Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of the Nicotinic Receptor Subtypes Expressed on Dopaminergic Terminals in the Rat Striatum

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) expressed on mesostriatal dopaminergic neurons are thought to mediate several behavioral effects of nicotine, including locomotion, habit learning, and reinforcement. Using immunoprecipitation and ligand-binding techniques, we have shown that both α6β2* and α4(nonα6)β2* nAChRs are expressed in the caudate–putamen and that only α6* nAChRs can bind α-conotoxin MII and methyllycaconitine with affinities of 1.3 and 40 nm, respectively. Further studies performed on 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned striatum led to the identification of nAChR subtypes selectively expressed on dopaminergic terminals [α4α5β2, α4α6β2(β3), and α6β2(β3)], nondopaminergic neuronal structures (α2α4β2), or both structures (α4β2). The identification of the nAChRs expressed on striatal dopaminergic terminals opens up the possibility of developing selective nAChR ligands active on dopaminergic systems and associated diseases, such as Parkinson's disease.
Cardiac image sequences: Acquisition and display

A PC compatible board, based on the special purpose 32-bit microprocessor TMS34010 G S P T M (Graphic System Processor), for cardiac image sequence acquisition has been designed. The board is one of the components of an i mage processing workstation aimed at the study of echocardiographic and angiographic image sequences over the extension of the entire cardiac cycle. In a first approach the system has been focused to texture variability analysis of echocardiographic images and to the analysis of cardiac muscle mobility by means of optical flow computation in sequences of echocardiographic images.
Economic Fluctuations and Retirement of Older Employees

This paper studies the way in which labor market fluctuations affect the transition to early retirement among older employees in Sweden via the practice of negotiated pensions. The results indicate that downturns (upturns) in aggregated industry employment increases (decreases) the probability of early retirement. The results also suggest that the replacement levels immediately after early retirement are higher during declining and expanding industry employment. The results support an interpretation that (1) the employer and employee agreed on special early retirement pensions; and (2) that these were used in order to persuade older employees to quit voluntarily, but also that they worked to reward older employees.
The Hippo kinase cascade regulates a contractile cell behavior and cell density in a close unicellular relative of animals

The genomes of close unicellular relatives of animals encode orthologs of many genes that regulate animal development. However, little is known about the function of such genes in unicellular organisms or the evolutionary process by which these genes came to function in multicellular development. The Hippo pathway, which regulates cell proliferation and tissue size in animals, is present in some of the closest unicellular relatives of animals, including the amoeboid organism Capsaspora owczarzaki. We previously showed that the Capsaspora ortholog of the Hippo pathway nuclear effector Yorkie/YAP/TAZ (coYki) regulates actin dynamics and the three-dimensional morphology of Capsaspora cell aggregates, but is dispensable for cell proliferation control (Phillips et al., 2022). However, the function of upstream Hippo pathway components, and whether and how they regulate coYki in Capsaspora, remained unknown. Here, we analyze the function of the upstream Hippo pathway kinases coHpo and coWts in Capsaspora by generating mutant lines for each gene. Loss of either kinase results in increased nuclear localization of coYki, indicating an ancient, premetazoan origin of this Hippo pathway regulatory mechanism. Strikingly, we find that loss of either kinase causes a contractile cell behavior and increased density of cell packing within Capsaspora aggregates. We further show that this increased cell density is not due to differences in proliferation, but rather actomyosin-dependent changes in the multicellular architecture of aggregates. Given its well-established role in cell density-regulated proliferation in animals, the increased density of cell packing in coHpo and coWts mutants suggests a shared and possibly ancient and conserved function of the Hippo pathway in cell density control. Together, these results implicate cytoskeletal regulation but not proliferation as an ancestral function of the Hippo pathway kinase cascade and uncover a novel role for Hippo signaling in regulating cell density in a proliferation-independent manner.
Functional specialization of cellulose synthase genes of prokaryotic origin in chordate larvaceans

Extracellular matrices play important, but poorly investigated, roles in morphogenesis. Extracellular cellulose is central to regulation of pattern formation in plants, but among metazoans only tunicates are capable of cellulose biosynthesis. Cellulose synthase (CesA) gene products are present in filter-feeding structures of all tunicates and also regulate metamorphosis in the ascidian Ciona. Ciona CesA is proposed to have been acquired by lateral gene transfer from a prokaryote. We identified two CesA genes in the sister-class larvacean Oikopleura dioica. Each has a mosaic structure of a glycoslyltransferase 2 domain upstream of a glycosyl hydrolase family 6 cellulase-like domain, a signature thus far unique to tunicates. Spatial-temporal expression analysis revealed that Od-CesA1 produces long cellulose fibrils along the larval tail, whereas Od-CesA2 is responsible for the cellulose scaffold of the post-metamorphic filter-feeding house. Knockdown of Od-CesA1 inhibited cellulose production in the extracellular matrix of the larval tail. Notochord cells either failed to align or were misaligned, the tail did not elongate properly and tailbud embryos also exhibited a failure to hatch. Knockdown of Od-CesA2 did not elicit any of these phenotypes and instead caused a mild delay in pre-house formation. Phylogenetic analyses including Od-CesAs indicate that a single lateral gene transfer event from a prokaryote at the base of the lineage conferred biosynthetic capacity in all tunicates. Ascidians possess one CesA gene, whereas duplicated larvacean genes have evolved distinct temporal and functional specializations. Extracellular cellulose microfibrils produced by the pre-metamorphic Od-CesA1 duplicate have a role in notochord and tail morphogenesis.
Vitelline membrane outer layer 1 homolog interacts with lysozyme C and promotes the stabilization of tear film.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to explore the possible interactions between vitelline membrane outer layer 1 homolog (VMO1) and other tear proteins and to determine the function of VMO1 in tear fluid. METHODS Interactions between recombinant human VMO1 and several abundant tear proteins were determined by dot blot, His pull-down, immunoprecipitation, and Western blot assays, as well as by computer-assisted prediction and modeling of molecular interactions. Kirby-Bauer antibiotic testing was performed to determine whether VMO1 possesses antimicrobial activity. Tear samples were collected from dry eye patients and from healthy controls. The role of VMO1 in maintaining the stability of tear film was investigated by measurement of contact angles on Teflon, tear break-up time (TBUT) and the time-dependent reduction in tear film integrity in mice. RESULTS Vitelline membrane outer layer 1 homolog showed an interaction with lysozyme C (LYSC) in the dot-blot, His pull-down, and immunoprecipitation assays. Vitelline membrane outer layer 1 homolog revealed no zones of growth inhibition of standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Tears presented smaller contact angles on Teflon surfaces after the addition of VMO1 (P<0.05). Vitelline membrane outer layer 1 homolog-treated mice showed longer TBUTs (P<0.05). Tear films from VMO1-treated mice maintained their integrity for longer periods of time than tear films from the control group, and this effect was dose-dependent. CONCLUSIONS Vitelline membrane outer layer 1 homolog interacts with LYSC and has positive effects on the stabilization of tear film.
Olfactory information processing viewed through mitral and tufted cell-specific channels

Parallel processing is a fundamental strategy of sensory coding. Through this processing, unique and distinct features of sensations are computed and projected to the central targets. This review proposes that mitral and tufted cells, which are the second-order projection neurons in the olfactory bulb, contribute to parallel processing within the olfactory system. Based on anatomical and functional evidence, I discuss potential features that could be conveyed through the unique channel formed by these neurons.
Associations between pregnancy loss and common mental disorders in women: a large prospective cohort study

Background Increasing evidence suggests that pregnancy loss can lead to negative emotional outcomes, such as anxiety and depression, for women. However, limited knowledge exists regarding the long-term risk of mental disorders among individuals who have experienced pregnancy loss. Objective To investigate the associations between pregnancy loss and the risk of common mental disorders. Methods In the UK Biobank, a total of 218,990 women without any mental disorder at baseline were enrolled between 2006 and 2010 and followed until October 2022. Information on the history of pregnancy loss was obtained through self-reported questionnaires at baseline. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between pregnancy loss and common mental disorders. Results During a median follow-up time of 13.36 years, there were 26,930 incident cases of common mental disorders. Incidence rates of common mental disorders were elevated among women with a history of stillbirth (HR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.07–1.23), miscarriage (HR 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02–1.10), or pregnancy termination (HR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.17–1.25) compared to those without such experiences. Furthermore, the risk of common mental disorders significantly increased in women with two or more miscarriages (HR 1.14, 95% CI: 1.08–1.19) or two or more pregnancy terminations (HR 1.39, 95% CI: 1.30–1.48). Conclusions Pregnancy loss is associated with an increased risk of common mental disorders in women later in life. These findings may contribute to the enhancement of long-term monitoring and prevention of common mental disorders for women with such a history.
Unusual Metastatic Patterns of Wilms Tumor: A Case Series

Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal malignancy of childhood. The common metastatic sites are the lungs, liver, and lymph nodes, with brain and bone metastases occurring rarely. Metastatic disease can be present at initial diagnosis or may occur with relapse or disease progression. The majority of relapses in WT occur within the first two years post-treatment. Late relapses are rare. This article describes four cases of WT, each demonstrating an unusual site or timing of metastases. Case 1 presented primarily with jaw metastases, Case 2 presented with bone (vertebrae) and spinal metastases manifesting as paraplegia, at relapse one year after completion of treatment, Case 3 presented with isolated liver metastases four years after treatment completion, and Case 4 presented with brain metastases after six weeks of treatment abandonment. This case series demonstrates the varied pattern of metastases of WT and highlights the need for a high index of suspicion for WT among patients who present with unusual sites of tumor or for metastasis in those who present with neurologic symptoms during or after treatment.
Nod2 is required for the regulation of commensal microbiota in the intestine

Mutations in the Nod2 gene are among the strongest genetic risk factors in the pathogenesis of ileal Crohn's disease, but the exact contributions of Nod2 to intestinal mucosal homeostasis are not understood. Here we show that Nod2 plays an essential role in controlling commensal bacterial flora in the intestine. Analysis of intestinal bacteria from the terminal ilea of Nod2-deficient mice showed that they harbor an increased load of commensal resident bacteria. Furthermore, Nod2-deficient mice had a diminished ability to prevent intestinal colonization of pathogenic bacteria. In vitro, intestinal crypts isolated from terminal ilea of Nod2-deficient mice were unable to kill bacteria effectively, suggesting an important role of Nod2 signaling in crypt function. Interestingly, the expression of Nod2 is dependent on the presence of commensal bacteria, because mice re-derived into germ-free conditions expressed significantly less Nod2 in their terminal ilea, and complementation of commensal bacteria into germ-free mice induced Nod2 expression. Therefore, Nod2 and intestinal commensal bacterial flora maintain a balance by regulating each other through a feedback mechanism. Dysfunction of Nod2 results in a break-down of this homeostasis.
On the Decisional Complexity of Problems Over the Reals

We consider the role of randomness for the decisional complexity in algebraic decision (or computation) trees, i.e., the number of comparisons ignoring all other computation. Recently Ting and Yao showed that the problem of finding the maximum of n elements has decisional complexity O(log2n) (1994, Inform. Process. Lett., 49, 39? 43). In contrast, Rabin showed in 1972 an ? (n) bound for the deterministic case (1972, J. Comput. System Sci., 6, 639? 650). We point out that their technique is applicable to several problems for which corresponding ? (n) lower bounds hold. We show that in general the randomized decisional complexity is logarithmic in the size of the decision tree. We then turn to the question of the number of random bits needed to obtain the Ting and Yao result. We provide a deterministic O(k log n) algorithm for finding the elements which are larger than a given element, given a bound k on the number of these elements. We use this algorithm to obtain an O(log2n) random bits and O(log2n) queries algorithm for finding the maximum.
An evaluation of randomized machine learning methods for redundant data: Predicting short and medium-term suicide risk from administrative records and risk assessments

Accurate prediction of suicide risk in mental health patients remains an open problem. Existing methods including clinician judgments have acceptable sensitivity, but yield many false positives. Exploiting administrative data has a great potential, but the data has high dimensionality and redundancies in the recording processes. We investigate the efficacy of three most effective randomized machine learning techniques random forests, gradient boosting machines, and deep neural nets with dropout in predicting suicide risk. Using a cohort of mental health patients from a regional Australian hospital, we compare the predictive performance with popular traditional approaches clinician judgments based on a checklist, sparse logistic regression and decision trees. The randomized methods demonstrated robustness against data redundancies and superior predictive performance on AUC and F-measure.
Grain yield and interspecific competition in an oat-common vetch intercropping system at varying sowing density

Introduction Oat (Avena nuda L.) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) intercropping in the northern regions of China has resulted in substantial production capabilities. However, there is currently a dearth of comprehensive research on whether this intercropping system can enhance productivity through increased sowing densities and underlying interspecies interaction mechanisms. Methods A two-year field experiment was conducted in 2022 and 2023 to investigate the yield, biological efficiency, economic efficiency, and competition indicators of oats and common vetch in a high-density intercropping system. Two cropping patterns (monocropping and intercropping) and five sowing densities (D1: 4.5×106 plants ha-1; D2:5.4×106 plants ha-1; D3:6.3×106 plants ha-1; D4: 7.2×106 plants ha-1; and D5: 8.1×106 plants ha-1) were arranged in a randomized block design. Results At the same sowing density, the intercropped oats exhibited greater grain yield than the monocultures. Increasing the oat sowing density significantly enhanced oat yield, with the D3 level in intercropping showing the highest yield increase, ranging from 30.98% to 31.85%, compared with the monoculture. The common vetch intercropping grain yield was maximized in the D2 treatment. The land equivalent ratio was maximized at the D2 level in both years and was significantly higher than D1, with the land equivalent coefficient, system productivity index, and percentage yield difference suggesting that increasing oat sowing densities improved the productivity of the intercropping system, with the best performance observed at the D2 level. For both years, the proportionate actual yield loss of oat was the highest at the D3 level; significantly surpassing D1, proportionate actual yield loss of common vetch and actual yield loss were the highest at level D2, both significantly surpassing D1. These indicates that appropriate densification contributes to the realization of the advantages of intercropping. With an increased oat sowing density, the economic benefits of the intercropping system were maximized at the D2 and D3 levels. Regarding intercropping competition, oat was the dominant crop under different sowing densities (Aggressivity for oat (AO)>0, relative crowding coefficient for oat (KO)>1, competition ratio for oat (CRO)>1), whereas common vetch was the inferior crop. Compared with the D1 level, the D2 level harmonized the aggressivity, competitive ratio, and relative crowding coefficients of oat and common vetch, significantly increasing crowding coefficient for common vetch (KV) and competition ratio for common vetch by 19.76% to 21.94% and 4.80% to 7.51%, respectively, while reducing KO and CRO. Discussion This result suggests that in the intercropping of common vetch and oat in alpine regions, rational densification can harmonize interspecific competition and thus improve the biological efficiency and economic benefits of intercropping systems.
Genetic database development for the characterisation of Sicilian sheep population

The most representative sheep in Sicily are Belicina, Comisana, Pinzirita, Barbaresca and the crossbred derived sheep from all this species. In this study, the allelic frequencies of the Sicilian sheep population were investigated. It currently represents the best way to determine the genetic identity and/or family even with limited amounts of sample or when the DNA is degraded. The aim of the study was to provide a reference data bank and to evaluate a microsatellite panel for pedigree analysis as suggested by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG). There are various studies on European sheep, but few datasets were developed on the population of Sicilian sheep. The reference database will include allele frequencies at each locus and will determine genetic parameters for Sicilian ovine species selection. Our results indicated that Hardy Weinberg equilibrium was not always maintained. These results could be explained by a non-random mating. The database is useful to investigate the relationship, the parentage the meat traceability and in disease control programs. The standardized panels of allele frequencies represent a molecular fingerprinting characterizing the subjects with very high definition level and can be useful to control all the livestock. The parentage identification could be important for the veterinary police to investigate the theft or the animal substitutions in the Sicilian farms.
Generalized Lempel–Ziv Compression for Audio

We introduce a novel compression paradigm to generalize a class of Lempel-Ziv algorithms for lossy compression of multimedia. Based upon the fact that music, in particular electronically generated sound, has substantial level of repetitiveness within a single clip, we generalize the basic Lempel-Ziv compression algorithm to support representing a single window of audio using a linear combination of filtered past windows. In this positioning paper, we present a detailed overview of the new lossy compression paradigm, we identify the basic challenges such as similarity search and present preliminary experimental results on a benchmark of electronically generated musical pieces
Factors influencing public participation behavior relating to government microblogs on COVID-19 updates

Introduction During the global COVID-19 pandemic, densely populated megacities engaged in active international exchanges have faced the most severe impacts from both the disease and the associated infodemic. This study examines the factors influencing public participation behavior on government microblogs in these megacities during the pandemic. It guides megacities in disseminating epidemic information, promoting knowledge on epidemic prevention, managing public opinion, and addressing related matters. Methods Utilizing the elaboration likelihood model’s central and peripheral routes, drawing on an empirical analysis of 6,677 epidemic-related microblogs from seven Chinese megacities, this study analyses the influence mechanisms influencing public participation behavior and reveals the regulatory role of confirmed case numbers. Meanwhile,a qualitative comparative analysis examines and discusses diferent confgurations of ixn fuential factors. Results The study reveals that microblog content richness demonstrates a U-shaped impact on public participation behavior. Conversely, content interaction, content length, and the number of fans positively impact participation, while update frequency has a negative impact. Additionally, the number of new confrmed cases positively regulates the impact of microblog content and publisher characteristics on public participation behavior. Public participation behavior also varies based on publishing time and content semantic features. This study further revealed the different confgurations of influential factors by QCA method. Conclusion This study reveals the impact mechanism of the microblog content and publisher characteristics on public participation behavior. It also demonstrates the regulatory role of newly confrmed cases in the way content and publishers’ characteristics influence public participation behavior. This study is of great significance for the operation of government microblogs, the release of emergency information, and the promotion of public participation.