Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Receptive properties of sacral primary afferent neurons supplying the colon.

1. Conscious perception of noxious and innocuous distension of the colon as well as the reflex control of anal continence and defecation largely depend on an intact sacral primary afferent innervation. Here we have studied the functional properties of these visceral primary afferent neurons in the dorsal root S2 in 17 cats. Single fibers projecting into the pelvic nerve were identified electrically and studied with innocuous and noxious mechanical stimulation of colon and anal canal. 2. A total of 59 units responding to one of these stimuli were investigated and they could be separated into two subpopulations of afferents. Thirty-six fibers were reproducibly excited by distension of the colon, but not by mechanical stimulation of the anal canal. They were thin myelinated or unmyelinated fibers with a median conduction velocity of 3.2 m/s. The remaining 23 units had receptive fields in the mucosa of the anal canal and responded readily to an innocuous proximodistal shearing stimulus, but not to distension stimuli applied to the same area. All, but two of these afferents were thin myelinated with a median conduction velocity of 7.7 m/s, which was significantly different from the conduction velocity of afferent neurons responding to distension of the colon. 3. Units responding to distension of the colon had thresholds in the innocuous range of the intracolonic pressure. Receptors that were activated only by noxious intraluminal pressure were absent. On the basis of their response to supramaximal isotonic distension, colonic afferents could be subclassified as phasic (n = 17) or tonic (n = 19) units. Phasic afferents were only transiently excited during filling or emptying of the colon, whereas tonic afferents discharged throughout the distension. The two populations had also significantly different median conduction velocities of 8.0 (n = 16) and 1.7 (n = 15) m/s, respectively. 4. Stimulation response functions were evaluated for 12 tonic afferents. All units encoded an increase of intracolonic pressure by the intensity of their discharge frequency. Increases of intracolonic pressure produced significantly higher discharge frequencies from unmyelinated than from thin myelinated afferents. 5. In three animals the percentage of unmyelinated fibers responding to mechanical stimulation of colon and anal canal was determined. Out of 213 electrically identified unmyelinated units projecting into the pelvic nerve, only 11 (5.2%) were excited. Thus, acute innocuous and noxious mechanical stimuli of the large intestine do not appear to be the adequate stimulus for the large majority of unmyelinated pelvic afferents. 6. In conclusion, distension of the colon and mechanical stimulation of the anal canal activates distinct populations of primary afferent neurons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Visual Odometry Based on Structural Matching of Local Invariant Features Using Stereo Camera Sensor

This paper describes a novel sensor system to estimate the motion of a stereo camera. Local invariant image features are matched between pairs of frames and linked into image trajectories at video rate, providing the so-called visual odometry, i.e., motion estimates from visual input alone. Our proposal conducts two matching sessions: the first one between sets of features associated to the images of the stereo pairs and the second one between sets of features associated to consecutive frames. With respect to previously proposed approaches, the main novelty of this proposal is that both matching algorithms are conducted by means of a fast matching algorithm which combines absolute and relative feature constraints. Finding the largest-valued set of mutually consistent matches is equivalent to finding the maximum-weighted clique on a graph. The stereo matching allows to represent the scene view as a graph which emerge from the features of the accepted clique. On the other hand, the frame-to-frame matching defines a graph whose vertices are features in 3D space. The efficiency of the approach is increased by minimizing the geometric and algebraic errors to estimate the final displacement of the stereo camera between consecutive acquired frames. The proposed approach has been tested for mobile robotics navigation purposes in real environments and using different features. Experimental results demonstrate the performance of the proposal, which could be applied in both industrial and service robot fields.
Essential Role of the CBD1-CBD2 Linker in Slow Dissociation of Ca2+ from the Regulatory Two-domain Tandem of NCX1*

In NCX proteins CBD1 and CBD2 domains are connected through a short linker (3 or 4 amino acids) forming a regulatory tandem (CBD12). Only three of the six CBD12 Ca2+-binding sites contribute to NCX regulation. Two of them are located on CBD1 (Kd = ∼0.2 μm), and one is on CBD2 (Kd = ∼5 μm). Here we analyze how the intrinsic properties of individual regulatory sites are affected by linker-dependent interactions in CBD12 (AD splice variant). The three sites of CBD12 and CBD1 + CBD2 have comparable Kd values but differ dramatically in their Ca2+ dissociation kinetics. CBD12 exhibits multiphasic kinetics for the dissociation of three Ca2+ ions (kr = 280 s−1, kf = 7 s−1, and ks = 0.4 s−1), whereas the dissociation of two Ca2+ ions from CBD1 (kf = 16 s−1) and one Ca2+ ion from CBD2 (kr = 125 s−1) is monophasic. Insertion of seven alanines into the linker (CBD12–7Ala) abolishes slow dissociation of Ca2+, whereas the kinetic and equilibrium properties of three Ca2+ sites of CBD12–7Ala and CBD1 + CBD2 are similar. Therefore, the linker-dependent interactions in CBD12 decelerate the Ca2+ on/off kinetics at a specific CBD1 site by 50–80-fold, thereby representing Ca2+ “occlusion” at CBD12. Notably, the kinetic and equilibrium properties of the remaining two sites of CBD12 are “linker-independent,” so their intrinsic properties are preserved in CBD12. In conclusion, the dynamic properties of three sites are specifically modified, conserved, diversified, and integrated by the linker in CBD12, thereby generating a wide range dynamic sensor.
Hedgehog Inhibitors in Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Comparison of Four Compounds and Responsiveness of Four Cell Lines

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and is divided into two major histological subgroups, i.e., embryonal (ERMS) and alveolar RMS (ARMS). RMS can show HEDGEHOG/SMOOTHENED (HH/SMO) signaling activity and several clinical trials using HH inhibitors for therapy of RMS have been launched. We here compared the antitumoral effects of the SMO inhibitors GDC-0449, LDE225, HhA, and cyclopamine in two ERMS (RD, RUCH-2) and two ARMS (RMS-13, Rh41) cell lines. Our data show that the antitumoral effects of these SMO inhibitors are highly divers and do not necessarily correlate with inhibition of HH signaling. In addition, the responsiveness of the RMS cell lines to the drugs is highly heterogeneous. Whereas some SMO inhibitors (i.e., LDE225 and HhA) induce strong proapoptotic and antiproliferative effects in some RMS cell lines, others paradoxically induce cellular proliferation at certain concentrations (e.g., 10 μM GDC-0449 or 5 μM cyclopamine in RUCH-2 and Rh41 cells) or can increase HH signaling activity as judged by GLI1 expression (i.e., LDE225, HhA, and cyclopamine). Similarly, some drugs (e.g., HhA) inhibit PI3K/AKT signaling or induce autophagy (e.g., LDE225) in some cell lines, whereas others cannot (e.g., GDC-0449). In addition, the effects of SMO inhibitors are concentration-dependent (e.g., 1 and 10 μM GDC-0449 decrease GLI1 expression in RD cells whereas 30 μM GDC-0449 does not). Together these data show that some SMO inhibitors can induce strong antitumoral effects in some, but not all, RMS cell lines. Due to the highly heterogeneous response, we propose to conduct thorough pretesting of SMO inhibitors in patient-derived short-term RMS cultures or patient-derived xenograft mouse models before applying these drugs to RMS patients.
Distractor-response bindings in dual task scenarios

If a response is executed in reaction to a target stimulus, accompanying distractor stimuli can be integrated with and later on retrieve this response, an effect called distractor-response binding. There has been some debate as to whether S-R binding is generally influenced by attentional processes and in particular the role of attentional processes for the binding of irrelevant stimuli and responses is unclear. We therefore analyze the impact of spatial input attention while engaging central attention in an additional task. In particular, participants worked in dual task situations that induced load on central attention while the distribution of spatial attention was manipulated by varying the location of the different tasks. Distractor-response binding occurred only if both tasks were presented in the same spatial location. In contrast, binding effects within one task were prevented if spatial attention was withdrawn from the task by presenting a second task in a separate area. It is concluded that input but no central attention is required for the integration of distractor stimuli and responses. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Partial genetic deletion of neuregulin 1 and adolescent stress interact to alter NMDA receptor binding in the medial prefrontal cortex

Schizophrenia is thought to arise due to a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors during early neurodevelopment. We have recently shown that partial genetic deletion of the schizophrenia susceptibility gene neuregulin 1 (Nrg1) and adolescent stress interact to disturb sensorimotor gating, neuroendocrine activity and dendritic morphology in mice. Both stress and Nrg1 may have converging effects upon N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) which are implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, sensorimotor gating and dendritic spine plasticity. Using an identical repeated restraint stress paradigm to our previous study, here we determined NMDAR binding across various brain regions in adolescent Nrg1 heterozygous (HET) and wild-type (WT) mice using [3H] MK-801 autoradiography. Repeated restraint stress increased NMDAR binding in the ventral part of the lateral septum (LSV) and the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus irrespective of genotype. Partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 interacted with adolescent stress to promote an altered pattern of NMDAR binding in the infralimbic (IL) subregion of the medial prefrontal cortex. In the IL, whilst stress tended to increase NMDAR binding in WT mice, it decreased binding in Nrg1 HET mice. However, in the DG, stress selectively increased the expression of NMDAR binding in Nrg1 HET mice but not WT mice. These results demonstrate a Nrg1-stress interaction during adolescence on NMDAR binding in the medial prefrontal cortex.
Improved Compact Routing Scheme with Applications in Static Sensor Networks and Internet

In this paper, we investigate {a} compact routing scheme with applications in static sensor networks and Internet. More precisely, we propose a new geometric ad-hoc routing algorithm to route queries in static {geometric graphs} in which the number of transmissions for each query and the space used to store the routing information on each node in terms of the number of registers (each able to store an integer/real number) are bounded by $O(c\frac{\log D}{\log c})$ and $O(\log^3 D)$ respectively, where $c$ is the length of the shortest path between the source and the destination and $D$ is the diameter of the network. Our algorithm significantly improves the complexity of the currently best known algorithm by G\k{a}sieniec, Su, Wong and Xin in \cite{GSWX05} [J. Discrete Algorithms 5(1): 1-11 (2007)] for the scenario when $D\le \Theta(2^{\sqrt{\log n}})$ that has $O(c\log n)$ transmissions for each query and $O(\log n\log D)$ registers in each node, where $n$ is the number of nodes in the network. Moreover, our new routing algorithm also reserves extremely better scalability compared with the currently best known algorithm in \cite{GSWX05} since it does not depend on the size of the network. {Unsurprisingly, our new compact routing scheme for geometric graphs also outperforms} the currently best known algorithm for general graphs by Abraham, Gavoille, and Malkhi in \cite{AGM06} [SPAA 2006], e.g., our scheme can reduce the space requirement from $O(\log^5 n)$ per node to $O(\log^3 D)$ with the exactly same stretch factor $O(\log n)$. While our work directly applies to sensor networks, we hope that it can stimulate the future research on impact of the graph properties to the performance of compact routing schemes.
Life after GWAS: functional genomics in vascular biology.

The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of recent years have provided the first unbiased views of genes contributing to cardiovascular disorders in European and some Asian and African populations. In addition to extending these studies using techniques such as deep sequencing, the major challenge at present is to understand how the novel genes contribute to disease. The goal of this series of essays is to provide some perspective on how this might be accomplished. The essay by Seraya Maouche and Heribert Schunkert summarizes the recent findings from GWAS for atherosclerosis and discusses their functional, biological, …
Breast Cancer Susceptibility Variants and Mammographic Density Phenotypes in Norwegian Postmenopausal Women

Background: Mammographic density (MD) is one of the strongest known breast cancer risk factors. Twin studies have suggested that a large part of the variation in MD is genetically determined. We hypothesized that breast cancer susceptibility variants may affect MD, and that their effects may be modified by nongenetic factors. Methods: We assessed MD, using a computer-assisted method, on 2,348 postmenopausal Caucasian women (50–69 years) who participated in the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) in 2004 or 2006–07. We used linear regression (additive models) to determine the association between each SNP and MD, adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and study. We evaluated MD associations with 17 established breast cancer SNPs, overall, and by strata defined by non-genetic factors. Results: Two variants, 6q25.1-rs9383938 and TXNRD2-rs8141691, were statistically significantly associated with percent MD (P = 0.019 and 0.03, respectively), with the 6q25.1-rs9383938 association being consistent with the SNP effect on breast cancer risk. The effect of 6q25.1-rs3734805 on percent MD varied between parous and nulliparous women (Pinteraction = 0.02), whereas the effects of 9q31.2-rs865686 and MRPS30:FGF10-rs4415084 differed across strata of BMI (Pinteraction = 0.01 and 0.005, respectively). There was no evidence of effect modification by estrogen and progestin therapy use or alcohol consumption. Conclusion: This study provides novel evidence of shared genetic risk factors between MD and breast cancer and of possible MD genetic–environmental interactions. Impact: Although the results may be chance findings, they nevertheless highlight the need to investigate interactions with nongenetic factors in studies on the genetics of MD. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(9); 1752–63. ©2014 AACR.
State-of-the-Art Interventions for Office-Based Parental Tobacco Control

Parental tobacco use is a serious health issue for all family members. Child health care clinicians are in a unique and important position to address parental smoking because of the regular, multiple contacts with parents and the harmful health consequences to their patients. This article synthesizes the current evidence-based interventions for treatment of adults and applies them to the problem of addressing parental smoking in the context of the child health care setting. Brief interventions are effective, and complementary strategies such as quitlines will improve the chances of parental smoking cessation. Adopting the 5 A’s framework strategy (ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange) gives each parent the maximum chance of quitting. Within this framework, specific recommendations are made for child health care settings and clinicians. Ongoing research will help determine how best to implement parental smoking-cessation strategies more widely in a variety of child health care settings.
Design of a Wideband Circularly Polarized Strip-Helical Antenna With a Parasitic Patch

A wideband strip-helical antenna with a parasitic circular patch for circular polarization is designed in this paper. A strip-helix with 2.5 turns and a pitch angle of 5° is placed over a ground plane and coaxial probe-fed by a 50-Ω SMA connector. A parasitic patch is electromagnetic-coupled to the open end of the strip-helix with an extremely small distance. By combining the strip-helix with the parasitic patch, two nearby circularly polarized (CP) resonances are produced and a wide axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is obtained. The strip-helix can excite a CP resonance in axial mode, while the parasitic patch can generate another nearby one in fundamental mode. Radiation characteristics of the proposed design, including current distributions, reflection coefficient (S<sub>11</sub>), AR, and radiation patterns, are studied. Measured results shows that the proposed antenna has an impedance bandwidth (S1<sub>1</sub> ≤-10 dB) of 53%, an AR bandwidth (AR 3 dB) of 44%, and a peak gain of 9.4 dBi in its volume of 0.43λ<sub>0</sub>× 0.43<sub>λ0</sub>× 0.25<sub>λ0</sub>, where λ<sub>0</sub> is the wavelength in free space at the center operation frequency.
Corticotomy-Assisted Orthodontic Treatment: Review

Corticotomy-assisted orthodontic treatment is an established and efficient orthodontic technique that has recently been studied in a number of publications. It has gradually gained popularity as an adjunct treatment option for the orthodontic treatment of adults. It involves selective alveolar decortication in the form of decortication lines and dots performed around the teeth that are to be moved. It is done to induce a state of increased tissue turnover and a transient osteopenia, which is followed by a faster rate of orthodontic tooth movement. This technique has several advantages, including faster tooth movement, shorter treatment time, safer expansion of constricted arches, enhanced post-orthodontic treatment stability and extended envelope of tooth movement. The aim of this article is to present a comprehensive review of the literature, including historical background, contemporary clinical techniques, indications, contraindications, complications and side effects.
Staphylococcus aureus cell surface: capsule as a barrier to bacteriophage adsorption

Encapsulated Staphylococcus aureus strains M and Smith diffuse bound phage 84 and 52A much less efficiently than their unencapsulated counterparts, M variant and Smith compact. It is proposed that the capsule acts as a barrier excluding phage from interaction with their receptor (cell wall peptidoglycan and teichoic acid). Inefficient phage adsorption by encapsulated staphylococci may explain, in part, the poor phage typing of such strains.
Discovery of Genotype-to-Phenotype Associations: A Grid-enabled Scientific Workflow Setting

The heterogeneity and scale of the data generated by high throughput genotyping association studies calls for seamless access to respective distributed data sources. Toward this end the utilization of state of the art data resource man- agement and integration methodologies such as Grid and Web Services is of pa- ramount importance for the realization of efficient and secure knowledge discov- ery scenarios. In this paper we present a Grid-enabled Genotype to Phenotype scenario (GG2P) realized by a respective scientific workflow. GG2P supports seamless integration of clinico-genetic heterogeneous data sources, and the dis- covery of indicative and predictive clinico-genetic models. GG2P integrates dis- tributed (publicly available) genotyping databases (ArrayExpress) and utilizes specific data-mining techniques for feature selection - all wrapped around custom- made Web Services. GG2P was applied on a whole-genome SNP-genotyping ex- periment (breast cancer vs. normal/control phenotypes). A set of about 100 dis- criminant SNPs were induced, and classification performance was very high. The biological relevance of the findings is strongly supported by the relevant literature.
Embedded System for Network Flow Identification

This paper presents the design and implementation of an embedded system for real-time network flow identification. The system identifies data flows based on packet inspection. The main advantage of this system is that it reduces significantly the processing time required for the flow identification. For the hardware implementation, a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA device and the Xilinx embedded development kit (EDK) software are used. This embedded system represents the first step for designing a reconfigurable router with QoS (quality of service) support
Tapping Into the App

Our understanding of emerging adults is largely based on retrospective self-reports that can be limited by poor recall, current mood, and social desirability. To address these shortcomings, Larson and Csikszentmihalyi pioneered the experience sampling method (ESM) with electronic pagers and paper–pencil surveys. The increasing ubiquity of smartphone ownership allows researchers to take ESM to the next level: developing smartphone applications programmed to alert participants, collect responses, and send data directly to a database for analysis. This article suggests types of research questions relevant to emerging adults that can be pursued using ESM. We also present a case study of the development of an Android app with 68 emerging adults, including the challenges and benefits of using this technology. Despite the challenges, we encourage researchers to consider ESM as an innovative and ecologically valid method for studying within- and between-participant variability on a variety of topics relevant to emerging adults.
Interpersonal Forgiving in

Forgiving is a motivational transformation that inclines people to inhibit relationship-destructive responses and to behave constructively toward someone who has behaved destructively toward them. The authors describe a model of forgiveness based on the hypothesis that people forgive others to the extent that they experience empathy for them. Two studies investigated the empathy model of forgiveness. In Study 1, the authors developed measures of empathy and forgiveness. The authors found evidence consistent with the hypotheses that (a) the relationship between receiving an apology from and forgiving one's offender is a function of increased empathy for the offender and (b) that forgiving is uniquely related to conciliatory behavior and avoidance behavior toward the offending partner. In Study 2, the authors conducted an intervention in which empathy was manipulated to examine the empathy-forgiving more closely. Results generally supported the conceptualization of forgiving-as a motivational phenomenon and the empathy-forgiving link.