Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Desensitization of Thyrotropin-releasing Hormone Receptor-mediated Responses Involves Multiple Steps*

Desensitization and recovery of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+] i ) responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were measured in HEK293 cells stably expressing the G protein-coupled TRH receptor. TRH caused a large, rapid, and transient increase in IP3 and a biphasic increase in [Ca2+] i . Desensitization of the TRH response was measured by exposing cells to TRH, washing, and then incubating the cells in hormone-free medium before reintroducing TRH and measuring IP3, [Ca2+] i , and intracellular Ca2+ pool size. When cells were incubated with 1 μm TRH for 10 s or 10 min and reexposed to TRH, there was almost no IP3 or [Ca2+] i increase. The IP3 response recovered first, followed by the [Ca2+] i response. The ionomycin-releasable intracellular Ca2+ pool was almost completely depleted by TRH, and pool refilling was slow. Thrombin, endothelin, and carbachol, when combined, stimulated large increases in IP3 and [Ca2+] i , but did not block the IP3 or [Ca2+] i responses to TRH measured 10 min later. In contrast, cells exposed to TRH first responded to combined agonists with a nearly normal increase in IP3, but no rise in [Ca2+] i . Thus, the IP3 response to TRH displays homologous desensitization, whereas the [Ca2+] i response displays heterologous desensitization because depletion of intracellular Ca2+ pools prevents responses to other hormones.
Comparative Metagenomics Revealed Commonly Enriched Gene Sets in Human Gut Microbiomes

Numerous microbes inhabit the human intestine, many of which are uncharacterized or uncultivable. They form a complex microbial community that deeply affects human physiology. To identify the genomic features common to all human gut microbiomes as well as those variable among them, we performed a large-scale comparative metagenomic analysis of fecal samples from 13 healthy individuals of various ages, including unweaned infants. We found that, while the gut microbiota from unweaned infants were simple and showed a high inter-individual variation in taxonomic and gene composition, those from adults and weaned children were more complex but showed a high functional uniformity regardless of age or sex. In searching for the genes over-represented in gut microbiomes, we identified 237 gene families commonly enriched in adult-type and 136 families in infant-type microbiomes, with a small overlap. An analysis of their predicted functions revealed various strategies employed by each type of microbiota to adapt to its intestinal environment, suggesting that these gene sets encode the core functions of adult and infant-type gut microbiota. By analysing the orphan genes, 647 new gene families were identified to be exclusively present in human intestinal microbiomes. In addition, we discovered a conjugative transposon family explosively amplified in human gut microbiomes, which strongly suggests that the intestine is a ‘hot spot’ for horizontal gene transfer between microbes.
Actions of Agonists, Fipronil and Ivermectin on the Predominant In Vivo Splice and Edit Variant (RDLbd, I/V) of the Drosophila GABA Receptor Expressed in Xenopus laevis Oocytes

Ionotropic GABA receptors are the targets for several classes of insecticides. One of the most widely-studied insect GABA receptors is RDL (resistance to dieldrin), originally isolated from Drosophila melanogaster. RDL undergoes alternative splicing and RNA editing, which influence the potency of GABA. Most work has focussed on minority isoforms. Here, we report the first characterisation of the predominant native splice variant and RNA edit, combining functional characterisation with molecular modelling of the agonist-binding region. The relative order of agonist potency is GABA> muscimol> TACA> β-alanine. The I/V edit does not alter the potency of GABA compared to RDLbd. Docking calculations suggest that these agonists bind and activate RDLbdI/V through a similar binding mode. TACA and β-alanine are predicted to bind with lower affinity than GABA, potentially explaining their lower potency, whereas the lower potency of muscimol and isoguvacine cannot be explained structurally from the docking calculations. The A301S (resistance to dieldrin) mutation reduced the potency of antagonists picrotoxin, fipronil and pyrafluprole but the I/V edit had no measurable effect. Ivermectin suppressed responses to GABA of RDLbdI/V, RDLbd and RDLbdI/VA301S. The dieldrin resistant variant also showed reduced sensitivity to Ivermectin. This study of a highly abundant insect GABA receptor isoform will help the design of new insecticides.
The Identity Status Approach: In Need of Fundamental Revision and Qualitative Change☆

Abstract This article is a response to the commentaries of Waterman (this issue) and Berzonsky and Adams (this issue) on my review of the identity status field (van Hoof, this issue). The commentaries illustrate that the identity status researchers attribute different meanings to the identity statuses and identity status research; while Waterman finds it difficult to recognize the field in my review, Berzonsky and Adams agree with several of my conclusions. The two commentaries represent two pillars on which the status approach rests. The difference between the review and the commentaries is that the first includes both pillars, whereas each commentary consists primarily of a selective presentation of assumptions and data. This response focuses on two main points of the commentaries: (a) are the statuses sufficiently validated? and (b) to what extent are they suitable for testing developmental identity hypotheses? Using specific examples I show that the line of reasoning in the commentaries and the data proposed in support of these arguments in fact often support the conclusions of my review, for I demonstrate that the statuses are insufficiently validated and that the statuses are unsuitable for measuring identity development. These conclusions call for a fundamental revision of the identity status approach and a qualitative change in identity theory and research. Finally, the alternative approaches presented by Berzonsky and Adams are evaluated with respect to their contribution to an indispensable qualitative change in the identity status field.
LEUCOCYTOZOON (APICOMPLEXA: LEUCOCYTOZOIDAE) FROM WEST AFRICAN BIRDS, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO SPECIES

Five species of Leucocytozoon were recovered from 35/828 birds of 95 species examined from 6 sites in West Africa between May 1995 and June 2001. Leucocytozoon pogoniuli n. sp. is described from the tinker barbets Pogoniulus subsulphureus and Pogoniulus atroflavus. Leucocytozoon trachyphoni n. sp. is described from the barbet Trachyphonus purpureus. No leucocytozoids have been reported previously in species of Pogoniulus. Leucocytozoon nectariniae was identified from the sunbird Nectarinia olivacea, and Leucocytozoon brimonti was recovered from 4 species of Pycnonotidae (bulbuls), all of which are new host records. We also report the first Leucocytozoon to be recovered from the phylogenetically isolated bird, Picathartes sp. (Picathartidae). This parasite is similar in appearance to Leucocytozoon sakharoffi, and probably represents a previously undescribed species. In view of the intraspecific variability and, frequently, relatively minor interspecific differences within Leucocytozoidae, we suggest that the development and application of molecular techniques would greatly advance understanding of speciation and relationships within this family.
Sexual identities and lifestyles among non-heterosexual urban Chiang Mai youth: implications for health

Using quantitative and qualitative data we explore perspectives on and experiences of sexual lifestyles and relationships among more than 1750 young people aged 17–20 years who reside in urban Chiang Mai, Thailand. We focus on respondents' representations and understandings of their sexual/gender identities derived mainly from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, supplemented with observations and field notes. Our results show that while many young Thais described themselves as heterosexual women or men, others described themselves as gay, kathoey, tom, dii, bisexual or something else. The terms gay, kathoey, tom and dii are commonly used by these Thais to denote a range of sexual/gender identities relating to persons who are sexually or romantically attracted to the same sex. We use case studies to illustrate the distinctive characterisations, sexual lifestyles and relationships of each of these identities, together with possible health implications.
Increasing print awareness in preschoolers with language impairment using non-evocative print referencing.

PURPOSE This study examined the extent to which using non-evocative, explicit referencing of print concepts during shared storybook reading in the context of language therapy facilitated print concept knowledge in children with language impairment. METHOD Five children, ages 4 to 5 years, were provided scripted input on 20 print concepts during shared storybook reading that was incorporated into individualized 30-min language intervention sessions that were conducted in the children's classroom twice weekly. The children were not required to make any response to the input on print concepts, and the input was secondary to instruction in the language targets during the 10-min shared storybook reading activity. RESULTS Using a single-subject, multiple probe design across subjects, results indicated that children's knowledge of print concepts improved markedly when the procedure was incorporated into shared storybook reading and that they continued to learn and maintain knowledge of print concepts with repeated input. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS These findings suggest that children with language impairment may benefit from simple non-evocative, explicit referencing strategies that can be easily incorporated into the context of storybook reading during language therapy, thus providing speech-language pathologists with an additional tool for facilitating children's literacy skills.
Crystal Structure of 2-Chloro-3-(β-nitrovinyl)quinoline

2-Chloro-3-( β -nitrovinyl)quinoline (CNQ) was crystallographically studied owing to its medicinal properties and its occurrance in numerous commercial products, including pharmaceuticals, fragrances and dyes. The vinyl group is planar, and takes up an extended conformation. An hydrogen bonding of C-H···N type helps to stabilize the molecules in the unit cell.
RNAi-mediated Knockdown of Xist Does Not Rescue the Impaired Development of Female Cloned Mouse Embryos

Abstract In mice, one of the major epigenetic errors associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is ectopic expression of Xist during the preimplantation period in both sexes. We found that this aberrant Xist expression could be impeded by deletion of Xist from the putative active X chromosome in donor cells. In male clones, it was also found that prior injection of Xist-specific siRNA could significantly improve the postimplantation development of cloned embryos as a result of a significant repression of Xist at the morula stage. In this study, we examined whether the same knockdown strategy could work as well in female SCNT-derived embryos. Embryos were reconstructed with cumulus cell nuclei and injected with Xist-specific siRNA at 6–7 h after oocyte activation. RNA FISH analysis revealed that siRNA treatment successfully repressed Xist RNA at the morula stage, as shown by the significant decrease in the number of cloud-type Xist signals in the blastomere nuclei. However, blastomeres with different sizes (from “pinpoint” to “cloud”) and numbers of Xist RNA signals remained within single embryos. After implantation, the dysregulated Xist expression was normalized autonomously, as in male clones, to a state of monoallelic expression in both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. However, at term there was no significant improvement in the survival of the siRNA-injected cloned embryos. Thus, siRNA injection was largely effective in repressing the Xist overexpression in female cloned embryos but failed to rescue them, probably because of an inability to mimic consistent monoallelic Xist expression in these embryos. This could only be achieved in female embryos by applying a gene knockout strategy rather than an siRNA approach.
Attributions of Responsibility and Blame for Procrastination Behavior

The present study examined the relationship between procrastination, delay, blameworthiness, and moral responsibility. Undergraduate students (N = 240) were provided two scenarios in which the reason for inaction (procrastination, delay), the target (self, other), and the outcome (positive, negative) were manipulated, and students were asked to rate the moral responsibility and blameworthiness of the agent. Results indicated that individuals who procrastinated were seen as more morally responsible and blameworthy than those who experienced delay. More specifically, after a negative outcome, procrastination was associated with more moral responsibility, whereas delay was associated with less moral responsibility. After a positive outcome, individuals perceived procrastination as deserving of less moral responsibility, and delays as associated with more moral responsibility. Finally, a three-way interaction showed that participants rated procrastination that resulted in failure as deserving of responsibility when engaged in by others as opposed to oneself.
Generalization and Differentiation in Semantic Memory

According to many theories, semantic representations reflect the parallel activation of information coded across a distributed set of modality‐specific association brain cortices. This view is challenged by the neurodegenerative condition known as semantic dementia (SD), in which relatively circumscribed, bilateral atrophy of the anterior temporal lobes results in selective degradation of core semantic knowledge, affecting all types of concept, irrespective of the modality of testing. Research on SD suggests a major revision in our understanding of the neural basis of semantic memory. Specifically, it is proposed that the anterior temporal lobes form amodal semantic representations through the distillation of the multimodal information that is projected to this region from the modality‐specific association cortices. Although cross‐indexing of modality‐specific information could be achieved by a web of direct connections between pairs of these regions, amodal semantic representations enable semantic generalization and inference on the basis of conceptual structure rather than modality‐specific features. As expected from this hypothesis, SD is characterized by impaired semantic generalization, both clinically and in formal assessment. The article describes a comprehensive array of under‐ and overgeneralization errors by patients with SD when engaged in receptive and expressive verbal and nonverbal tasks and everyday behaviors.
Functional connectivity in the first year of life in infants at-risk for autism: a preliminary near-infrared spectroscopy study

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been called a “developmental disconnection syndrome,” however the majority of the research examining connectivity in ASD has been conducted exclusively with older children and adults. Yet, prior ASD research suggests that perturbations in neurodevelopmental trajectories begin as early as the first year of life. Prospective longitudinal studies of infants at risk for ASD may provide a window into the emergence of these aberrant patterns of connectivity. The current study employed functional connectivity near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in order to examine the development of intra- and inter-hemispheric functional connectivity in high- and low-risk infants across the first year of life. Methods: NIRS data were collected from 27 infants at high risk for autism (HRA) and 37 low-risk comparison (LRC) infants who contributed a total of 116 data sets at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months. At each time point, HRA and LRC groups were matched on age, sex, head circumference, and Mullen Scales of Early Learning scores. Regions of interest (ROI) were selected from anterior and posterior locations of each hemisphere. The average time course for each ROI was calculated and correlations for each ROI pair were computed. Differences in functional connectivity were examined in a cross-sectional manner. Results: At 3-months, HRA infants showed increased overall functional connectivity compared to LRC infants. This was the result of increased connectivity for intra- and inter-hemispheric ROI pairs. No significant differences were found between HRA and LRC infants at 6- and 9-months. However, by 12-months, HRA infants showed decreased connectivity relative to LRC infants. Conclusions: Our preliminary results suggest that atypical functional connectivity may exist within the first year of life in HRA infants, providing support to the growing body of evidence that aberrant patterns of connectivity may be a potential endophenotype for ASD.
High-Energy Break and Reflection Features in the Seyfert Galaxy MCG +8-11-11

We present the results from ASCA and OSSE simultaneous observations of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy MCG +8-11-11 performed in 1995 August-September. The ASCA observations, split into two pointings of ~10 ks each, indicate a modest flux increase (~20%) in 3 days, possibly correlated to a softening of the 0.6-9 keV spectrum. The spectrum obtained combining data from both the observations is well described by a hard power law (Γ ~ 1.64 ± 0.03) absorbed by a column density slightly larger than the Galactic value. An iron line at 6.4 keV of EW ~ 400 eV is also required by the data. The simultaneous OSSE data are characterized by a much softer power law with photon index Γ=3.0+ 0.9−0.8 , strongly suggesting the presence of a spectral break in the hard X-ray/soft γ-ray band. In order to better investigate the complex hard X-ray spectrum of this source, a total spectrum has been produced by summing over all the observations of MCG +8-11-11 performed by OSSE so far. A joint fit to the complete OSSE data sets and our ASCA data clearly shows an exponential cutoff of the power law at ~300 keV (e-folding energy), as well as a quite strong reflection component. MCG +8-11-11 is then one of the few Seyfert galaxies for which a spectral break in the underlying continuum is detected unambiguously, fitting well in the X-ray/γ-ray description of co-added spectra of Seyfert galaxies. Though the break could be due to downscattering of X-rays on cold e+e- pairs in a nonthermal plasma, the inferred low compactness of this source favors instead thermal or quasi-thermal electron Comptonization in a structured corona as the leading process of high-energy radiation production.
Consumers' expectations for product lifetimes of consumer durables

Product lifetimes are a relevant topic of discussion towards establishing a circular economy, particularly in terms of the reduction of environmental impacts by improving product longevity. Various researchers have developed models to estimate actual lifetimes and have reported case studies for some product categories (e.g. electrical and electronic equipment, and vehicles). However, actual lifetimes may not necessarily meet consumers' expectations. Therefore, an integration of the two perspectives—actual and expected product lifetimes—should prove helpful in optimizing product lifetimes. We proposed different definitions of expected product lifetimes from the consumer perspective and then investigated consumer expectations of the product lifetimes of consumer durables according to these definitions. Several types of EEE were examined as case studies, and questionnaire surveys were conducted. We found that expected lifetimes varied according to the definition used. Expected product lifetimes should be measured by using clearly defined terms to analyse the gaps between actual product lifetimes and consumer expectations.
Isomaltulose improves glycemia and maintains run performance in type 1 diabetes.

PURPOSE Individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are encouraged to reduce rapid-acting insulin and consume CHO to prevent hypoglycemia during or after exercise. However, research comparing the metabolic and performance effects of different CHO is limited. This study compared the alterations in metabolism and fuel oxidation in response to performance running after preexercise ingestion of isomaltulose or dextrose in T1DM. METHODS After preliminary testing, on two occasions, seven T1DM individuals consumed 0.6 g·kg⁻¹ body mass of either dextrose (DEX; glycemic index = 96) or isomaltulose (ISO; glycemic index = 32), 2 h before a discontinuous incremental run to 80% V˙O2peak on a motorized treadmill followed by a 10-min all-out performance test on a nonmotorized treadmill. Blood glucose (BG), acid-base, and cardiorespiratory parameters were measured 2 h before, during, and after both run tests. Data (mean ± SEM) were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS Preexercise BG area under the curve was lower under ISO in comparison with DEX (ISO = +4.0 ± 0.3 mmol·L⁻¹·h⁻¹ vs DEX = +7.0 ± 0.6 mmol·L⁻¹·h⁻¹, P < 0.01). Resting blood lactate concentrations and rate of CHO oxidation under ISO were greater than those elicited under DEX (P < 0.05). There were no metabolic or cardiorespiratory differences between conditions in response to submaximal exercise despite lower BG concentrations under ISO (P < 0.05). T1DM individuals completed the same distance at the same speed during the 10-min run test under both conditions (not significant). CONCLUSIONS Consumption of isomaltulose alongside rapid-acting insulin reduction improves BG responses to exercise and produces a similar high-intensity run performance compared with dextrose in T1DM individuals.
Effects of robotic companionship on music enjoyment and agent perception

We evaluate the effects of robotic listening companionship on people's enjoyment of music, and on their perception of the robot. We present a robotic speaker device designed for joint listening and embodied performance of the music played on it. The robot generates smoothed real-time beat-synchronized dance moves, uses nonverbal gestures for common ground, and can make and maintain eye-contact. In an experimental between-subject study (n=67), participants listened to songs played on the speaker device, with the robot either moving in sync with the beat, moving off-beat, or not moving at all. We found that while the robot's beat precision was not consciously detected by Ps, an on-beat robot positively affected song liking. There was no effect on overall experience enjoyment. In addition, the robot's response caused Ps to attribute more positive human-like traits to the robot, as well as rate the robot as more similar to themselves. Notably, personal listening habits (solitary vs. social) affected agent attributions. This work points to a larger question, namely how a robot's perceived response to an event might affect a human's perception of the same event.