Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glutamate neurotransmission from leptin receptor cells is required for typical puberty and reproductive function in female mice

The hypothalamic ventral premammillary nucleus (PMv) is a glutamatergic nucleus essential for the metabolic control of reproduction. However, conditional deletion of leptin receptor (LepRb) in vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) expressing neurons results in virtually no reproductive deficits. In this study, we determine the role of glutamatergic signaling from leptin responsive PMv neurons on puberty and fertility. We first assessed if stimulation of PMv neurons induces LH release in fed adult females. We used the stimulatory form of designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) in LepRb-Cre mice. We collected blood sequentially before and for 1h after iv. clozapine-N-oxide injection. LH level increased in animals correctly targeted to the PMv, and LH level was correlated to the number of cFos immunoreactive neurons in the PMv. Next, females with deletion of Vglut2 in LepRb neurons (LepRΔVGlut2) showed delayed age of puberty, disrupted estrous cycles, increased GnRH concentration in the axon terminals and disrupted LH responses, suggesting impaired GnRH release. To assess if glutamate is required for PMv actions in pubertal development, we generated a Cre-induced reexpression of endogenous LepRb (LepRloxTB) with concomitant deletion of Vglut2 (Vglut2-floxed) mice. Rescue of Lepr and deletion of Vglut2 in the PMv was obtained by stereotaxic injection of an adeno-associated virus vector expressing Cre recombinase. Control LepRloxTB mice with PMv LepRb rescue showed vaginal opening, follicle maturation and became pregnant, while LepRloxTB;Vglut2flox mice showed no pubertal development. Our results indicate that glutamatergic signaling from leptin sensitive neurons regulates the reproductive axis, and that leptin action on pubertal development via PMv neurons requires Vglut2. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age of puberty and reproductive function are strongly influenced by energy balance. Leptin is the primary metabolic hormone in reproductive control, but the neural circuitry involved is not fully understood. Previous studies have suggested that GABAergic but not glutamatergic neurotransmission is required for leptin action on reproduction. However, the PMv, a nucleus essential for the metabolic control of the reproductive function, densely expresses Lepr and is essentially glutamatergic. Here we show that remote activation of leptin-responsive neurons in the PMv induces LH secretion, while deletion of glutamatergic neurotransmission in LepR (or PMv) neurons disrupts pubertal development and impairs the reproductive function in female mice. Our findings indicate that glutamate in LepR, and specifically in PMv, neurons is required for reproductive maturation and function.
A neural signature for the subjective experience of threat anticipation under uncertainty

Uncertainty about potential future threats and the associated anxious anticipation represents a key feature of anxiety. However, the neural systems that underlie the subjective experience of threat anticipation under uncertainty remain unclear. Combining a novel uncertain shock anticipation paradigm that allows precise modulation of the level of momentary anxious arousal during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with multivariate predictive modeling, we trained a brain model that accurately predicted the intensity of subjective experience of anxious arousal on the population and individual level. In a series of analyses utilizing available fMRI datasets, we further demonstrate that the signature specifically predicted anxious anticipation and was not sensitive in predicting pain, general anticipation or unspecific arousal. The signature was functionally and spatially distinguishable from representations of subjective fear or negative affect. We developed a sensitive, generalizable, and specific neuromarker for subjective anxious arousal experienced during uncertain threat anticipation that can facilitate model development and clinical translation.
Sex differences in offspring risk and resilience following 11β-hydroxylase antagonism in a rodent model of maternal immune activation

Maternal immune activation (MIA) puts offspring at greater risk for neurodevelopmental disorders associated with impaired social behavior. While it is known that immune signaling through maternal, placental, and fetal compartments contributes to these phenotypical changes, it is unknown to what extent the stress response to illness is involved and how it can be harnessed for potential interventions. To this end, on gestational day 15, pregnant rat dams were administered the bacterial mimetic lipopolysaccharide (LPS; to induce MIA) alongside metyrapone, a clinically available 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor used to treat hypercortisolism in pregnant and neonatal populations. Maternal, placental, and fetal CNS levels of corticosterone and placental 11βHSD enzymes type 1 and 2 were measured 3-hrs post treatment. Offspring social behaviors were evaluated across critical phases of development. MIA was associated with increased maternal, placental, and fetal CNS corticosterone concentrations that were diminished with metyrapone exposure. Metyrapone protected against reductions in placental 11βHSD2 in males only, suggesting that less corticosterone was inactivated in female placentas. Behaviorally, metyrapone-exposure attenuated MIA-induced social disruptions in juvenile, adolescent, and adult males, while females were unaffected or performed worse. Metyrapone-exposure reversed MIA-induced transcriptional changes in monoamine-, glutamate-, and GABA-related genes in the ventral hippocampus of adult males, but not females. Taken together, these findings illustrate that MIA-induced HPA responses act alongside the immune system to produce behavioral deficits. As a clinically available drug, the sex-specific benefits and constraints of metyrapone should be investigated further as a potential means of reducing neurodevelopmental risks due to gestational MIA.
Transport in fractured porous solids

Laboratory measurements are made of the permeability and the resistivity of sintered porous media with disordered fractures over a wide range of matrix porosity. We discuss the preparation and characterisation of the samples. Approximating the topology of a rough fracture by a single discrete fracture can introduce large errors in the prediction of the permeability. We test the validity of empirical expressions relating permeability, resistivity and porosity for fractured samples. Resistivity correlations with porosity are independent of the presence of fractures. In contrast, permeability correlations show a strong dependence. Attempts to decouple the permeability of the fractured sample as a parallel sum of matrix and fracture permeability leads to large errors. The results indicate that transport in a medium with two distinct families of pathways cannot be described by a single‐valued transport coefficient.
Precise Alterations in Hippocampal Neural Deterioration and Neural Correlates of Visual Short-Term Memory in Individuals with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Purpose Atrophy of the hippocampus is an early biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and a main contributor to the patients’ mnemonic degeneration. While previous research has mostly focused on how hippocampal atrophy impaired long-term memory performance, its relation to short-term memory impairment, which was also found among patients with AD, remains largely uninvestigated. Filling this gap, the current study examined how atrophy in the hippocampus and its subfields may have influenced visual short-term memory (VSTM) in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a common precursor of AD. Methods Fifty-eight aMCI patients and 69 healthy controls (HC) matched in age were included in the current study. VSTM was assessed using an adapted change detection task with a memory load of 2 or 4 items. Hippocampal subfields were automatically segmented in T1-weighted image using FreeSurfer and were manually inspected for errors. Volumes of the subfields were extracted and compared between aMCI and HC subjects using ANCOVA with age, gender and education as covariates. Furthermore, we also examined the partial correlation between VSTM performances and hippocampal subfield volumes with age, gender and education as covariates. Results Compared to HC subjects, aMCI subjects had lower response accuracy (ACC) and lower memory capacity under both load conditions and had longer reaction time (RT) in the 2-load condition. Left hippocampus volume was significantly smaller in aMCI and was positively correlated with ACC and capacity in HC but not in aMCI. Among the hippocampal subfields, left hippocampal tail, left molecular layer, left dentate gyrus (DG), left CA4, bilateral subiculum, bilateral presubiculum, bilateral fimbria, were significantly smaller while right hippocampal fissure was significantly widened in aMCI compared to HC. Volumes of the left subiculum, left molecular layer, left DG and left CA4 were positively correlated with ACC and capacity in HC but not in aMCI. Bilateral fimbria volume was negatively correlated with RT under the 2-load condition in HC but not in aMCI. Conclusion The results of this study suggested that hippocampal deterioration, especially in subfields related to information input and output (e.g. molecular layer, DG, subiculum), may have contributed to VSTM impairment in aMCI by disrupting hippocampal-cortical communications. This finding adds to increasing evidence of hippocampal engagement in short-term memory processes and points to VSTM impairment as a potential neuropsychological indicator for MCI and AD.
A modeling study on seismic data regularization for time‐lapse applications

Repeatability of time-lapse data is affected by differences in spatial sampling of the shot and receiver positions. For marine streamer data, repeating shot positions and accurate feather matching is one way to reduce the sampling differences and improve the repeatability. Handling the differences in spatial sampling during processing could be more cost-effective, however conventional processing methods that have been used for legacy data may not be good enough for new, dedicated, high quality time-lapse data.
SHEEPSHEAD COUNTRY: COASTAL WOODLAND SUBSISTENCE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF MACK BAYOU AND OTHER NORTHWEST FLORIDA SITES

Abstract Zooarchaeological analysis of faunal remains from the Mack Bayou site produced new data related to coastal Woodland subsistence on the northern Gulf Coast of Florida. When the Mack Bayou data are compared with data from other Woodland sites on the northern Gulf Coast, a strong pattern of estuarine and shallow coastal waters utilization is evident, with notable but fairly minor site by site variation. It is also evident from these data that sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) are a consistently important dietary component across the northern Gulf Coast, particularly on coastal sites in the Panhandle region of northwestern Florida.
Rewiring of the phosphoproteome executes two meiotic divisions

The cell cycle is ordered by a controlled network of kinases and phosphatases. To generate gametes via meiosis, two distinct and sequential chromosome segregation events occur without an intervening S phase. How canonical cell cycle controls are modified for meiosis is not well understood. Here, using highly synchronous budding yeast populations, we reveal how the global proteome and phosphoproteome changes during the meiotic divisions. While protein abundance changes are limited to key cell cycle regulators, dynamic phosphorylation changes are pervasive. Our data indicate that two waves of cyclin-dependent kinase and Polo (Cdc5Polo) kinase activity drive successive meiotic divisions. These two distinct waves of phosphorylation are ensured by the meiosis-specific Spo13Meikin protein, which rewires the phosphoproteome. Spo13Meikin binds to Cdc5Polo to promote phosphorylation of a subset of substrates in meiosis I containing a newly identified motif, which we define as the Spo13Meikin -Cdc5Polo consensus phosphorylation motif. Overall, our findings reveal that a master regulator of meiosis redirects the activity of a kinase to change the phosphorylation landscape and elicit a developmental cascade.
Chlorine activation and ozone destruction in the northern lowermost stratosphere

We report aircraft measurements from the Stratosphere-Troposphere Experiments by Aircraft Measurements (STREAM) II campaign, performed during February 1995 from Kiruna, northern Sweden, near 67 degrees N latitude. We have measured trace species, e.g., O-3, nitrogen compounds, HCl, hydrocarbons, CO, ice particles. and aerosols, to characterize the chemical conditions of the lowermost stratosphere at altitudes up to similar to 12.5 km. From the observation of anomalously high CO/C2H6 ratios, caused by enhanced C2H6 breakdown, we derive that heterogeneous chlorine activation has occurred. This has liberated a diurnal mean Cl concentration up to 1.0 x 10(4) atoms cm(-3), which efficiently destroys ozone. We also infer that much of the Cl activation has taken place on ice crystals above the tropopause. The measured crystal number densities were typical of thin cirrus. Model calculations suggest that heterogeneous chlorine conversion on ice crystals, in addition to that on liquid aerosols, may contribute significantly to ozone destruction in the middle- and high-latitude lowermost stratosphere.
Surface processes in the Venus highlands: Results from analysis of Magellan and Arecibo data

The highlands of Venus are characterized by an altitude-dependent change in radar backscatter and microwave emissivity, likely produced by surface-atmosphere weathering reactions. We analyzed Magellan and Arecibo data for these regions to study the roughness of the surface, lower radar-backscatter areas at the highest elevations, and possible causes for areas of anomalous behavior in Maxwell Montes. Arecibo data show that circular and linear radar polarization ratios rise with decreasing emissivity and increasing Fresnel reflectivity, supporting the hypothesis that surface scattering dominates the return from the highlands. The maximum values of these polarization ratios are consistent with a significant component of multiple-bounce scattering. We calibrated the Arecibo backscatter values using areas of overlap with Magellan coverage, and found that the echo at high incidence angles (up to 70°) from the highlands is lower than expected for a predominantly diffuse scattering regime. This behavior may be due to geometric effects in multiple scattering from surface rocks, but further modeling is required. Areas of lower radar backscatter above an upper critical elevation are found to be generally consistent across the equatorial highlands, with the shift in microwave properties occurring over as little as 500 m of elevation. These surfaces are not simply characterized, however, by the absence of a highly reflective component. Surface morphology and radar-scattering properties suggest that a mantling deposit forms at the highest elevations, most likely by in situ erosion of the original rock. In Ovda Regio, this process mantles or has removed surface festoon structure at the 1- to 10-m scale, implying a significant depth for the weathered layer. Similar radar-dark areas occur in Maxwell Montes but are apparently unrelated to the current topography of the region. Possible reasons for these observations include mass wasting from areas of steep slopes, compositional or age differences within the montes, vertical tectonic shifts of relict contacts, local topographic effects on surface temperature, or errors in the Magellan topography data in the rugged terrain. While there is evidence for some of these effects in the existing data, no single model at present appears to satisfy all occurrences of high-altitude, radar-dark terrain. New measurements of the surface and lower atmosphere chemistry of Venus are needed to further refine these conclusions.
Clinical-Inspired Cytological Whole Slide Image Screening with Just Slide-Level Labels

—Cytology test is effective, non-invasive, convenient, and inexpensive for clinical cancer screening. ThinPrep, a commonly used liquid-based specimen, can be scanned to generate digital whole slide images (WSIs) for cytology testing. However, WSIs classification with gi-gapixel resolutions is highly resource-intensive, posing significant challenges for automated medical image analysis. In order to circumvent this computational impasse, existing methods emphasize learning features at the cell or patch level, typically requiring labor-intensive and detailed manual annotations, such as labels at the cell or patch level. Here we propose a novel automated Label-Efficient WSI Screening method, dubbed LESS , for cytology-based diagnosis with only slide-level labels. Firstly, in order to achieve label efficiency, we suggest employing variational positive-unlabeled (VPU) learning, enhancing patch-level feature learning using WSI-level labels. Subsequently, guided by the clinical approach of scrutinizing WSIs at varying fields of view and scales, we employ a cross-attention vision transformer (CrossViT) to fuse multi-scale patch-level data and execute WSI-level classification. We validate the proposed label-efficient method on a urine cytology WSI dataset encompassing 130 samples (13,000 patches) and FNAC 2019 dataset with 212 samples (21,200 patches). The experiment shows that the proposed LESS reaches 84.79%, 85.43%, 91.79% and 78.30% on a urine cytology WSI dataset, and 96.53%, 96.37%, 99.31%, 94.95% on FNAC 2019 dataset in terms of accuracy, AUC, sensitivity and specificity. It outperforms state-of-the-art methods and realizes automatic cytology-based bladder cancer screening.
Target profile identification of step frequency MMW radar based on wavelet neural network

With the increased availability of coherent wide band radar, there has been a renewed interest in the target recognition of MMW frequency step radar. A large bandwidth gives high resolution in range which means target recognition may be possible. In this paper, by integrating wavelet with neural network, a new adaptive wavelet function neural network is proposed. An artificial neural network with wavelet as weight coefficients is developed for pattern recognition. It is inspired by wavelet transform theory and feed forward neural network. The good localization characteristics of wavelet functions in both time and frequency space allow hierarchical multi-resolution learning of input-output data mappings. The wavelet shapes are adaptively computed to minimize an energy function for a specific application of radar targets. The mathematical frame of the neural network is introduced and error back propagation algorithm is used. The procedure of using wavelet neural network for identification is described in detail. Based on the target specific information offered by the range profiles of step frequency MMW radar targets, the wavelet neural network is applied to recognition of three kinds of practical radar targets. We find that we can reliably distinguish for three targets over a range of aspect angle. Experiment results indicate that the new feature vector in low dimension is valuable for target recognition, the wavelet neural network has faster convergence speed and higher correct recognition rate and the noise resistance character is good.
Petrogenesis of UHP Eclogite from the Cuaba Gneiss, Rio San Juan Complex, Dominican Republic

Ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) conditions were established for the Cuaba Gneiss terrane, northern Dominican Republic, on the basis of phase relationships in garnet-bearing ultramafic rock, a relatively minor constituent of the terrane. Evidence for much more abundant eclogite comes in the form of two types of symplectic intergrowths involving, respectively, Pl + Cpx (Sym-I) and Pl + Ep (Sym-II), interpreted as the products of the decomposition of two types of omphacite, respectively, Omp-I and Omp-II. Sym-II (hence Omp-II) forms mantles on garnet and aggregates of epidote. Otherwise, estimated P-T conditions for the mineral assemblage Grt + Pl + Cpx + Ep + Hbl + Qtz are consistent with upper amphibolite-facies (P ~1.2 GPa, T ~750°C). Thus far, the retrograded eclogite has revealed nothing diagnostic of UHP conditions—e.g., coesite, evidence for coesite (radiating micro cracks in garnet, palisade quartz, etc.), or micro inclusions of diamond. However, by inference from the P-T history of the garnet ultramafic rock, the eclogite must have encountered conditions on the order of P ~4.2 GPa and T ~850°C (within the fields of stability for coesite and diamond), in order for the latter to have incorporated blocks of the former. Compositions for the original omphacite, Omp-I and Omp-II, were reintegrated from Sym-I and Sym-II respectively, using linear algebraic methods. Stoichiometric arguments show that much of the retrograde epidote was derived from kyanite. Omp-II formed as the result of a reaction of the form Omp-II + Coe = Omp-I + Grt + Ky, according to which the maximum estimated pressure for Omp-II is between ~2.8 GPa (~850°C) and ~4.2 GPa (~950°C), depending on the compositions of Omp-I and Omp-II. Therefore, the highest pressure mineral assemblage was Omp-I + Ky + Grt ± Coe. The conditions are consistent with previously estimated conditions for the decompression part of the P-T path for garnet-bearing ultramafic rock. Evidently, deep-subducted ocean-floor basalt (eclogite) was delivered to the surface from depths exceeding 85-125 km.
Forage Dry Matter Yield and Nutritive Value of the Natural Pasture of Umbulo Wacho Watershed, Southern Ethiopia

The biomass production and nutritive value of the natural pasture of Umbulo Wacho watershed in Southern Ethiopia were studied. The upper and medium altitudinal zones had an open area and areas closed for 2, 3 and 4 years and the lower altitude had an open area and an area closed for 2 years. In each of the open and closed areas, three sites were selected (9 in open, 21 in closed) at each of which exclusion cages (30) were fixed. The re-growths of forage samples were cut at 30 days interval from May up to November from the exclusion cages. The overall dry matter (DM, %), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), ash, calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) contents of the forages were 30.8, 83.9, 12.7, 66.7, 32.6, 4.5, 16.2, 0.6 and 0.3%, of the DM, respectively; in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD) was 72.1% and DM yield (DMY) was 71.34 g/1.21 m/30 d (0.59 tones/ha/30 d). The natural pasture (117.1 ha) produced 829.07 tones of DM/year (0.59 * 117.1*12) which can only meet 8.20% of the total DM requirement (10,107.11 tones/year) of the tropical livestock unit (4431) found in the watershed. Closing an area for long duration decreased (P < 0.01) CP, P, DMY and IVDMD, but increased ADF and ash. Advance from the rainy season towards the dry period reduced (P < 0.01) DM, DMY, CP, ADF, ash and P. With increasing altitude, DM increased (P < 0.01) but DMY, NDF and P decreased. The IVDMD was positively correlated with DMY and negatively correlated with NDF and ash (P < 0.05). The interactions among closed or open areas, sampling time and altitude were significant (P < 0.05) for most of the nutrient content and yield parameters. The forages could be cut twice (middle and end of the rainy season) when the nutrient contents are optimal. For integrated and sustainable use of forages in the watershed, further study in improvement of quality and utilization is suggested. Keywords: Forage; Dry Matter; Watershed; Natural Pasture