Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Necessity for a crosstalk between synapses and the neuronal soma : a long-distance , two-way communication at the heart of the persistence of local synaptic changes following plasticity and during memory formation

During learning and memory, it has been suggested that the coordinated electrical activity of hippocampal neurons translates information about the external environment into internal neuronal representations, which then are stored initially within the hippocampus and subsequently into other areas of the brain. A widely held hypothesis posits that synaptic plasticity is a key feature that critically modulates the triggering and the maintenance of such representations, some of which are thought to persist over time as traces or tags. However, the molecular and cell biological basis for these traces and tags has remained elusive. Here, we review recent findings that help clarify some of the molecular and cellular mechanisms critical for these events, by untangling a two-way signalling crosstalk route between the synapses and the neuronal soma. In particular, a detailed interrogation of the soma-to-synapse delivery of immediate early gene product Arc/ Arg3.1, whose induction is triggered by heightened synaptic activity in many brain areas, teases apart an unsuspected ‘inverse’ synaptic tagging mechanism that likely contributes to maintaining the contrast of synaptic weight between strengthened and weak synapses within an active ensemble.
Burkitt lymphoma and the discovery of Epstein–Barr virus

The chance germinal encounter with the first lecture outside Africa on Burkitt lymphoma is described together with the hypothesis of a viral cause. Repeated virological investigations on lymphoma biopsies proved negative, leading to the idea that a latent virus might be activated if lymphoma cells could be cultured, although no human lymphoid cell had at that time ever been maintained in vitro. A chance event reminding of the need for suspension culture with mouse lymphomas led to success. The cultured cells carried a morphologically unequivocal, strangely inert, herpesvirus shown later to be immunologically, biologically and biochemically unique. How this new agent acquired its name, Epstein–Barr virus, is explained.
Variations of Gait Parameters in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

The gait parameters (speed, stride length and cadence) of nine boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy were compared with those of 21 normal boys in the same age range. Differences found were due to the altered ability to control their dynamic state and, to a lesser extent, physical limitations of joint range. This simple method of quantifying gait is proposed as a way in which progression or response to treatment in muscular dystrophy might be monitored. The information obtained may alert the clinician to the fact that the progressive muscle weakness and joint contractures have begun to cause compensatory mechanisms during walking to fail. It is also useful to obtain information on gait in clinical treatment trials as there are very few reliable methods for testing function in muscular dystrophy.
A study of teachers’ use of online learning resources to design classroom activities

While much progress has been made on the technical design and development of digital libraries, much less is known about how and why education digital library content and associated tools can support and enhance the activities of educators in their professional work. This article elaborates a conceptual framework that characterizes teachers’ practices when using online learning resources (called ‘teaching as design’), and a professional development model aimed at increasing teachers’ capacity for designing learning activities in the context of authentic practice. Findings from two workshop implementations showed positive impacts on teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and subsequent behaviours using online learning resources. An analysis of teacher created activities indicates a relationship between the form of design (offload, adaptation, or improvisation) and the granularity of the learning objects utilized in the activity.
Work stress precipitates depression and anxiety in young, working women and men

ABSTRACT Background Rates of depression have been rising, as have rates of work stress. We tested the influence of work stress on diagnosed depression and anxiety in young working adults. Method Participants were enrolled in the Dunedin study, a 1972–1973 longitudinal birth cohort assessed most recently in 2004–2005, at age 32 (n=972, 96% of 1015 cohort members still alive). Work stress (psychological job demands, work decision latitude, low work social support, physical work demands) was ascertained by interview. Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were ascertained using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) and diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria. Results Participants exposed to high psychological job demands (excessive workload, extreme time pressures) had a twofold risk of MDD or GAD compared to those with low job demands. Relative risks (RRs) adjusting for all work characteristics were: 1·90 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1·22–2·98] in women, and 2·00 (95% CI 1·13–3·56) in men. Analyses ruled out the possibility that the association between work stress and disorder resulted from study members' socio-economic position, a personality tendency to report negatively, or a history of psychiatric disorder prior to labour-market entry. Prospective longitudinal analyses showed that high-demand jobs were associated with the onset of new depression and anxiety disorder in individuals without any pre-job history of diagnosis or treatment for either disorder. Conclusions Work stress appears to precipitate diagnosable depression and anxiety in previously healthy young workers. Helping workers cope with work stress or reducing work stress levels could prevent the occurrence of clinically significant depression and anxiety.
The Quest for the Historical Israel: Debating Archaeology and the History of Early Israel

The title of this useful volume is somewhat misleading. The “quest” associated with Albert Schweitzer’s similarly titled tome, The Quest of the Historical Jesus, uncovered the folly of attempting to write a biography of Jesus using the tools of historical inquiry. Finkelstein (Tel Aviv University) and Mazar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), two of the brightest Israeli lights on the contemporary archaeological scene, actually provide a reasonable glimpse into the value of judicious archaeological interpretation of the material culture of the Levant as a helpful tool in the reconstruction of what “historical Israel” may (or may not! ) have looked like.
2DEG Retraction and Potential Distribution of GaN–on–Si HEMTs Investigated Through a Floating Gate Terminal

We investigate the potential distribution and breakdown of GaN-on-silicon HEMTs by using a test structure with a floating sense node located between gate and drain, in the access region. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the adopted method, we analyze two different wafers, having different 2DEG retraction in the OFF-state and different time to breakdown. We demonstrate that: 1) the floating node can effectively be used to evaluate the potential distribution in the access region; 2-D simulations are compared with the experimental data to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method and 2) the time to breakdown is strongly influenced by the distribution of the potential (and of the electric field) in the access region. A superior robustness is found on devices characterized by an improved distribution of the 2DEG potential between gate and drain. In contrast, devices with a lesser 2DEG retraction show early breakdown when subjected to OFF-state stress. For the first time, we demonstrate a direct correlation between the 2DEG retraction and the OFF-state long-term stability of GaN-on-Si HEMTs. The results reported within this paper provide further insight on the physical origin of time-dependent breakdown in GaN-based power transistors.
Adsorption of multivalent alkylthiols on Au(111) surface: Insights from DFT

The adsorption of multivalent thiols on gold (111) surface was investigated using density functional theory applying the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof functional. Through the comparison of differences in energetics, structure and charge density distribution of a set of monodentate and polydentate thiols, we have described in detail the factors affecting the adsorption energy and the role played by the multivalence, which causes a decreasing of adsorption energy because of both electronic and steric hindrance effects. Finally, the comparison between the adsorption of 1,2‐ and 1,3‐disulfides revealed how the chain length may affect the cleavage of the SS bond when they adsorb on Au(111) surface. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Functional evidence for sympathetic nerve activity in conscious cervical spinal rats.

Experiments in anesthetized animals have demonstrated sympathetic nerve activity after cervical spinal cord transection (CST), yet little evidence exists for sympathetic nerve activity in conscious spinal animals. We determined the effect of CST on mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and plasma renin activity (PRA) in conscious rats. Next, we tested for the presence of functionally significant sympathetic nerve activity 24 h after CST by measuring MAP, HR, urine flow, urinary sodium excretion (UNaV), urinary potassium excretion (UKV), and PRA before and for 2 h during administration of adrenergic antagonists (propranolol + phentolamine) or vehicle. CST resulted in significant decreases in MAP (100.0 +/- 1.6 to 75.0 +/- 1.4 mmHg), HR (353 +/- 7.5 to 315 +/- 6.6 beats/min), and PRA (2.2 +/- 0.3 to 1.2 +/- 0.2 ng angiotensin I.ml-1.h-1). Subsequent adrenergic blockade resulted in a further drop in HR (-52 +/- 21 beats/min), as well as two- to threefold increases in UNaV and UKV. We conclude that CST causes an overall decrease in sympathetic drive. However, sympathetic nerve activity to the heart and kidney remains after CST and is responsible for support of HR and retention of sodium and potassium.
Adaptive segmentation of electroencephalographic data using a nonlinear energy operator

Analysis of long-term EEG requires that it be segmented into piece-wise stationary sections. This is accomplished by drawing boundaries at time instants of change in the amplitude or frequency content of the EEG. In this paper we describe a method of signal characterization that can be used to segment EEGs. This method is based on a nonlinear energy operator that inherently combines the amplitude and frequency content of the EEG. We show how the resulting frequency-weighted energy measure can be used for segmentation. By using synthetic and real data, the proposed method is compared to a popular segmentation method from the EEG literature. Enhanced sensitivity of the proposed method (particularly to the changes in frequency) are highlighted.
Role of Phosphorylation of Alzheimer’s Amyloid Precursor Protein during Neuronal Differentiation

Alzheimer’s amyloid precursor protein (APP), the precursor of β-amyloid (Aβ), is an integral membrane protein with a receptor-like structure. We recently demonstrated that the mature APP (mAPP; N- and O-glycosylated form) is phosphorylated at Thr668 (numbering for APP695 isoform), specifically in neurons. Phosphorylation of mAPP appears to occur during, and after, neuronal differentiation. Here we report that the phosphorylation of mAPP begins 48–72 hr after treatment of PC12 cells with NGF and that this correlates with the timing of neurite outgrowth. The phosphorylated form of APP is distributed in neurites and mostly in the growth cones of differentiating PC12 cells. PC12 cells stably expressing APP with Thr668Glu substitution showed remarkably reduced neurite extension after treatment with NGF. These observations suggest that the phosphorylated form of APP may play an important role in neurite outgrowth of differentiating neurons.
IMMUNOLOCALIZATION OF SEROTONERGIC NEURONS DURING NATURAL SEX CHANGE IN THE HERMAPHRODITIC GOBY LYTHRYPNUS DALLI

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) has been suggested to be involved in the inhibition of socially regulated sex change in fish because of its role in the modulation of both reproductive and aggressive behavior. This is the first study looking at the distribution of serotonergic neurons by immunohistochemical techniques at different times during sex change. We set up stable social groups with a male and three females, and sampled the brain of sex changers 2 hr, 1 day, 3 day, 7 days and 14 days after male removal. We also compared males and females with different social status. Immunoreactive neurons were found in the nucleus posterioris periventricularis (NPPv), the nucleus recessus lateralis (NRL), the nucleus recessus posterioris (NRP) and in the raphe nucleus. We measured the total area of NPPv, NRL, NRP, and the number of serotonergic neurons and mean cell area in the raphe nucleus. There was no significant difference in any of the brain regions between males, females or sex changing fish, but there was a slight increase in the number of raphe neurons in the brain of sex changers 2 hr after male removal. The results show that in L. dalli the serotonergic system does not present any morphological sex and status differences, or any dramatic modifications during sex change. These data, together with previous results, do not support the hypothesis of a serotonergic inhibition on sex change.
MIMO Inspired Synthesis of Directional Modulation Systems

 Abstract —By identifying the similarities and differences between multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) and directional modulation (DM) technologies, a new approach for the synthesis of DM transmitters is proposed in this paper. The synthesis method is validated using DM simulation examples, in free space and in a simplified multipath environment, using bit error rate (BER) as the performance metric.
Direct model predictive current control for matrix converters

This paper proposes a direct model predictive current control (MPC) strategy for matrix converters (MCs). The proposed method aims to regulate the output current of the MC while minimizing the input reactive power at the same time. In addition, in order to reduce the switching losses, the MPC adjusts the average switching frequency of the converter. The MPC scheme uses the discrete-time model of the MC to predict the future trajectories of the controlled variables of concern. Then, a cost function is formulated to include all the control objectives, i.e. the output current, input reactive power, and switching frequency. Subject to the system dynamics, the cost function is minimized in order to find the optimal control action that can be applied to the converter at the next time-step. In order to examine the proposed control strategy with the MC, simulations based on MATLAB/Simulink are conducted. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in steady-state and transient operations. The results show that the proposed MPC strategy offers a very good steady-state behavior as well as very fast dynamic responses during transients. Moreover, the switching frequency can be highly reduced which in turn results in low switching losses.
Multimode Radix-4 SISO Kernel Design for Turbo/LDPC Decoding

To increase the quality of wireless transmission, wireless communication systems employ advanced forward error correction codes such as turbo codes and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. To achieve smooth transition between turbo and LDPC decoding in different communication standards, we propose a VLSI design of a multimode radix-4 soft-input soft-output (SISO) kernel in this paper. The proposed radix-4 SISO kernel composed of three recursive processing elements alternatively employs a radix-4 forward-backward algorithm for LDPC decoding and a radix-4 single-binary/double-binary enhanced max-log-maximum a posteriori probability algorithm for turbo decoding by efficiently sharing computational units. The proposed radix-4 SISO kernel achieves an area reduction of 21.8% when compared with the uncombined SISO kernels for alternatively decoding the turbo and LDPC codes. The proposed radix-4 SISO kernel is verified by implementing it in an application-specific integrated circuit of 0.45 mm2 core area by using a 90-nm CMOS process with a maximum area efficiency of 10.65 bits/mm2. In addition, the throughput rates of the long-term evolution and worldwide interoperability for microwave access schemes for both LDPC and turbo decoding can be achieved using eight proposed radix-4 SISO kernels.
Comodulation masking release and auditory grouping.

The detectability of a pure-tone signal masked by a band of noise centered on the signal can be improved by the addition of flanking noise bands, provided that the temporal envelopes of the flanking bands are correlated with that of the on-signal band. This phenomenon is referred to as comodulation masking release (CMR). The present study examined CMR in conditions in which some flanking noise bands were comodulated with the on-signal band, but other flanking bands (termed "deviant" bands) were not. Past research has indicated that CMR is often substantially reduced when deviant bands are present at spectral locations close to the signal frequency. An investigation was undertaken to determine whether the disruptive effects of such bands could be reduced by factors related to auditory grouping. The signal frequency was 100 Hz. In one condition, only 20-Hz-wide comodulated bands, centered on 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, and 1600 Hz, were present. The CMR for this condition, referenced to threshold for the on-signal band only, was approximately 15 dB. In a second condition, two deviant bands were added at 900 and 1100 Hz; their presence reduced the CMR to only 3-4 dB. The number of deviant bands was then increased progressively, from two to eight bands. Deviant bands either shared a common envelope (codeviant), or had unique envelopes (multideviant). The number of bands that were comodulated with the on-signal band was held constant at six. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Current Variation in Parallelized Energy Storage Systems

An electric vehicle battery pack may employ cells connected electrically in parallel to meet energy and power requirements. For the battery management system, cells connected in parallel are often treated as a single larger component. However, research has identified that the state of charge and cell current may not be equal due to differences in capacity, impedance and cell temperature. In this paper, the authors develop a parallel cell model validated against experimental data. The model is used to evaluate cell energy variation and the impact this can have on the design of highly parallelized battery systems.
The posterior stabilized total knee prosthesis. Assessment of polyethylene damage and osteolysis after a ten-year-minimum follow-up.

The long-term results of use of the posterior stabilized total knee prosthesis were evaluated with regard to clinical performance, survival of the implant, polyethylene wear, osteolysis, and loosening. One hundred and twenty patients had 165 primary total knee arthroplasties, with insertion of a posterior stabilized total knee prosthesis with a metal-backed tibial component with cement, between March 1981 and March 1983. Thirty-seven patients (fifty-three knees) subsequently died, five patients (six knees) were lost to follow-up, three patients (three knees) refused evaluation, and one patient (two knees) was excluded because of severe medical debilitation. Thus, seventy-four patients (101 knees) were available for analysis. The mean age of the patients at the time of the operation was sixty-four years (range, twenty-two to eighty-one years). The mean duration of follow-up was ten years and eight months (range, ten years to eleven years and ten months). Preoperatively, the mean arc of motion was 94 degrees (range, 65 to 130 degrees), compared with 110 degrees (range, 90 to 145 degrees) at the latest follow-up examination. The mean knee score, according to the rating system of The Hospital for Special Surgery, was 51 points (range, 18 to 73 points) preoperatively, compared with 85 points (range, 0 to 100 points) at the latest follow-up examination. When the four knees that had a revision are excluded, the mean knee score, according to the rating system of the Knee Society, was 92 points (range, 67 to 100 points) and the mean functional score was 71 points (range, 0 to 100 points) at the latest follow-up examination. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Systematic review of the diagnostic performance of non-invasive tests in diagnosing bladder outlet obstruction or detrusor underactivity in men with lower urinary tract symptoms

Systematic review of the diagnostic performance of non-invasive tests in diagnosing bladder outlet obstruction or detrusor underactivity in men with lower urinary tract symptoms European Association of Urology Male LUTS Guidelines Panel Stavros Gravas, Thorsten Bach, Alexander Bachmann, Marcus J Drake, Mauro Gacci, Christian Gratzke, Stephan Madersbacher, Charalambos Mamoulakis, Kari AO Tikkinen Panel members and associates involved in the Review Sachin Malde, Arjun K Nambiar, Roland Umbach, Stavros Gravas
Systematic analysis of the LUT-based inversion of PROSAIL using full range hyperspectral data for the retrieval of leaf area index in view of the future EnMAP mission

The upcoming satellite mission EnMAP offers the highly relevant opportunity of retrieving information on the seasonal development of vegetation parameters on a regional scale based on hyperspectral data. This study aims to investigate the potential of retrieving leaf area index (LAI) information from hyperspectral images. The widely used PROSAIL model is applied to generate look-up-table (LUT) libraries, by which the model is inverted to derive LAI information. Different techniques for the LUT based inversion are tested, such as several cost functions, type and amount of artificial noise, number of considered solutions and type of averaging method. The optimal inversion procedure (laplace, median, 4% inverse multiplicative noise, 350 averages) is identified by validating the results against corresponding in-situ measurements (N = 330) of LAI, leading to robust results (R2 = 0.65, RMSE = 0.64).
Smooth and sharp thresholds for random k-XOR-CNF satisfiability

The aim of this paper is to study the threshold behavior for the satisfiability property of a random k -XOR-CNF formula or equivalently for the consistency of a random Boolean linear system with k variables per equation. For k ≥ 3 we show the existence of a sharp threshold for the satisfiability of a random k -XOR-CNF formula, whereas there are smooth thresholds for k=1 and k=2 .