised ASR on a read English speech dataset, where audio and text are unaligned. In the first stage, each word-level audio segment in the utterances is represented by a vector representation extracted by a sequence-of-sequence autoencoder, in which phonetic information and speaker information are disentangled. Secondly, semantic embeddings of audio segments are trained from the vector representations using a skip-gram model. Last but not the least, an unsupervised method is utilized to transform semantic embeddings of audio segments to text embedding space, and finally the transformed embeddings are mapped to words. With the above framework, we are towards unsupervised ASR trained by unaligned text and speech only.
Production of Biodiesel From Nigerian Restaurant Waste Cooking Oil Using Blender

Cost of biodiesel produced from virgin vegetable oil through transesterification is higher than that of diesel fuel and cost associated with conventional technique (batch reactor) is enormous. To minimize the cost, waste cooking oil and domestic blender, which was modified as reactor was explored as feedstock and reactor respectively. Laboratory scale quantities of methyl ester of WCO (MEWCO) were synthesized and characterized as diesel fuel. KOH was employed to catalyse the transesterification process of WCO with methanol using 100g WCO, 22,0g methanol, 1.0% KOH at 60 o C reaction temperature and 60 minutes reaction time. The process was replicated and average results evaluated. A moderately high yield (96.6 0.45 wt. %) of WCOME was obtained under classic reaction condition. The fuel properties of WCOME measured were found to fulfil both ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 biodiesel standards. In addition, the fuel properties were analogous to other waste cooking oil methyl ester produced by other researchers using conventional techniques/ reactors. This confirms suitability of the blender modified as a reactor for domestic production of biodiesel from restaurant waste cooking oil.
Store-operated calcium entry promotes shape change in pulmonary endothelial cells expressing Trp1.

Activation of Ca2+ entry is known to produce endothelial cell shape change, leading to increased permeability, leukocyte migration, and initiation of angiogenesis in conduit-vessel endothelial cells. The mode of Ca2+ entry regulating cell shape is unknown. We hypothesized that activation of store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCs) is sufficient to promote cell shape change necessary for these processes. SOC activation in rat pulmonary arterial endothelial cells increased free cytosolic Ca2+ that was dependent on a membrane current having a net inward component of 5.45 ± 0.90 pA/pF at -80 mV. Changes in endothelial cell shape accompanied SOC activation and were dependent on Ca2+ entry-induced reconfiguration of peripheral (cortical) filamentous actin (F-actin). Because the identity of pulmonary endothelial SOCs is unknown, but mammalian homologues of the Drosophila melanogaster transient receptor potential ( trp) gene have been proposed to form Ca2+ entry channels in nonexcitable cells, we performed RT-PCR using Trp oligonucleotide primers in both rat and human pulmonary arterial endothelial cells. Both cell types were found to express Trp1, but neither expressed Trp3 nor Trp6. Our study indicates that 1) Ca2+ entry in pulmonary endothelial cells through SOCs produces cell shape change that is dependent on site-specific rearrangement of the microfilamentous cytoskeleton and 2) Trp1 may be a component of pulmonary endothelial SOCs.
Mitotic phosphotyrosine network analysis reveals that tyrosine phosphorylation regulates Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1)

Tyrosine phosphorylation regulates a serine/threonine kinase that controls progression through mitosis. Tyrosine phosphorylation controls mitosis after all The cell cycle is a carefully controlled process in which serine/threonine kinases play a large role. Abnormal progression or attenuation of cell cycling is implicated in the pathogenesis of various diseases, such as cancer, myocardial infarction, stroke, atherosclerosis, infection, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disorders. Caron et al. analyzed public databases for information about protein localization and tyrosine phosphorylation status in mitotic cells and devised a mitosis-associated tyrosine phosphorylation network. The extent of this network predicted that tyrosine-targeted phosphorylation plays a larger role in mitosis than previously appreciated. For example, in their network generated from data mining and in cultured cells, tyrosine phosphorylation decreased activation of Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), a serine/threonine kinase that promotes chromosome separation during anaphase and is often excessively abundant in cancers. The network provides a wealth of targets for exploration into cell cycle control in physiology and disease. Tyrosine phosphorylation is closely associated with cell proliferation. During the cell cycle, serine and threonine phosphorylation plays the leading role, and such phosphorylation events are most dynamic during the mitotic phase of the cell cycle. However, mitotic phosphotyrosine is not well characterized. Although a few functionally-relevant mitotic phosphotyrosine sites have been characterized, evidence suggests that this modification may be more prevalent than previously appreciated. Here, we examined tyrosine phosphorylation in mitotic human cells including those on spindle-associated proteins. Database mining confirmed ~2000 mitotic phosphotyrosine sites, and network analysis revealed a number of subnetworks that were enriched in tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, including components of the kinetochore or spindle and SRC family kinases. We identified Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), a major signaling hub in the spindle subnetwork, as phosphorylated at the conserved Tyr217 in the kinase domain. Substitution of Tyr217 with a phosphomimetic residue eliminated PLK1 activity in vitro and in cells. Further analysis showed that Tyr217 phosphorylation reduced the phosphorylation of Thr210 in the activation loop, a phosphorylation event necessary for PLK1 activity. Our data indicate that mitotic tyrosine phosphorylation regulated a key serine/threonine kinase hub in mitotic cells and suggested that spatially separating tyrosine phosphorylation events can reveal previously unrecognized regulatory events and complexes associated with specific structures of the cell cycle.
In Vitro Antibacterial Evaluation of Terminalia chebula as an Alternative of Antibiotics against Bovine Subclinical Mastitis

ABSTRACT The extent of subclinical mastitis in three breeds of cattle, Kankrej, Gir, and Crossbred, was performed at cattle farms in Anand town of Gujarat State, India. The prevalence of subclinical mastitis in crossbred cattle was higher compared to local breed of cattle. Causative agents identified using 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular method were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus megaterium. In vitro antibacterial activity of ethyl acetate extract of plant Terminalia chebula (Combretaceae) was checked by agar well diffusion method against four isolated and molecularly identified microorganisms. Ethyl acetate extract shows antimicrobial activity with varying magnitudes against all identified isolates. Among the three different concentrations, 500 µg/mL conc. of extract is as effective as that of standard amoxicillin. In vitro results support the use of plant extract from T. chebula as an alternative to antibiotics therapy against bovine subclinical mastitis.
Introduction to the symposium: Appropriate animal models for nutritional research in health and disease.

Historically, many nutritional scientists studied basic animal nutrition; however, as nutritional science has evolved and become more specialized, fewer nutritional scientists are trained in basic animal nutrition. Today an important area of animal nutrition is the development of models to examine the nutritional effects in human health and disease. Despite this increasing area of focus, there is a lack of interface between animal scientists and human nutritionists, who would benefit from working together. Although the purposes may differ, fundamental nutritional research in agriculturally relevant species provides valuable information for both animal agriculture and human health. By realizing this mutual benefit and using it as a rallying point for research collaborations, animal scientists and human nutritionists could make far greater progress in nutritional science. This symposium was an opportunity for both animal and human nutrition researchers to meet and discuss and redefine strategies relating to the use of experimental animal nutrition knowledge. This symposium was intended to provide both conceptual and technical guidance to help expand the interactions between animal and human nutritionists. To accomplish these goals the following were emphasized in this symposium:
Persistent Effects of Intensive Glycemic Control on Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Follow-On Study

OBJECTIVES This study investigated whether the beneficial effects of intensive glycemic control and fenofibrate treatment of dyslipidemia in reducing retinopathy progression demonstrated in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Eye Study persisted beyond the clinical trial. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The ACCORD Study (2003–2009) randomized participants with type 2 diabetes to intensive or standard treatment for glycemia (A1C level at <6.0% [42 mmol/mol] vs. 7.0–7.9% [53–63 mmol/mol]), systolic blood pressure (<120 vs. 140 mmHg), and dyslipidemia (fenofibrate [160 mg] plus simvastatin or placebo plus simvastatin). ACCORD Eye Study participants, who had baseline and year 4 eye examinations and fundus photographs, were reexamined in the ACCORD Follow-On (ACCORDION) Eye Study (2010–2014) 4 years after the ACCORD trial closeout. The outcome measure was diabetic retinopathy progression of three or more steps on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale. RESULTS Diabetic retinopathy progressed in 5.8% with intensive glycemic treatment versus 12.7% with standard (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.42, 95% CI 0.28–0.63, P < 0.0001), 7.5% with intensive blood pressure treatment versus 6.0% for standard (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 0.61–2.40, P = 0.59), and 11.8% with fenofibrate versus 10.2% with placebo (aOR 1.13, 95% CI 0.71–1.79, P = 0.60) in ACCORDION Eye participants (n = 1,310). CONCLUSIONS Prior intensive glycemic control continued to reduce diabetic retinopathy progression, despite similar A1C levels, when the ACCORD Study ended. This is the first study in people with type 2 diabetes of 10 years’ duration and established cardiovascular disease, unlike the newly diagnosed participants of the UK Prospective Diabetes Study, to demonstrate this effect. The benefit of fenofibrate, however, did not persist. Intensive blood pressure control had no effect.
Role of central AT1 and V1 receptors in cardiovascular adaptation to hemorrhage in SD and renin TGR rats.

In acute experiments, intracranially applied angiotensin II and vasopressin elicit significant cardiovascular effects. The purpose of the present study was to find out whether chronic intrabrain elevation of these peptides, occurring in the renin transgenic TGR(mRen2)27 (TGR) rats, results in an alteration of the cardiovascular control. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate responses to hypovolemia were examined in hypertensive TGR and normotensive Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats under control conditions and during blockade of central AT1 or V1 receptors. Both groups received cerebroventricular infusions of either 1) cerebrospinal fluid ( series 1), 2) AT1 receptors antagonist (AT1ANT, series 2), or 3) V1 receptors antagonist (V1ANT, series 3). Blockade of AT1 and V1 receptors decreased MAP in TGR but not in SD rats. In SD rats, bleeding elicited a similar decrease of MAP in each series and a transient increase of heart rate in series 3. In TGR, hemorrhage caused bradycardia and decrease of MAP, which was greater than in SD rats. Hemorrhagic hypotension in TGR was abolished by V1ANT and bradycardia by V1ANT or AT1ANT. The results demonstrate remarkable differences in cardiovascular adjustment to hemorrhage in SD and TGR rats and provide evidence for enhanced involvement of central V1 and AT1 receptors in the regulation of blood pressure during hypovolemia in TGR. Central V1 vasopressin receptors play a crucial role in eliciting posthemorrhagic hypotension and bradycardia in this strain.
Electronic Reprint Applied Crystallography High-order Analytic Translation Matrix Elements for Real-space Six-dimensional Polar Fourier Correlations Polar Fourier Translation Matrices Applied Crystallography High-order Analytic Translation Matrix Elements for Real-space Six-dimensional Polar Fourier

Author(s) of this paper may load this reprint on their own web site provided that this cover page is retained. Republication of this article or its storage in electronic databases or the like is not permitted without prior permission in writing from the IUCr. Analytic expressions are presented for calculating translations of high-order three-dimensional expansions of orthonormal real spherical harmonic and Gaussian-type or exponential-type radial basis functions. When used with real spherical harmonic rotation matrices, the resulting translation matrices provide a fully analytic method of calculating six-dimensional real-space rotational– translational correlations. The correlation algorithm is demonstrated by using an exhaustive search to superpose the steric density functions of a pair of similar globular proteins in a matter of seconds on a contemporary personal computer. It is proposed that the techniques described could be used to accelerate the calculation of e.g. real-space electron density correlations in molecular replacement, docking proteins into electron microscopy density maps, and searching the Protein Data Bank for structural homologues.
Effect of the Degree of Plastic Deformation on the Electrical Resistance and Thermal Conductivity of Al-Mg-Si Alloy

Experiments have been conducted to investigate the effect of the degree of plastic deformation on the electrical resistance and thermal conductivity of Al-Mg-Si (6063) alloy. Thirty six samples of the 6063 alloy were used in all for the experiments (three samples constituted a group and twelve groups were instituted in the experiment with each group corresponding to a particular degree of deformation). Eleven groups were cold deformed plastically by subjecting the groups to different percentages of cold work starting from 5% to 55%, with 5% intervals. It was observed that there was no appreciable increase in the electrical resistance of the alloy as the degree of deformation increased. However, cold deformed 6063-Aluminium alloy appeared to be thermally unstable as the degree of plastic deformation increased. It was concluded that plastic deformation has no deleterious effect on the electrical resistance of the alloy but rendered the material thermally unstable in terms of thermal conductivity.
Yeast extract stimulates glucose metabolism and inhibits lipolysis in rat adipocytes in vitro.

Foods contain bioactive components that contribute to optimal health. Food-grade yeast may contain components that enhance cellular glucose metabolism. We tested the effect of brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) extract (YE), in vitro on rat fat cell glucose transport, glucose metabolism to lipid, and lipolysis. YE was fractionated by reverse-phase chromatography on a C18 open column using ammonium acetate (0.05 mol/L, pH 5.8), with acetonitrile (40%) elution solvent into fraction 1 (Fx1), fraction 2 (Fx2) and fraction 3 (Fx3). Isolated rat adipocytes were preincubated with insulin (51 pmol/L), YE (10 mg/L) or both; transport of U-(14)C-glucose was measured. Adipocytes were incubated with insulin and YE fractions (10 mg/L); glucose metabolism to lipid was measured by incorporation of U-(14)C-glucose into total lipids. Lipolysis was measured by glycerol release. Insulin stimulated glucose transport to sevenfold the basal value (P < 0.05). YE did not affect glucose transport. Insulin stimulated glucose metabolism to 2.6-fold the basal value (P < 0.001); YE stimulated glucose metabolism 14% (P < 0.005). YE potentiated the action of insulin 30% (P < 0.002). YE Fx2 and Fx3 stimulated glucose metabolism 25-40% (P < 0.05). Insulin inhibited lipolysis 47% (P < 0.001). YE alone inhibited lipolysis 63% (P < 0.001). YE and insulin inhibited lipolysis 81% (P < 0.001). Fractions of YE inhibited lipolysis in the presence of insulin (P < 0.05); the order of potency was Fx2 = Fx3 >> Fx1. A novel yeast extract (YE) and its fractions affect pathways of adipocyte metabolism differentially. YE and its fractions are good candidates for in vivo study.
Supporting and Guiding Learners' Collaboration Through a Structured Adaptive Communication Tool

This paper presents a web-based synchronous adaptive communication tool, referred to as ACT, which supports and guides learners’ communication/collaboration by adopting the structured form of the dialogue and utilizing as “communication-scaffolding” tools both sentence openers and communication acts. The ACT tool adapts the provided set of the “communication-scaffolding” tools according to the cognitive skills addressed by the learning activity, the model of collaboration followed by the group members and the educational tool used for the elaboration of the activity. During their communication, learners have the possibility to enrich the predefined sets of the “communication-scaffolding” tools, to connect their messages with other already sent messages, to monitor their debate in a visual graphical representation form through the Dialogue Tree and to reflect on their communication/collaboration by accessing the results of the quantitative analysis of their contributions. The first empirical results are encouraging regarding the provided facilities.
Esophageal luminal stenosis is an independent prognostic factor in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background Predictive value of preoperative endoscopic characteristic of esophageal tumor has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of esophageal luminal stenosis on survival for patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods The clinicopathologic characteristics of 623 ESCC patients who underwent curative resection as the primary treatment between January 2005 and April 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. The esophageal luminal stenosis measured by endoscopy was defined as a uniform measurement preoperatively. The impact of esophageal luminal stenosis on patients’ overall survival (OS) and relation with other clinicopathological features were assessed. A Cox regression model was used to identify prognostic factors. Results The results showed that OS significantly decreased in patients with manifest stenotic tumor compared with patients without luminal obstruction (P<0.05). Considerable esophageal luminal stenosis was associated with a higher T stage, longer tumor length, and poorer differentiation (all P<0.05). In multivariate survival analysis, esophageal luminal stenosis remained as an independent prognostic factor for OS (P= 0.036). Conclusions Esophageal luminal stenosis could have a significant impact on the OS in patients with resected ESCC and may provide additional prognostic value to the current staging system before any cancer-specific treatment.