Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Store‐operated channels regulate intracellular calcium in mammalian rods

• Light closes cyclic nucleotide‐gated and voltage operated calcium channels in vertebrate rod photoreceptors, resulting in a decrease in the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). A protracted decrease in [Ca2+]i experienced under saturating illuminations is toxic for these cells. • Eukaryotic cells express voltage‐independent plasma membrane ion channels that protect against pathological [Ca2+]i decreases and can be activated by depletion of intracellular calcium stores. An invertebrate homologue of canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels that have been implicated in store‐operated calcium entry (SOCE) in vertebrates is expressed in photoreceptors. • We show that mouse rods express a potent SOCE mechanism that gates cation entry which subsequently modulates activation of L‐type calcium channels. Furthermore, we show what the majority of the retinal Trpc1 signal is localized to rod photoreceptors. • We found, using knockout animal models, that neither TRPC1 nor TRPC3 channels contribute to SOCE in mouse rod perikarya, or regulate light‐evoked responses in the outer segment and the synaptic terminal, suggesting that the channels are receptor operated. • We conclude that mammalian rods express two new calcium signalling mechanisms associated with SOCE and TRPC1 signalling which modulate calcium homeostasis and may protect against prolonged [Ca2+]i decreases in saturating light.
Efficient modeling of 1/f/sup /spl alpha// noise using multirate process

In order to verify the system performance of mixed-signal systems on chip (SoCs), computer-aided design (CAD) tools are required to generate 1/falpha noise that degrades the performance of most analog circuits. Current techniques for generating discrete sequences of 1/falpha noise require a large amount of computations that place an excessive burden on the computation engine and random number generators. In this paper, the authors propose a low-complexity 1/falpha noise generation scheme, which is based on a multirate filter bank. In this scheme, each branch in the filter bank processes signals in a different frequency band while allowing for arbitrary selection of alpha in each bank. The proposed approach greatly reduces computations when compared to traditional noise generation processes of using a single noise-shaping filter. Furthermore, it allows selecting different combinations of noise frequency response in different frequency bands, thus allowing calibration of noise generated in simulation to the one measured in the laboratory from test chips. A comparison of various noise generation schemes is also presented
Maternal Prenatal Anxiety and Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Associated With Timing of Delivery

Objective: The high rate of preterm births is an imposing public health issue in the United States. Past research has suggested that prenatal stress, anxiety, and elevated levels of maternal plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) are associated with preterm delivery in humans and animals. Studies to date have not examined all three variables together; that is the objective of this paper. Methods: Data from 282 pregnant women were analyzed to investigate the effect of maternal prenatal anxiety and CRH on the length of gestation. It was hypothesized that at both 18 to 20 weeks (Time 1) and 28 to 30 weeks gestation (Time 2), CRH and maternal prenatal anxiety would be negatively associated with gestational age at delivery. CRH was also expected to mediate the relationship between maternal prenatal anxiety and gestational age at delivery. Results: Findings supported the mediation hypothesis at Time 2, indicating that women with high CRH levels and high maternal prenatal anxiety at 28 to 30 weeks gestation delivered earlier than women with lower CRH levels and maternal prenatal anxiety. Women who delivered preterm had significantly higher rates of CRH at both 18 to 20 weeks gestation and 28 to 30 weeks gestation (p < .001) compared with women who delivered term. Conclusions: These findings are the first to link both psychosocial and neuroendocrine factors to birth outcomes in a prospective design. ANOVA = analysis of variance; BIPS = Behavior in Pregnancy Study; CRH = corticotropin-releasing hormone; HPA = hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; SNS = sympathetic nervous system.
A strategy for identification of Web query interfaces using supervised learning

The Deep Web is an enormous source of information constantly growing. It comprises a large amount of databases on the Web that are accessed through Web query interfaces related to different domains. The content of the Deep Web can not be reachable by traditional search engines, what makes almost impossible for common users to get access to this useful information. There are several problems related to the search for content in the Deep Web. One of them is the automatic identification of Web query interfaces, being this a mean to access the information in the Deep Web. The task of classify HTML forms contained inside Web page as Web query interface is challenging due to their enormous heterogeneity. This paper introduce a strategy that automatically identifies Web query interfaces independent of their domain. We make an adequate selection of HTML elements and use them appropriately to build characteristic vectors that are used as input of a supervised classifier to determine if a Web page contains or not a Web query interface. The experimental results show that the proposed strategy is efficient and accurate, achieving better classification results than works previously reported.
Paternalistic Economic Policies: Foundations, Implications and Critical Evaluations

Summary The article analyzes the inherent risks of paternalistic economic policies associated with the newly established economic sub-disciplines of behavioral economics, happiness economics and economic psychology. While the authors in general welcome these sub-disciplines for enriching and critically evaluating mainstream economics - especially their criticism of the Homo oeconomicus ‘heuristics’ is of great value contributing to a more realistic idea of man -, the derived implications and recommended lessons for economic policy should be received with concern and thus be subjected to a critical constitutional politico-economic review. The article also shows that the new economic sub-disciplines are not necessarily accompanied by a paternalistic style of politics; traditional, constitutional-political recommendations can also be derived from the (new) ‘normative economics’: The happiness economics approach by Frey et al., for example, not only avoids the inherent risks of a paternalistic state, it also stands (more) in the Kantian and constitutional economics traditions taking the autonomy and (citizen) sovereignty of people, human dignity and (the protection of) human rights seriously. It thus seems to be better suited for a modern version of Ordnungspolitik.
Mitochondria Express α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors to Regulate Ca2+ Accumulation and Cytochrome c Release: Study on Isolated Mitochondria

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate synaptic transmission in the muscle and autonomic ganglia and regulate transmitter release in the brain. The nAChRs composed of α7 subunits are also expressed in non-excitable cells to regulate cell survival and proliferation. Up to now, functional α7 nAChRs were found exclusively on the cell plasma membrane. Here we show that they are expressed in mitochondria and regulate early pro-apoptotic events like cytochrome c release. The binding of α7-specific antibody with mouse liver mitochondria was revealed by electron microscopy. Outer membranes of mitochondria from the wild-type and β2−/− but not α7−/− mice bound α7 nAChR-specific antibody and toxins: FITC-labeled α-cobratoxin or Alexa 555-labeled α-bungarotoxin. α7 nAChR agonists (1 µM acetylcholine, 10 µM choline or 30 nM PNU-282987) impaired intramitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation and significantly decreased cytochrome c release stimulated with either 90 µM CaCl2 or 0.5 mM H2O2. α7-specific antagonist methyllicaconitine (50 nM) did not affect Ca2+ accumulation in mitochondria but attenuated the effects of agonists on cytochrome c release. Inhibitor of voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) 4,4′-diisothio-cyano-2,2′-stilbene disulfonic acid (0.5 µM) decreased cytochrome c release stimulated with apoptogens similarly to α7 nAChR agonists, and VDAC was co-captured with the α7 nAChR from mitochondria outer membrane preparation in both direct and reverse sandwich ELISA. It is concluded that α7 nAChRs are expressed in mitochondria outer membrane to regulate the VDAC-mediated Ca2+ transport and mitochondrial permeability transition.
Selective Recognition of Bifunctional Molecules by Synthetic Polymers Prepared by Covalent Molecular Imprinting

Affinity polymeric adsorbents useful for the separation of compounds which are derivatives of phenols, heterocycles and other compounds containing two polar moieties were prepared by a covalent imprinting approach. Such separation, for example, would facilitate the analytical detection and quantification of each individual compound especially when present in complex sample matrix. The synthetic method, utilised for the preparation of the polymers, is based on co-polymerization of diacrylate esters of hydroxyphenols (catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone) with an appropriate cross-linker followed by alkaline hydrolysis of the esters and release of the corresponding phenol. The resulting swellable materials contain cavities with adjustable size and orientation of two carboxylic groups suited for the binding of molecules with appropriate size and complementary orientation of polar groups. In contrast to conventional MIPs the synthesized polymers have selectivity not only for the phenolic templates, but also for a group of compounds with suitable orientations of polar functionalities, such as aromatic nitrogen, amino or hydroxyl groups. Polymers demonstrated different affinity to ortho-, meta- and para-isomers of hydroxyphenols, hydroxypyridines and diazine heterocycles.
Screening Characteristics of Ultrasonography in Detection of Ankle Fractures

Introduction: Ankle fracture is one of the most common joint fractures. X-ray and physical examination are its main methods of diagnosis. Recently, ultrasonography (US) is considered as a simple and non-invasive method of fracture diagnosis. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of US in detection of ankle fracture in comparison to plain radiography. Methods: In this diagnostic accuracy study, which was done in emergency departments of Imam Hossein and Shohadaye Tajrish hospitals, Tehran, Iran, during 2014, 141 patients with suspected diagnosis of distal leg or ankle fracture were examined by US and radiography (gold standard), independently. Screening performance characteristics of US in detection of distal leg fractures were calculated using SPSS version 21. Results: 141 patients with the mean age of 34 ± 11.52 years (range: 15 – 50) were evaluated (75.9% male). Radiography confirmed ankle fracture in 102 (72.3%) patients. There was a significant correlation between the results of US and radiography [Agreement: 95%; kappa: 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80-0.97); P < 0.001]. The screening performance characteristics of US in detection ankle fracture were as follows: sensitivity 98.9% (95% CI: 93.5% - 99.9%), specificity 86.4% (95% CI: 71.9%-94.3%), PPV 94.1% (95% CI: 87.1% - 97.6%), NPV 97.4% (95% CI: 84.9% - 99.8%), PLR 16 (95% CI: 7.3 – 34.8), and NLR 0.02 (95% CI: 0.003 – 0.182). The area under the ROC curve of US in this regard was 95.8 (95% CI: 91.9 ± 99.7). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, we can use US as an accurate and non-invasive method with high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of malleolus fractures. However, the inherent limitations of US such as operator dependency should be considered in this regard.
Global Education: Travel and New Imaginaries for Teachers' Work

This workshop reports on Learning across Latitude - a trans-national collaborative project that joined teacher education students from Australia, Denmark and Malaysia. The project offered a unique opportunity for students to explore concepts and dialogue with their teacher education peers in three countries. Over a two week period, 116 students in 13 forums posted 365 messages into a forum space hosted by Deakin University. During week 1, students introduced themselves to each other and discussed their reasons to become teachers, qualities of a good teacher and the issues facing teaching in their country. Because many students life experiences are local in experience such a project expands notions of being a teacher in a global world. Student’s responses to qualities of a good teacher were analysed to build knowledge of global teacher identities. During week 2 students discussed what it means to be a good citizen in their country. How is citizenship as a concept explained across three countries? In the virtual discussions for Malaysian and Danish students, English was a second language. These forums opened new awareness for all students of the challenges of conversing with English as second language students. This project illustrated that the changing contexts of education and globalisation means new opportunities and challenges for teacher education at local and global levels. Implications from Learning across Latitudes suggest possibilities for teacher education to build global citizenship, and teacher identities as technology enables such possibilities.
Using Time Delay Estimation and Perfect Tracking Control to Improve Precise Positioning of the Transmission System

In this paper, the algorithm of time-delay estimation is considered to estimate unknown dynamics and to fulfill the feedback linearization framework. The design of perfect tracking control rooting on the poles-zeros cancellation is adopted to push the system's output to follow the desired trajectory. Thus, the feedforward controller with the capability of perfect tracking control in cooperation with the feedback linearization realized by time-delay estimation can improve the robustness of high-accuracy positioning performance of transmission mechanisms under model variations and unknown disturbances. The experimental results show the proposed control strategy is promising for the application of positioning mechanism in the presence of unknown plant parameters and external disturbances.
INSECT PEST MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN ALFALFA-- CHALLENGES AND QUESTIONS

Integrated pest management in alfalfa continues to be challenged by changes in the pests, alfalfa production system, environmental conditions, and other undetermined factors. Many of the underlying principles of integrated pest management (IPM) were developed from research conducted in the alfalfa system in the 1960-80’s. However, as indicated by challenges in controlling alfalfa weevil larvae in recent years, continued efforts needed to control larvae of the armyworm and cutworm complex on the summer cuttings, alfalfa stem nematode outbreaks in the last ~5 years, and finally the severe and damaging outbreaks of blue alfalfa aphid in the spring of 2013, alfalfa IPM needs to be revisited. Management of aphids in alfalfa and the aphid situation in 2013 will be reviewed.
Child Support Policy and Divorce

This paper develops a simple model of child support and divorce or separation, highlighting the specic conditions that must be true for dierences in child support payments to aect whether or not a couple decides to divorce, given a specic shock to match quality. The benet of using a model is that it provides an internally consistent framework to evaluate why parents make certain decisions, as opposed to just observing the decision. The model makes it clear that variation in child support guidelines across states should aect some marriages and not others. I examine the implications of the model, using individual-level data from the 1996 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which I combine with data on state-level child support guidelines and child support enforcement drawn from annual reports from the Oce of Child Support Enforcement. I nd that there is a signicant
Effect of Angiotensin II Synthesis Blockade on the Hypertensive Response to Chronic Reductions in Uterine Perfusion Pressure in Pregnant Rats

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the renin-angiotensin system in mediating the hypertension in response to chronic reductions in uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) in conscious chronically instrumented pregnant rats. Mean arterial pressure was significantly higher in pregnant rats with chronic RUPP (125±3.0 mm Hg, P <0.01, n=12) than in pregnant rats (100±2.3 mm Hg, n=17). Plasma renin activity in pregnant rats with chronic RUPP was 17.1±2.5 nmol angiotensin I · L−1 · h−1 compared with 21.9±3.5 nmol angiotensin I · L−1 · h−1 in pregnant rats. Chronic oral administration of a converting-enzyme inhibitor (enalapril, 250 mg/L for 6 days) decreased mean arterial pressure to a similar extent in pregnant rats with chronic RUPP (109±4.2 mm Hg, P <0.01, n=9) and in normal pregnant (81±1.8 mm Hg, P <0.01, n=9) rats. Blockade of the renin-angiotensin system, however, had no significant effect on the blood pressure response to chronic RUPP as differences were similar in control (&Dgr;25 mm Hg) and converting-enzyme inhibitor-treated (&Dgr;27 mm Hg) groups. These findings suggest that the renin-angiotensin system does not play a major role in mediating the hypertension produced by chronic RUPP in pregnant rats.
International guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia

Background HHT is an autosomal dominant disease with an estimated prevalence of at least 1/5000 which can frequently be complicated by the presence of clinically significant arteriovenous malformations in the brain, lung, gastrointestinal tract and liver. HHT is under-diagnosed and families may be unaware of the available screening and treatment, leading to unnecessary stroke and life-threatening hemorrhage in children and adults. Objective The goal of this international HHT guidelines process was to develop evidence-informed consensus guidelines regarding the diagnosis of HHT and the prevention of HHT-related complications and treatment of symptomatic disease. Methods The overall guidelines process was developed using the AGREE framework, using a systematic search strategy and literature retrieval with incorporation of expert evidence in a structured consensus process where published literature was lacking. The Guidelines Working Group included experts (clinical and genetic) from eleven countries, in all aspects of HHT, guidelines methodologists, health care workers, health care administrators, HHT clinic staff, medical trainees, patient advocacy representatives and patients with HHT. The Working Group determined clinically relevant questions during the pre-conference process. The literature search was conducted using the OVID MEDLINE database, from 1966 to October 2006. The Working Group subsequently convened at the Guidelines Conference to partake in a structured consensus process using the evidence tables generated from the systematic searches. Results The outcome of the conference was the generation of 33 recommendations for the diagnosis and management of HHT, with at least 80% agreement amongst the expert panel for 30 of the 33 recommendations.
Demo: unconventional WiFi-ZigBee communications without gateways

Nowadays, the overcrowding of ISM bands is becoming an evident limitation for the performance and widespread usage of 802.11 and 802.15. 4 technologies. In this demo, we prove that it is possible to opportunistically exploit the inter-technology interference between 802.11 and 802.15. 4 to build an unconventional low-rate communication channel and signalling protocol, devised to improve the performance of each contending technology. Differently from previous solutions, inter-technology communications do not require the deployment of a gateway with two network interfaces, but can be activated (when needed) directly between two heterogeneous nodes, e.g. a WiFi node and a ZigBee node. This capability can be very useful for coordinating channel access between WiFi and ZigBee networks, reading measurements from ZigBee sensors, or configuring ZigBee actuators (e.g. an on/off power switch) directly by using common smartphones or laptops which are only equipped with WiFi interfaces.
Long-Term Survival of Human Neural Stem Cells in the Ischemic Rat Brain upon Transient Immunosuppression

Understanding the physiology of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) in the context of cell therapy for neurodegenerative disorders is of paramount importance, yet large-scale studies are hampered by the slow-expansion rate of these cells. To overcome this issue, we previously established immortal, non-transformed, telencephalic-diencephalic hNSCs (IhNSCs) from the fetal brain. Here, we investigated the fate of these IhNSC's immediate progeny (i.e. neural progenitors; IhNSC-Ps) upon unilateral implantation into the corpus callosum or the hippocampal fissure of adult rat brain, 3 days after global ischemic injury. One month after grafting, approximately one fifth of the IhNSC-Ps had survived and migrated through the corpus callosum, into the cortex or throughout the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. By the fourth month, they had reached the ipsilateral subventricular zone, CA1-3 hippocampal layers and the controlateral hemisphere. Notably, these results could be accomplished using transient immunosuppression, i.e administering cyclosporine for 15 days following the ischemic event. Furthermore, a concomitant reduction of reactive microglia (Iba1+ cells) and of glial, GFAP+ cells was also observed in the ipsilateral hemisphere as compared to the controlateral one. IhNSC-Ps were not tumorigenic and, upon in vivo engraftment, underwent differentiation into GFAP+ astrocytes, and β-tubulinIII+ or MAP2+ neurons, which displayed GABAergic and GLUTAmatergic markers. Electron microscopy analysis pointed to the formation of mature synaptic contacts between host and donor-derived neurons, showing the full maturation of the IhNSC-P-derived neurons and their likely functional integration into the host tissue. Thus, IhNSC-Ps possess long-term survival and engraftment capacity upon transplantation into the globally injured ischemic brain, into which they can integrate and mature into neurons, even under mild, transient immunosuppressive conditions. Most notably, transplanted IhNSC-P can significantly dampen the inflammatory response in the lesioned host brain. This work further supports hNSCs as a reliable and safe source of cells for transplantation therapy in neurodegenerative disorders.