Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Model of Memory Linking Time to Space

The storage of temporally precise spike patterns can be realized by a single neuron. A spiking neural network (SNN) model is utilized to demonstrate the ability to precisely recall a spike pattern after presenting a single input. We show by using a simulation study that the temporal properties of input patterns can be transformed into spatial patterns of local dendritic spikes. The localization of time-points of spikes is facilitated by phase-shift of the subthreshold membrane potential oscillations (SMO) in the dendritic branches, which modifies their excitability. In reference to the points in time of the arriving input, the dendritic spikes are triggered in different branches. To store spatially distributed patterns, two unsupervised learning mechanisms are utilized. Either synaptic weights to the branches, spatial representation of the temporal input pattern, are enhanced by spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) or the oscillation power of SMOs in spiking branches is increased by dendritic spikes. For retrieval, spike bursts activate stored spatiotemporal patterns in dendritic branches, which reactivate the original somatic spike patterns. The simulation of the prototypical model demonstrates the principle, how linking time to space enables the storage of temporal features of an input. Plausibility, advantages, and some variations of the proposed model are also discussed.
Ammonia Concentration in Porcine Ovarian Developing Follicles

ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted to investigate pH, osmolality, and the concentration of ammonia, total protein, glutamine and glutamic acid in follicular fluid at different developmental stages (<2, 3–4 and 5–6 mm in diameter) and serum of porcine. The concentrations of ammonia and total protein content were determined with the catalyzed indophenols reaction and the Bradford assay method and read on a spectrophotometer set at 625 and 595 nm, respectively. Glutamine and glutamic acid concentrations were determined by HPLC. The pH value was lower (P<0.05) but osmolality was higher (P<0.05) in follicular fluid than in serum. The concentration of ammonia was lower (P<0.05) in follicular fluid than in serum. On the other hand, glutamine and glutamic acid concentrations were higher (P<0.05) in the follicular fluid than in serum. The pH increased and osmolality decreased with increasing follicle size, and protein content was almost similar in small, medium and large follicular fluid. Ammonia, glutamine and glutamic acid concentrations decreased (P<0.001) as follicular size increased. During early follicular development ammonia and amino acids were synthesized for high metabolic breakdown of protein and gradually decreased due to metabolism of ammonia and glutamic acid to glutamate.
From Cancer to Immune-Mediated Diseases and Tolerance Induction: Lessons Learned From Immune Oncology and Classical Anti-cancer Treatment

Success in cancer treatment over the last four decades has ranged from improvements in classical drug therapy to immune oncology. Anti-cancer drugs have also often proven beneficial for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. In this review, we report on challenging examples that bridge between treatment of cancer and immune-mediated diseases, addressing mechanisms and experimental models as well as clinical investigations. Patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) (humanized) mouse models represent useful tools for preclinical evaluation of new therapies and biomarker identification. However, new developments using human ex vivo approaches modeling cancer, for example in microfluidic human organs-on-chips, promise to identify key molecular, cellular and immunological features of human cancer progression in a fully human setting. Classical drugs which bridge the gap, for instance, include cytotoxic drugs, proteasome inhibitors, PI3K/mTOR inhibitors and metabolic inhibitors. Biologicals developed for cancer therapy have also shown efficacy in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. In immune oncology, redirected chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have achieved spectacular remissions in refractory B cell leukemia and lymphoma and are currently under development for tolerance induction using cell-based therapies such as CAR Tregs or NK cells. Finally, a brief outline will be given of the lessons learned from bridging cancer and autoimmune diseases as well as tolerance induction.
Advances in Molecular Mechanisms for Traditional Chinese Medicine Actions in Regulating Tumor Immune Responses

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been developed for thousands of years with its various biological activities. The interest in TCM in tumor prevention and treatment is rising with its synergistic effect on tumor cells and tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIM). Characteristic of TCM fits well within the whole system and multi-target cancer treatment. Herein we discuss the underlying mechanisms of TCM actions in TIM via regulating immunosuppressive cells, including restoring the antigen presentation function of dendritic cells, enhancing NK cells-mediated killing activity, restraining the functions of myeloid cell-derived suppressor cells, and inhibiting cancer-associated fibroblasts. TCM also regulates tumor progression through enhancing immune response, preventing immune escape and inducing cell death of tumor cells, which triggers immune response in nearby cells. In addition, we discuss TCM in clinical applications and the advantages and disadvantages of TCM in cancer prevention and treatment, as well as current therapeutic challenges and strategies. It might be helpful for understanding the therapeutic potential of TCM for cancer in clinic.
Recent Persimmon Research in Japan

This review attempts to introduce the results of recent findings in the areas of genetics and new released cultivars, tree and fruit physiology, new cultural practices with the use of a horizontal trellis or a central leader training grown in container, applications of plant growth regulators for labor-saving and high quality fruit production, heating plastic houses for advanced shipping, humidity control and chemical treatment for shelf-life elongation after harvest of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) in Japan. Other research trends focus on methods related to biotechnology and molecular biology for the classification of persimmon cultivars and their relatives, for breeding programs including ploidy manipulation through tissue culture, genetic engineering, DNA markers linked to the trait of fruit astringency, for understanding physiological changes including ethylene production, fruit softening, tannin accumulation and deastringency mechanism in persimmon fruit after harvest. In addition, we will discuss the potential use of health-promoting benefits such as tannins for preventing hangovers or the presence of vitamins.
Secreted Peptide PIP1 Induces Stomatal Closure by Activation of Guard Cell Anion Channels in Arabidopsis

Plant stomata which consist of a pair of guard cells, are not only finely controlled to balance water loss as transpiration and CO2 absorption for photosynthesis, but also serve as the major sites to defend against pathogen attack, thus allowing plants to respond appropriately to abiotic and biotic stress conditions. The regulatory signaling network for stomatal movement is complex in nature, and plant peptides have been shown to be involved in signaling processes. Arabidopsis secreted peptide PIP1 was previously identified as an endogenous elicitor, which induced immune response through its receptor, RLK7. PIP1-RLK7 can activate stomatal immunity against the bacterial strain Pst DC3118. However, the molecular mechanism of PIP1 in stomatal regulation is still unclear and additional new factors need to be discovered. In this study, we further clarified that PIP1 could function as an important regulator in the induction of stomatal closure. The results showed that PIP1 could promote stomata to close in a certain range of concentrations and response time. In addition, we uncovered that PIP1-RLK7 signaling regulated stomatal response by activating S-type anion channel SLAC1. PIP1-induced stomatal closure was impaired in bak1, mpk3, and mpk6 mutants, indicating that BAK1 and MPK3/MPK6 were required for PIP1-regulated stomatal movement. Our research further deciphered that OST1 which acts as an essential ABA-signaling component, also played a role in PIP1-induced stomatal closure. In addition, ROS participated in PIP1-induced stomatal closure and PIP1 could activate Ca2+ permeable channels. In conclusion, we reveal the role of peptide PIP1 in triggering stomatal closure and the possible mechanism of PIP1 in the regulation of stomatal apertures. Our findings improve the understanding of the role of PIP1 in stomatal regulation and immune response.
Two Separate, Large Cohorts Reveal Modifiers of Age-Related Change in Visual Reaction Time Performance

To help identify factors influencing age-related cognitive decline and disease, a web-based simple visual reaction time (RT and svRT respectively, index of processing speed) and paired-associate learning (PAL, indexing of verbal episodic memory) task were implemented. Test results were combined with 22 survey questions. An analysis of RT and svTR data from the MindCrowd (n=75,666) cohort revealed education and reported stroke as potential modifiers of age-associated processing speed and memory decline. As a complement, we evaluated complex, recognition, reaction time (cvrRT) in the UK Biobank cohort and compared the results to a subset of the MindCrowd cohort, creating UKBb MindCrowd (n=39,795), mirroring the UK Biobank's (n=158,247) age range (40-70y). Many estimates from an identical linear model, used for both cohorts, were similar despite noted cohort differences (e.g., USA vs. the UK). Results from the UK Biobank that differed from UKBb MindCrowd included a first-degree family history Alzheimer's disease (FHAD) associated with slower cvrRTs and that sex and education affected age-related cvrRT slowing. While results from UKBb MindCrowd suggested that education and smoking status were related to opposite effects on age-related svRT slowing. MindCrowd's collected RT and PAL findings have begun to pull back the curtain on the intricate network connecting processing speed, memory, and cognition to healthy and pathological brain aging.
Estimates of variances due to parent of origin effects for weights of Australian beef cattle

Estimates of variances due to differential expression of paternally and maternally derived genes can be obtained from animal model type analyses by fitting appropriate gametic effects. This is feasible for large-scale analyses, because the inverse of the gametic relationship matrix can be set up directly from a list of pedigrees. We present a series of analyses applying such a model to large sets of records for birth, weaning, yearling and final weights of Australian Angus and Hereford cattle. On one hand, results show that maternal genetic effects on these traits are largely confounded with maternal parent of origin effects, so that it is difficult to reliably separate the respective variance components. On the other hand, paternal parent of origin effects tend to act similarly to sire × herd effects so that estimates of their variance are inflated by any effects not modelled and contributing to such apparent interaction. Fitting an animal model with both parent of offspring effects, maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects as well as sire × herd and maternal grand-sire × herd of origin of dam interactions as additional random effects yielded estimates of the variance due to paternal parent of origin effects of 5–7% of the phenotypic variation for birth and weaning weights and of 0–1% for yearling and final weights. Corresponding estimates for maternal parent of origin effects were 0–11% for birth and weaning weights and 7–8% for yearling and final weights, while sire and maternal grand-sire interaction effects explained from 0 to 4% of the phenotypic variance.
Importance of Timing of Platelet Lysate-Supplementation in Expanding or Redifferentiating Human Chondrocytes for Chondrogenesis

Osteoarthritis (OA) in articular joints is a prevalent disease. With increasing life expectancy, the need for therapies other than knee replacement arises. The intrinsic repair capacity of cartilage is limited, therefore alternative strategies for cartilage regeneration are being explored. The purpose of this study is first to investigate the potential of platelet lysate (PL) as a xeno-free alternative in expansion of human OA chondrocytes for cell therapy, and second to assess the effects of PL on redifferentiation of expanded chondrocytes in 3D pellet cultures. Chondrocytes were isolated from human OA cartilage and subjected to PL in monolayer culture. Cell proliferation, morphology, and expression of chondrogenic genes were assessed. Next, PL-expanded chondrocytes were cultured in 3D cell pellets and cartilage matrix production was assessed after 28 days. In addition, the supplementation of PL to redifferentiation medium for the culture of expanded chondrocytes in 3D pellets was evaluated. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen production were evaluated by quantitative biochemical analyses, as well as by (immuno)histochemistry. A dose-dependent effect of PL on chondrocyte proliferation was found, but expression of chondrogenic markers was decreased when compared to FBS-expanded cells. After 28 days of subsequent 3D pellet culture, GAG production was significantly higher in pellets consisting of chondrocytes expanded with PL compared to controls. However, when used to supplement redifferentiation medium for chondrocyte pellets, PL significantly decreased the production of GAGs and collagen. In conclusion, chondrocyte proliferation is stimulated by PL and cartilage production in subsequent 3D culture is maintained. Furthermore, the presences of PL during redifferentiation of 3D chondrocyte strongly inhibits GAG and collagen content. The data presented in the current study indicate that while the use of PL for expansion in cartilage cell therapies is possibly beneficial, intra-articular injection of the product in the treatment of OA might be questioned.
Human δ opioid receptor : the effect of Phe27Cys polymorphism, N-linked glycosylation and SERCA2b interaction on receptor processing and trafficking

The delta opioid receptor (δOR) is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family. This transmembrane receptor has an important role in the regulation of pain. The OPRD1 gene that encodes the human δOR (hδOR) contains at least 11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The only nonsynonymous SNP resides in the amino-terminal (N-terminal) domain of the receptor and it replaces Phe at position 27 with Cys, thus introducing an unpaired Cys residue on the extracellular surface of the receptor. The Cys27 variant has been shown to have an allelic frequency of about 10% in Caucasian populations. The polymorphic site is flanked by two putative N-glycosylation sites at Asn18 and Asn33. In this study, the folding, maturation and trafficking of hδOR was assessed using the hδORPhe27 and hδORCys27 variants and the N-glycosylation deficient forms of the latter as models in a heterologous expression system. The effects of Nglycosylation and the unpaired Cys-residue were studied with various biochemical, pharmacological and cell biological methods. In addition, protein-protein interactions of the intracellular hδOR precursors were assessed. The hδORCys27 and hδORPhe27 variants differed significantly in their subcellular localization and maturation efficiency. The newly synthesized hδORCys27 was found to accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) prior to its ER-associated degradation in proteasomes. Although a slow maturation rate was characteristic for both variants, only the hδORCys27 had poor maturation efficiency. The cell surface expression of hδORCys27 was further decreased because the constitutive internalization of this receptor was enhanced compared to hδORPhe27. N-linked glycosylation was not required for hδOR function or ligand binding, but was important for the expression of the correctly folded receptor species at the cell surface. The mutant non-N-glycosylated receptor was shown to traffic to the cell surface with enhanced kinetics, but some of the plasma membrane receptors were in a nonnative conformation. Also, the overall levels of the non-N-glycosylated hδORCys27 were decreased as the receptor was efficiently internalized for lysosomal degradation in a constitutive fashion. The hδORCys27 and hδORPhe27 precursors were found to interact with several ER localized proteins, such as calnexin (CNX), protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and ERp72. The receptors also associated with the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2b (SERCA2b), which was shown to occur during translocation of the receptor to the ER membrane or immediately thereafter. The interaction was not receptor N-glycan dependent and the normal functional activity of SERCA2b was shown to be required for proper cell surface expression of hδOR.
Building Personalized Transportation Model for Online Taxi-Hailing Demand Prediction

The accurate prediction of online taxi-hailing demand is challenging but of significant value in the development of the intelligent transportation system. This article focuses on large-scale online taxi-hailing demand prediction and proposes a personalized demand prediction model. A model with two attention blocks is proposed to capture both spatial and temporal perspectives. We also explored the impact of network architecture on taxi-hailing demand prediction accuracy. The proposed method is universal in the sense that it is applicable to problems associated with large-scale spatiotemporal prediction. The experimental results on city-wide online taxi-hailing demand dataset demonstrate that the proposed personalized demand prediction model achieves superior prediction accuracy.
Livestock producers' needs and willingness to pay for extension services in Adana province of Turkey.

There is an ongoing argument about user fees in public agricultural extension services. In Turkey, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ Farmers Education Division provides agricultural extension services free of charge to increase farmers’ living conditions. In this study, the livestock producers’ information needs and willingness to pay for extension service was analyzed with using a survey data of producers in Adana province, Turkey, 2005. Contingent valuation method was used to measure livestock producers’ willingness to pay for agricultural extension service. First, producers’ needs toward agricultural extension service were determined, then, the respondents were asked if they were willing to pay a price for a well designed and directed extension service. It was found that producers’ most needed information was marketing of their products. It was determined that, 52.5% of producers were willing to pay for extension service. Producers’ education had no effect on their willingness to pay for extension service, while the number of herd size had a positive relation with willingness to pay. Key words: Extension, livestock, willingness to pay.
A Climatic Model for Pecan Production under Humid Conditions

A multiple regression model was developed from historical data, 1945-92, to predict pecan (Carya illinoensis (Wangenh.) C. Koch) production in a humid climate. Variables were production trend (year of production), previous year's production, and climatic indices for the previous and current year. Production trend was used to measure change in production with time. Previous year's production was the index of alternate bearing. Variables for previous year's climate were heating degree-days for April-October and cumulative rainfall during May-July and 1-15 Sept. Variables for current year's climate were cumulative rainfall during April-August and 1-15 Sept. The indicator used for scab (Cladosporium caryigenum (Ell. & Langl.) Gottwald) infection was the highest cumulative sum of 2 or more days of consecutive rain occurring in May, June, or 1-15 July. The R2 for the model was 0.908. Production trend was the most important factor influencing production during the 1945-92 study period. Importance of the other variables in decreasing order were previous year's rainfall in May-July, consecutive rainy days, previous year's production, current year's 1- 15 Sept. rainfall, previous year's heating degree-days, previous year's rainfall for 1-15 Sept. , and current year's rainfall during April-August. Previous year's conditions had a greater effect on production than current year's. The recent decline in pecan production in the southeastern United States is due to an unfavorable change in climate.
Reelin-induced tryosine phosphorylation of Disabled 1 during neuronal positioning

The reelin (reln) and disabled 1 (dab1) genes both ensure correct neuronal positioning during brain development. We have found that the intracellular Dab1 protein receives a tyrosine phosphorylation signal from extracellular Reln protein. Genetic analysis shows that reln function depends on dab1, and vice versa, as expected if both genes are in the same pathway. Dab1 is expressed at a higher level, yet phosphorylated at a lower level, in reln mutant embryo brains. In primary neuronal cultures, Dab1 tyrosine phosphorylation is stimulated by exogenous Reln. These results suggest that Reln regulates neuronal positioning by stimulating Dab1 tyrosine phosphorylation.
AN ASSESSMENT OF FOOD OVERLAP BETWEEN GIBBONS AND HORNBILLS

Hornbills and gibbons are considered to be potential competitors for food. They show considerable overlap in their frugivorous diet, foraging site (outer part of tree crowns), and reproductive period. However, the extent and nature of such overlaps have never been measured. Here we characterize the dietary overlap of the Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-throated Brown Hornbill and White-handed Gibbon based on a long-term data on their feeding ecology at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. Results from a Correspondence Analysis showed a slight overlap between the diets of the hornbills and gibbon, which may be attributed primarily on the dietary consumptions of Ficus spp. and, to a lesser extent, Polyalthia viridis. Due to the large crown size of Ficus and the overall low nutritional quality of its fruits, we hypothesized that a dietary overlap between the hornbills and gibbon for Ficus is energetically inconsequential for either groups. In contrast, P. viridis has comparatively small crowns, is present in the site in low densities, and produces fruits high in protein. Therefore, the overlap in diet between hornbills and gibbon for P. viridis may create the basis for competition, which in any event will be limited to pseudo-interference.
Query-based zero-shot detection

The major development in object classiﬁcation and detection models has already reached a point to where we can use deep learning models in real-life applications. However, there still exists the infamous drawback: large-scale annotated data are required for training. As such, zero-shot learning, predictions of data that has not been trained, is gathering attention in the machine learning community. In this paper, we propose a zero-shot detection method using a query-based model to detect untrained objects. The proposed method makes use of an extra image(the query) of the target object for the detection task. We veriﬁed the proposed method through experiments using handwritten characters. The results showed that the proposed method can successfully detect the bounding boxes of untrained objects.