Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NMDA Receptors Mediate Neuron-to-Glia Signaling in Mouse Cortical Astrocytes

Chemical transmission between neurons and glial cells is an important element of integration in the CNS. Here, we describe currents activated by NMDA in cortical astrocytes, identified in transgenic mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein under control of the human glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter. Astrocytes were studied by whole-cell voltage clamp either in slices or after gentle nonenzymatic mechanical dissociation. Acutely isolated astrocytes showed a three-component response to glutamate. The initial rapid component was blocked by 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2,3-dioxo-benzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulfonamide (NBQX), which is an antagonist of AMPA receptors (IC50, 2 μm), and the NMDA receptor antagonist d-AP-5 blocked the later sustained component (IC50, 0.6 μm). The third component of glutamate application response was sensitive to d,l-threo-β-benzyloxyaspartate, a glutamate transporter blocker. Fast application of NMDA evoked concentration-dependent inward currents (EC50, 0.3 μm); these showed use-dependent block by (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo [a,d] cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate (MK-801). These NMDA-evoked currents were linearly dependent on membrane potential and were not affected by extracellular magnesium at concentrations up to 10 mm. Electrical stimulation of axons in layer IV–VI induced a complex inward current in astrocytes situated in the cortical layer II, part of which was sensitive to MK-801 at holding potential −80 mV and was not affected by the AMPA glutamate receptor antagonist NBQX. The fast miniature spontaneous currents were observed in cortical astrocytes in slices as well. These currents exhibited both AMPA and NMDA receptor-mediated components. We conclude that cortical astrocytes express functional NMDA receptors that are devoid of Mg2+ block, and these receptors are involved in neuronal–glial signal transmission.
Calcium Influx Alters Actin Bundle Dynamics and Retrograde Flow in Helisoma Growth Cones

The ability of calcium (Ca2+) to effect changes in growth cone motility requires remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. To understand the mechanisms involved, we evaluated the effect of elevated intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) on actin bundle dynamics, organization, and retrograde flow in the large growth cones of identified Helisoma neurons. Depolarization with 15 mm KCl (high K+) for 30 min caused a rapid and sustained increase in [Ca2+]i and resulted in longer filopodia, shorter actin ribs, and a decrease in lamellipodia width. Time-lapse microscopy revealed that increasing [Ca2+]i affected actin bundle dynamics differently at the proximal and distal ends. Filopodial lengthening resulted from assembly-driven elongation of actin bundles whereas actin rib shortening resulted from a distal shift in the location of breakage. Buckling of ribs occurred before breakage, suggesting nonuniform forces were applied to ribs before shortening. Calcium (Ca2+) influx also resulted in a decrease in density of F-actin in bundles, as determined by contrast changes in ribs imaged by differential interference contrast microscopy and fluorescent intensity changes in rhodamine-labeled ribs. The velocity of retrograde flow decreased by 50% after elevation of [Ca2+]i. However, no significant change in retrograde flow occurred when the majority of changes in actin bundles were blocked by phalloidin. This suggests that inhibition of retrograde flow resulted from Ca2+-induced changes in the actin cytoskeleton. These results implicate Ca2+ as a regulator of actin dynamics and, as such, provide a mechanism by which Ca2+ can influence growth cone motility and behavior.
Regional speci fi city of MRI contrast parameter changes in normal ageing revealed by voxel-based quanti fi cation ( VBQ )

a LREN, Département des Neurosciences Cliniques, CHUV, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland b Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany c Mind Brain Institute, Charité and Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany d Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK e Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy f MR-Research in Neurology and Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Göttingen, Germany
Growth And Characterisation Of Glycine Single Crystal *

The single crystal of Glycine is grown by slow evaporation method. Optimized geometrical structure and harmonic vibrational frequencies have been computed by the B3LYP density functional levels using 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets. The geometries and normal modes of vibration obtained from DFT method are compared with the literature values.The optical absorption and transmission spectrum are recorded in the range 190-1100nm.A detailed molecular picture of Glycine and its intermolecular interactions were obtained from NBO analysis. The paramagnetic behavior of the molecule under consideration has been investigated and the variation of paramagnetic susceptibility with temperature has been studied.
Categoriza-tion with Machine Learning : Error responsibility routing in a multi-layer hierarchy

The company Ericsson is taking steps towards embracing automating techniques and applying them to their product development cycle. Ericsson wants to apply machine learning techniques to automate the evaluation of a text categorization problem of error reports, or trouble reports (TRs). An excess of 100,000 TRs are handled annually. This thesis presents two possible solutions for solving the routing problems where one technique uses traditional classifiers (Multinomial Naive Bayes and Support Vector Machines) for deciding the route through the company hierarchy where a specific TR belongs. The other solution utilizes a Convolutional Neural Network for translating the TRs into lowdimensional word vectors, or word embeddings, in order to be able to classify what group within the company should be responsible for the handling of the TR. The traditional classifiers achieve up to 83% accuracy and the Convolutional Neural Network achieve up to 71% accuracy in the task of predicting the correct class for a specific TR.
Solution of the Ellsberg paradox by means of the principle of uncertain future

The principle of uncertain future: the probability of a future event contains an (hidden) uncertainty. The first consequence of the principle: the real values of high probabilities are lower than the preliminarily determined ones; conversely, the real values of low probabilities can be higher than the preliminarily determined ones. The first consequence provides an uniform solution of the underweighting of high and the overweighting of low probabilities, of the Allais paradox, risk aversion, loss aversion, the equity premium puzzle, the “fourfold pattern” paradox, etc. The second consequence: the present probability system of a future event is incomplete. The second consequence provides a solution of the incompleteness of systems of preferences, of ambiguity aversion, of the Ellsberg paradox, etc.
Evolution of the SpoIISABC Toxin-Antitoxin-Antitoxin System in Bacilli

Programmed cell death in bacteria is generally associated with two-component toxin-antitoxin systems. The SpoIISABC system, originally identified in Bacillus subtilis, consists of three components: a SpoIISA toxin and the SpoIISB and SpoIISC antitoxins. SpoIISA is a membrane-bound protein, while SpoIISB and SpoIISC are small cytosolic antitoxins, which are able to bind SpoIISA and neutralize its toxicity. In the presented bioinformatics analysis, a taxonomic distribution of the genes of the SpoIISABC system is investigated; their conserved regions and residues are identified; and their phylogenetic relationships are inferred. The SpoIISABC system is part of the core genome in members of the Bacillus genus of the Firmicutes phylum. Its presence in some non-bacillus species is likely the result of horizontal gene transfer. The SpoIISB and SpoIISC antitoxins originated by gene duplications, which occurred independently in the B. subtilis and B. cereus lineages. In the B. cereus lineage, the SpoIIS module is present in two different architectures.
ILR Collection 5-1974 The Indexability of Ordinal Measures of Inequality

Excerpt] The comparison of alternative patterns of family income distribution, as in most social welfare judgments, is a difficult and sometimes controversial subject. An ideal method for the design of an ordinal measurement of inequality is an axiomatic approach whereby reasonable properties are explicitly postulated for a complete pre-ordering R defined on the income distribution space Ω+, the non-negative orthant of the n-dimensional real space Sn. Commonly used axioms are those of scale irrelevance (A1), symmetry (or anonymity) (A2), and the desirability of rank-preserving equalization (A3). While A1 isolates the 'distribution' of income from the overall 'level,' A2 emphasizes a 'democratic' principle in which all families are treated alike. The third axiom A3 states that equality increases when income is transferred from a relatively rich to a relatively poor family. This set of axioms, to be discussed briefly below, will be taken as the starting point of the present paper.
Repeated measurements of cerebral blood flow in the left superior temporal gyrus reveal tonic hyperactivity in patients with auditory verbal hallucinations: a possible trait marker

Background: The left superior temporal gyrus (STG) has been suggested to play a key role in auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Eleven medicated subjects with schizophrenia and medication-resistant AVH and 19 healthy controls underwent perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with arterial spin labeling (ASL). Three additional repeated measurements were conducted in the patients. Patients underwent a treatment with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) between the first 2 measurements. The main outcome measure was the pooled cerebral blood flow (CBF), which consisted of the regional CBF measurement in the left STG and the global CBF measurement in the whole brain. Results: Regional CBF in the left STG in patients was significantly higher compared to controls (p < 0.0001) and to the global CBF in patients (p < 0.004) at baseline. Regional CBF in the left STG remained significantly increased compared to the global CBF in patients across time (p < 0.0007), and it remained increased in patients after TMS compared to the baseline CBF in controls (p < 0.0001). After TMS, PANSS (p = 0.003) and PSYRATS (p = 0.01) scores decreased significantly in patients. Conclusions: This study demonstrated tonically increased regional CBF in the left STG in patients with schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations despite a decrease in symptoms after TMS. These findings were consistent with what has previously been termed a trait marker of AVH in schizophrenia.
A Spatial Clustering Method by Means of Field Model to Organize Data

Spatial clustering is frequently used in Spatial Data Mining. Spatial clustering methods in presently available literature have obvious limitations in solving spatial clustering problems. On the basis of comparing and analyzing the capability of each spatial clustering method, a new one based on field model is put forward according to the particularity of spatial clustering (complexity in cluster shape and multi-scale-property in cluster structure), so as to solve all kinds of problems of presently spatial clustering research which organizes data with object model and represents continuous space with discrete entities, and make it be adapted to representation of complicated spatial clustering structure.
New concepts, models, and assessments of climate-wise connectivity

Empirical studies and habitat suitability modeling project significant shifts in species distributions in response to climate change. Because habitat fragmentation can impede species range shifts, wildlife corridors may have increasing importance in enhancing climate resilience for species persistence. While habitat connectivity has been studied for over four decades, the design of connectivity specifically to facilitate species movement in response to climate change is a relatively new challenge. We conducted a systematic review of 116 relevant papers from 1996–2017. Research focused on assessing the utility of habitat connectivity for climate change adaptation by species (N = 29) and modeling and mapping climate-wise connectivity for planning purposes (N = 55). Others addressed fundamental questions of connectivity related to climate adaptation (N = 31). Based on empirical data and computer simulations examining species range shifts in response to climate change at leading edges of current distributions; it is clear that large protected areas connected through linkages, and stepping stones embedded in a permeable matrix promote population persistence and facilitate range expansion. We identified 13 approaches to modeling climate-wise connectivity based on either focal species or landscape structure. When prioritizing areas for connectivity conservation, approaches include focusing on connecting areas of low climate velocity, refugia, climate analogs, or linking current to future suitable habitats. Riparian corridors should be considered in connectivity plans because of their importance as natural movement corridors, climate gradients, and refugia. Guidance is provided on selecting the best methods for connectivity design depending on the objectives, available data, and landscape context. Future research needs to evaluate the functionality of climate-wise connectivity models for facilitating range shifts and compare connectivity outcomes across modeling approaches.
Aalborg Universitet Measurable Stochastic for Brane Calculus

The main aim of this work is to give a stochastic extension of the Brane Calculus, along the lines of recent work by Cardelli and Mardare [12]. In this approach, the semantics of a process is a measure of the stochastic distribution of possible derivations. To this end, we first introduce a compositional, finitely branching labelled transition system for Brane Calculus; interestingly, the associated strong bisimulation is a congruence. Then, we give a stochastic semantics to Brane systems by defining them as Markov processes over the measurable space generated by terms up-to syntactic congruence, and where the measures are indexed by the actions of this new LTS. Finally, we provide an SOS presentation of this stochastic semantics, which is compositional and syntax-driven, and moreover the induced rate bisimilarity is a congruence.
Primordial Porous Structure of Chondrite Parent Bodies Due to Self-gravity

The porosity of an asteroid is important when studying the evolution of our solar system through small bodies and for planning mitigation strategies to avoid disasters due to asteroid impacts. Our knowledge of asteroid porosity largely relies on meteorites sampled on Earth. However, chondrites sampled on Earth are suggested to be sorted by strength. In this study, we obtained an estimate of the most porous structure of primordial “granular” chondrite parent bodies based on measurements of the compaction behavior of chondrite component analogs. We measured compaction curves of dust and dust–bead mixture samples. The dust sample consisted of various spherical and irregular particles with diameters on the order of 100–101 μm. The mixture sample consisted of dust and beads with different dust volume fractions (∼0.2–1). We used 1.5 and 4.8 μm particles as dust as a first step, although the typical size of materials in matrix may be much smaller. We approximated the compaction curve of each sample with a power-law form and calculated the porosity structure of the primordial chondrite parent bodies using the experimental results. Our results show that the primordial parent bodies are likely to have higher porosity than the chondrites. Moreover, the relatively higher volume fraction of the matrix may be one of the reasons why most meteorites with high porosity are carbonaceous chondrites.
WP 5 : Propagation , Antennas and Multi-Antenna Techniques D 5 . 1 : Channel Modeling and Characterization

This report contains results of the Work Package 5.1 “Channel modeling and characterization” for mmWave communication links at 60 GHz band. Chapter 2 gives an overview of most current mmWave experimental measurements and channel models. The scenarios and environment measurements in order to provide the necessary input data for deriving the model parameters are described in chapter 3. The mmWave channel experimental measurements results presented in chapter 4 along with the ray tracing modeling of the experimental scenarios and environments. Chapter 5 provides the new mmWave channel modeling methodology and 3D quasi-deterministic channel models for all MiWEBA scenarios. Final conclusions are given in chapter 6.
Modernization, Self-Control and Lethal Violence. The Long-Term Dynamics of European Homicide Rates in Theoretical Perspective

The present paper examines secular trends of homicide rates by means of a systematic re-analysis of all available quantitative studies on pre-modern homicide. The results confirm, first, that homicide rates have declined in Europe over several centuries. Second, the empirical evidence shows, that unequivocal decline began in the early seventeenth century. Third, the data indicate that the secular decline begins with the pioneers of the modernization process, England and Holland, and slowly encompasses further regions. These findings corroborate much of the civilizing process framework proposed by Norbert Elias. Yet, the diffusion of self-control was sustained not only by compliance to the state monopoly of power but by a variety of disciplining institutional arrangements. This includes, for example, the early expansion of schools, particularly in Northern Europe, the rise of religious reform movements, and the organization of work in manufacturing. Second, while social disciplining certainly is the central feature of the early modern period, it also served to push forward the rise of the specifically modern individualism that Durkheim sees as the cause of the decline of individual-level violence.
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars. I. A SOAR/OSIRIS Pilot Study

We report on an abundance analysis for a pilot study of seven carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, based on medium-resolution optical and near-infrared spectroscopy. The optical spectra are used to estimate [Fe/H], [C/Fe], [N/Fe], and [Ba/Fe] for our program stars. The near-infrared spectra, obtained during a limited early science run with the new SOAR 4.1 m telescope and the Ohio State Infrared Imager and Spectrograph, are used to obtain estimates of [O/Fe] and 12C/13C. The chemical abundances of CEMP stars are of importance for understanding the origin of CNO in the early Galaxy, as well as for placing constraints on the operation of the astrophysical s-process in very low metallicity asymptotic giant branch stars. This pilot study includes a few stars with previously measured [Fe/H], [C/Fe], [N/Fe], [O/Fe], 12C/13C, and [Ba/Fe], based on high-resolution optical spectra obtained with large-aperture telescopes. Our analysis demonstrates that we are able to achieve reasonably accurate determinations of these quantities for CEMP stars from moderate-resolution optical and near-infrared spectra. This opens the pathway for the study of significantly larger samples of CEMP stars in the near future. Furthermore, the ability to measure [Ba/Fe] for (at least the cooler) CEMP stars should enable one to separate stars that are likely to be associated with s-process enhancements (the CEMP-s stars) from those that do not exhibit neutron-capture enhancements (the CEMP-no stars).
The pricing model of cloud computing services

Cloud computing service providers offer computing resource as a utility and software as a service over network. Many believe that Cloud computing is making an industry-wise paradigm shift for IT use. Besides its technique issues, the business feature of Cloud computing attracts our interests. Specifically the practice of Amazon EC2 introduces an interesting pricing scheme. Amazon provides users with virtual computing instances as a combination of interruptible service (i.e., spot instance) and uninterruptible service (i.e., on-demand and reserved instance). Spot instance is charged at a per use price which is dynamically changing over time; users of spot instance face the risk of service termination on the provider's side. In this paper, we build a multiple-stage game to study users' best job submission strategy under such a mixed pricing scheme, and to analyze the potential benefits and influence of such pricing scheme. We identify user-segments that will take different job submission strategies, and show that users should reserve resource for future high-value job arrivals. We also conduct numerical investigations to demonstrate how the outcome and best strategy vary according to the external market conditions.
Visual analytics in the pharmaceutical industry

With the flood of data across all aspects of the pharmaceutical industry, information visualization is emerging as a critical component of discovery, development, and business. But it's a new class of visualizations that is having the greatest impact. Higher-level summaries that can provide a framework for understanding the immense volumes of data and that reveal unexpected relationships have come to the forefront. And, the ability to use these visualizations to cross-domains and data types provides the ability to integrate analyses and support fast, effective decisions.
Efficient Algorithms for the Consensus Decision Problem

We address the problem of determining if a discrete time switched consensus system converges for any switching sequence and that of determining if it converges for at least one switching sequence. For these two problems, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions that can be checked in singly exponential time. As a side result, we prove the existence of a polynomial time algorithm for the first problem when the system switches between only two subsystems whose corresponding graphs are undirected. The NP-hardness of this problem had been left open by Blondel and Olshevsky [V. D. Blondel and A. Olshevsky, SIAM J. Control Optim. , 52 (2014), pp. 2707--2726].
Differential regulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5‐mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase responses by protein kinase C in cultured astrocytes

The metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) exhibits a rapid loss of receptor responsiveness to prolonged or repeated agonist exposure. This receptor desensitization has been seen in a variety of native and recombinant systems, and is thought to result from receptor‐mediated, protein kinase C (PKC)‐dependent phosphorylation of the receptor, uncoupling it from the G protein in a negative feedback regulation. We have investigated the rapid PKC‐mediated desensitization of mGluR5 in cortical cultured astrocytes by measuring downstream signals from activation of mGluR5. These include activation of phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis, intracellular calcium transients, and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) phosphorylation. We present evidence that PKC plays an important role in rapid desensitization of PI hydrolysis and calcium signaling, but not in ERK2 phosphorylation. This differential regulation of mGluR5‐mediated responses suggests divergent signaling and regulatory pathways which may be important mechanisms for dynamic integration of signal cascades.