Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mandatory neuropeptide-steroid signaling for the preovulatory luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone discharge.

In this article I have examined various aspects of the complex spatio-temporal patterning of peptidergic signaling that lead to synchronized development of neural events for the preovulatory LHRH discharge on proestrus. Undoubtedly, the integration of these events is orchestrated by both ovarian steroids, E2 and P. Evidence accumulated in recent years has failed to affirm the perceived notion that E2 is an adequate peripheral signal for the timely, robust discharge of LHRH on proestrus. The current understanding is shaped by the thesis that the concerted central actions of E2 and P are mediated by a host of regulatory peptides produced locally in the hypothalamus, and steroids, in general, augment the production and release of both inhibitory and excitatory peptides in a timely fashion to facilitate the preovulatory LHRH discharge. Since these peptidergic pathways appear mandatory for signal transfer, considerable recent research has been devoted first to identifying the signals that selectively participate in the induction of preovulatory LHRH (LH) surge, and then to trace the route of signal transmission that ultimately leads to LHRH hypersecretion on the afternoon of proestrus (Fig. 1). The peptidergic pathways that propagate and transmit impulses for the preovulatory LHRH discharge reside in the SCN-MPN-MPOA-ARC-ME neural complex (Fig. 1). The timely initiation of these impulses is entrained to the photo-periodic input reaching the SCN by the retino-hypothalamic tract. The evidence is already in place to show that further information processing is transduced in the MPN; however, the nature of neurochemical signaling between the two sites remains to be deciphered. The available evidence favors a mandatory participation of inhibitory (EOP and NPK) and excitatory (NPY, GAL, NT, and AII) messenger molecules within the SCN-MPN-MPOA-ARC-ME complex (Fig. 1). It is possible that the relevant information from the SCN-MPN is conveyed caudally to the ARC in order to initiate a chain of events for disinhibition/excitation of the NPY-EOP network and to affect LHRH neurosecretion at the perikaryal level in the MPOA and at axon terminals in the ME. Also, either concurrently or on a time-delayed basis, the relevant information from the MPN may be relayed to the MPOA via the local peptidergic network comprised of NT, EOP, NPK, and GAL. This transmission may initially be critical for elicitation of antecedent neurosecretory events in the ME and to ultimately evoke the preovulatory LHRH surge. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Joint signaling techniques and spectral optimization for symmetric bit-rate communication over self-NEXT-dominated channels

We present a framework for maximizing the capacity of symmetric bit-rate communication services dominated by Gaussian crosstalk, in particular, digital subscriber line (DSL) services. We solve for optimal transmit power spectral densities (PSDs) that maximize the joint capacity of same-service users and yield significant gains in bit rates (or performance margins) over current schemes. Our results differ from previous work in that we develop transmit spectra in the presence of self-far-end crosstalk in addition to self-near-end crosstalk, present optimal contiguous spectra for practical modulation schemes, and derive optimal spectra under an additional frequency-domain peak-power constraint. Furthermore, by design, the optimal transmit PSDs are spectrally compatible with existing services on neighboring lines.
A Discontinuous Galerkin Time-Stepping Scheme for the Velocity Tracking Problem

The velocity tracking problem for the evolutionary Navier--Stokes equations in two dimensions is studied. The controls are of distributed type and are submitted to bound constraints. First and second order necessary and sufficient conditions are proved. A fully discrete scheme based on the discontinuous (in time) Galerkin approach, combined with conforming finite element subspaces in space, is proposed and analyzed. Provided that the time and space discretization parameters, $\tau$ and $h$, respectively, satisfy $\tau \leq Ch^2$, then $L^2$ error estimates of order $O(h)$ are proved for the difference between the locally optimal controls and their discrete approximations.
Preventing Ataxin-3 protein cleavage mitigates degeneration in a Drosophila model of SCA3

Protein cleavage is a common feature in human neurodegenerative disease. Ataxin-3 protein with an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat causes spinocerebellar ataxia type-3 (SCA3), also called Machado–Joseph disease, and is cleaved in mammalian cells, transgenic mice and SCA3 patient brain tissue. However, the pathological significance of Ataxin-3 cleavage has not been carefully examined. To gain insight into the significance of Ataxin-3 cleavage, we developed a Drosophila SL2 cell-based model as well as transgenic fly models. Our data indicate that Ataxin-3 protein cleavage is conserved in the fly and may be caspase-dependent as reported previously. Importantly, comparison of flies expressing either wild-type or caspase-site mutant proteins indicates that Ataxin-3 cleavage enhances neuronal loss in vivo. This genetic in vivo confirmation of the pathological role of Ataxin-3 cleavage indicates that therapies targeting Ataxin-3 cleavage might slow disease progression in SCA3 patients.
Internet telephony: services, technical challenges, and products

The rapid proliferation of the Internet has given rise to a strong interest in carrying telephony over the Internet. Because the Internet supports data communications, a range of other services can be bundled together with Internet telephony. The Internet, however, was designed for non-real-time data communications, and hence it poses several technical challenges that must be overcome before the Internet can be successfully used for carrying telephone services. This article discusses new services we can expect from Internet telephony, the technical challenges and solutions, and the emerging products that promise to support Internet telephony.
Formal models of familiarity and memorability in face recognition

The similarity structure of faces has long been recognized as an important mediator of face recognition. Distinctive faces have an enduring quality to them, such that they are rarely confused with other faces. At the same time, we often encounter a situation in which a particular face looks familiar, yet the individual may only bear a resemblance to several acquaintances. The veracity of these introspections has been borne out by empirical evidence, which has served to identify the information used during face recognition. Much of the research has focused on the role of typicality, which may be defined in various ways, but is often operationalized as a subjective rating of the difficulty of picking a particular face out of a crowd. Defined as such, typicality embodies the similarity structure of faces, such that typical faces will be similar to lots of other faces, while atypical faces will be very dissimilar and appear distinctive as a result.
Performance Comparison of RF CMOS Low Noise Amplifiers in 0 . 18-μ m technology scale

This paper presents the design theory of conventional single-ended LNA and differential LNA based on CMOS technology. The design concepts give an useful indication to the design trade-offs associated with NF, gain and impedance matching. Four LNA’s have been designed using technological design rules of TSMC 0.18-μm CMOS technology and this work mainly proposed for IEEE 802.11a applications. With 1.8V supply voltage, the proposed LNA’s achieve a gain higher than 19dB, a noise figure less than 4dB and impedance matching less than -10dB at 5GHz frequency. The goal of this paper is to highlight the efficient LNA architecture for achieving simultaneous gain, noise and input matching at low supply voltage. The performance of all LNA’s are analysed and compared using Agilent’s Advanced Design System Electronic Design Automation tools.
Automated Parser Construction from a Treebank by means of TBL and ILP

Considering the difficulties inherent in the manual construction of natural language parsers, we have designed and implemented our system GRIND which is capable of learning a sequence of context-dependent parsing actions from an arbitrary corpus containing labelled parse trees. Being trained and tested on corpus SUSANNE, GRIND reaches the accuracy of 96 % and the recall of 68 %.
The relative efficiency of four representative cropland conversions in reducing water erosion: evidence from long‐term plots in the Loess hilly area, China

Large areas of traditional slope cropland were recently converted to other land‐use types in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China. In this study, we selected four representative conversion options of slope croplands, i.e., pastureland rotated with cropland (cultivated with Medicago sativa L. and rotated with Triticum aestivum L.), shrubland and woodland (afforested with Hippophae rhamnoides L. and Pinus tabulaeformis), and grassland (native herbage Stipa breviflora) to study the effect of land‐use conversion by comparing with traditional cropland. Compared with slope cropland, the relative effects of different conversion options on surface runoff and soil erosion were assessed over a 14‐year measurement period. Observations showed that distinct features and consequences of vegetation succession were found among the conversion options. Plots of shrubland had the highest vegetation coverage with dense undergrowth; natural herbaceous and subshrub species gradually spread into plots of grassland resulting in higher vegetation cover. Neither bushes nor herbs colonized the plots of Pinus tabulaeformis, which resulted in a higher percentage of bare soil. Significant differences in runoff generation, sediment yield and conservation efficiencies among the selected conversion options were detected through an analyses of variance (ANOVA). Compared with cropland, total runoff and sediment decreased by 65 per cent and 95 per cent in shrubland, 41 per cent and 92·5 per cent in grassland, 18 per cent and 77 per cent in woodland, and 12 per cent and 58 per cent in pastureland, respectively. The ranking of soil and water conservation efficiencies was shrubland > grassland > woodland > pastureland > cropland. Based on the effectiveness of soil and water conservation, shrubland and grassland are highly recommended as promising options for cropland conversion projects. However, pastureland and woodland are not suggested as potential options for slope‐cropland conversion because of low soil and water conservation in the long term. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Abacavir Coadministration Does Not Interfere with the Suppressive Activity of Ribavirin in An HCV Replicon System

Background HCV is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-coinfected patients. Several observational studies have suggested that HCV response to pegylated interferon and ribavirin is lower in HIV-coinfected patients treated with abacavir. It has been postulated that abacavir could compete with ribavirin to be phosphorylated, leading to a reduction in the active form of the drug (triphosphorylated ribavirin). Here, we studied the effect of abacavir, tenofovir or lamivudine addition on the suppressive activity of ribavirin in an HCV RNA replicon system. Methods We used the human hepatoma HuH-7 cell clone 9B containing the HCV genotype 1b replicon I389/ NS3-3’. Cells were treated for 24 h with ribavirin (0, 10 and 50 μM) plus abacavir, tenofovir or lamivudine at doses of 0, 10 and 50 μM and HCV RNA production was quantified by real-time PCR in triplicate assays. Results were expressed as mean ±sd of the HCV RNA produced per cell (log10 IU/cell). Means were compared using the Student's t-test. Results Ribavirin treatment produced a dose-dependent suppression of HCV RNA production by the replicon system. Combination of ribavirin and interferon resulted in an additive antiviral activity. The addition of abacavir did not modify the suppressive activity of ribavirin on the replicon HCV RNA expression. Similar results were obtained when ribavirin was used in combination with tenofovir or lamivudine. Conclusions In a subgenomic HCV RNA replicon system, the antiviral effect of ribavirin was not modified by the addition of abacavir, tenofovir or lamivudine.
Effect of Internal Lubricating Agents of Disposable Soft Contact Lenses on Higher-Order Aberrations After Blinking

Purpose. To investigate whether the polymer composition of disposable soft contact lenses affects sequential changes in higher-order aberrations (HOAs). Methods. Fifteen subjects who wore disposable soft contact lenses with dryness-related symptoms and 15 non–contact lens wearers were enrolled in this study. Ocular HOAs were measured for 60 seconds in each subject wearing a disposable etafilcon A lens (conventional lens) or a disposable etafilcon A lens with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) (lens with PVP) after 1 hour of contact lens wear. During the measurement, subjects were forced to blink every 10 seconds. The aberration data were analyzed in the central 4-mm diameter up to the sixth-order Zernike polynomials. Total HOAs, the fluctuation index (FI), and the stability index (SI) of the total HOAs over time were compared between the two groups. The subjective ocular dryness also was scored. Results. In symptomatic wearers of disposable soft contact lenses, the total HOAs, the FI, and the SI with the lens with PVP were significantly (P=0.013, P=0.014, P=0.019, respectively) lower than with the conventional lens, whereas a significant (P=0.018) difference between the two lenses was observed only in the FI in non–contact lens wearers. Subjective ocular dryness with the lens with PVP significantly decreased compared with the conventional lens in both groups. Conclusions. Sequential measurement of HOAs may be a useful objective method to evaluate the effect of internal lubricating agents of disposable soft contact lenses on optical quality.
The transferrin receptor binding site on HFE, the class I MHC-related protein mutated in hereditary hemochromatosis.

HFE is a class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-related protein that is mutated in patients with the iron storage disease hereditary hemochromatosis. HFE binds tightly to transferrin receptor (TfR), the receptor that mediates uptake of iron-loaded transferrin. The binding affinities for TfR of HFE mutants, designed using the HFE crystal structure, were measured using biosensor assays. The results allow localization of the TfR binding site on HFE to the C-terminal portion of the alpha1 domain helix and an adjacent loop, a region distinct from the ligand binding sites on class I MHC and related proteins. A biosensor-derived pH-dependent affinity profile for the HFE-TfR interaction is discussed in terms of HFE's hypothesized role in intracellular trafficking.
Outcome of carotid artery occlusion is predicted by cerebrovascular reactivity.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of obtaining prognostic indications in patients with internal carotid occlusion on the basis of intracranial hemodynamic status, presence of previous symptoms of cerebrovascular failure, and baseline characteristics. METHODS Cerebral hemodynamics were studied with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Cerebrovascular reactivity to apnea was calculated by means of the breath-holding index (BHI) in the middle cerebral arteries. Sixty-five patients with internal carotid artery occlusion were followed-up prospectively (median, 24 months), 23 patients were asymptomatic and 42 symptomatic (20 with transient ischemic attack and 22 with stroke). RESULTS During the follow-up period, 11 symptomatic patients and 1 asymptomatic patient had another ischemic event ipsilateral to carotid occlusion. Among factors considered, only lower BHI values in the middle cerebral arteries ipsilateral to carotid occlusion and older age were significantly associated with the risk of developing symptoms (P=0.002 and P=0.003, respectively; Cox regression multivariate analysis). Based on our data, a cut point of the BHI value for distinguishing between pathological and normal cerebrovascular reactivity was determined to be 0.69. All patients except one, who developed TIA or stroke during the follow-up period, had BHI values ipsilateral to carotid occlusion of <0.69. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that impaired cerebrovascular reactivity is predictive for cerebral ischemic events in patients with carotid occlusion.
Early Plant Succession in Abandoned Pastures in Ecuador 1

We compared early plant succession in four abandoned pastures of differing age since abandonment and a nearby secondary forest site in northwestern Ecuador. Two “Open” pastures had no tree canopy covering, and two “Guava” pastures had a well‐developed canopy cover of Psidium guajava. No site had been seeded with pasture grasses. All pastures were compared in a chronological sequence; two were monitored for 18 months. Species richness was consistently higher in Guava sites than in Open sites and it continued to increase over time, whereas it remained static in Open sites. Species richness was highest in secondary forest. Recruitment of tree saplings in Guava sites was lower than in secondary forest; however, it was nearly absent in Open sites. The seed bank contained predominantly herbaceous species at all sites, and was highly dissimilar to aboveground vegetation. Dominance‐diversity curves for Guava sites showed a more equitable distribution of species that increased over time. In contrast, dominance‐diversity curves for Open sites were static and indicated dominance by a few aggressive species. Soil characteristics among sites were variable; however, a principal components analysis on soils isolated the older Open site from all others. The older Open site had the lowest species richness and was dominated by Baccharis trinervis, an aggressive shrub species. The site appears to be in a state of arrested succession and some form of restorative intervention may be necessary to initiate succession toward a forested condition. Succession in Guava sites appears headed toward secondary forest, whereas it does not in Open sites.
Substance P and Neurokinin 1 receptor - expression is affected in the ileum of mice with mutation in the W locus

The tachykinin substance P (SP) acts on the gut muscle coat via its preferred receptor, neurokinin 1 (NK1r). In the mouse ileum, NK1r‐immunoreactivity (NK1r‐IR) was detected in neurons, in the interstitial cells of Cajal at the deep muscular plexus (ICC‐DMP) and the myoid cells of the villi. SP‐IR was detected in neurons and varicose nerve fibers, which were especially numerous at the DMP and closely associated with the ICC‐DMP. In mice with a mutation in the W locus (c‐kit mutant animals), innervation is suggested to be normal although few studies have actually tested this hypothesis. Indeed, studies demonstrating ICC‐DMP integrity are lacking and whether SP‐ and NK1r‐IR are normal in these animals has not been investigated. Our aim was to perform an immunohistochemical study on the ileum of a strain of heterozygous mice with a mutation in the W locus, the We/+ mice, to test this hypothesis. SP‐IR nerve fibers were significantly more numerous than in wild type mice; NK1r‐IR was clustered on the plasma membrane and also intracytoplasmatic in the neurons, but absent in the ICC‐DMP. The richness in SP‐IR nerve fibers and the NK1r‐IR distribution in the neurons, similar to that of activated cells, might be attempts to compensate for the SP preferred receptor absence at the ICC‐DMP. In conclusion, SP content and NK1r expression are noticeably different in c‐kit mutants with respect to wild type mice, and probably causing an anomalous tachykininergic control of intestinal motility. Physiological studies on W mutant mice have to take into account that innervation in this animal model is affected by the c‐kit mutation.
On Secondary Control Approaches for Voltage Regulation in DC Microgrids

Centralized or decentralized secondary controller is commonly employed to regulate the voltage drop raised by the primary controller. However, in the case of high capacity microgrids (MGs) and long feeders with much voltage drop on the line resistances, the conventional methods may not guarantee the voltage regulation on the load busses within a suitable range. Therefore, in addition to compensate the voltage drop of the primary controller, it is necessary to regulate the voltage of critical loads. In this paper, a new voltage regulation strategy is proposed to regulate the voltage of MG by employing the average voltage of identified critical busses, which are determined by the proposed modal analysis. Numerical steady-state analysis and preliminary simulation results validate effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, experimental results are performed to demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach.
Peripheral Circadian Oscillators in Mammals: Time and Food

Peripheral cells from mammalian tissues, while perfectly capable of circadian rhythm generation, are not light sensitive and thus have to be entrained by nonphotic cues. Feeding time is the dominant zeitgeber for peripheral mammalian clocks: Daytime feeding of nocturnal laboratory rodents completely inverts the phase of circadian gene expression in many tissues, including liver, heart, kidney, and pancreas, but it has no effect on the SCN pacemaker. It is thus plausible that in intact animals, the SCN synchronizes peripheral clocks primarily through temporal feeding patterns that are imposed through behavioral restactivity cycles. In addition, body temperature rhythms, which are themselves dependent on both feeding patterns and rest-activity cycles, can sustain circadian, clock gene activity in vivo and in vitro. The SCN may also influence the phase of rhythmic gene expression in peripheral tissues through direct chemical pathways. In fact, many chemical signals induce circadian gene expression in tissue culture cells. Some of these have been shown to elicit phase shifts when injected into intact animals and are thus candidates for physiologically relevant timing cues. While the response of the SCN to light is strictly gated to respond only during the night, peripheral oscillators can be chemically phase shifted throughout the day. For example, injection of dexamethasone, a glucocorticoid receptor agonist, resets the phase of circadian liver gene expression during the entire 24-h day. Given the bewildering array of agents capable of influencing peripheral clocks, the identification of physiologically relevant agents used by the SCN to synchronize peripheral clocks will clearly be an arduous undertaking. Nevertheless, we feel that experimental systems by which this enticing problem can be tackled are now at hand.
Mesozoic overthrust tectonics in south China

Whether south China was a platform or a para-platform after the mid-Paleozoic deformation or whether the mountains of Huanan (= south China) form a Mesozoic collision-type orogen depends upon whether the ophiolite melange in the Yangtze region is Precambrian basement or was overthrust onto a foreland thrust belt during the Mesozoic. This paper presents evidence of tectonic windows under the melange and basement klippes above the melange in the Yangtze region.