Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning what matters: Synaptic plasticity with invariance to second-order input correlations

Cortical populations of neurons develop sparse representations adapted to the statistics of the environment. To learn efficient population codes, synaptic plasticity mechanisms must differentiate relevant latent features from spurious input correlations, which are omnipresent in cortical networks. Here, we develop a theory for sparse coding and synaptic plasticity that is invariant to second-order correlations in the input. Going beyond classical Hebbian learning, our learning objective explains the functional form of observed excitatory plasticity mechanisms, showing how Hebbian long-term depression (LTD) cancels the sensitivity to second-order correlations so that receptive fields become aligned with features hidden in higher-order statistics. Invariance to second-order correlations enhances the versatility of biologically realistic learning models, supporting optimal decoding from noisy inputs and sparse population coding from spatially correlated stimuli. In a spiking model with triplet spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), we show that individual neurons can learn localized oriented receptive fields, circumventing the need for input preprocessing, such as whitening, or population-level lateral inhibition. The theory advances our understanding of local unsupervised learning in cortical circuits, offers new interpretations of the Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro and triplet STDP models, and assigns a specific functional role to synaptic LTD mechanisms in pyramidal neurons.
BANDWIDTH ENHANCEMENT OF LOW-PROFILE SIW CAVITY ANTENNA WITH BILATERAL SLOTS

A novel design to enhance the bandwidth of a low-profile substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity antenna is presented. Distinct from traditional antennas with unilateral slots, bilateral slots are utilized as radiating elements in the proposed design. By etching an additional slot at the bottom plane, a new resonant mode is introduced, and quality factors of two original modes are significantly reduced. Antenna’s bandwidth can be dramatically enhanced by merging these three modes within a single operating band. A prototype is fabricated and measured. With the height of 0. 018λ0, the measured 10-dB bandwidth is 410 MHz (3.24–3.65 GHz), corresponding to 11.9% fractional bandwidth. The measured gain is higher than 4.3 dBi, and the measured efficiency is around 75% within the operation band. Those attractive features, e.g., low profile, enhanced bandwidth and moderate radiation performance, make the proposed antenna suitable for future 5G systems.
Current perspectives and trends of the research on hypertensive nephropathy: a bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2023

Abstract Hypertensive nephropathy continues to be a major cause of end-stage renal disease and poses a significant global health burden. Despite the staggering development of research in hypertensive nephropathy, scientists and clinicians can only seek out useful information through articles and reviews, it remains a hurdle for them to quickly track the trend in this field. This study uses the bibliometric method to identify the evolutionary development and recent hotspots of hypertensive nephropathy. The Web of Science Core Collection database was used to extract publications on hypertensive nephropathy from January 2000 to November 2023. CiteSpace was used to capture the patterns and trends from multi-perspectives, including countries/regions, institutions, keywords, and references. In total, 557 publications on hypertensive nephropathy were eligible for inclusion. China (n = 208, 37.34%) was the most influential contributor among all the countries. Veterans Health Administration (n = 19, 3.41%) was found to be the most productive institution. Keyword bursting till now are renal fibrosis, outcomes, and mechanisms which are predicted to be the potential frontiers and hotspots in the future. The top seven references were listed, and their burst strength was shown. A comprehensive overview of the current status and research frontiers of hypertensive nephropathy has been provided through the bibliometric perspective. Recent advancements and challenges in hypertensive nephropathy have been discussed. These findings can offer informative instructions for researchers and scholars.
Photosynthetic productivity of forest canopies in relation to solar radiation and nitrogen cycling

Description d'une methode permettant d'estimer la radiation solaire globale en un lieu. La penetration de cette radiation dans des vegetations forestieres de differents types est etudiee, et l'utilisation de cette radiation pour la production de matiere seche par la vegetation est examinee, en fonction de parametres physiologiques simples: surface du feuillage, taux de photosynthese, cycle de l'azote dans la litiere
Sensitizing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to cefuroxime: the synergic effect of bicarbonate and the wall teichoic acid inhibitor ticlopidine

ABSTRACT Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are a major challenge for clinicians due, in part, to their resistance to most β-lactams, the first-line treatment for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. A phenotype termed “NaHCO3-responsiveness” has been identified, wherein many clinical MRSA isolates are rendered susceptible to standard-of-care β-lactams in the presence of physiologically relevant concentrations of NaHCO3, in vitro and ex vivo; moreover, such “NaHCO3-responsive” isolates can be effectively cleared by β-lactams from target tissues in experimental infective endocarditis (IE). One mechanistic impact of NaHCO3 exposure on NaHCO3-responsive MRSA is to repress WTA synthesis. This NaHCO3 effect mimics the phenotype of tarO-deficient MRSA, including sensitization to the PBP2-targeting β-lactam, cefuroxime (CFX). Herein, we further investigated the impacts of NaHCO3 exposure on CFX susceptibility in the presence and absence of a WTA synthesis inhibitor, ticlopidine (TCP), in a collection of clinical MRSA isolates from skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) and bloodstream infections (BSI). NaHCO3 and/or TCP enhanced susceptibility to CFX in vitro, by both minimum inhibitor concentration (MIC) and time-kill assays, as well as in an ex vivo simulated endocarditis vegetations (SEV) model, in NaHCO3-responsive MRSA. Furthermore, in experimental IE (presumably in the presence of endogenous NaHCO3), pre-exposure to TCP prior to infection sensitized the NaHCO3-responsive MRSA strain (but not the non-responsive strain) to enhanced clearances by CFX in target tissues. These data support the notion that NaHCO3 is acting similarly to WTA synthesis inhibitors, and that such inhibitors have potential translational applications in the treatment of certain MRSA strains in conjunction with specific β-lactam agents.
Auditory scene reproduction for tele-operated robot systems

ABSTRACT In a tele-operated robot environment, reproducing auditory scenes and conveying 3D spatial information of sound sources are inevitable in order to make operators feel more realistic tele-presence. In this paper, we propose a tele-presence robot system that enables reproduction and manipulation of auditory scenes. This tele-presence system is carried out on the basis of 3D information about where targeted humans are speaking, and matching with the operator's head orientation. We employed multiple microphone arrays and human tracking technologies to localize and separate voices around a robot. In the operator site, separated sound sources are rendered using head-related transfer functions (HRTF) according to the sound sources' spatial positions and the operator's head orientation that is being tracked real time. Two-party and three-party interaction experiments indicated that the proposed system has significantly higher accuracy when perceiving direction of sounds and gains higher subjective scores in sense of presence and listenability, compared to a baseline system which uses stereo binaural sounds obtained by two microphones mounted on the humanoid robot's ears. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
“Why has this new vaccine come and for what reasons?” key antecedents and questions for acceptance of a future maternal GBS vaccine: Perspectives of pregnant women, lactating women, and community members in Kenya

ABSTRACT Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a leading global cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis, stillbirth, and puerperal sepsis. While intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is a currently available GBS disease prevention strategy, IAP is programmatically complex to implement, precluding use in low- and middle-income countries. In Kenya, 2% of stillbirths are attributable to GBS infection. Two maternal GBS vaccines are in late-stage clinical development. However, licensure of a maternal GBS vaccine does not translate into reduction of disease. We conducted 28 in-depth interviews with pregnant people, lactating people, and community members across two counties in Kenya to better understand the attitudes and informational needs of primary vaccine beneficiaries. We identified two emerging themes from the data. The first focused on antecedents to maternal GBS vaccine acceptability. The most common antecedents focused on the vaccine’s ability to protect the baby and/or the mother, followed by community sensitization before the vaccine was available. The second key theme focused on questions that would need to be addressed before someone could accept a maternal GBS vaccine. Three key categories of questions were identified, including vaccine safety compared to vaccine benefits, who gets the vaccine, and how the vaccine works. Realizing the potential benefits of a future GBS maternal vaccine will require a multifactorial approach, including ensuring that communities are aware of GBS-related harms as well as the safety and effectiveness of a maternal GBS vaccine. Our study contributes to informing this multifactorial approach by elucidating the attitudes and concerns of key populations.
Relevance of mutation-derived neoantigens and non-classical antigens for anticancer therapies

ABSTRACT Efficacy of cancer immunotherapies relies on correct recognition of tumor antigens by lymphocytes, eliciting thus functional responses capable of eliminating tumor cells. Therefore, important efforts have been carried out in antigen identification, with the aim of understanding mechanisms of response to immunotherapy and to design safer and more efficient strategies. In addition to classical tumor-associated antigens identified during the last decades, implementation of next-generation sequencing methodologies is enabling the identification of neoantigens (neoAgs) arising from mutations, leading to the development of new neoAg-directed therapies. Moreover, there are numerous non-classical tumor antigens originated from other sources and identified by new methodologies. Here, we review the relevance of neoAgs in different immunotherapies and the results obtained by applying neoAg-based strategies. In addition, the different types of non-classical tumor antigens and the best approaches for their identification are described. This will help to increase the spectrum of targetable molecules useful in cancer immunotherapies.
Ethnobotany of native plants from a rural community of the Sierra, Ecuador: quantitative analysis

A study of medicinal plants used by the inhabitants of San Fernando Parish, Province of Tungurahua, Ecuador was performed. A semi-structured interview was applied, with the consent of the adults within the age group from 40 to 84 years. Plants were collected and herborized to be botanically determined. The medicinal uses given to them are documented accordingly to the ailment mentioned for users. In order to determine the degree of knowledge shared by users, quantitative methods were applied. Thirty-three plants grouped into 21 families were reported, two samples were undetermined. The most important botanical family is Asteraceae with seven genera. Within the 56 informants, indicated 10 applications for all plants. All plant species reported are native, except for the “white” / “black chilca” (Baccharis latifolia, Asteraceae) which is endemic. Over 50% of informants reported seven plants as the most useful (popular) to treat ailments. The most mentioned plant species was “caballo chupa” (Equisetum bogotense, Equisetaceae). Informants tend to agree about the use of plants and in the treatment of ailments reported. The people of San Fernando use a wide variety of plant species for the same ailment.
Active pH regulation facilitates Bacillus subtilis biofilm development in a minimally buffered environment

ABSTRACT Biofilms provide individual bacteria with many advantages, yet dense cellular proliferation can also create intrinsic metabolic challenges including excessive acidification. Because such pH stress can be masked in buffered laboratory media—such as MSgg commonly used to study Bacillus subtilis biofilms—it is not always clear how such biofilms cope with minimally buffered natural environments. Here, we report how B. subtilis biofilms overcome this intrinsic metabolic challenge through an active pH regulation mechanism. Specifically, we find that these biofilms can modulate their extracellular pH to the preferred neutrophile range, even when starting from acidic and alkaline initial conditions, while planktonic cells cannot. We associate this behavior with dynamic interplay between acetate and acetoin biosynthesis and show that this mechanism is required to buffer against biofilm acidification. Furthermore, we find that buffering-deficient biofilms exhibit dysregulated biofilm development when grown in minimally buffered conditions. Our findings reveal an active pH regulation mechanism in B. subtilis biofilms that could lead to new targets to control unwanted biofilm growth. IMPORTANCE pH is known to influence microbial growth and community dynamics in multiple bacterial species and environmental contexts. Furthermore, in many bacterial species, rapid cellular proliferation demands the use of overflow metabolism, which can often result in excessive acidification. However, in the case of bacterial communities known as biofilms, these acidification challenges can be masked when buffered laboratory media are employed to stabilize the pH environment for optimal growth. Our study reveals that B. subtilis biofilms use an active pH regulation mechanism to mitigate both growth-associated acidification and external pH challenges. This discovery provides new opportunities for understanding microbial communities and could lead to new methods for controlling biofilm growth outside of buffered laboratory conditions.
Current Issues in Pharmacy and Medical Sciences

voriconazole [4,6]. Antifungal activity of azoles results from inhibition of the enzyme encoded by gene ERG11 , i.e. sterol 14alfa-demethylase, which takes part in the transformation of lanosterol into ergosterol. Therefore, these agents inter-rupt the biosynthesis of ergosterol – an important Candida spp. cell membrane compound, leading to inhibition of fungal growth. In addition, 14 α-methyl-3,6-diol, being a fun - gistatic compound, is accumulated inside the yeast cell [4]. Increasing resistance and multiresistance to antifungal agents has become more and more serious. The most predominant among Candida spp. is resistance to azoles, caused by the wide use of these medicines in the last decades in clinical practice – both for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes [1]. Candida spp. has evolved several resistance mechanisms against azoles. Among these are: point muta - tions in the gene ERG11 (interference in azoles binding), gene ERG11 up regulation (influence on ergosterol pro - duction), reduced azoles affinity to cell membrane, overex - pression or amplification of multiple classes of drug efflux pumps (rapid azole extrusion from fungal cells), regulation of cellular stress response pathways and biofilm creation [1,3]. The overall goal of this work was to determine the susceptibility to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole and posaconazole of clinical C. albicans isolates from
Molecular diagnosis of Cytomegalovirus infection: clinical performance of the Aptima transcription-mediated amplification assay toward conventional qPCR chemistry on whole blood samples

ABSTRACT Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is life-threatening for immunocompromised patients. Quantitative molecular assays on whole blood or plasma are the gold standard for the diagnosis of invasive HCMV infection and for monitoring antiviral treatment in individuals at risk of HCMV disease. For these reasons, an accurate standardization toward the WHO 1st International Standard among different centers and diagnostic kits represents an effort for better clinical management of HCMV-positive patients. Herein, we evaluate, for the first time, the performance of a new transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) assay versus quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) chemistry, used as a routine method, on whole blood samples. A total of 755 clinical whole blood specimens were collected and tested simultaneously with TMA and qPCR assays. The data showed a qualitative agreement of 99.27% for positive quantified samples and 89.39% for those undetected between the two tested methods. Evaluation of viremia in positive samples highlighted a good correlation between TMA and qPCR chemistries in terms of International Units (ΔLog10 IU/mL: −0.29 ± 0.40). The TMA assay showed a significant correlation with qPCR in patients monitored for up to 3 months, thus allowing an accurate assessment of viremia in transplant patients. Therefore, TMA chemistry showed good agreement with qPCR testing, used as a current diagnostic routine. It also offers important advantages, such as FDA approval on plasma and In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) on both plasma and whole blood, automated workflow with minimal hands-on time, and random access loading, thus enabling a rapid and reliable diagnostic in HCMV-infected patients. IMPORTANCE In this paper, we describe the clinical performance of a novel transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) assay for the detection and quantification of human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA from whole blood samples. This is a pivotal analysis in immunocompromised patients [transplanted, HIV-positive, and Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) recipients], and molecular tests with high sensitivity and specificity are necessary to evaluate the HCMV viral load in these patients. To our knowledge, this is the first in-depth evaluation of TMA chemistry for HCMV diagnosis on whole blood samples. Moreover, also technical aspects of this assay make it suitable for clinical diagnostics.
Hydrologic and geochemical controls on metals partitioning in the vadose zone and shallow ground water zone of a highly-contaminated floodplain near Butte Montana

^ Lucy, Juliette K. , M.S., 1996 ^ Geology Hydrologie and geochemical controls on metals partitioning in the vadose zone and shallow ground water zone of a highly-contaminated floodplain near Butte, Montana. Director; Johnnie N. Moore The geochemical character of the vadose zone and shallow ground water zone of a small floodplain highly contaminated with mining wastes was determined. Heavy metals are partitioned into water soluble, reducible, oxidizable, and residual phases (solid phases), and into aqueous phase. Vadose zone pore water pH decreases from 4 near the surface to 2.5 immediately above the water table. Dissolved metal concentrations in the vadose zone (Fe = 0.5-3600 ppm, Zn = 44-2500 ppm, Mn = 15-1500 ppm, Cu = 12-1800 ppm) are controlled by pH, dilution by infiltrating water, and sediment resistance to desorb metals. Metal concentrations in the sediment are highly variable because of heterogeneous floodplain stratigraphy. Total sediment metal concentrations generally decrease with depth to approximately 40 60 cm, then become less variable down to the water table. At the water table, reducible and oxidizable metal concentrations increase by as much as 50 percent. This profile suggests that 1) metals are being concentrated in surface sediment by evaporation of soil water at the surface, and 2 ) metals precipitate at the vadose/ground water interface where water chemistry becomes more reducing and pH increases. Efflorescent surface crusts which form during dry periods are extremely high in water soluble metals (6 wt.% Fe, 3 wt.% Ca, 1.6 wt.% Zn, 0.4 wt.% Cu, and 85 pg Cd per g sediment). Metal concentrations in fine-grained, organic-rich tailings layers are 2-3 times those in coarse-grained tailings, and 10-50 times those in the pre-mining floodplain. Sediment mineralogy, lithology and stratigraphy are important in partitioning metals. Individual metals characteristically partition into certain fractions, suggesting that Zn, Cd, and Pb sulfides are still abundant in the tailings, but that Cu has been somewhat oxidized out of sulfide minerals into oxidized coatings. This research shows that metals partitioning in the shallow vadose zone is highly dependent on infiltration and subsequent upward movement of soil water and on sediment lithology, whereas in the deeper vadose zone and water table zone, water pH and Eh are the major factors influencing metals partitioning.
Therapy for Specific Problems Therapy for Specific Problems : Youth Tobacco Cessation

There are declines with age in speed of processing, working memory, inhibitory function, and long-term memory, as well as decreases in brain structure size and white matter integrity. In the face of these decreases, functional imaging studies have demonstrated, somewhat surprisingly, reliable increases in prefrontal activation. To account for these joint phenomena, we propose the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition (STAC). STAC provides an integrative view of the aging mind, suggesting that pervasive increased frontal activation with age is a marker of an adaptive brain that engages in compensatory scaffolding in response to the challenges posed by declining neural structures and function. Scaffolding is a normal process present across the lifespan that involves use and development of complementary, alternative neural circuits to achieve a particular cognitive goal. Scaffolding is protective of cognitive function in the aging brain, and available evidence suggests that the ability to use this mechanism is strengthened by cognitive engagement, exercise, and low levels of default network engagement. 173 A nn u. R ev . P sy ch ol . 2 00 9. 60 :1 73 -1 96 . D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w . a nn ua lr ev ie w s. or g A cc es s pr ov id ed b y V an de rb ilt U ni ve rs ity o n 07 /3 0/ 15 . F or p er so na l u se o nl y. ANRV364-PS60-07 ARI 24 November 2008 18:45 fMRI: functional magnetic resonance imaging PET: positron emission tomography
SAGMAN: Stability Analysis of Graph Neural Networks on the Manifolds

Modern graph neural networks (GNNs) can be sensitive to changes in the input graph structure and node features, potentially resulting in unpredictable behavior and degraded performance. In this work, we introduce a spectral framework known as SAGMAN for examining the stability of GNNs. This framework assesses the distance distortions that arise from the nonlinear mappings of GNNs between the input and output manifolds: when two nearby nodes on the input manifold are mapped (through a GNN model) to two distant ones on the output manifold, it implies a large distance distortion and thus a poor GNN stability. We propose a distance-preserving graph dimension reduction (GDR) approach that utilizes spectral graph embedding and probabilistic graphical models (PGMs) to create low-dimensional input/output graph-based manifolds for meaningful stability analysis. Our empirical evaluations show that SAGMAN effectively assesses the stability of each node when subjected to various edge or feature perturbations, offering a scalable approach for evaluating the stability of GNNs, extending to applications within recommendation systems. Furthermore, we illustrate its utility in downstream tasks, notably in enhancing GNN stability and facilitating adversarial targeted attacks.