Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cerebellar-dependent learning as a neurobehavioral index of the cannabinoid system.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psycho-active ingredient in Cannabis spp. , the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. THC is an exogenous agonist of the central cannabinoid receptor (CB1), one of the most abundant G-coupled receptors in the mammalian brain. Although CB1 receptors are distributed throughout the brain, they are found at very high levels in the cerebellum. Despite the variety of disturbances associated with acute cannabis intoxication, including altered short-term memory, dissociation of thoughts, motor impairments, and paranoia, among others, a reliable index of cannabinoid system function has in large part eluded scientists. Thus, there is a demand in contemporary clinical neuroscience for methods sensitive to cannabinoid system function, not only for assessing how cannabis use influences human information processing, but also to assess the involvement of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in clinical disease and evaluate the effects of CB1-based drug therapies. The purpose of the present article, therefore, is to address this current need by integrating two separate literatures. The first literature demonstrates that the ECS mediates synaptic plasticity, specifically, long-term depression (LTD) of parallel fibers at the parallel fiber-Purkinje junction in the cerebellar cortex. The second literature suggests that LTD at this junction is necessary for the acquisition of the primary dependent variable in delay eyeblink conditioning (EBC)--the exhibition of temporally measured conditioned responses. These two literatures are integrated by proposing an updated EBC circuit that incorporates the CB1 receptor and the endogenous cannabinoids. Finally, the implications of the model is discussed in consideration of recent evidence from CB1 knockout mice, human cannabis users, and schizophrenia patients, with the expectation that translational research on the cannabinoid system will be advanced.
Technology transfer of foreign direct investment in China-based on two-sector model

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow increases greatly since China's openness and whether FDI is conducive to promote China's technology advance via technology transfer still remains a controversial issue. The paper first uses a classical two-factor production function which divide the economy into domestic and foreign sector, then augments the model, taking into account the externalities by technology transfer of FDI to domestic sector. Using provincial panel data, results indicate that positive FDI technology transfer prevails across China, and much higher in coastal regions due to better economic and FDI performance than that that in middle and western regions.
Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Improve Renal Function in a Mouse Model of IgA Nephropathy

T-cell dysregulation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have been reported to be able to prevent tissue damage through immune-modulating effects. To evaluate the effects of ASCs in high IgA ddY (HIGA) mice, ASCs were isolated from HIGA mice with different stages of IgAN before and after disease onset. ASCs were injected at a dose of 5 × 106 cells/kg body weight through the tail vein every 2 weeks for 3 months. Although the administered ASCs were rarely detected in the glomeruli, 24-h proteinuria was markedly decreased in all ASC-treated groups. Although glomerular deposition of IgA was not significantly different among groups, mesangial proliferation and glomerulosclerosis were dramatically decreased in most ASC treatment groups. In addition, levels of fibrotic and inflammatory molecules were markedly decreased by ASC treatment. Interestingly, ASC therapy significantly decreased Th1 cytokine activity in the kidney and caused a shift to Th2 responses in spleen T-cells as determined by FACS analysis. Furthermore, conditioned media from ASCs abrogated aggregated IgA-induced Th1 cytokine production in cultured HIGA mesangial cells. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of ASC treatment in IgAN occur via paracrine mechanisms that modulate the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance. ASCs are therefore a promising new therapeutic agent for the treatment of IgAN.
PTEN regulation of ERK1/2 signaling in cancer

Since its discovery, the tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) has become a molecule with a wide spectrum of functions, which is typically meditated through its lipid phosphatase activity; however, PTEN also functions in a phosphatase-independent manner. It is well established that PTEN regulates several signaling pathways, such as phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT), janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT), focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and more recent, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, where activation of these pathways typically leads to cancer development and progression. In regard to most of these pathways, the underlining molecular mechanism of PTEN-mediated regulation is well established, but not so much for the ERK1/2 pathway. Indeed, accumulating evidence has shown an inverse correlation between PTEN expression and ERK1/2 in several malignancies. However, the detailed mechanism by which PTEN regulates ERK1/2 is poorly understood. In this review, we discuss the role of PTEN in regulating ERK1/2 by directly targeting shc/Raf/MEK and PI3K/AKT cascades, and a putative cross-talk between the two.
Differential migration and an endocrine response to stress in wintering dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis)

The dark–eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) exhibits differential migration in autumn that, in general, results in females overwintering south of males, and young within each sex overwintering north of older birds. Individuals overwintering at higher latitudes face less predictable and more challenging environmental conditions. Rapid increases in circulating levels of the energy-regulating glucocorticosteroid, corticosterone, occur in response to environmental stressors. To establish whether the strength of acute corticosterone secretion was correlated with the probability of encountering poor environmental conditions, we compared the corticosterone stress response (e.g. initial plasma concentrations at the time of capture and 30 min later) in dark–eyed juncos overwintering in Mississippi (MS), USA, near the southern limit of their wintering range, with juncos overwintering in New York (NY), USA, near the northern limit of their wintering range. During two winters, 22 males and one female were sampled in NY; 13 males, 12 females and one bird of undetermined sex were sampled in MS. Not unexpectedly, NY birds carried greater fat reserves that resulted in a significantly higher value of energetic condition (mass corrected for wing cord cubed). There was no difference between the two winters sampled at either site, nor was there an effect of sex on patterns of corticosterone secretion in MS birds. With sexes pooled, MS and NY birds had similar baseline corticosterone levels. However, as predicted, NY birds exhibited significantly higher corticosterone concentrations 30 min after capture. These results support the hypothesis that birds wintering in less predictable, more extreme environments show a higher amplitude corticosterone response, which may enable them to adjust their behaviour and physiology more rapidly in response to environmental stressors such as storms. Adrenocortical sensitivity may be a part of the physiological milieu associated with differential migration in juncos; whether it results from endogenous differences in the migratory programmes of individuals or from acclimatization to local environmental conditions remains to be determined.
The Influence of Crude Oil Price, Consumer Confidence, Exchange Rate and GDP Growth Rate Toward Sales Number of PT. Toyota Astra Motor, Indonesia

Automotive industry has become one of the most contributing industries to an economy, including Indonesia. Therefore, factors affecting it are carefully being identified. In this quantitative study, the researcher would like to analyze the influence of several economic factors. There are crude oil price, consumer confidence, exchange rate and gros domestic bruto (GDP) growth rate toward sales number of automotive industry. In this study, the researcher uses case study of PT. Toyota Astra Motor (PT. TAM) as representative from Indonesiaâ€™s automotive industries. The total observation is 84 observations, derived from 7 years on monthly basis. This research uses multiple regression analysis to analyze the influence. The result of this study is that crude oil price, consumer confidence, exchange rate and GDP growth rate have positive significant influence toward sales number altogether. The most significant factor is exchange rate. All of the factors are found out to influence sales number by 78.8% while other remaining 21.2% of sales number is influenced by other factors outside the regression model.
The role of hyperpolarization‐activated cationic current in spike‐time precision and intrinsic resonance in cortical neurons in vitro

Non‐technical summary We determined here the role of the hyperpolarization‐activated cationic (h) current on the temporal organization of hippocampal activity in vitro. In CA1 pyramidal neurons the h‐current has three main actions. In addition to setting intrinsic resonance frequency at ∼4 Hz, the h‐current determines, through two main mechanisms, the temporal precision of action potentials evoked by excitatory postsynaptic potentials or following stimulation of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (rebound spiking). We propose that h‐channels participate in the fine tuning of oscillatory activity in hippocampal and neocortical networks.
Research on the design methodology of accelerated thermal cycling test for train electronic assemblies basing on PoF

Recently thermal cycling tests for train electronic assemblies have been widely applied to eliminating latent defects and improving the reliability of the electronics. Considering the cost and schedule, accelerate thermal cycling (ATC) tests are conducted instead of normal tests. In this paper, the design methodology of ATC tests for electronic assemblies is studied. Moreover, the procedure of test design is established basing on Physics of Failure (PoF). The thermal cycling condition feature matrix and the electronic assemblies feature matrix are defined. Using Engelmaier model, the electronic assemblies life feature matrix in both normal and accelerate temperature conditions are consequently calculated. Comparing the two life prediction results, ATC test scheme equivalent to the normal test is determined. What's more, the ATC test scheme for a train traction monitor parameter acquisition circuit is designed as a case study.
Study of Temporal Effects on Subjective Video Quality of Experience

HTTP adaptive streaming is being increasingly deployed by network content providers, such as Netflix and YouTube. By dividing video content into data chunks encoded at different bitrates, a client is able to request the appropriate bitrate for the segment to be played next based on the estimated network conditions. However, this can introduce a number of impairments, including compression artifacts and rebuffering events, which can severely impact an end-user’s quality of experience (QoE). We have recently created a new video quality database, which simulates a typical video streaming application, using long video sequences and interesting Netflix content. Going beyond previous efforts, the new database contains highly diverse and contemporary content, and it includes the subjective opinions of a sizable number of human subjects regarding the effects on QoE of both rebuffering and compression distortions. We observed that rebuffering is always obvious and unpleasant to subjects, while bitrate changes may be less obvious due to content-related dependencies. Transient bitrate drops were preferable over rebuffering only on low complexity video content, while consistently low bitrates were poorly tolerated. We evaluated different objective video quality assessment algorithms on our database and found that objective video quality models are unreliable for QoE prediction on videos suffering from both rebuffering events and bitrate changes. This implies the need for more general QoE models that take into account objective quality models, rebuffering-aware information, and memory. The publicly available video content as well as metadata for all of the videos in the new database can be found at http://live.ece. utexas.edu/research/LIVE_NFLXStudy/nflx_index. html.
Cancellation of timing and amplitude jitter in symmetric links using highly dispersed pulses

We study the properties of symmetric dispersion compensation in optical links using highly dispersed pulse transmission. We show analytically that by splitting the dispersion compensation equally between the input and output of the link, complete cancellation of the timing and amplitude jitter can be obtained in systems where the power profile is symmetric about the center. We explain the dynamics of this cancellation and show, theoretically and experimentaily, that with practical system parameters, symmetric compensation may lead to a considerable improvement in performance.
Molecular mechanisms of pain in the anterior cingulate cortex

It is well known that peripheral sensory stimuli, including pain, trigger a series of neuronal activities along the somatosensory pathways as well as the neuronal network in the high brain structures. These neuronal activities not only produce appropriate physiological responses but also induce long‐term plastic changes in some of the central synapses. It is believed that long‐term synaptic changes help the brain to process and store new information. Such learning is critical for animals and humans to gain new knowledge of changing enviornment, generate appropriate emotional responses, and avoid dangerous stimuli in the future. In the case of permanent injury, however, the brain fails to distinguish the difference between “useful” and painful stimuli. Long‐term synaptic changes work against the system and at least in part contribute to chronic pain. In this short article, the possible molecular mechanisms for long‐term plasticity within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) will be discussed and reviewed, and it is hypothesized that potentiation of excitatory responses within the ACC contributes to chronic pain and pain‐related mental disorders. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Brains Are Made of Memristors

This exposition shows that the potassium ion-channels and the sodium ion-channels that are distributed over the entire length of the axons of our neurons are in fact locally-active memristors. In particular, they exhibit all of the fingerprints of memristors, including the characteristic pinched hysteresis Lissajous figures in the voltage-current plane, whose loop areas shrink as the frequency of the periodic excitation signal increases. Moreover, the pinched hysteresis loops for the potassium ion-channel memristor, and the sodium ion-channel memristor, from the Hodgkin-Huxley axon circuit model are unique for each periodic excitation signal. An in-depth circuit-theoretic analysis and characterizations of these two classic biological memristors are presented via their small-signal memristive equivalent circuits, their frequency response, and their Nyquist plots. Just as the Hodgkin-Huxley circuit model has stood the test of time, its constituent potassium ion-channel and sodium ion-channel memristors are destined to be classic examples of locally-active memristors in future textbooks on circuit theory and bio-physics.
Exposure to low environmental concentrations of manganese, lead, and cadmium alters the serotonin system of blue mussels

Serotonin plays a crucial role in mussel survival and reproduction. Although the serotonin system can be affected by metals, the effects of environmental concentrations of metals such as manganese (Mn), lead (Pd), and cadmium (Cd) have never been studied in blue mussels. The present study aimed to determine the effects of exposure to Mn, Pb, or Cd on serotonin levels, monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, and serotonin transporter (SERT) levels in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Mussels were exposed in vivo to increasing and environmentally relevant doses of Mn (10–1000 nM; 0.5–50 μg/L), Pb (0.01–10 nM; 0.002–2 μg/L), or Cd (0.01–10 nM; 0.001–1 μg/L) for 28 d. Serotonin levels, MAO activity, and SERT expression were analyzed in the mussel mantle. Expression of SERT protein was significantly decreased, by up to 81%, following Mn, Pb, or Cd exposure. The activity of MAO in females was almost 2‐fold higher, versus males, in nonexposed control mussels. In mussels exposed to 0.1 nM of Pb (0.02 μg/L), MAO activity was increased in males and decreased in females. In Cd‐exposed mussels, a sex‐dependent, inverted nonmonotonic pattern of MAO activity was observed. These results clearly indicate that low environmental concentrations of Mn, Pb, and Cd affect the serotonin system in blue mussels. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:192–200. © 2017 SETAC
Vertical Disparity Can Alter Perceived Direction

It has been well established that vertical disparity is involved in perception of the three-dimensional layout of a visual scene. The goal of this paper was to examine whether vertical disparities can alter perceived direction. We dissociated the common relationship between vertical disparity and the stimulus direction by applying a vertical magnification to the image presented to one eye. We used a staircase paradigm to measure whether perceived straight-ahead depended on the amount of vertical magnification in the stimulus. Subjects judged whether a test dot was flashed to either the left or the right side of straight-ahead. We found that perceived straight-ahead did indeed depend on the amount of vertical magnification but only after subjects adapted (for 5 min) to vertical scale (and only in five out of nine subjects). We argue that vertical disparity is a factor in the calibration of the relationship between eye-position signals and perceived direction.
Dissecting the role of Kr‐h1 brain gene expression in foraging behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Expression of Krüppel homolog‐1 (Kr‐h1) in the honey bee brain is strongly associated with foraging behavior. We performed a series of studies to determine if Kr‐h1 expression correlates with specific aspects of foraging. We found that Kr‐h1 expression is unaffected by flight experience in male bees. Expression was unaffected by behavioral reversion of workers from foraging to brood care, suggesting that expression is not associated with the active performance of foraging, but rather with stable physiological changes. Kr‐h1 expression is increased by cGMP treatment in workers, and the Kr‐h1 promoter contains a conserved potential cGMP response element. Since cGMP treatment causes precocious foraging, our results suggest that Kr‐h1 expression is associated with cGMP‐mediated changes in the brain that occur early in the transition to foraging behavior.
Evaluation of ALOS/PALSAR L-Band Data for the Estimation of Eucalyptus Plantations Aboveground Biomass in Brazil

The Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR-1) has provided very useful images dataset for several applications such as forestry. L-Band radar measurements have been widely used but with somewhat contradictory conclusions on the potential of this radar wavelength to estimate the aboveground biomass (AGB). The first objective of this study was to analyze the L-band SAR backscatter sensitivity to forest biomass for Eucalyptus plantations. The results showed that the radar signal is highly dependent on biomass only for values lower than 50 t/ha, which corresponds to plantations of approximately 3 years of age. Next, random forest (RF) regressions were performed to evaluate the potential of PALSAR data to predict the Eucalyptus biomass. Regressions were constructed to link the biomass to both radar signal and age of plantations. Results showed that the age was the variable that best explained the biomass followed by the PALSAR HV polarized signal. For biomasses lower than 50 t/ha, HV signal and plantation age were found to have the same level of importance in predicting biomass. For biomasses higher than 50 t/ha, plantation age was the main variable in the RF models. The use of PALSAR signal alone did not correctly predict the biomass of Eucalyptus plantations [ℝ2 lower than 0.5 and root-mean-squared error (RMSE) higher than 46.7 t/ha]. The use of plantation age in addition to the PALSAR signal improved slightly the prediction results (ℝ2 increased from 0.88 to 0.92 and RMSE decreased from 22.7 to 18.9 t/ha). PALSAR imagery does not allow a direct estimation of planting date of Eucalyptus stands but can follow efficiently the occurrence of clear-cuts if images are acquired sequentially, therefore allowing a rough estimate of the following plantation date because a stand of Eucalyptus is generally replanted 2-4 months after cutting. With a time series of radar images, it could be, therefore, possible to estimate the plantation age, and therefore improving the estimates of plantation biomass.
Tetrodotoxin‐Sensitive Sodium Current in Sheep Lymphatic Smooth Muscle

1 Fast inward currents were elicited in freshly isolated sheep lymphatic smooth muscle cells by depolarization from a holding potential of −80 mV using the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique. The currents activated at voltages positive to −40 mV and peaked at 0 mV. 2 When sodium chloride in the bathing solution was replaced isosmotically with choline chloride inward currents were abolished at all potentials. 3 These currents were very sensitive to tetrodotoxin (TTX). Peak current was almost abolished at 1 μM with half‐maximal inhibition at 17 nM. 4 Examination of the voltage dependence of steady state inactivation showed that more than 90 % of the current was available at the normal resting potential of these cells (−60 mV). 5 The time course of recovery from inactivation was studied using a double‐pulse protocol and showed that recovery was complete within 100 ms with a time constant of recovery of 20 ms. 6 Under current clamp, action potentials were elicited by depolarizing current pulses. These had a rapid upstroke and a short duration and could be blocked with 1 μM TTX. 7 Spontaneous contractions of isolated rings of sheep mesenteric lymphatic vessels were abolished or significantly depressed by 1 μM TTX.
Cancer and other causes of death among Wisconsin farmers.

Computerized mortality listings for Wisconsin for 1968-1976 were used in proportional mortality ratio (PMR) and proportional cancer mortality ratio (PCMR) analyses to evaluate mortality patterns among Wisconsin farmers. Examination of PCMR trends by per capita county level of agricultural production was limited to the youngest birth cohort (1905-1958) and cancer sites associated with farming exposures in either the present or previous analyses. Among all Wisconsin farmers, significantly decreased PMRs were seen for tobacco- and alcohol-related causes of death, while excesses occurred for accidental causes, asthma, and cancer of the stomach, prostate, eye, and lymphatic and hematopoietic systems. Elevated PCMR's for leukemia and all lymphopoietic cancer and cancers of the stomach, rectum, eye occurred in farmers born 1905-1958, while deficits were observed for cancer of the pancreas and the category, "all other cancers. " Increases in PCMR's with level of various agricultural activities were largely associated with cancers of other lymphatic tissue (2/3 of which were multiple myeloma) and the rectum. Certain agricultural exposures were also positively associated with deaths due to cancers of the prostate, brain, lymphosarcoma and reticulosarcoma, and all lymphopoietic cancers. No positive PCMR gradients were observed for leukemia and malignancies of the stomach and eye. Modern chemical practices in farming may account for some of the patterns noted.