Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuronal and Immune Synapses on the Move at Traffic

Traffic celebrates the synapse with a series of reviews titled “Neurological and Immune Synapses in Health and Disease”. These reviews discuss novel findings that highlight the ever-increasing complexity and dynamic character of both neuronal and immune synapses. Neuronal synapses are defined as specialized, discrete and closely apposed zones of communication between excitable cells (1,2). Here we focus on chemical synapses where cell communication occurs without cytoplasmic continuity. Similar to the chemical synapse, immune synapses are specialized zones of communication between a T or B lymphocyte and an antigen-presenting cell or antibody-bound antigen, respectively. In his 1999 definition of an immune synapse, Michael L. Dustin emphasized the supramolecular organization and domain segregation at a contact site between lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells as a necessary step for cell–cell communication and lymphocyte activation (3,4). Dustin underlined that the immune synapse ‘consists of a central cluster of T cell receptors surrounded by a ring of adhesion molecules’ (3). This supramolecular organization of the immune synapse inspired the exploration of the neuronal synapse by Roos and Kelly, who presented some of the first evidence of supramolecular organization and domain segregation in the neuronal synapse (5). The goal of this review series is to create a platform for idea cross-fertilization where concepts borne out of one field stimulate experimentally testable ideas in the other field. For example, the Crawford and Kavalali review suggest the concept that there may be more than one functional synapse within what we nowadays consider a single neuronal synapse unit, as they discuss the molecular diversity of synaptic vesicles within a synapse. Additionally, another review by Finetti, Onnis and Baldari explores intraflagellar transport (IFT) mechanisms setting up polarized immune synapses. These concepts have no precedent, thus opening doors for potentially novel hypotheses and fresh experimentation in multiple experimental systems. Since its inception in 1897, the concept of the synapse has proven its utility by creating a link between the structural and physiological views of the contact points between neurons emerging from the works of Cajal and Sherrington, respectively (6). The synapse remains a viable concept both in neuroscience and immunology because it continues to synthesize the ever-expanding and dynamic molecular anatomy of these cell–cell contacts (7–9). It is quite telling that dynamicity, as in ‘amoeboid’ cell contacts, was a centerpiece at the birth of the synapse concept by Sherrington (10,11):
Transparent, Conductive Carbon Nanotube Films

We describe a simple process for the fabrication of ultrathin, transparent, optically homogeneous, electrically conducting films of pure single-walled carbon nanotubes and the transfer of those films to various substrates. For equivalent sheet resistance, the films exhibit optical transmittance comparable to that of commercial indium tin oxide in the visible spectrum, but far superior transmittance in the technologically relevant 2- to 5-micrometer infrared spectral band. These characteristics indicate broad applicability of the films for electrical coupling in photonic devices. In an example application, the films are used to construct an electric field–activated optical modulator, which constitutes an optical analog to the nanotube-based field effect transistor.
Augmented context features for Arabic speech recognition

We investigate different types of features for language modeling in Arabic automatic speech recognition. While much effort in language modeling research has been directed at designing better models or smoothing techniques for n -gram language models, in this paper we take the approach of augmenting the context in the n -gram model with different sources of information. We start by adding word class labels to the context. The word classes are automatically derived from un-annotated training data. As a contrast, we also experiment with POS tags which require a tagger trained on annotated data. An amalgam of these two methods uses class labels deﬁned on word and POS tag combinations. Other context features include super-tags derived from the syntactic tree structure as well as semantic features derived from PropBank. Experiments on the DARPA GALE Arabic speech recognition task show that augmented context features often improve both perplexity and word error rate.
Surrogate surfaces: A contextual interpretive approach to the rock art of Uganda

Rock art in Uganda is under-researched and, where research has been done, the rock art was erroneously attributed to ‘Bushman-like’ people. This misattribution resulted in flawed interpretations. Uganda forms part of the geometric art zone that spreads across central Africa, including Angola, northern Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Using a contextual interpretive approach, this thesis considers the meaning of the geometric rock art of Uganda. Arising from recording and analysis of geometric rock art sites in Uganda, a literature review and archival searches on oral traditions and interviews with heritage holders, this study attempts to sequence the art and tie identified patterns in the rock art to data from ethnography, oral tradition and archaeological sources. In this thesis, I consider the geometric rock art in Uganda to be made within a context of ritual. This study makes an empirical contribution by generating a comprehensive database of rock art in Uganda. Methodologically, this is the first time that a contextual approach has been used to identify patterns and to interpret the rock art of Uganda. Interpretatively, the thesis generates new knowledge about the geometric rock art, drawing from an understanding of Pygmy cosmology.
Protective effects of ischemic postconditioning compared with gradual reperfusion or preconditioning

We examined the temporal factors of postconditioning, assessed whether gradual reperfusion reduces infarcts, and compared postconditioning's protection with that of both rapid and delayed preconditioning. Focal ischemia was generated by permanent occlusion of the leftdistal middle cerebral artery (dMCA) combined with 30 min of occlusion of both common carotid arteries (CCA) in rats. Postconditioning was performed by repetitive brief release and occlusion of CCA after 30 min of CCA occlusion. Gradual reperfusion was generated by controlled release of the bilateral CCA. We confirmed that postconditioning disrupted the early reperfusion but improved cerebral blood flow (CBF) thereafter. Postconditioning with three cycles, but not with 10 cycles, of 30 sec CCA release and 10 sec CCA occlusion (30s/10s) reduced infarction measured at 2 days after stroke. In addition, postconditioning with 10 cycles, but not with three cycles, of 10s/10s reduced infarction but it lost protection when initiated at 3 min after reperfusion. In addition, gradual reperfusion also reduced infarction. Moreover, both rapid and delayed preconditioning conducted 60 min and 3 days before stroke reduced infarct sizes. However, no additional protection was detected when postconditioning was combined with either rapid or delayed preconditioning. In conclusion, gradual reperfusion reduced infarction; postconditioning's protection depended on the number of cycles and duration of each cycle of reperfusion and occlusion and the onset time of postconditioning; postconditioning's protection was comparable to that of rapid preconditioning but not as robust as that of delayed preconditioning. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Accommodation response and visual discomfort

Although visual discomfort symptoms associated with near work have been correlated with clinical measures of accommodation, studies using objective recordings have not found corresponding deficits in accommodative function. One problem with previous studies is that accommodation measures have been too brief to assess accommodative fatigue. This study examined steady state accommodative responses among a college population with visual discomfort, over a 90‐s time period. Thirty‐one participants were grouped into high (n = 15) or low visual discomfort groups (n = 16) based on their scores on the Conlon Visual Discomfort Survey. Using the WAM‐5500 autorefractor, accommodation responses were recorded at 5 Hz for two consecutive minutes at five viewing distances. The results showed a significant interaction between the high and low discomfort groups over time in accommodation response. The high discomfort group showed an increase in accommodative lag, whereas the low discomfort group had a stable response. Our study suggests that the high visual discomfort group is characterized by accommodative fatigue, with a higher lag of accommodation developing at a near viewing distance over time.
Anti-Müllerian Hormone and Sertoli Cell Function in Paediatric Male Hypogonadism

In the prepubertal male, Sertoli cells are the most active testicular cell population. Without stimulation tests, prepubertal hypogonadism can only be evidenced if Sertoli cell function is assessed. Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) is a distinctive marker of the prepubertal Sertoli cell. Serum AMH is high from fetal life until puberty. In postnatal life, AMH testicular production is stimulated by FSH and potently inhibited by androgens. In anorchid patients, AMH is undetectable. In prepubertal males with fetal- or childhood-onset primary or central hypogonadism affecting the whole gonad, serum AMH is low. Conversely, when hypogonadism only affects Leydig cells (i.e., LH/human chorionic gonadotrophin receptor or steroidogenic enzyme defects), serum AMH is normal/high. AMH is also normal/high in patients with androgen insensitivity. In patients of pubertal age with central hypogonadism, AMH is low for Tanner stage – reflecting lack of FSH stimulus, – but high for age – reflecting lack of testosterone inhibitory effect. FSH treatment results in serum AMH rise, whereas human chorionic gonadotrophin treatment increases testosterone levels which inhibit AMH production. In conclusion, AMH determination is helpful in assessing gonadal function, without need for stimulation tests, and orientates the aetiological diagnosis of paediatric male hypogonadism. Furthermore, serum AMH is an excellent marker of FSH and androgen action in the testis.
Depressed mitochondrial transcription factors and oxidative capacity in rat failing cardiac and skeletal muscles

Congestive heart failure (CHF) induces alterations in energy metabolism and mitochondrial function that span cardiac as well as skeletal muscles. Whether these defects originate from altered mitochondrial DNA copy number and/or mitochondrial gene transcription is not known at present, nor are the factors that control mitochondrial capacity in different muscle types completely understood. We used an experimental model of CHF induced by aortic banding in the rat and investigated mitochondrial respiration and enzyme activity of biochemical mitochondrial markers in cardiac, slow and fast skeletal muscles. We quantified mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), expression of nuclear (COX IV) and mitochondrial (COX I) encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunits as well as nuclear factors involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and in the necessary coordinated interplay between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes in health and CHF. CHF induced a decrease in oxidative capacity and mitochondrial enzyme activities with a parallel decrease in the mRNA level of COX I and IV, but no change in mtDNA content. The expression of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma co‐activator 1α (PGC‐1α) gene was downregulated in CHF, as well as nuclear respiratory factor 2 and mitochondrial transcription factor A, which act downstream from PGC‐1α. Most interestingly, only the level of PGC‐1α expression was strongly correlated with muscle oxidative capacity in cardiac and skeletal muscles, both in healthy and CHF rats. Mitochondrial gene transcription is reduced in CHF, and PGC‐1α appears as a potential modulator of muscle oxidative capacity under these experimental conditions.
The Essential β-Barrel Assembly Machinery Complex Components BamD and BamA Are Required for Autotransporter Biogenesis

ABSTRACT Autotransporter biogenesis is dependent upon BamA, a central component of the β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) complex. In this report, we detail the role of the other BAM components (BamB-E). We identify the importance of BamD in autotransporter biogenesis and show that BamB, BamC, and BamE are not required.
A general stochastic model for dynamic locking in database systems

We present a novel stochastic model to study the performances of the two-phase dynamic locking in database systems with no-waiting policy. It is a general stochastic model to describe the database environment and transaction states in detail. It deals with the nonuniform access, write-locking, read-locking, and multiple transaction classes in a unique way. In the analysis, we first solve the steady-state probability of the system. Then, we give the mean number of transactions with k locks, the mean total number of locks held by all transactions, the mean number of data granules locked by a transaction, the mean number of writelocks and readlocks held by a transaction, and the mean number of locked data granules in a database. These parameters provide more insight into the detailed behavior of transactions and database systems. Finally, we calculate the system throughput and restart rate, which are the two principal performance measures.
Función de las cooperativas en la normativa de fomento del desarrollo rural

Las sociedades cooperativas son agentes economicos con gran implantacion en el ambito agrario y constituyen uno de los instrumentos mas eficaces para ejecutar los objetivos de la politica comunitaria de desarrollo rural. El marco juridico del desarrollo rural se halla fundamentalmente en la legislacion de la Union Europea, que establece un complejo sistema de medidas y que actualmente gira entorno al Reglamento (CE) no 1698/2005, relativo a la ayuda al desarrollo rural a traves del Fondo Europeo Agricola de Desarrollo Rural (FEADER). El Derecho interno de los Estados miembros aplica e implementa la normativa comunitaria, pero ademas contiene una regulacion propia sobre cooperativas y desarrollo rural. En el caso espanol, hay que tener en cuenta las normas estatales y autonomicas tanto en materia de cooperativas como de desarrollo rural. El presente trabajo, partiendo de la legislacion sustantiva espanola, analiza el papel que desempenan las cooperativas agrarias en el actual marco juridico comunitario, estatal y autonomico en materia de desarrollo rural. Las cooperativas agrarias pueden ser agentes promotores del desarrollo local cuando actuan como interlocutores de la administracion publica y como miembros de los “grupos de accion local” constituidos mediante la metodologia LEADER. Igualmente, las cooperativas agrarias pueden ser beneficiarias de las ayudas suplementarias que algunas Comunidades Autonomas establecen para llevar a cabo acciones de fomento del desarrollo local.
International Long-term Ecological Research Network: Its scope and future directions in relation to Chile

Tanto a niveles nacionales como globalesexiste un continuo aumento en la preocupacionsobre problemas medioambientales y socio-ecologicos de largo plazo tales como el cambioclimatico, la escasez de agua, la perdida debiodiversidad y el desarrollo sustentable. Enrespuesta a estas preocupaciones, tanto lospoliticos como los cientificos y el publico engeneral aumentaron la busqueda deinformacion de alta calidad sobre el medioambiente a nivel local, nacional y global. Enparticular, existe un creciente interes en comodichos temas medioambientales afectan elbienestar humano. Igualmente importante esla necesidad de comprender como lasactividades humanas pueden ser reguladaspara proteger los servicios ecosistemicosesenciales. La seccion Tema Especial en estenumero de la Revista Chilena de HistoriaNatural (RChHN) reune ejemplos deinvestigaciones que pueden ayudar a satisfacerestas necesidades. Este Tema Especial sefocaliza en casos concretos de estudiosecologicos y socioecologicos a largo plazo(LTER y LTSER, respectivamente, por sussiglas en ingles) en Chile, y los agrupa en elcontexto del trabajo en red en el escenariointernacional, particularmente en relacion a laRed Internacional de Investigacion Ecologica aLargo Plazo (ILTER, por su sigla en ingles). La mision de la ILTER (http://www.ilternet.edu) es mejorar la comprensionde los sistemas ecologicos a nivel mundial yproveer informacion relevante para resolverlos problemas medioambientales presentes yfuturos. La ILTER fue fundada en 1993,durante la Reunion Cientifica de InvestigacionEcologica a Largo Plazo de los EstadosUnidos, que se desarrollo en Estes Park,Colorado. La Red fue formada para enfrentar lacreciente necesidad de comunicacion global ycolaboracion entre investigadores conproyectos ecologicos a largo plazo. Treinta ynueve cientificos y administradoresrepresentando dieciseis paises participaron dedicho encuentro. Desde entonces, losprogramas de investigacion ecologica a largoplazo se han expandido rapidamente,reflejando la creciente valorizacion de lainvestigacion a largo plazo en estimar yresolver los complejos temas del medioambiente. En agosto de 2009, la ILTER incluiacomo miembros a 41 redes nacionalesdispuestas a su vez en cinco redes regionales,incluyendo sitios en Asia-Este del OceanoPacifico, Europa, sur de Africa, Norteamerica yAmerica Central/Sur. Sin embargo, existenecorregiones clave del mundo que todaviaestan subrepresentadas o ausentes, como elsur de Sudamerica. No obstante, varios paisesen estas regiones persiguen activamente elestablecimiento de nuevas redes miembro. Enconsecuencia, este volumen provee una valiosasintesis del trabajo y de los esfuerzospreliminares orientados a implementar una redde LTSER y, asimismo, provee bases claraspara su incorporacion en la red ILTER.Esta naciente red chilena se caracteriza porun extenso rango latitudinal, que abarca desdelos mas extremos puntos del bosque templado
Improving iris image segmentation in unconstrained environments using NMF-based approach

Nowadays the segmentation task becomes an important pre-processing stage for the iris classification system. The earlier works in the iris classification field demonstrate a promising result when the classification is performed under an ideal environment. However, the reduction of accuracy is observed when the iris images are captured in non-ideal circumstances. This work is based on the previous work that propose iris segmentation system with ί-Means clustering algorithm. In this work, we evaluate the performance of NMF-based clustering approach to replace the ί-Means algorithm. The iris images from UBIRIS dataset are used to verify the reliability of our work to perform iris region extraction in the unconstrained environments.
Characterization of Indomethacin Release from Polyethylene Glycol Tablet Fabricated With Mold Technique

The purpose of this study was to use polyethylene glycol as a carrier to improve the solubility of an aqueous insoluble drug by melting and molding method. The release of dissolved drug was designed to be subsequently sustained with an addition of xanthan gum. The release of indomethacin from the developed system into phosphate buffer pH 6.2 was conducted using the dissolution apparatus. This carrier system could effectively enhance the solubility of indomethacin and an addition of xanthan gum could sustain the drug release. Eudragit L100 film coating could protect the carrier not to be disturbed with HCl buffer pH 1.2 and could dissolve in phosphate buffer pH 6.2, therefore, the drug release from coated tablet was initially very low but subsequently gradually released and prolonged in phosphate buffer pH 6.2. Differential scanning calorimetry study indicated the amorphous state of drug in polyethylene glycol carrier. Scanning electron microscopy photomicrograph indicated the drug diffusion outward through the porous network of matrix tablets into the dissolution fluid and curve fitting signified that the drug release kinetic was Fickian diffusion.
Sequence‐derived structural features driving proteolytic processing

Proteolytic signaling, or regulated proteolysis, is an essential part of many important pathways such as Notch, Wnt, and Hedgehog. How the structure of the cleaved substrate regions influences the efficacy of proteolytic processing remains underexplored. Here, we analyzed the relative importance in proteolysis of various structural features derived from substrate sequences using a dataset of more than 5000 experimentally verified proteolytic events captured in CutDB. Accessibility to the solvent was recognized as an essential property of a proteolytically processed polypeptide chain. Proteolytic events were found nearly uniformly distributed among three types of secondary structure, although with some enrichment in loops. Cleavages in α‐helices were found to be relatively abundant in regions apparently prone to unfolding, while cleavages in β‐structures tended to be located at the periphery of β‐sheets. Application of the same statistical procedures to proteolytic events divided into separate sets according to the catalytic classes of proteases proved consistency of the results and confirmed that the structural mechanisms of proteolysis are universal. The estimated prediction power of sequence‐derived structural features, which turned out to be sufficiently high, presents a rationale for their use in bioinformatic prediction of proteolytic events.