Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brief Dark Exposure Reduces Tonic Inhibition in Visual Cortex

Tonic inhibition mediated by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors (GABARs) sensing ambient levels of GABA can profoundly alter the membrane input resistance to affect cellular excitability. Therefore, regulation of tonic inhibition is an attractive mechanism to control the levels of cortical firing. In cortical pyramidal cells, tonic inhibition is regulated by age and several neurotransmitters and is affected by stroke and epilepsy. However, the possible role of sensory experience has not been examined. Here, we report that a brief 2-day exposure to dark reduces by 1/3 the inhibitory tonic conductance recorded in layer II/III pyramidal cells of the mouse juvenile (postnatal day 12–27) visual cortex. In these cells, tonic inhibition is carried primarily by GABARs containing the δ subunit. Consistently, the dark exposure reduction in conductance was associated with a reduction in δ subunit levels, which were not affected in control frontal cortex. We propose that a deprivation-induced reduction in tonic inhibition might serve a homeostatic function by increasing the firing levels of cells in deprived cortical circuits. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous in vivo studies reported rapid increases in spontaneous activity after visual deprivation. These adaptive responses to deprivation are believed to reflect a reduction in the recruitment of inhibitory circuits. Notably, the possible role of tonic GABAergic inhibition, which strongly limits cellular and network excitability, has not been examined. We report that a brief 2-day exposure to dark reduces both the conductance of tonic inhibition in layer 2/3 pyramidal cells and the expression of receptors containing the δ-GABAA receptor subunit, the principal carrier of tonic inhibition in these cells. These results suggest that the early phases of homeostatic adaptations to sensory deprivation might result from modulation of GABAergic function at multiple levels.
The origin of multiple molecular forms in urine of HNL/NGAL.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Several molecular forms of human neutrophil lipocalin/neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (HNL/NGAL), a novel biomarker for acute kidney injury (AKI), have been found in urine. The origin of these different forms and the effect of antibody configuration on assay performances were investigated in this report. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS The molecular forms of HNL/NGAL from human neutrophils and present in urine obtained from cardiac surgery patients and patients with urinary tract infection (UTI), as well as secreted from HK-2 cells, were studied by Western blotting. The levels of HNL/NGAL in urine were measured by ELISAs. Kidney injury was simulated by incubation of HK-2 cells under stressful conditions. RESULTS The major molecular form of HNL/NGAL secreted by neutrophils is dimeric, whereas the major form secreted by HK-2 cells is monomeric. This was reflected by a predominance of the monomeric form in urine from patients with AKI and the dimeric form in patients with UTIs. The epitope specificities of the antibody used in the ELISAs had a profound effect on assay performance and paralleled differences of the antibodies to identify the different forms of urine HNL/NGAL. CONCLUSIONS The monomeric form is the predominant form secreted by tubular epithelial cells, and the dimeric form is the predominant form secreted by neutrophils. The development of molecular form-specific assays for HNL/NGAL may be a means to identify the origin of HNL/NGAL in urine and construct more specific tools for the diagnosis of AKI.
Students' Peer Assessment and Perception on ICT-based Instructional Media

Instructional media play an important role in supporting teaching and learning process, especially in the era of ICT nowadays. The use of the media needs a careful preparation, planning as well as effective implementation in order that the media would optimally enhance the teaching and learning process. This study reported the result of a training which was given to the students who took Instructional Media and ICT course on how to design and apply PowerPoint presentation and video appropriately in teaching and learning process. More particularly, the problem of the study was addressed to investigate the students’ peer assessment and perception on the use of PowerPoint presentation and video as ICT-based instructional media. This study used descriptive explanatory design and employed questionnaires as the instrument. After the students joined the training, they were asked to utilize the media in teaching Bahasa Indonesia Subject and subsequently fill in questionnaires to give peer assessment on their peers’ performance in utilizing the media in the teaching and learning process. They also stated their perception in the given questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The results showed that the students generally gave positive peer assessment to their peers’ performance. This study also suggested that the training helped them in designing and applying the media appropriately to support the learning objective. Training in using instructional media is considered beneficial for the optimal implementation of the media in the classroom context.
Characterization of synaptically mediated fast and slow inhibitory processes in piriform cortex in an in vitro slice preparation.

1. Intracellular recordings were obtained from anatomically verified layer II pyramidal cells in slices from rat piriform cortex cut perpendicular to the surface. 2. Responses to afferent and association fiber stimulation at resting membrane potential consisted of a depolarizing potential followed by a late hyperpolarizing potential (LHP). Membrane polarization by current injection revealed two components in the depolarizing potential: an initial excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) followed at brief latency by an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) that inverted with membrane depolarization and truncated the duration of the EPSP. 3. The early IPSP displayed the following characteristics suggesting mediation by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors linked to Cl- channels: associated conductance increase, sensitivity to increases in internal Cl- concentration, blockage by picrotoxin and bicuculline, and potentiation by pentobarbital sodium. The reversal potential was in the depolarizing direction with respect to resting membrane potential so that the inhibitory effect was exclusively via current shunting. 4. The LHP had an associated conductance increase and a reversal potential of -90 mV in normal bathing medium that shifted according to Nernst predictions for a K+ potential with changes in external K+ over the range 4.5-8 mM indicating mediation by the opening of K+ channels and ruling out an electrogenic pump origin. 5. Lack of effect of bath-applied 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP) or internally applied ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) on the LHP and failure of high amplitude, direct membrane depolarization to evoke a comparable potential, argue against endogenous mediation of the LHP by a Ca2+ activated K+ conductance [gK(Ca)]. However, an apparent endogenously mediated gK(Ca) with a duration much greater than the LHP was observed in a low percent of layer II pyramidal cells. Lack of effect of 8-Br-cAMP also indicates a lack of dependence of the LHP on cAMP. 6. Other characteristics of the LHP that were demonstrated include: a lack of blockage by GABAA receptor antagonists, a probable voltage sensitivity (decrease in amplitude in the depolarizing direction), and an apparent brief onset latency (less than 10 ms) when the early IPSP was blocked by picrotoxin. The LHP was unaffected by pentobarbital sodium when the early IPSP was blocked by picrotoxin. 7. Both the LHP and early IPSP were blocked by low Ca2+/high Mg2+, consistent with disynaptic mediation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Constructing and Testing Alternative Versions of the Fama–French and Carhart Models in the UK

This paper constructs and tests alternative versions of the Fama–French and Carhart models for the UK market with the purpose of providing guidance for researchers interested in asset pricing and event studies. We conduct a comprehensive analysis of such models, forming risk factors using approaches advanced in the recent literature including value‐weighted factor components and various decompositions of the risk factors. We also test whether such factor models can at least explain the returns of large firms. We find that versions of the four‐factor model using decomposed and value‐weighted factor components are able to explain the cross‐section of returns in large firms or in portfolios without extreme momentum exposures. However, we do not find that risk factors are consistently and reliably priced.
Bacterial Community Changes with N′- N′ Dimethylforamide (DMF) Additives during Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) Biodegardation

This study examined the changes in the bacterial community during biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) substrate when N′-N′ dimethylformamide (DMF) was added. The microbial populations that biodegrade the PAH substrate were assessed by Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) and changed from 49.45% Archaea and 49.15% Bacteria to 42.00% Archaea and 51.78% Bacteria when the PAH was supplemented with DMF. Nine microorganisms were classified as Gram-negative α-, β- and γ-Proteobacteria bacteria during biodegradation of PAH alone by the Biolog system. Incentive eleven microorganisms obtained from the PAH-DMF mixed substrate were found to be β-, γ-Proteobacteria bacteria, high G+C Gram-positive bacteria (HGC), low G+C Gram-positive bacteria (LGC) and there was even one Deinococcus-Thermus strain; this indicates greater biodiversity. The numbers in the Pseudomonad group were as high as 105-106 CFU ml−1, suggesting that this group plays an important role in PAH biodegradation. Community-Level Physiological Profiling (CLPP) and physiological characterization were different in the PAH biodegradation process with and without DMF. Utilization of the 95 carbon sources from the Biolog GN2 microtiter plate was greater during PAH biodegradation when PAH is present alone compared to that in the presence of DMF. The range of enzymatic activities during PAH biodegradation was lower in the presence of DMF. These results show that DMF should be used with caution when PAH is a substrate during laboratory or pilot biotreatability studies.
Liver function alterations after laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy for gastric cancer and its clinical significance.

AIM To evaluate the factors associated with liver function alterations after laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) for gastric cancer. METHODS We collected the data of gastrectomy patients with gastric cancer and divided them into 2 groups: open gastrectomy (OG) and LAG. We also collected the data of patients with colon cancer to evaluate the effect of liver manipulations during surgery on liver function alterations. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase were measured on the preoperative day and postoperative day 1 (POD1), POD3, POD5, and POD7. RESULTS No changes in liver function were observed after the operation in patients with colon cancer (n = 121). However, in gastric cancer patients (n = 215), AST and ALT levels increased until POD5 compared to those in colon cancer patients and these findings were observed both in the LAG and OG without a significant difference except at POD1. The mean hepatic enzyme levels at POD1 in the LAG group were significantly higher than those in the OG group (P = 0.047 for AST and P = 0.039 for ALT). The factors associated with elevated ALT on POD1 in patients with gastric cancer were body mass index (P < 0.001), operation time (P < 0.001), intraoperative hepatic injury (P = 0.048), and ligation of an aberrant left hepatic artery (P = 0.052) but not type of operation (OG vs LAG, P = 0.094). CONCLUSION We conclude that the liver function alteration after LAG may have been caused by direct liver manipulation or aberrant hepatic artery ligation rather than the CO₂ pneumoperitoneum.
An approximate hardware check node for λ-min-based LDPC decoders

In this paper, iterative decoding using Belief Propagation λ-min decoding algorithm is considered. In this algorithm check nodes use only the λ lowest-magnitude messages thus simplifying the hardware complexity and reducing memory usage. A parallel-input architecture is proposed for the check node. We focus on the determination of the sought minima in a parallel fashion. Novel simplified circuits for the derivation of the λ minimum values are introduced here. The main novelty that leads to substantial hardware simplification is the approximate derivation of the λ values. Specifically, We here show that using the introduced approximate computation substantial hardware savings are obtained with no significant degradation in decoding performance. For cases of practical interest the proposed solution is shown to reduce the number of comparisons per check node from 14 down to 7; i.e., 2 times.
Long‐term interaction between microglial cells and cochlear nucleus neurons after bilateral cochlear ablation

The removal of afferent activity has been reported to modify neuronal activity in the cochlear nucleus of adult rats. After cell damage, microglial cells are rapidly activated, initiating a series of cellular responses that influences neuronal function and survival. To investigate how this glial response occurs and how it might influence injured neurons, bilateral cochlear ablations were performed on adult rats to examine the short‐term (16 and 24 hours and 4 and 7 days) and long‐term (15, 30, and 100 days) changes in the distribution and morphology of microglial cells (immunostained with the ionized calcium‐binding adaptor molecule 1; Iba‐1) and the interaction of microglial cells with deafferented neurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus. A significant increase in the mean cross‐sectional area and Iba‐1 immunostaining of microglial cells in the cochlear nucleus was observed at all survival times after the ablation compared with control animals. These increases were concomitant with an increase in the area of Iba‐1 immunostaining at 24 hours and 4, 7, and 15 days postablation. Additionally, microglial cells were frequently seen apposing the cell bodies and dendrites of auditory neurons at 7, 15, and 30 days postablation. In summary, these results provide evidence for persistent glial activation in the ventral cochlear nucleus and suggest that long‐term interaction occurs between microglial cells and deafferented cochlear nucleus neurons following bilateral cochlear ablation, which could facilitate the remodeling of the affected neuronal circuits. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:2974–2990, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Laboratory Evaluation of New Reusable Blood Glucose Sensor

An enzyme-electrode sensor designed specifically for pocket-portable self-monitoring of blood glucose is described. The sensing device in this instrument is unique because it is reusable for at least 30 days, at which time it is easily replaced by placing a new enzyme-membrane cartridge over the electrode. As little as 7 μl of undiluted whole blood, plasma, or serum is applied directly to the sensor, and glucose is automatically determined in 30 s. No manual timing or wiping step is required after sample application. On eight production instruments, plasma glucose concentration was determined (n = 20) at 57, 125, 246, and 347 mg/dl. The average coefficient of variation for the 80 determinations for each instrument ranged from 2 to 5%, averaging 3.7%. The instrument is inherently linear, independent of hematocrit, and without oxygen limitation when dissolved oxygen concentration is >35 mmHg. No interferences were found from plasma constituents, heparin, or acetaminophen.
Cellular XylS Levels Are a Function of Transcription of xylS from Two Independent Promoters and the Differential Efficiency of Translation of the Two mRNAs

ABSTRACT XylS controls the expression of the meta-cleavage pathway for the metabolism of benzoates in Pseudomonas putida KT2440. The xylS gene is expressed from two promoters, Ps1 and Ps2. Transcription from Ps2 is low and constitutive, whereas transcription from Ps1 is induced in the presence of toluene. In this study, we also show that translation of mRNA generated from Ps1 is 10 times more efficient than that generated from Ps2. This pattern of transcription and translation of xylS gives rise to two modes of activation of the promoter of the meta pathway operon (Pm) according to the concentration of XylS in the cell. In cells growing with benzoate, with small amounts of XylS, the activated XylS regulator binds the effector and stimulates transcription from Pm, whereas in cells growing with toluene, the high levels of XylS suffice to stimulate transcription from Pm even in the absence of XylS effectors.
A novel FSS based on hybrid boundary condition cavity

In this paper, we present a novel bandpass frequency selective surface (FSS) with low passband insertion loss and good frequency selectivity. Each periodic cell consists of a special cavity with hybrid perfect electric conductor (PEC) and perfect magnetic conductor (PMC) boundary conditions, which are formed by four common metallic vias and the complementary slots etched on both top and bottom surfaces. By using approximated method, the novel cavity is numerically investigated and the frequencies of the main resonant modes are obtained. It is found that a two-pole pass band with sharp roll-off can be achieved due to the proper combination of the cavity and slots. The frequency response of the proposed FSS is also demonstrated and shows its insensitivity to incident angles and polarization etc.
Predicted structure of two adenovirus tumor antigens.

Early adenovirus type 2(Ad2) mRNA sequences have been cloned by using the pBR322 plasmid as a vector. Two clones that include sequences from region E1B were identified and their DNAs were characterized by hybridization, restriction enzyme cleavage, and DNA sequence analysis. The results showed that the clones were derived from two different spliced mRNAs. By combining our results with the established DNA sequence for region E1B of the closely related adenovirus type 5[Maat, J., van Beveren, C.P. & van Ormondt, H. (1980) Gene, in press] it was possible to deduce the structure of a 13S and a 22S mRNA. The two mRNAs differ from each other by the size of their intervening sequences. If translation starts at the first AUG following the cap, the 22S mRNA encodes a Mr 67,000 polypeptide that is terminated by a UGA stop codon located immediately before the splice, whereas the 13S mRNA encodes a Mr 20,000 polypeptide that is translated in different reading frames before and after the splice. The Mr 20,000 and 67,000 polypeptides correspond in molecular weight to two proteins that invariably are precipitated from infected cell extracts by antisera from animals carrying adenovirus-induced tumors.
A framework for hierarchical clustering based indexing in search engines

Granting efficient and fast accesses to the index is a key issue for performances of Web Search Engines. In order to enhance memory utilization and favor fast query resolution, WSEs use Inverted File (IF) indexes that consist of an array of the posting lists where each posting list is associated with a term and contains the term as well as the identifiers of the documents containing the term. Since the document identifiers are stored in sorted order, they can be stored as the difference between the successive documents so as to reduce the size of the index. This paper describes a clustering algorithm that aims at partitioning the set of documents into ordered clusters so that the documents within the same cluster are similar and are being assigned the closer document identifiers. Thus the average value of the differences between the successive documents will be minimized and hence storage space would be saved. The paper further presents the extension of this clustering algorithm to be applied for the hierarchical clustering in which similar clusters are clubbed to form a mega cluster and similar mega clusters are then combined to form super cluster. Thus the paper describes the different levels of clustering which optimizes the search process by directing the search to a specific path from higher levels of clustering to the lower levels i.e. from super clusters to mega clusters, then to clusters and finally to the individual documents so that the user gets the best possible matching results in minimum possible time.
Oligodendrocytes use lactate as a source of energy and as a precursor of lipids

Lactate is an important metabolic substrate for the brain during the postnatal period and also plays a crucial role in the traffic of metabolites between astrocytes and neurons. However, to date there are no clues with regard to lactate utilization by oligodendrocytes, the myelin‐forming cells in the brain. In the present work, lactate utilization by oligodendrocytes in culture was investigated and compared with its utilization by cultured neurons, type 1 and type 2 astrocytes. Our results clearly indicate that oligodendrocytes readily use lactate both as a metabolic fuel and as a precursor to build carbon skeletons. Oligodendrocytes oxidize lactate at a higher rate than that observed for neurons and astrocytes, and their rate of lipid synthesis from lactate was at least 6‐fold higher than that found in astrocytes or neurons. The rate of glucose utilization through different pathways was also investigated. The flux of glucose through the pentose phosphate pathway and the rate of lipid synthesis were at least 2‐fold higher in oligodendrocytes than in astrocytes or neurons. These findings indicate that oligodendrocyte metabolism is designed specifically for the synthesis of lipids, presumably those of myelin. GLIA 36:321–329, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Simple Model on Mothers’ Autonomy, Health Inputs, and Child Health

Using traditional health capital model of Grossman (1972) and Wagstaff (1986a) this paper attempts to fill in the theoretical missing link between mothers’ autonomy and household consumption behavior, particularly focusing on the consumption of child health inputs. It has been shown in this analysis that working mothers’ children should be of better health status. Further independent of working status of the mother, the autonomy parameter always induces consumption of more health inputs for the children. However, when autonomy is linked with mothers’ income, the basic results of the model are further strengthened. In fact, income induced autonomy may result in redefining the composite consumption good for the family as an inferior one.