Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Organization and Visual Processing in the Anterior Optic Tubercle of the Honeybee Brain

The honeybee Apis mellifera represents a valuable model for studying the neural segregation and integration of visual information. Vision in honeybees has been extensively studied at the behavioral level and, to a lesser degree, at the physiological level using intracellular electrophysiological recordings of single neurons. However, our knowledge of visual processing in honeybees is still limited by the lack of functional studies of visual processing at the circuit level. Here we contribute to filling this gap by providing a neuroanatomical and neurophysiological characterization at the circuit level of a practically unstudied visual area of the bee brain, the anterior optic tubercle (AOTu). First, we analyzed the internal organization and neuronal connections of the AOTu. Second, we established a novel protocol for performing optophysiological recordings of visual circuit activity in the honeybee brain and studied the responses of AOTu interneurons during stimulation of distinct eye regions. Our neuroanatomical data show an intricate compartmentalization and connectivity of the AOTu, revealing a dorsoventral segregation of the visual input to the AOTu. Light stimuli presented in different parts of the visual field (dorsal, lateral, or ventral) induce distinct patterns of activation in AOTu output interneurons, retaining to some extent the dorsoventral input segregation revealed by our neuroanatomical data. In particular, activity patterns evoked by dorsal and ventral eye stimulation are clearly segregated into distinct AOTu subunits. Our results therefore suggest an involvement of the AOTu in the processing of dorsoventrally segregated visual information in the honeybee brain.
The demonstration of the lymph pathways in the haemolymph nodes of cattle, and their relationship to the lymphatic system.

Improvements in the morphological demonstration of the lymph vessels in bovine haemolymph nodes were achieved with the help of vital dyes (patent blue violet and Japanese ink) and by the lympho­ kinetic effect of a drug. In this way evidence was produced of the relationships between the haemo­ lymph nodes and the lymphatic system via afferent and efferent lymph vessels.
A new theory of human accommodation: cilio-zonular compression of the lens equator.

A NEW MECHANISM OF HUMAN ACCOMMODATION, PREVIOUSLY UNDESCRIBED, is proposed. Hermann Ludwig von Helmholtz,' who described the most widely accepted theory, said in 1866, "There is no other subject in physiological optics about which so many antagonistic opinions have been entertained as concerning the accommodation of the eye. " Unfortunately, the known theories on the mechanism of accommodation do not satisfactorily explain all observations. The theoiy proposed here is based on comparative vertebrate anatomy, re-evaluation of previous studies, evaluation of zonular forces, clinical observations, and a mechanical model of human accommodation. Because it describes the anatomic actions involved, this mechanism is called the "cilio-zonular compression" theory. Unlike existing theories, this theory presumes that the zonular fibers can do more than simply suspend or exert a pulling force on the lens. Indeed, the very basis is that the zonular fibers, driven by the contractual power of the ciliary body, actually transmit the force toward the lens equator, which, being compressed, increases the lens anterior-posterior diameter and makes the anterior and posterior lens surfaces more convex. In physiologic effect, the lens is pushed or squeezed by the forces transmitted through the zonular fibers.
Surface-Plasmon Enhanced Near-Bandgap Light Absorption in Silicon Photovoltaics

One key challenge for silicon-based solar cells is the weak absorption of long-wavelength photons near the bandgap (1.1eV) due to the indirect bandgap of silicon. A large fraction of the AM 1.5 solar spectrum falls into a regime (0.7 μm – 1.1 μm) where silicon does not absorb light well. The capture of these long-wavelength photons imposes a particular problem to the thin-film silicon solar cells. For this reason, thin-film silicon solar cells often incorporate some forms of light trapping mechanisms.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Comparative Analysis and Immunological Characterization of the Borrelia Bdr Protein Family

ABSTRACT Multiple circular and linear plasmids of Lyme disease and relapsing fever Borrelia spirochetes carry genes for members of the Bdr (Borrelia direct repeat) protein family. To define their common and divergent attributes, we first comprehensively compared the known homologs. Bdr proteins with predicted sizes ranging from 10.7 to 30.6 kDa formed five homology groups, based on variable numbers of short direct repeats in a central domain and diverse N- and C-terminal domains. In a further characterization, Western blots were probed with rabbit antisera raised against either of two purified recombinant Bdr proteins from Borrelia burgdorferi B31. The results showed that antibodies cross-react and several Bdr paralogs 19.5 to 30.5 kDa in size are expressed by cultured strain B31 in a temperature-independent manner. In situ proteolysis, immunofluorescence, and growth inhibition assays indicated that Bdr proteins are not surface exposed. Distinct patterns of cross-reacting proteins of 17.5 to 33 kDa were also detected in other B. burgdorferi, Borrelia garinii, and Borrelia afzelii strains as well as in relapsing fever spirochetesBorrelia hermsii and Borrelia turicatae. Last, we examined whether these proteins are antibody targets during Lyme disease. Analysis of 47 Lyme disease patient sera by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays showed that 24 (51%) and 20 (43%), respectively, had detectable antibodies to one or more of the Bdr proteins. Together, these data indicate that Bdr proteins constitute a family of cross-reactive Borrelia proteins which are expressed in the course of Lyme disease and in vitro.
Eocene habitat shift from saline to freshwater promoted Tethyan amphipod diversification

Current theory predicts that a shift to a new habitat would increase the rate of diversification, while as lineages evolve into multiple species, intensified competition would decrease the rate of diversification. We used Holarctic amphipods of the genus Gammarus to test this hypothesis. We sequenced four genes (5,088 bp) for 289 samples representing 115 Gammarus species. A phylogenetic analysis showed that Gammarus originated from the Tethyan region with a saline ancestry in the Paleocene, and later colonized the freshwater habitat in the Middle Eocene. Ancestral range reconstruction and diversification mode analysis combined with paleogeological and paleoclimatic evidence suggested that the habitat shift from saline to freshwater led to an increased diversification rate. The saline lineage of Gammarus dispersed to both sides of the Atlantic at 55 million years ago (Ma), because of the few barriers between the Tethys and the Atlantic, and diversified throughout its evolutionary history with a constant diversification rate [0.04 species per million years (sp/My)]. The freshwater Gammarus, however, underwent a rapid diversification phase (0.11 sp/My) until the Middle Miocene, and lineages successively diversified across Eurasia via vicariance process likely driven by changes of the Tethys and landmass. In particular, the freshwater Gammarus lacustris and Gammarus balcanicus lineages had a relatively high diversification shift, corresponding to the regression of the Paratethys Sea and the continentalization of Eurasian lands during the Miocene period. Subsequently (14 Ma), the diversification rate of the freshwater Gammarus decreased to 0.05 and again to 0.01 sp/My. The genus Gammarus provides an excellent aquatic case supporting the hypothesis that ecological opportunities promote diversification.
Real-Time Direct Measurement of Spinal Cord Blood Flow at the Site of Compression: Relationship Between Blood Flow Recovery and Motor Deficiency in Spinal Cord Injury

Study Design. An in vivo study to measure rat spinal cord blood flow in real-time at the site of compression using a newly developed device. Objectives. To evaluate the change in thoracic spinal cord blood flow by compression force and to clarify the association between blood flow recovery and motor deficiency after a spinal cord compression injury. Summary of Background Data. Until now, no real-time measurement of spinal cord blood flow at the site of compression has been conducted. In addition, it has not been clearly determined whether blood flow recovery is related to motor function after a spinal cord injury. Methods. Our blood flow measurement system was a combination of a noncontact type laser Doppler system and a spinal cord compression device. The rat thoracic spinal cord was exposed at the 11th vertebra and spinal cord blood flow at the site of compression was continuously measured before, during, and after the compression. The functioning of the animal’s hind-limbs was evaluated by the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scoring scale and the frequency of voluntary standing. Histologic changes such as permeability of blood-spinal cord barrier, microglia proliferation, and apoptotic cell death were examined in compressed spinal cord tissue. Results. The spinal blood flow decreased on each increase in the compression force. After applying a 5-g weight, the blood flow decreased to <40% of the precompression level. Complete ischemia was reached using a 20-g weight. After decompression, the blood flow level in the 20-minute complete ischemia group was significantly higher than that in the 40-minute complete ischemia group. The hind-limb motor function in the 40-minute complete ischemia group was significantly less than that in the sham group (without compression), while no significant difference was observed between the 20-minute ischemia group and the sham group. In the 20-minute ischemia group, the rats whose spinal cord blood flow recovery was incomplete showed significant motor function loss compared with rats that completely recovered blood flow. Extensive breakdown of blood-spinal cord barrier integrity and the following microglia proliferation and apoptotic cell death were detected in the 40-minute complete ischemia group. Conclusion. Duration of ischemia/compression and blood flow recovery of the spinal cord are important factors in the recovery of motor function after a spinal cord injury.
Characterization of teleost Mdga1 using a gene‐trap approach in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

MAM domain containing glycosilphosphatidilinositol anchor 1 (MDGA1) is an IgCAM protein present in many vertebrate species including humans. In mammals, MDGA1 is expressed by a subset of neurons in the developing brain and thought to function in neural cell migration. We identified a fish ortholog of mdga1 by a gene‐trap screen utilizing the Frog Prince transposon in medaka (Japanese killifish, Oryzias latipes). The gene‐trap vector was inserted into an intronic region of mdga1 to form a chimeric protein with green fluorescent protein, allowing us to monitor mdga1 expression in vivo. Expression of medaka mdga1 was seen in various types of embryonic brain neurons, and specifically in neurons migrating toward their target sites, supporting the proposed function of MDGA1. We also isolated the closely related mdga2 gene, whose expression partially overlapped with that of mdga1. Despite the fact that the gene‐trap event eliminated most of the functional domains of the Mdga1 protein, homozygous embryos developed normally without any morphological abnormality, suggesting a functional redundancy of Mdga1 with other related proteins. High sequential homology of MDGA proteins between medaka and other vertebrate species suggests an essential role of the MDGA gene family in brain development among the vertebrate phylum. genesis 47:505–513, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Affordances of Virtual World Commerce: Instrument Development and Validation

This paper addresses the affordances of the social and business environment of a virtual world, which we classify into three types: physical, relational, and transactional affordances. This preliminary study contributes to research in virtual worlds design and the study of the theory of affordances by addressing the importance of affordances in the design and support of business functions in virtual worlds. This paper presents the development of a measurement instrument for these three types and reports the initial validation of the scales using a survey of users from the Second Life virtual world. The results show a good fit for the model structure and high reliability and validity of the measurement scales. The next step is to use these and other constructs to predict the success or failure of commerce in a virtual world.
Secondary Carcinogenesis in Patients Treated with Radiation: A Review of Data on Radiation-Induced Cancers in Human, Non-human Primate, Canine and Rodent Subjects

Abstract Suit, H. , Goldberg, S. , Niemierko, A. , Ancukiewicz, M. , Hall, E. , Goitein, M. , Wong, W. and Paganetti, H. Secondary Carcinogenesis in Patients Treated with Radiation: A Review of Data on Radiation-Induced Cancers in Human, Non-human Primate, Canine and Rodent Subjects. Radiat. Res. 167, 12–42 (2007). Concern for risk of radiation-induced cancer is growing with the increasing number of cancer patients surviving long term. This study examined data on radiation transformation of mammalian cells in vitro and on the risk of an increased cancer incidence after irradiation of mice, dogs, monkeys, atomic bomb survivors, occupationally exposed persons, and patients treated with radiation. Transformation of cells lines in vitro increased linearly with dose from ∼1 to ∼4–5 Gy. At <0.1 Gy, transformation was not increased in all studies. Dose–response relationships for cancer incidence varied with mouse strain, gender and tissue/organ. Risk of cancer in Macaca mulatta was not raised at 0.25–2.8 Gy. From the atomic bomb survivor study, risk is accepted as increasing linearly to 2 Sv for establishing exposure standards. In irradiated patients, risk of cancer increased significantly from 1 to 45 Gy (a low to a high dose level) for stomach and pancreas, but not for bladder and rectum (1–60 Gy) or kidney (1–15 Gy). Risk for several organs/tissues increased substantially at doses far above 2 Gy. There is great heterogeneity in risk of radiation-associated cancer between species, strains of a species, and organs within a species. At present, the heterogeneity between and within patient populations of virtually every parameter considered in risk estimation results in substantial uncertainty in quantification of a general risk factor. An implication of this review is that reduced risks of secondary cancer should be achieved by any technique that achieved a dose reduction down to −0.1 Gy, i.e. dose to tissues distant from the target. The proportionate gain should be greatest for dose decrement to less than 2 Gy.
Vector Of Educational Development In The Twenty-First Century

Based on the results of native and foreign scientific studies, the author extracts problems of the twenty-first century, which has entered the rights, and predicts the educational development vector during this historical period. The article highlights skills, which will be acquired by everyone who lives in the third millennium. Some substantial and technological aspects of education are revealed at the new stage of its development. In particular, according to the author, the main form of school education in the future will be currently introduced subject-oriented instruction with three aspects which distinguish it from traditional one: 1) it is built on a voluntary basis; 2) the key-note of subject oriented instruction is the idea of choice; 3) the core objective of subject-oriented instruction is to prepare students for independent problem-solving in personal, educational and then, professional self-determination. The author proves that increasingly accelerating process of knowledge humanization based on oriental philosophy: «do not convey knowledge until you make it your» will be the main change in educational content. Knowledge is absorbed and lives long when a person is «grown» in it. educational technologies that a potential to all children to do it without causing harm to their health, key part in educational process. continuous process of self-education will be further developed and, along with it, heutagogy, the newly-emerging science, will have a theoretical and methodological justification.
ORIGIN AND NATURE OF SPONTANEOUS MUTATIONS IN MEIOTIC ORGANISMS.

Spontaneous reversion rates of biochemical mutants in cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoing meiosis are several times higher than those of cells mitotically reproducing. It has been demonstrated that the great majority of revertants occurring during a meiotic process are associated with chromosomal exchanges in the region of the specific locus. This leads to the hypothesis that during meiosis back mutations occur as a consequence of unequal crossing-over causing base losses or insertions in the DNA and, therefore, restroration of a sequence compatible with the synthesis of functioning proteins. The same phenomenon holds true also for forward mutations. Preliminary experiments show that, as expected, mutations due to base substitutions do not revert in meiosis at a rate higher than in mitosis. Exchange-associated mutations seem to occur also in other organisms such as bacteriophages, bacteria, Neurospora, and Drosophila.
Length polymorphisms of simple sequence repeat DNA in soybean.

The objective of this work was to ascertain the presence and degree of simple sequence repeat (SSR) DNA length polymorphism in the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ]. A search of GenBank revealed no (CA)n or (GT)n SSRs with n greater than 8 in soybean. In contrast, 5 (AT)n and 1 (ATT)n SSRs with n ranging from 14 to 27 were detected. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers to regions flanking the six SSR loci were used in PCR amplification of DNA from 43 homozygous soybean genotypes. At three loci, amplification produced one PCR product per genotype and revealed 6, 7 and 8 product length variants (alleles) at the three loci, respectively. F1 hybrids between parents carrying different alleles produced two PCR products identical to the two parents. Codominant segregation of alleles among F2 progeny was demonstrated at each locus. A soybean DNA library was screened for the presence of (CA/GT)n SSRs. Sequencing of positive clones revealed that the longest such SSR was (CA)9. Thus, (CA)n SSRs with n of 15 or more are apparently much less common in soybean than in the human genome. In contrast to humans, (CA)n SSRs will probably not provide an abundant source of genetic markers in soybean. However, the apparent abundance of long (AT)n sequences should allow this SSR to serve as a source of highly polymorphic genetic markers in soybean.
PCR Targeted to the 16S-23S rRNA Gene Intergenic Spacer Region ofClostridium difficile and Construction of a Library Consisting of 116 Different PCR Ribotypes

ABSTRACT A reference library of types of Clostridium difficilehas been constructed by PCR ribotyping isolates (n = 2,030) from environmental (n = 89), hospital (n = 1,386), community practitioner (n = 395), veterinary (n = 27), and reference (n = 133) sources. The library consists of 116 distinct types identified on the basis of differences in profiles generated with PCR primers designed to amplify the 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer region. Isolates from 55% of infections in hospitals in the United Kingdom belonged to one ribotype (type 1), but this type was responsible for only 7.5% of community infections.
Intercultural Theatre and Community in Southeast Asia: The ASEAN Puppet Exchange in Jakarta

Abstract:The Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working towards creating a dynamic economic, political, and sociocultural community. As ASEAN works towards realizing the goals of creating a regional community, many cultural organizations are sponsoring artist exchanges, bolstering university arts' departments, and opening new facilities. This paper analyzes Water of ASEAN, performed in 2015 as part of the ASEAN Day celebration in Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of this effort. The performance combined puppets and artists from all ten ASEAN countries and offers an example of intercultural performance applying the principles of community to perform regional identity. Story, form, character, and style intermix within one performance to demonstrate the relationships between tradition and modernity, unity and diversity, and cities and villages.
A 27‐year‐old Cambodian woman with fever, lymphadenopathy, and arthritis

A 27-year-old woman presented to the emergency department for evaluation of fever, chills, and drenching night sweats of a duration of approximately 1 month. The patient had not taken her temperature but described intermittent periods in which she felt febrile. These episodes occurred without any particular pattern. Three weeks before her presentation, the patient noted a painful neck lump that slowly increased in size. This was followed by additive joint pain of her feet, hands, wrists, knees, and elbows; 1 hour of morning stiffness; fatigue; anorexia; and a 6-pound weight loss. The patient took ibuprofen, with minimal relief. The development of lightheadedness, nausea, and headaches forced her to seek medical attention. The patient denied oral ulcers, rashes, photosensitivity, Raynaud’s phenomenon, cough, chest pain, dyspnea on exertion, thrombotic events, seizures, and dry eyes or dry mouth. She also denied sore throat, any known infections, recent travel, sick contacts, tick bites, tattoos, and blood transfusions.
Emerging roles of the myocardin family of proteins in lipid and glucose metabolism

Members of the myocardin family bind to the transcription factor serum response factor (SRF) and act as coactivators controlling genes of relevance for myogenic differentiation and motile function. Binding of SRF to DNA is mediated by genetic elements called CArG boxes, found often but not exclusively in muscle and growth controlling genes. Studies aimed at defining the full spectrum of these CArG elements in the genome (i.e. the CArGome) have in recent years, unveiled unexpected roles of the myocardin family proteins in lipid and glucose homeostasis. This coactivator family includes the protein myocardin (MYOCD), the myocardin‐related transcription factors A and B (MRTF‐A/MKL1 and MRTF‐B/MKL2) and MASTR (MAMSTR). Here we discuss growing evidence that SRF‐driven transcription is controlled by extracellular glucose through activation of the Rho‐kinase pathway and actin polymerization. We also describe data showing that adipogenesis is influenced by MLK activity through actions upstream of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ with consequences for whole body fat mass and insulin sensitivity. The recently demonstrated involvement of myocardin coactivators in the biogenesis of caveolae, Ω‐shaped membrane invaginations of importance for lipid and glucose metabolism, is finally discussed. These novel roles of myocardin proteins may open the way for new unexplored strategies to combat metabolic diseases such as diabetes, which, at the current incidence, is expected to reach 333 million people worldwide by 2025.