Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lead-Induced Atypical Parkinsonism in Rats: Behavioral, Electrophysiological, and Neurochemical Evidence for a Role of Noradrenaline Depletion

Background: Lead neurotoxicity is a major health problem known as a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, including the manifestation of parkinsonism-like disorder. While lead is known to preferentially accumulate in basal ganglia, the mechanisms underlying behavioral disorders remain unknown. Here, we investigated the neurophysiological and biochemical correlates of motor deficits induced by sub-chronic injections of lead. Methods: Sprague Dawely rats were exposed to sub-chronic injections of lead (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or to a single i.p. injection of 50 mg/kg N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride (DSP-4), a drug known to induce selective depletion of noradrenaline. Rats were submitted to a battery of behavioral tests, including the open field for locomotor activity and rotarod for motor coordination. Electrophysiological recordings were carried out in three major basal ganglia nuclei, the subthalamic nucleus (STN), globus pallidus (GP), and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr). At the end of experiments, post-mortem tissue level of the three monoamines (dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin) and their metabolites has been determined using HPLC. Results: Lead intoxication significantly impaired exploratory and locomotor activity as well as motor coordination. It resulted in a significant reduction in the level of noradrenaline in the cortex and dopamine and its metabolites, DOPAC, and HVA, in the striatum. The tissue level of serotonin and its metabolite 5-HIAA was not affected in the two structures. Similarly, DSP-4, which induced a selective depletion of noradrenaline, significantly decreased exploratory, and locomotor activity as well as motor coordination. L-DOPA treatment did not improve motor deficits induced by lead and DSP-4 in the two animal groups. Electrophysiological recordings showed that both lead and DSP-4 did not change the firing rate but resulted in a switch from the regular normal firing to irregular and bursty discharge patterns of STN neurons. Neither lead nor DSP-4 treatments changed the firing rate and the pattern of GP and SNr neurons. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that lead represents a risk factor for inducing parkinsonism-like deficits. As the motor deficits induced by lead were not improved by L-DOPA, we suggest that the deficits may be due to the depletion of noradrenaline and the parallel disorganization of STN neuronal activity.
Low-Complexity Implementation of Convex Optimization-Based Phase Retrieval

Phase retrieval has important applications in optical imaging, communications, and sensing. Lifting the dimensionality of the problem allows phase retrieval to be approximated as a convex optimization problem in a higher dimensional space. Convex optimization-based phase retrieval has been shown to yield high accuracy, yet its low-complexity implementation has not been explored. In this paper, we study three fundamental approaches for its low-complexity implementation: the projected gradient method, the Nesterov accelerated gradient method, and the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). We derive the corresponding estimation algorithms and evaluate their complexities. We compare their performance in the application area of direct-detection mode-division multiplexing. We demonstrate that they yield small estimation penalties (less than 0.2 dB for transmitter processing and less than 0.6 dB for receiver equalization) while yielding low computational cost, as their implementation complexities all scale quadratically in the number of unknown parameters. Among the three methods, ADMM achieves convergence after the fewest iterations and the fewest computational operations.
CD1-Restricted T Cells During Persistent Virus Infections: “Sympathy for the Devil”

Some of the clinically most important viruses persist in the human host after acute infection. In this situation, the host immune system and the viral pathogen attempt to establish an equilibrium. At best, overt disease is avoided. This attempt may fail, however, resulting in eventual loss of viral control or inadequate immune regulation. Consequently, direct virus-induced tissue damage or immunopathology may occur. The cluster of differentiation 1 (CD1) family of non-classical major histocompatibility complex class I molecules are known to present hydrophobic, primarily lipid antigens. There is ample evidence that both CD1-dependent and CD1-independent mechanisms activate CD1-restricted T cells during persistent virus infections. Sophisticated viral mechanisms subvert these immune responses and help the pathogens to avoid clearance from the host organism. CD1-restricted T cells are not only crucial for the antiviral host defense but may also contribute to tissue damage. This review highlights the two edged role of CD1-restricted T cells in persistent virus infections and summarizes the viral immune evasion mechanisms that target these fascinating immune cells.
Retrieval of Encrypted Data Using Multi Keyword Top – K Algorithm

Cloud computing is the computing technology that involves a large number of computers connected through a communication network such as internet, similar to utility computing and distributed computing. It has ability to run a program or application on many connected computers at the same time. Searchable symmetric encryption (SSE) allows retrieval of encrypted data over cloud. Basically focus on addressing data privacy issues using searchable symmetric encryption (SSE). To eliminate the leakage, two-round searchable encryption (TRSE) scheme that supports top-k multikeyword retrieval along with it propose a log file generation module. The efficiency of the system is enhanced by making retrieval of data in more secured and efficient manner. The vector space model helps to provide sufficient search accuracy, and the homomorphic encryption enables users to involve in the ranking while the majority of computing work is done on the server side by operations only on ciphertext. As a result, information leakage can be eliminated and data security is ensured. Thorough security and performance analysis show that the proposed scheme guarantees high security and practical efficiency.
Drosophila divalent metal ion transporter Malvolio is required in dopaminergic neurons for feeding decisions

Members of the natural resistance‐associated macrophage protein (NRAMP) family are evolutionarily conserved metal ion transporters that play an essential role in regulating intracellular divalent cation homeostasis in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Malvolio (Mvl), the sole NRAMP family member in insects, plays a role in food choice behaviors in Drosophila and other species. However, the specific physiological and cellular processes that require the action of Mvl for appropriate feeding decisions remain elusive. Here, we show that normal food choice requires Mvl function specifically in the dopaminergic system, and can be rescued by supplementing food with manganese. Collectively, our data indicate that the action of the Mvl transporter affects food choice behavior via the regulation of dopaminergic innervation of the mushroom bodies, a principle brain region associated with decision‐making in insects. Our studies suggest that the homeostatic regulation of the intraneuronal levels of divalent cations plays an important role in the development and function of the dopaminergic system and associated behaviors.
Apoptotic Killing and Phagocytosis of Host Cells by the Parasite Entamoeba histolytica

ABSTRACT The ability of Entamoeba histolytica to kill and phagocytose host cells correlates with parasite virulence. This study addressed the role of apoptotic cell killing and host cell phosphatidylserine exposure in the subsequent phagocytosis of Jurkat T cells by E. histolytica. Ingested host cells were apoptotic, as evidenced by the activation of caspase 3 in 88% ± 3% (mean and standard deviation [SD] of the mean) of Jurkat cells engulfed by E. histolytica; ingested cells without detectable active caspase 3 were already disrupted and partially digested. That apoptotic cell killing preceded phagocytosis was supported by the demonstration that a higher percentage of amebae ingested apoptotic cells than ingested healthy cells (62% ± 7% versus 30% ± 9%, respectively [mean and SD]) (P = 0.008). E. histolytica also ingested apoptotic Jurkat cells more rapidly than necrotic control cells (8.5% ± 0.4% versus 3.5% ± 0.7%, respectively [mean and SD]) (P < 0.001). The inhibition of amebic cytotoxicity with d-galactose (which blocks the amebic Gal/GalNAc lectin) blocked the phagocytosis of healthy cells by greater than 80%, providing further evidence that apoptosis preceded engulfment. In contrast, d-galactose blocked the phagocytosis of already apoptotic cells by only 40%, implicating an additional host ligand (besides d-galactose) in amebic engulfment of apoptotic cells. The most characteristic surface change on apoptotic cells is phosphatidylserine exposure. Consistent with a role for host cell phosphatidylserine exposure in amebic ingestion of killed cells, Jurkat cell phosphatidylserine was exposed during incubation with E. histolytica (27% ± 1% [mean and SD] specific increase at 30 min) (the P value versus the control was 0.0003). Approximately 50% more amebae ingested viable Jurkat cells expressing phosphatidylserine on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane than ingested control cells (30.3% ± 2.2% versus 19.8% ± 1.9%, respectively [mean and SD]) (P = 0.003). By analogy with phagocytic clearance during apoptosis in metazoans, amebic apoptotic host cell killing followed by phagocytosis may limit inflammation and enable amebae to evade the host immune response.
Ionic mechanisms underlying history-dependence of conduction delay in an unmyelinated axon

Axonal conduction velocity can change substantially during ongoing activity, thus modifying spike interval structures and, potentially, temporal coding. We used a biophysical model to unmask mechanisms underlying the history-dependence of conduction. The model replicates activity in the unmyelinated axon of the crustacean stomatogastric pyloric dilator neuron. At the timescale of a single burst, conduction delay has a non-monotonic relationship with instantaneous frequency, which depends on the gating rates of the fast voltage-gated Na+ current. At the slower timescale of minutes, the mean value and variability of conduction delay increase. These effects are because of hyperpolarization of the baseline membrane potential by the Na+/K+ pump, balanced by an h-current, both of which affect the gating of the Na+ current. We explore the mechanisms of history-dependence of conduction delay in axons and develop an empirical equation that accurately predicts this history-dependence, both in the model and in experimental measurements. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.25382. 001
Mixed-dimensional modeling by means of solid and higher-order multi-layered plate finite elements

Abstract Solid and higher-order plate finite elements are coupled for the analysis of composite structures by means of the Arlequin method. Plate and solid elements are derived by a unified formulation and they do not depend on the number of nodes. Higher-order and zig-zag plate elements are easily formulated regardless the approximation order along the through-the-thickness direction. Composite and sandwich plates are investigated. Multi-model solutions are assessed towards equivalent mono-model ones and commercial finite element software results. The numerical investigation shows that higher-order plate finite elements and solid ones are successfully coupled.
Preconditioned BTI on 4H-SiC: Proposal for a Nearly Delay Time-Independent Measurement Technique

When using JEDEC-like measurement patterns, MOSFETs based on 4H-SiC show amplified voltage shifts during gate bias stress compared to their silicon-based counterparts. We show that the majority of the extracted voltage shift originates from fully reversible components and strongly relies on stress-independent measurement conditions such as the reference point for the calculation of the voltage shift and timing parameters. An enhanced bias temperature instability measurement technique using device preconditioning is presented and compared to standard JEDEC-like measurement patterns developed for bias temperature instability evaluation of silicon MOSFETs. We show that preconditioned measurements allow for accurate and nearly delay and recovery time independent extraction of the permanent component within typical industrial timescales.
A New Application-Tuned Processor Architecture for High-Performance Reconfigurable Computing

One design goal of future processors is to maximize the performance per watt. However, the performance of general purpose processors can be hardly improved by barely increasing clock frequency. This paper presents an application specific reconfigurable processor architecture which is fine tuned for high performance computing. It benefits from the application specific hardware customized to significantly improve its efficiency. In comparison with the existing work on configurable processor architectures, the proposed architecture has higher functional density and lower power consumption per inch due to its runtime partial reconfiguration ability. Moreover, it can adaptively change its architecture to further promote the average performance and feasibility for other applications.
Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Dried Distillers Grain with Solubles (DDGS) and Yucca (Yucca schidigera) on Broiler Performance, Carcass Traits, Intestinal Viscosity and Marketing

This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of dried distillers’ grain with soluble (DDGS) and yucca (Yucca schidigera) on broiler performance, intestinal viscosity, carcass traits, and marketing. A total of 360, 21-d-old male broiler chickens were divided into 4 groups as 1: Control (C, corn based diet, without DDGS and yucca (Y) supplementation), 2: DDGS (30%), 3: C + Y (120 mg/kg Yucca) and 4: DDGS (30%) + Y (120 mg/kg) with 6 replicates (15 chicks x 6 replicates). The study was performed between 21 to 42 days of age. As a result, there were no significant differences among the groups in terms of body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and mortality rate (P>0.05). The carcass traits and effects of different marketing type (whole sale or cutting parts) on profit were compared. A slight decrease was determined in group 4 in terms of leg quarter ratio to cold carcass weight and carcass yield. Intestinal viscosity, bacterial counts and pH values (in duodenum and ileum) were not different among the groups (P>0.05). The lowest production cost was determined in DDGS and DDGS+Y groups (P<0.05). Consequently, the supplementation of DDGS and yucca did not improve the performance and carcass traits and the use of 30% DDGS in broiler diets provided significant reduction in production cost and the marketing of broilers as cuts much profitable than wholesale.
Preparation of Cerium Oxide Tubes with Wool Fibers as Template

Using wool fibers as template and Ce (NO3)3•6H2O, PEG and NH3·H2O as precursors, micron-scale CeO2 tubes composed of well-crystalline CeO2 nanoparticles have been synthesized. Cerium oxide was first precipitated on the wool fibers by vapor deposition method, then the fibers were removed by a two-step calcination. The obtained products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The results show that intact tubes with a diameter of 8~12μm have been successfully prepared.
Strategic Inertia , Persistent Misperception , and the American Indian Wars

This paper examines why decision makers often struggle to evaluate strategic progress, especially in armed conflict. Conventional wisdom (including prominent literatures on optimal stopping, bandit problems, and the bargaining model of war) holds that the longer decision makers go without achieving their objectives, the more pessimistic they should become about their ability to do so, and the more likely they should be to change course. This paper challenges those ideas and explains why we should often expect the very opposite. The theoretical crux of the argument is that standard models of learning and adaptation revolve around the assumption that decision makers are observing repeated processes with dynamics similar to slot machines and roulette wheels – but in war and other contexts, decision makers confront cumulative processes that have a very different logic for how rational actors should form and revise their expectations. Understanding this logic can shed light on theoretical frameworks, ongoing policy debates, and salient historical experience. The core empirical component of this paper evaluates U.S. military strategy during the American Indian Wars, where it is possible to examine commanders’ expectations against a relatively large body of objective empirical evidence, including original, event-level data spanning more than one hundred Native American tribes. The paper closes by discussing implications for understanding and combating strategic inertia in national security and decision making more generally.
NANO CRYSTALLINE ZnO THIN FILMS REINFORCED WITH MWCNT BASED BUCKYPAPERS AS NEGATIVE ELECTRODES FOR LITHIUM ION BATTERIES

In this study, magnetron sputtering technique for synthesis of ZnO–CNT nanocomposites, which consist of highly dispersed 2.90–7.47 nm ZnO nanocrystals on the surface of buckypapers produced via simple vacuum infiltration techniques by using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). As anode materials for Li-ion batteries, the nanocomposites showed high rate capability and superior cycling stability with specific capacity of 760 mAh g −1 for up to 100 cycles. The CNTs served as electron conductors and volume buffers in the nanocomposites.
Cryptanalysis of Bivium using a Boolean all solution solver

Cryptanalysis of Bivium is presented with the help of a new Boolean system solver algorithm. This algorithm uses a Boolean equation model of Bivium for a known keystream. The Boolean solver uses implicant based computation of satisfying assignments and is distinct from well known CNF-satisfiability solvers or algebraic cryptanalysis methods. The solver is also inherently parallel and returns all satisfying assignments of the system of equations in terms of implicants. Cryptanalysis of Bivium is classified in four categories of increasing strength and it is shown that the solver algorithm is able to complete the key recovery in category 2 in 48 hours by a Python code. (This benchmark is improved to 3 hours by a C++ code). Computational algorithms for formation of equations and symbolic operations are also developed afresh for handling Boolean functions and presented. Limitations of these implementations are determined with respect to Bivium model and its cryptanalysis which shall be useful for cryptanalysis of general stream ciphers.
Deliberate or unintended: Intentions modulate empathic responses to others’ economic payoffs in social interactions

ABSTRACT Previous studies examining empathy have revealed the neural substrates of how the physical pain of others is represented in the human brain. However, little is known about the empathic modulation of behavioral and neural responses to others’ economic payoffs, especially in the social context. In the present study, we engaged participants in a revised Dictator Game as observers who observe the powerless players receiving varied offers proposed by the dominant players, establishing the link between empathy and fairness perception. Results showed that unfair division schemes elicited a more pronounced FRN than fair ones only if a human agent proposed the initial offer. In addition, observers sacrificed their own payments to adjust unfair proposals, especially when a human agent proposed the offer. Thus, results of the current study demonstrated that perceived intention modulates behavioral and neural responses to others’ economic payoffs in social interactions.
Materials science of graphene: a flagship perspective

Driving the superlative properties of mechanically exfoliated graphene to real world applications requires a large effort to develop synthetic routes providing cost effective high quality materials. It can also be agreed, that when it comes to reality, one should not refer just to Graphene but ‘Graphenes’ as each synthesis method renders a material characterized by different properties. Recently, Graphene and other 2D materials scalable synthesis methods have provided improved materials at highly competitive costs. However, a long way is ahead to approach the properties of mechanically exfoliated materials. Also, as a scalable method succeeds and it is indeed upscaled for industrial production, new characterization protocols and metrics have to be devised to enable efficient on line quality control of the produced materials. Significant advances can be reported recently in the synthesis of high quality graphene although a shift towards other 2D materials research is clearly observed. An overview of the progress made by several groups in WP ‘ Materials‘ of the Graphene Flagship is given.
The influence of professional competence on the inter‐ and intra‐individual esthetic evaluation of implant‐supported crowns in the anterior maxilla

OBJECTIVES Evaluation of the influence of professional competence on esthetic predictability of implant-supported crowns in the anterior maxilla and identification of objective factors allowing predictable planning for esthetic results. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty patients with 82 implants in the esthetic zone were included in this study. Width of keratinized mucosa, biotype, recessions, and papilla index according to Jemt as well as radiological bone loss were assessed. Study casts and photographs were obtained. Each patient as well as people with different level of expertise (laypersons, students and dentists) rated the esthetic satisfaction after final restoration on a scale (1-10). Correlations between esthetic assessments and previously documented clinical parameters were tested. RESULTS The study failed to show a significant relationship between the raters' level of dental expertise and their subjective esthetic evaluation. However, patients rated themselves much more favorable than the three evaluator groups did. A comparison of the clinical parameters with the esthetic evaluation revealed significantly more favorable ratings by the lay group in the presence of a wide attached gingiva (P = 0.021) than by the other groups and by the laypersons (P = 0.002), the dentists (P = 0.003), and students (P = 0.009) in the absence of recessions. The ratio of the implant crown length to the length of the contralateral crown had a negative effect on ratings for all three groups ([laypersons P < 0.001], [students P < 0.001] and [dentists P = 0.001]). The papilla index of the mesial papilla correlated significantly with laypersons' ratings (P = 0.036). CONCLUSION Earlier investigations are confirmed. Width of keratinized mucosa is a risk factor for esthetic predictability of implant-supported crowns in the anterior maxilla in laypersons' ratings. Furthermore, there is an association between the discrepancy of lengths of implant-supported single crowns to their contralateral natural teeth and esthetic satisfaction for all expertise levels.