Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Late phase of long‐term potentiation in the mossy fiber—CA3 hippocampal pathway is critically dependent on metalloproteinases activity

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are known to play a pivotal role in remodeling of the extracellular matrix and have been implicated in synaptic plasticity, learning and memory. In hippocampus, inhibition of MMPs impairs the maintenance of long term plasticity in Schaeffer collateral‐CA1 (Sch/CA1) synapses while its effect on short term plasticity remains a matter of debate. Surprisingly little is known on the role of MMPs in other hippocampal synapses. In this study we have investigated the impact of a broad spectrum MMPs inhibitor, FN‐439 on synaptic transmission in mossy fiber‐CA3 (MF/CA3) synapses exhibiting profoundly different mechanism of long term potentiation (LTP) as well as robust short‐term plasticity, features that clearly distinguish them from the Sch/CA1 synapses. We report, that MMPs blockade before and up to 30 minutes after LTP induction resulted in a severe disruption of the late phase of tetanically induced LTP. However, LTP time course was not changed when FN439 was administered 60 minutes post LTP induction indicating that MMPs activity is required for the consolidation of the synaptic plasticity within a specific time window. The paired‐pulse facilitation ratio or post‐tetanic potentiation or burst‐like pattern of mossy fiber stimulation were not changed in the presence of FN‐439 administered for 15 minutes suggesting that temporal pattern of presynaptic transmitter release and, in general, the MF‐CA3 fidelity is not significantly affected by MMPs inhibition. We conclude that although the mechanisms of long‐term plasticity in MF/CA3 and in Sch/CA1 are profoundly different, MMPs play a crucial role in both pathways in the maintenance of LTP, which is believed to play an important role in learning and memory in the hippocampus. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Practical Exploration System for Search Advertising

In this paper, we describe an exploration system that was implemented by the search-advertising team of a prominent web-portal to address the cold ads problem. The cold ads problem refers to the situation where, when new ads are injected into the system by advertisers, the system is unable to assign an accurate quality to the ad (in our case, the click probability). As a consequence, the advertiser may suffer from low impression volumes for these cold ads, and the overall system may perform sub-optimally if the click probabilities for new ads are not learnt rapidly. We designed a new exploration system that was adapted to search advertising and the serving constraints of the system. In this paper, we define the problem, discuss the design details of the exploration system, new evaluation criteria, and present the performance metrics that were observed by us.
Cold-responsive gene regulation during cold acclimation in plants

Regulation of the transcriptome is necessary for plants to acquire cold tolerance, and cold induces several genes via a cold signaling pathway. The transcription factors CBF/DREB1 (C-repeat binding factor/dehydration responsive element binding1) and ICE1 (inducer of CBF expression1) have important roles in the regulation of cold-responsive gene expression. ICE1 is post-translationally regulated by ubiquitylation-mediated proteolysis and sumoylation. This mini-review highlights some recent studies on plant cold signaling. The relationships among cold signaling, salicylic acid accumulation and stomatal development are also discussed.
Collaborative Governance for Longitudinal Healthcare Services: Enabling Conditions and Leading Practices

Maria Cucciniello Assistant Professor Department of Institutional Analysis and Public Management, Università Bocconi, Assistant Professor at SDA Bocconi School of Management Greta Nasi Associate Professor, Department of Institutional Analysis and Public Management, Università Bocconi, Professor at SDA Bocconi School of Management Giovanni Valotti Full Professor, Department of Institutional Analysis and Public Management, Università Bocconi, Professor at SDA Bocconi School of Management
Ubiquity and Diversity of Dissimilatory (Per)chlorate-Reducing Bacteria

ABSTRACT Environmental contamination with compounds containing oxyanions of chlorine, such as perchlorate or chlorate [(per)chlorate] or chlorine dioxide, has been a constantly growing problem over the last 100 years. Although the fact that microbes reduce these compounds has been recognized for more than 50 years, only six organisms which can obtain energy for growth by this metabolic process have been described. As part of a study to investigate the diversity and ubiquity of microorganisms involved in the microbial reduction of (per)chlorate, we enumerated the (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria (ClRB) in very diverse environments, including pristine and hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, aquatic sediments, paper mill waste sludges, and farm animal waste lagoons. In all of the environments tested, the acetate-oxidizing ClRB represented a significant population, whose size ranged from 2.31 × 103 to 2.4 × 106 cells per g of sample. In addition, we isolated 13 ClRB from these environments. All of these organisms could grow anaerobically by coupling complete oxidation of acetate to reduction of (per)chlorate. Chloride was the sole end product of this reductive metabolism. All of the isolates could also use oxygen as a sole electron acceptor, and most, but not all, could use nitrate. The alternative electron donors included simple volatile fatty acids, such as propionate, butyrate, or valerate, as well as simple organic acids, such as lactate or pyruvate. Oxidized-minus-reduced difference spectra of washed whole-cell suspensions of the isolates had absorbance maxima close to 425, 525, and 550 nm, which are characteristic of type c cytochromes. In addition, washed cell suspensions of all of the ClRB isolates could dismutate chlorite, an intermediate in the reductive metabolism of (per)chlorate, into chloride and molecular oxygen. Chlorite dismutation was a result of the activity of a single enzyme which in pure form had a specific activity of approximately 1,928 μmol of chlorite per mg of protein per min. Analyses of the 16S ribosomal DNA sequences of the organisms indicated that they all belonged to the alpha, beta, or gamma subclass of the Proteobacteria. Several were closely related to members of previously described genera that are not recognized for the ability to reduce (per)chlorate, such as the generaPseudomonas and Azospirllum. However, many were not closely related to any previously described organism and represented new genera within the Proteobacteria. The results of this study significantly increase the limited number of microbial isolates that are known to be capable of dissimilatory (per)chlorate reduction and demonstrate the hitherto unrecognized phylogenetic diversity and ubiquity of the microorganisms that exhibit this type of metabolism.
Electronic Mail and Organizational Knowledge: Media Use in a Global Corporation

Several attributes of communication media influence the costs of their use and utility, and these in turn have the potential to influence their patterns of use and organizational consequences. The goal of this paper is to examine some of these media attributes and their consequences in a large international firm. The data come from a survey of 973 employees of a multi-national corporation. They show that the distinguishing attributes of different media are not dominant: people whose jobs require substantial communication are likely to communicate heavily using all media available to them. The best predictor of which medium is used is the extent to which the medium can put people into contact with their important communication partners. When the job is the unit of analysis, the data from this survey do not support the media richness hypothesis --- that use is determined by the fit between the richness of a medium and the degree to which people have complex, ambiguous, or social jobs. Yet when one takes a single conversation as a unit of analysis, the data show that media differing in interactivity and expressiveness are valuable for different tasks. Employees who use electronic mail extensively are better informed about their company and more committed to its management''s goals. One reason for their superior knowledge about the organization seems to be that electronic mail promotes "information spillover" from a focal recipient to others less directly interested in a message, without subjecting these marginal parties to the burdens of interruption and information overload.
Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A Interacts with the Upstream Pseudoknot Domain in the 3′ Untranslated Region of Tobacco Mosaic Virus RNA

ABSTRACT The genomic RNA of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), like that of other positive-strand RNA viruses, acts as a template for both translation and replication. The highly structured 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of TMV RNAs plays an important role in both processes; it is not polyadenylated but ends with a tRNA-like structure (TLS) preceded by a conserved upstream pseudoknot domain (UPD). The TLS of tobamoviral RNAs can be specifically aminoacylated and, in this state, can interact with eukaryotic elongation factor 1A (eEF1A)/GTP with high affinity. Using a UV cross-linking assay, we detected another specific binding site for eEF1A/GTP, within the UPDs of TMV and crucifer-infecting tobamovirus (crTMV), that does not require aminoacylation. A mutational analysis revealed that UPD pseudoknot conformation and some conserved primary sequence elements are required for this interaction. Its possible role in the regulation of tobamovirus gene expression and replication is discussed.
Return rates and outcomes from ethnicity-specific mental health programs in Los Angeles.

OBJECTIVES The present study compared the return rate, length of treatment, and treatment outcome of ethnic minority adults who received services from ethnicity-specific or mainstream programs. METHODS The sample consisted of 1516 African Americans, 1888 Asian Americans, and 1306 Mexican Americans who used 1 of 36 predominantly White (mainstream) or 18 ethnicity-specific mental health centers in Los Angeles County over a 6-year period. Predictor variables included type of program (ethnicity specific vs mainstream), disorder, ethnic match (whether or not clients had a therapist of the same ethnicity), gender, age, and Medi-Cal eligibility. The criterion variables were return after one session, total number of sessions, and treatment outcome. RESULTS The study indicated that ethnic clients who attended ethnicity-specific programs had a higher return rate and stayed in the treatment longer than those using mainstream services. The data analyses were less clear cut when treatment outcome was examined. CONCLUSIONS The findings support the notion that ethnicity-specific programs seem to increase the continued use of mental health services among ethnic minority groups.
Release from Quorum-Sensing Molecules Triggers Hyphal Formation during Candida albicans Resumption of Growth

ABSTRACT Candida albicans is a pathogenic fungus able to change morphology in response to variations in its growth environment. Simple inoculation of stationary cells into fresh medium at 37°C, without any other manipulations, appears to be a powerful but transient inducer of hyphal formation; this process also plays a significant role in classical serum induction of hyphal formation. The mechanism appears to involve the release of hyphal repression caused by quorum-sensing molecules in the growth medium of stationary-phase cells, and farnesol has a strong but incomplete role in this process. We used DNA microarray technology to study both the resumption of growth of Candida albicans cells and molecular regulation involving farnesol. Maintaining farnesol in the culture medium during the resumption of growth both delays and reduces the induction of hypha-related genes yet triggers expression of genes encoding drug efflux components. The persistence of farnesol also prevents the repression of histone genes during hyphal growth and affects the expression of putative or demonstrated morphogenesis-regulating cyclin genes, such as HGC1, CLN3, and PCL2. The results suggest a model explaining the triggering of hyphae in the host based on quorum-sensing molecules.
Solar UV-B radiation is linked to the geographic variation of mortality from systemic lupus erythematosus in the USA.

Sir—A paper in Lupus 1 investigated the geographic variation of mortality from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the USA for the period 1984–1993 and concluded that regions of elevated mortality rates were associated with higher poverty levels and/or greater concentrations of ethnic Hispanics. However, a review of the literature on SLE  nds that ultraviolet radiation (UVR), especially UV-B (280–315 nm), overlooked in that study, is a major risk factor. A recent study reported that over 90% of those with SLE had an abnormal reaction to UVR. On the other hand, UV-A (315–400 nm) has been found to decrease clinical disease activity and autoantibodies. In order to study the links to Hispanic heritage, poverty, and UVR in the USA, the data on SLE relative mortality rates for seven multicounty clusters were used along with data on fraction of population living below the poverty level, fractions of the populations with Hispanic or African heritage, and proxies for UV-A and UV-B doses. The population data for 1990 were suitably averaged for the states largely included in each cluster. DNA-weighted UV-B (peaking near 300 nm) data for July 1992 were obtained from a Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer dataset. The latitude and longitude of these data were used to determine values for each state. For UV-A radiation, the cosine of the latitude of the centre of each cluster was used, equivalent to the sun being at the equator at noon. The data sources and approach are the same that have been used successfully to explain the geographic distribution of cancer mortality rates in the USA. The values for the parameters used in this analysis, averaged for the multicounty clusters, are given in Table 1. The data were used in linear or multiple linear regression analyses using SigmaStat Version 2.0 (Jandel Scienti c Software). The results are given in Table 2. As is readily apparent, UV-B radiation for July has the highest correlation with SLE mortality rates. In association with UV-B, poverty is associated with SLE mortality in a nearly signi cant manner; Hispanic heritage is inversely associated with SLE mortality in a signi cant manner. Solar UV-A radiation has a minimal effect on SLE mortality rates. In the multiple linear regressions, the fraction of the variance explained by each factor is proportional to t . Thus, the  ndings reported in Ref. 1 were likely related to the facts that Hispanics tend to live in sunny climates, and that it is easier to be poor in the warmer south than in the colder north. These  ndings should be con rmed using the entire data set shown as Figure 1 in Ref. 1. Assuming these results are correct, those suffering from SLE should use every means possible to reduce their exposure to UV-B radiation.
Investigating the Advertising Antecedents to and Consequences of Brand Experience

Brand experience may contribute more to promotional efficacy than concepts such as brand personality/associations/equity/value/attitudes. Yet, little is known about whether managed advertising efforts might evoke more desirable brand experiences and promotional outcomes as a consequence of consumers’ brand experiences. This study examines antecedents and consequences that may be associated with brand experiences. Attitude toward brand name, connectedness to celebrity endorser, message fit, and visual imaging were investigated as antecedents. Brand attitude and brand distinctiveness were examined as consequences. The resulting insights add managerial rigor to advertising processes that currently are often managed more by gut than by reason.
Electrocorticographic Dynamics as a Novel Biomarker in Five Models of Epileptogenesis

Postinjury epilepsy (PIE) is a devastating sequela of various brain insults. While recent studies offer novel insights into the mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis and discover potential preventive treatments, the lack of PIE biomarkers hinders the clinical implementation of such treatments. Here we explored the biomarker potential of different electrographic features in five models of PIE. Electrocorticographic or intrahippocampal recordings of epileptogenesis (from the insult to the first spontaneous seizure) from two laboratories were analyzed in three mouse and two rat PIE models. Time, frequency, and fractal and nonlinear properties of the signals were examined, in addition to the daily rate of epileptiform spikes, the relative power of five frequency bands (theta, alpha, beta, low gamma, and high gamma) and the dynamics of these features over time. During the latent pre-seizure period, epileptiform spikes were more frequent in epileptic compared with nonepileptic rodents; however, this feature showed limited predictive power due to high inter- and intra-animal variability. While nondynamic rhythmic representation failed to predict epilepsy, the dynamics of the theta band were found to predict PIE with a sensitivity and specificity of >90%. Moreover, theta dynamics were found to be inversely correlated with the latency period (and thus predict the onset of seizures) and with the power change of the high-gamma rhythm. In addition, changes in theta band power during epileptogenesis were associated with altered locomotor activity and distorted circadian rhythm. These results suggest that changes in theta band during the epileptogenic period may serve as a diagnostic biomarker for epileptogenesis, able to predict the future onset of spontaneous seizures. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Postinjury epilepsy is an unpreventable and devastating disorder that develops following brain injuries, such as traumatic brain injury and stroke, and is often associated with neuropsychiatric comorbidities. As PIE affects as many as 20% of brain-injured patients, reliable biomarkers are imperative before any preclinical therapeutics can find clinical translation. We demonstrate the capacity to predict the epileptic outcome in five different models of PIE, highlighting theta rhythm dynamics as a promising biomarker for epilepsy. Our findings prompt the exploration of theta dynamics (using repeated electroencephalographic recordings) as an epilepsy biomarker in brain injury patients.
The effect of narcotics and narcotic antagonists on the tail‐flick response in spinal mice

Irwin, Houde & others (1951) reported that the tail-flick response of rats to radiant heat has the characters of a simple reflex. The ability of spinal rats to respond to this stimulus has been confirmed and extended (Winter & Flataker, 1951 ; Bonnycastle, Cook & Ipsen, 1953). Morphine inhibited the reflex in spinal rats but a quantitative difference observed between its effect in spinal rats and intact animals indicated that a second action might exist in its capacity to increase supraspinal inhibitory mechanisms. We have used the tail-flick test in mice to elucidate the mechanism of action of morphine and the narcotic-antagonist analgesics (Harris & Pierson, 1964 ; Dewey, Harris & others, 1969 ; Harris, Dewey & others, 1969) and have found a high correlation of activity with a number of narcotic analgesics to exist between species. We have confirmed and extended the observation that cholinergic agents such as oxotremorine and physostigmine also reduced this response (Harris & others, 1969; Howes, Harris & others, 1969). In addition, we have shown that an increase in central adrenergic or 5-hydroxytryptamine tone will increase the activity of morphine in intact mice in the tail-flick test (Dewey, Harris & others, 1968). We have now attempted to increase our knowledge about this testing procedure by studying the narcotics, the narcotic antagonists, and some of the neurochemicals discussed above in spinal mice. Male albino mice of the Swiss-Webster strain (18-25 g) had transections made under ether anaesthesia. A dorsal midline incision was made and the spinal cord was exposed between the fifth and sixth thoracic vertebrae. The cord was cauterized and the wound was closed with silk sutures. Attempts to transect the cord at a higher level resulted in death from respiratory paralysis or uncontrolled bleeding. There were few deaths from the surgical procedure. Water and food were presented ad libitum. Within 3 to 4 h all mice were quite active. Simple physiological stimuli showed that the cord section was positive. Most of the mice responded to the radiant stimulus of the tail-flick apparatus within 4 s, the variability among the reaction times being less than is usually observed in normal mice. Animals not responding within 4 s were not used. The results obtained were averaged with a second reading taken 30 min later, after which the drug was given subcutaneously in the flank; readings were made 20 min later. Mice not responding within 10 s were removed from the apparatus and considered to be 100% affected. The % maximal possible inhibition was calculated using the following formula :
Provider payment reforms : lessons from Europe and America for South Eastern Europe

Provider payment systems provide critical incentives for improving quality, efficiency and cost containment. Evidence from the OECD demonstrates this and recent experiences in South Eastern Europe (SEE) suggest that this applies to lower income countries as well. While no single strategy is ever sufficient in providing incentives for health care delivery, well designed provider payment offers a set of tools to achieve multiple objectives. This paper presents an overview on the current status of provider payment in SEE, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and provides reform plans. The focus is on institutional and organizational strengthening on the provider and payer-side to support the effectiveness of financial incentives set through purchasing. The paper discusses payment methods for outpatient and hospital care and performance based payment in the reform context of SEE. Each section concludes with a series of practical policy measures for strengthening purchasing by drawing from the lessons learned from recent reforms in Europe and the United States where changes in provider payment have been evaluated. The paper provides practical policy advice to health policy-makers, management and staff working in purchasing agencies and in health facilities in countries that consider reforms to strengthen their purchasing function and use payment incentives to support the effectiveness of health systems.
Changing business models of online content services: Their implications for multimedia and other content producers

To begin, it is useful to undertake a broad perspective regarding the nature of modern electronic communication capabilities. Although the term "revolution" is often applied to contemporary developments in information and communications technology (ICT), the technologies should not be confused as being part of a content revolution. The revolution is in software, equipment, and infrastructure and in their capabilities for presentation and dissemination but not in the substance of the content itself.