Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase Activator Bay 58-2667 Selectively Limits Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy

Background Although evidence now suggests cGMP is a negative regulator of cardiac hypertrophy, the direct consequences of the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) activator BAY 58-2667 on cardiac remodeling, independent of changes in hemodynamic load, has not been investigated. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the NO•-independent sGC activator BAY 58-2667 inhibits cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro. Concomitant impact of BAY 58-2667 on cardiac fibroblast proliferation, and insights into potential mechanisms of action, were also sought. Results were compared to the sGC stimulator BAY 41-2272. Methods Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were incubated with endothelin-1 (ET1, 60nmol/L) in the presence and absence of BAY 41-2272 and BAY 58-2667 (0.01–0.3 µmol/L). Hypertrophic responses and its triggers, as well as cGMP signaling, were determined. The impact of both sGC ligands on basal and stimulated cardiac fibroblast proliferation in vitro was also determined. Results We now demonstrate that BAY 58-2667 (0.01–0.3 µmol/L) elicited concentration-dependent antihypertrophic actions, inhibiting ET1-mediated increases in cardiomyocyte 2D area and de novo protein synthesis, as well as suppressing ET1-induced cardiomyocyte superoxide generation. This was accompanied by potent increases in cardiomyocyte cGMP accumulation and activity of its downstream signal, vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), without elevating cardiomyocyte cAMP. In contrast, submicromolar concentrations of BAY 58-2667 had no effect on basal or stimulated cardiac fibroblast proliferation. Indeed, only at concentrations ≥10 µmol/L was inhibition of cardiac fibrosis seen in vitro. The effects of BAY 58-2667 in both cell types were mimicked by BAY 41-2272. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that BAY 58-2667 elicits protective, cardiomyocyte-selective effects in vitro. These actions are associated with sGC activation and are evident in the absence of confounding hemodynamic factors, at low (submicromolar) concentrations. Thus this distinctive sGC ligand may potentially represent an alternative therapeutic approach for limiting myocardial hypertrophy.
New C-H Stretching Vibrational Spectral Features in the Raman Spectra of Gaseous and Liquid Ethanol †

Traditionally, the Raman spectrum of ethanol in the C−H vibrational stretching region between 2800 cm-1 and 3100 cm-1 had been assigned as three bands of the −CH2 symmetric stretching, the −CH3 symmetric stretching, and the −CH3 antisymmetric stretching. In this report, new Raman spectral features were observed for ethanol and two deuterated ethanols, that is, CD3CH2OH and CH3CD2OH, in both gaseous and liquid phases with polarized photoacoustic Raman spectroscopy (PARS) as well as normal Raman spectroscopy. With the aid of depolarization ratio measurements and quantum chemical calculations, different assignments were presented to the complex spectral features in the ethanol Raman spectra. In the gaseous ethanol spectra, the band at ∼2882 cm-1 was assigned to the overlapping symmetric stretching vibrational modes of both −CH2 and −CH3; the band at ∼2938 cm-1 was assigned to the two symmetric −CH3 Fermi resonance modes and the weak −CH2 antisymmetric stretching mode; and the band at ∼2983 cm-1 was assigned .
Do mothers' play behaviors moderate the associations between socioeconomic status and 24-month neurocognitive outcomes of toddlers born preterm or with low birth weight?

OBJECTIVE We examined whether neonatal risks and maternal scaffolding (i.e., task changes and flexibility) during a 16-month post-term play interaction moderated the association between socioeconomic status (SES), visual-spatial processing and emerging working memory assessed at 24 months post-term among 75 toddlers born preterm or low birth weight. METHOD SES and neonatal risk data were collected at hospital discharge and mother-child play interactions were observed at 16-month post-term. General cognitive abilities, verbal/nonverbal working memory and visual-spatial processing data were collected at 24 months. RESULTS Neonatal risks did not moderate the associations between SES and 24-month outcomes. However, lower mother-initiated task changes were related to better 24-month visual-spatial processing among children living in higher SES homes. Mothers' flexible responses to child initiated task changes similarly moderated the impact of SES on 24-month visual-spatial processing. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that mothers' play behaviors differentially relate to child outcomes depending on household SES.
Positive attitude towards life and emotional expression as personality phenotypes for centenarians

Centenarians have been reported to share particular personality traits including low neuroticism and high extraversion and conscientiousness. Since these traits have moderate to high heritability and are associated with various health outcomes, personality appears linked to bio-genetic mechanisms which may contribute to exceptional longevity. Therefore, the present study sought to detect genetically-based personality phenotypes in a genetically homogeneous sample of centenarians through developing and examining psychometric properties of a brief measure of the personality of centenarians, the Personality Outlook Profile Scale (POPS). The results generated two personality characteristics/domains, Positive Attitude Towards Life (PATL: optimism, easygoing, laughter, and introversion/outgoing) and Emotional Expression (EE: expressing emotions openly and not bottling up emotions). These domains demonstrated acceptable concurrent validity with two established personality measures, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and Life Orientation Test-Revised. Additionally, centenarians in both groups had lower neuroticism and higher conscientiousness than the US adult population. Findings suggest that the POPS is a psychometrically sound measure of personality in centenarians and capture personality aspects of extraversion, neuroticism, and conscientiousness, as well as dispositional optimism which may contribute to successful aging.
Lagrangian homology spheres in (A_m) Milnor fibres

We establish restrictions on Lagrangian embeddings of rational homology spheres into certain open symplectic manifolds, namely the (A_m) Milnor fibres of odd complex dimension. This relies on general considerations about equivariant objects in module categories (which may be applicable in other situations as well), as well as results of Ishii-Uehara and Ishii-Ueda-Uehara concerning the derived categories of coherent sheaves on the resolutions of (A_m) surface singularities.
Earthworms-role in soil fertility to the use in medicine and as a food

Earthworms are important regulators of soil structure and dynamics of soil organic matter. They are a major component of soil fauna communities in most ecosystems and comprise a large proportion of macro fauna biomass. Their activities are beneficial because they can enhance soil nutrient cycling through the rapid incorporation of detritus into mineral soil. However, mucus production associated with water excretion in earthworm guts also enhances the activity of other beneficial soil microorganisms. Earthworms alter soil structure, water movement, nutrient dynamics and plant growth. The medical value of earthworms has been known for centuries. The extracts prepared from earthworm tissues have been used for the treatment of numerous diseases since they are valuable source of proteins, peptides, enzymes and physiologically active substances. Several studies have shown that the earthworm extracts contain different macromolecules which exhibited the variety of activities, such as antioxidative, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, anticancer etc. Some of these activities are involved in wound healing process, using the earthworm preparation. In some countries the earthworms are used as a part of healthy food. They have very high nutritive value because their bodies contain the high percentage of various proteins. Besides the human food, the earthworms are used in the feeding of animals (fish, chicken, etc.).
Synthesis and evaluation of star-shaped poly(ϵ-caprolactone)-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) as potential anticancer drug delivery carriers

Novel star-shaped poly(ϵ-caprolactone)-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (sPCL-b-PHEMA) with 3 arm and 6 arm was synthesized by a combination of ring-opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. The structure of copolymers was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal behavior was measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that Tc, Tm, and Xc of the sPCL-b-PHEMA were reduced along with the increase in the length of the PHEMA block. The copolymers could self-assemble into dispersed micelles with quite low (×10−4 mg/mL) critical micelle concentration. The size and morphology of the micelles were characterized by dynamic light scattering and HAADF scanning transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the micelles were around 20–70 nm with a regular spherical shape. Moreover, drug loading content and encapsulation efficiency of paclitaxel by 3sPCL-b-PHEMA micelles were much lower than the values of 6sPCL-b-PHEMA micelles. The drug release experiments demonstrated that paclitaxelrelease was two-phase release profile and relative to the structure of sPCL-b-PHEMA.The in vitro cytotoxicity of sPCL-b-PHEMA micelles was evaluated using methylthiazoletetrazolium assay. The results showed no apparent inhibition effect on the Hela cells. These preliminary studies suggest that sPCL-b-PHEMA has a possible application as anticancer drug delivery carriers.
Tertiary tectonics of the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia: Far‐field effects of the India‐Eurasia collision

A new structural map of the western Sea of Okhotsk, based on grids of multichannel seismic data, provides several new insights into the Tertiary deformation of Asia, especially in regard to the extension of “extrusion” tectonics, linked to the India-Eurasia collision, into northeastern Asia. The sedimentary basins in this offshore region are the result of two regional shear systems. In the west, the north trending Sakhalin-Hokkaido dextral fault system transects Sakhalin Island. Accessory structures closely related to its dextral shear include northeast trending normal faults as well as northwest trending en echelon folds and thrusts. The accessory normal faults are predominantly Eocene to lower Miocene and indicate transtensional shear, whereas the folds and thrusts are mostly younger and indicate late Miocene and Pliocene transpression. In the north, an east-west trending sinistral shear zone enters the sea at its northwest corner; this sinistral shear system links farther west to extensional faults of the early Tertiary Baikal rift. Extending northeastward from the terminus of this sinistral shear zone are a series of long, predominantly northwest dipping listric normal faults that form a large “lazy-S” shaped pull-apart basin, the Shantar-Liziansky basin (SLB). Normal faults in this 500 × 140 km basin accommodate 15 to 20% extension. Extension and related sinistral shear appear to be largely Eocene to Oligocene in age, with lesser later activity. To the northeast of SLB, a further extension of the sinistral shear zone appears to bend northeastward, transecting Pustorets and Penzhina basins and following the course of the older, Mesozoic Mongol-Okhotsk-Chukotsk active margin and suture; it possibly reaches as far as the Arctic. As suggested by previous workers, the Baikal rift and its associated sinistral shear zone may be interpreted as by-products of the India-Eurasia collision in Eocene time; mapping results included here show that this diffuse sinistral shear system extends much farther to the northeast. The sinistral shear zone is transected by the dextral Sakhalin-Hokkaido fault zone in the Kashevarov region of central SLB, where a fan of north to northwest striking late Tertiary transpressional fault splays marks the northern termination of the dextral fault zone. Older SLB normal faults are locally deformed, and half grabens are partly inverted, by the slightly younger dextral splays. The two regional fault systems are essentially conjugate, and the pattern of intersection closely resembles that predicted by recent modelling studies of India/Eurasia collision tectonics.
Climate change 1992 : the supplementary report to the IPCC scientific assessment

Foreword Preface 1992 Supplement A. Greenhouse gases A1. Sources and sinks A2. Radiative forcing of climate A3. Emissions scenarios for IPCC: an update B. Climate modelling, climate prediction and model validation C. Observed climate variability and change Annex Appendices. Sponsored jointly by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme
A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes between Stand-Alone Lateral Interbody Lumbar Fusion with either Silicate Calcium Phosphate or rh-BMP2

Abstract Object Iliac crest autograft has traditionally been considered the gold standard for lumbar spine fusion, though it is not without drawbacks related to harvesting site pain and other complications. Bone graft alternatives, such as recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rh-BMP2), are now widely used but also have unique risk profiles and substantially increase costs. The purpose of the current study was to compare the efficacy of rh-BMP2 and synthetic silicate calcium phosphate (SiCaP) as bone graft substitutes on fusion rates and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing single-level lumbar stand-alone extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF). Methods A prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical, and radiographic study was performed at a single institution. Thirty patients with L4–L5 degenerative disc disease (DDD) were enrolled. Patients were randomized into one of two groups, 15 underwent lumbar single-level stand-alone XLIF using SiCaP, and 15 using rh-BMP2. Clinical and radiographic results were compared between the study groups. Pain (visual analogue scale) and disability (Oswestry disability index) were assessed preoperatively and at postoperative weeks 1 and 6 and postoperative months 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36. Radiographic evaluations were performed at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Neurological examinations and adverse events were recorded at each visit. Results No intraoperative complications were observed in either treatment group, and clinical outcomes were similarly improved between bone graft substitutes from baseline to 36 months postoperative. Complications were transient hip flexion weakness (13%), insufficient indirect decompression (7%), subsidence (17%), excessive bone formation (4%), and adjacent segment disease (14%). Complication rates between the groups were similar, though with slightly more instances of subsidence in the SiCaP group and higher rates of excessive bone formation and adjacent segment disease in the rh-BMP2 group. Rates of fusion at different time points were different between the groups, with the SiCaP patients progressing more slowly toward solid fusion. However, at 36 months, 100% of patients undergoing XLIF achieved solid fusion. Conclusions In stand-alone XLIF, SiCaP and rhBMP-2 bone graft substitutes both resulted in complete long-term fusion. rhBMP-2, however, seemed to result in more rapid early postoperative fusion, though with one instance of excessive bone formation in one patient that required subsequent surgical intervention.
Molecular cloning of genes involved with expression of A-band lipopolysaccharide, an antigenically conserved form, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Most strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa can express two chemically and immunologically distinct types of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an antigenically conserved form called A band and the serotype-specific form called B band. To study the molecular controls regulating expression of the A-band LPS antigen, we have cloned the genes involved with A-band LPS expression. Strain AK1401, a phage-resistant mutant of PAO1 which was shown previously to produce only A-band LPS and not the O-antigen-containing B-band LPS, was mutagenized by using ethyl methanesulfonate to generate an A-band-deficient mutant called rd7513. A cosmid clone bank of P. aeruginosa PAO1 whole genomic DNA was constructed in Escherichia coli. The gene bank was mobilized en masse into strain rd7513, and detection of complementation of synthesis of A band was done by screening transconjugants in a colony immunoblot assay with the A-band-specific monoclonal antibody N1F10. One recombinant cosmid, pFV3, complemented synthesis of A-band polysaccharide in rd7513. Silver-stained polyacrylamide gel and Western immunoblot analyses of LPS extracted from the transconjugant rd7513(pFV3) showed that the A band produced had a higher molecular weight than the A band of AK1401. Analysis of the plasmid pFV3 showed that it contained a chromosomal insert of 27 kb. Two subclones of pFV3, namely, pFV35 and pFV36, containing chromosomal inserts of 5.3 and 4.2 kb, respectively, also complemented A-band expression in rd7513. The LPS banding profile of rd7513(pFV35) was similar to that of AK1401, while the LPS profile of rd7513(pFV36) more closely resembled that of rd7513(pFV3). pFV3 complemented A-band expression in five of the six P. aeruginosa O serotypes which lack A band as well as in rough strain AK44 but failed to complement A-band expression in core mutants AK1012 and AK1282, suggesting that pFV3 contains genes for A-band expression and that synthesis of a complete core region in isogenic mutant strains is required for A-band synthesis.
The Relationships of Nurse Staffing Level and Work Environment With Patient Adverse Events.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of nurse staffing level and work environment with patient adverse events. DESIGN This cross-sectional study used a combination of nurse survey data (N = 4,864 nurses), facility data (N = 58 hospitals), and patient hospital discharge data (N = 113,426 patients) in South Korea. METHODS The three most commonly nurse-reported adverse events included administration of the wrong medication or dose to a patient, pressure ulcers, and injury from a fall after admission. Multilevel ordinal logistic regression was employed to explore the relationships of nurse staffing level (number of patients assigned to a nurse) and work environment (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index) with patient adverse events after controlling for nurse, hospital, and patient characteristics. FINDINGS A larger number of patients per nurse was significantly associated with a greater incidence of administration of the wrong medication or dose (odds ratio [OR] = 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.007-1.016), pressure ulcer (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 1.007-1.016), and patient falls with injury (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.013-1.022). A better work environment had a significant inverse relationship with adverse events; the odds of reporting a higher incidence of adverse events were 45% lower for administration of the wrong medication or dose (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.400-0.758), followed by 39% lower for pressure ulcer (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.449-0.834) and 32% lower for falls with injury after admission (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.490-0.939). CONCLUSIONS This study found that a larger number of patients per nurse and poor work environment increase the incidence of patient adverse events, such as administration of the wrong medication or dose to a patient, pressure ulcers, and injury from falling after admission. The findings suggest that South Korean hospitals could prevent patient adverse events by improving nurse staffing and work environment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Healthcare strategies and efforts to modify adequate nurse staffing levels and better work environments for nurses are needed to improve patient outcomes.
Moisture content and its impact on aflatoxin levels in ready-to-use red chillies

Moisture content (MC) and aflatoxin contamination were analysed to determine Red Chilli quality. A wide range (9.1–19.8%) of MC with a mean value of 11.4 ± 2.4% was found. Of 116 chilli samples, about 37% had low MC (<10%), 29.4% had medium-low MC (10–12%), 18.9% had medium-high MC (12 < MC < 14%) and 14.7% were above 14%. These four chilli groups had average aflatoxin levels of 2.1 ± 1.1, 5.3 ± 4.2, 8.9 ± 5.9 and 37 ± 20 µg/Kg, respectively. A direct relationship between moisture and aflatoxin content was found. The data best fitted a polynomial trend (R2 = 0.89). The obtained equation could be utilised to assess aflatoxin levels based on MC. This study highlights the importance of using properly dried chillies with low MC, that is, ≤10%, to minimise health hazards associated with aflatoxin contamination.
Evidencing a large body of ice in a rock glacier, vanoise massif, northern french alps

Abstract The achette rock glacier is an active rock glacier located between 2660 and 2480 m a.s. l. in the anoise assif, orthern rench lps (45° 29′ , 6° 52′ E). In order to characterize its status as permafrost feature, shallow ground temperatures were monitored and the surface velocity measured by photogrammetry. The rock glacier exhibits near‐surface thermal regimes suggesting permafrost occurrence and also displays significant surface horizontal displacements (0.6–1.3 ± 0.6 m yr–1). In order to investigate its internal structure, a ground‐penetrating radar survey was performed. Four constant‐offset profiles were performed and analyzed to reconstruct the stratigraphy and model the radar wave velocity in two dimensions. Integration of the morphology, the velocity models and the stratigraphy revealed, in the upper half of the rock glacier, the good correspondence between widespread high radar wave velocities (>0.15–0.16 m ns–1) and strongly concave reflector structures. High radar wave velocity (0.165–0.170 m ns–1) is confirmed with the analysis of two punctual common mid‐point measurements in areas of exposed shallow pure ice. These evidences point towards the existence of a large buried body of ice in the upper part of the rock glacier. The rock glacier was interpreted to result from the former advance and decay of a glacier onto pre‐existing deposits, and from subsequent creep of the whole assemblage. Our study of the achette rock glacier thus highlights the rock glacier as a transitional landform involving the incorporation and preservation of glacier ice in permafrost environments with subsequent evolution arising from periglacial processes.
A Fourier‐transform path integral formalism to compute dispersion probability distributions in variable ocean environments

Computing the drift of objects and substances by ocean currents is of high relevance in operational oceanography and environmental managing. This problem is usually solved by a probability distribution computed from an ensemble of simulations of a stochastic differential equation. The accuracy of the results depends on the number of simulations considered in the ensemble. An approach based on a path integral formalism is proposed to compute distribution probabilities. The path integral is solved by a novel algorithm involving Fourier transforms. The best performance of this path integral approach versus traditional matrix multiplication and Monte Carlo techniques is demonstrated by comparing results of probability distributions of dispersion in ocean environments with different spatial scales of variability. Results indicate that the new algorithm provides a probability distribution of dispersion with similar accuracy as that obtained by the Monte Carlo approach, but a hundred times faster.