Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time and Concentration Dependent Effects of Short Chain Fatty Acids on Lipopolysaccharide- or Tumor Necrosis Factor α-Induced Endothelial Activation

Background and Aim: Endothelial activation is characterized by excessive production of cytokines and chemokines as well as adhesion molecules expression which is involved in the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-induced endothelial activation. Methods and Results: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were pre-treated with acetate (10 mM), butyrate (0.1 mM) or propionate (0.3 mM) for 1, 16, or 24 h and then stimulated with LPS (1 or 10 μg/ml) or TNFα (100 pg/ml or 1 ng/ml) for 6, 12, or 24 h. Cytokines in the supernatant were measured by ELISA. HUVEC were pre-treated with acetate (10 mM), butyrate (5 mM) or propionate (10 mM) for 24 h and then stimulated with LPS (1 μg/ml) or TNFα (1 ng/ml) for 8 h. The expression of the adhesion molecules intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) was detected by flow cytometry. The human blood mononuclear cell adhesive level to HUVEC monolayer was measured. LPS and TNFα induced a significant increase in the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8. Acetate, butyrate and propionate reduced IL-6 and IL-8 levels and the magnitude was dependent on the incubation times. LPS or TNFα increased ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression. Pre-incubation with acetate had no effect. In contrast, butyrate and propionate decreased VCAM-1 expression in TNFα stimulated cells but showed no effects on ICAM-1 expression. Butyrate significantly inhibited the adhesion of mononuclear cells to an endothelial monolayer and propionate was less effective. Conclusion: SCFA, including acetate, butyrate and propionate, influenced LPS- or TNFα-induced endothelial activation by inhibiting the production of IL-6 and IL-8, and reducing the expression of VCAM-1 and subsequent cell adhesion. Results were dependent on the concentrations and pre-incubation time of each SCFA and stimulation time of LPS or TNFα.
The Hippo Signaling Pathway in the Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Mass and Function

The Hippo signaling pathway regulates the activity of the proteins Yes-associated protein (Yap) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (Taz) to control tissue growth in many different cell types. Previously, we demonstrated that Yap is a critical regulator of skeletal muscle mass. We hypothesize that alterations in Yap and Taz activity modulate the anabolic adaptations of skeletal muscle to resistance exercise.
Credit Risk modeling for Companies Default Prediction using Neural Networks

The paper assesses the business default risk on a cross-national sample of 3000 companies applying for credit to an international bank operating in Romania. The structure of the sample replicates the structure of the general population of companies in Romania. Based on their past credit history, we have distributed the companies in seven classes plus the default, using and adapting the Standard & Poor’s categories: AAA (1020 companies, 34%) – no risk; AA (279 companies, 9.3%) – minimal risk; A (906 companies, 30.2%) – low risk; BBB (201 companies, 6.7%) – moderate risk; BB (123 companies, 4.1%) – acceptable risk; B (111 companies, 3.7%) – high risk; C (105 companies, 3.5%) – very high risk and D (255 companies, 8.5%) – default. We have then, estimated the one-step transitions probability for downgrading for one year, based on the present category, loan amount, size of company and sector of activity. Thus, although the approach is bottom-up and unconditioned, focusing on the companies, we have included the economic context, taking into account the type of company and the economic sector. We have performed the estimations first using logit regression, and then ANN (Artificial Neural Networks), and compared the results with Standard & Poor’s transition matrix for 2010. The results were compared in terms of predictive power, and arguments were given for choosing an ANN design.
Male grower pigs fed cereal soluble dietary fibres display biphasic glucose response and delayed glycaemic response after an oral glucose tolerance test

Acute and sustained soluble dietary fibre (SDF) consumption are both associated with improved glucose tolerance in humans and animal models (e.g. porcine). However, the effects on glucose tolerance in grower pigs, adapted to diets with a combination of SDF have not been studied previously. In this experiment, cereal SDF wheat arabinoxylan (AX) and oat β-glucan (BG) were fed individually and in combination to determine the effect on glucose tolerance in jugular vein catheterized grower pigs. Five groups of Large White male grower pigs were fed highly digestible diets containing either 10% AX, 10% BG, 5% AX with 5% BG, a model cereal whole wheat flour (WWF), or a control wheat starch diet (WS) with no SDF. Blood was collected via jugular vein catheters over 240 minutes following a feed challenge and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on two separate days. Postprandial blood samples were used to determine plasma glucose, insulin, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY), ghrelin, glucagon and cortisol concentrations. No dietary effects on glycaemic response were observed following the feed challenge or the OGTT as determined by the area under the curve (AUC). A biphasic glucose and insulin response was detected for all pigs following the OGTT. The current study showed male grower pigs have tight glycaemic control and glucose tolerance regardless of diet. In addition, pigs fed the combined SDF had a reduced GIP response and delayed insulin peak following the feed challenge. Incretin (GLP-1 and GIP) secretion appeared asynchronous reflecting their different enteroendocrine cell locations and response to nutrient absorption.
Sense of control and adolescents' aggression: The role of aggressive cues.

The misperception of aggressive cues is considered a risk factor for inducing adolescent aggression. Poor coping with life stress is also considered a major influence on aggression. The current study examined the relationship between subjective sense of control and adolescent aggression, considering influences upon the perception of these aggressive cues. In Study 1, 60 participants took part in a 2 (sense of control: high sense of control vs. low sense of control) × 2 (aggressive cue: aggressive vs. neutral) between-subjects contextual experiment. The result found that a lower sense of control led to an increase in adolescents' aggression; only in the low-sense-of-control condition did exposure to aggressive cues boost aggression. In Study 2, the catalytic effect of aggressive cues was further explored by an experiment in which 40 adolescents were randomly assigned to a low- or high-sense-of-control condition to test the importance of aggressive cues. The results suggest that adolescents in the low-sense-of-control condition show a higher salience for aggressive cues.
The trophic transfer of Cd, Cr, and Se in the barnacle Balanus amphitrite from planktonic food

We determined the assimilation efficiencies (AEs) and efflux rate constants of Cd, Cr, and Se in barnacles Balanus amphitrite feeding on diverse planktonic prey. The measured AEs of Cd, Cr, and Se for zooplankton prey (brine shrimp Artemia salina larvae and copepods Canthocalanus pauper and Temora turbinata) were 53 to 88, 32 to 59, and 63 to 76%, respectively, and for diatom diets were 35 to 86, 22 to 26, and 79%, respectively. Distribution of metals in the soft tissues of zooplankton could not account for the variability of AE for each metal, but did explain the variability of AE among different metals. Metal distribution in the cytoplasm of diatoms determined the variability of AEs among metals. There was a significant correlation between Cd and Zn in AE and efflux rate constant. No relationship in AE or efflux rate was found for the other metals. The efflux rate constants in B. amphitrite were 0.007, 0.020, and 0.014 d -1 for Cd, Cr, and Se, respectively. Cd concentrations in barnacles, predicted by a simple bioenergetic-based kinetic model, were comparable to the actual concentrations measured in the field when phytoplankton was considered as the primary Cd source. Cd concentrations predicted by the model were much higher than the field measurements when copepods were assumed as the sole food source for barnacles. Trophic transfer appeared to be responsible for Cd accumulation in barnacles. Many biological and geochemical processes can affect metal accumulation in barnacles. Our study demonstrated that biological processes must be considered to interpret metal concentrations in barnacles when the barnacles are used to monitor coastal contamination.
Species on the menu of a generalist predator, the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis): using a molecular approach to detect arthropod prey

One of the most difficult interactions to observe in nature is the relationship between a predator and its prey. When direct observations are impossible, we rely on morphological classification of prey remains, although this is particularly challenging among generalist predators whose faeces contain mixed and degraded prey fragments. In this investigation, we used a polymerase chain reaction and sequence‐based technique to identify prey fragments in the guano of the generalist insectivore, the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), and evaluate several hypotheses about prey selection and prey defences. The interaction between bats and insects is of significant evolutionary interest because of the adaptive nature of insect hearing against echolocation. However, measuring the successes of predator tactics or particular prey defences is limited because we cannot normally identify these digested prey fragments beyond order or family. Using a molecular approach, we recovered sequences from 89% of the fragments tested, and through comparison to a reference database of sequences, we were able to identify 127 different species of prey. Our results indicate that despite the robust jaws of L. borealis, most prey taxa were softer‐bodied Lepidoptera. Surprisingly, more than 60% of the prey species were tympanate, with ears thought to afford protection against these echolocating bats. Moths of the family Arctiidae, which employ multiple defensive strategies, were not detected as a significant dietary component. Our results provide an unprecedented level of detail for the study of predator–prey relationships in bats and demonstrate the advantages which molecular tools can provide in investigations of complex ecological systems and food‐web relationships.
Do thermal cues influence the defensive strike of cottonmouths ( Agkistrodon piscivorus )

Crotaline snakes (family Viperidae, subfamily Crotalinae) are unique among snakes in the possession of facial pits situated on each side of the head between the nostril and the eye (Klauber, 1972). These organs are depressions with highly innervated membranes at their bases that have a heat-sensing function and that transmit information to the part of the brain that receives visual data (Desmoulins, 1824; Bullock and Diecke, 1956; Barrett, 1970; Hartline et al., 1978). Thus, pitvipers can detect temperatures through the radiant heat energy emitted by objects and/or organisms relative to the background temperature. This thermoreceptive sense is not specific to crotalines: some booids also have the capacity to detect temperature variation but the thermal receptors are situated on the labial scales, and hence are called labial pits. The significance of this thermoreceptive organ on the predatory strike of booid and viperid snakes has been established (De Cock Buning, 1983; Kardong and Mackessy, 1991; Shine and Sun, 2003). However, no evidence has been provided on alternative functional roles played by thermal pits (Greene, 1992), specifically on defense. It has been suggested that thermal pits might help snakes in detecting predators (De Cock Buning, 1983), in finding optimal basking sites for thermoregulation (Goris and Nomoto, 1967; Herbert and Hayes, 1992), and in locating winter dens (Sexton et al., 1992). Because we lack empirical studies on the role of these pits in a non-predatory context, this study provides further understanding on
Impaired selection of invariant natural killer T cells in diverse mouse models of glycosphingolipid lysosomal storage diseases

Glycolipid ligands for invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells) are loaded onto CD1d molecules in the late endosome/lysosome. Accumulation of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) in lysosomal storage diseases could potentially influence endogenous and exogenous lipid loading and/or presentation and, thus, affect iNKT cell selection or function. The percentages and frequency of iNKT cells were reduced in multiple mouse models of lysosomal GSL storage disease, irrespective of the specific genetic defect or lipid species stored. Reduced numbers of iNKT cells resulted in the absence of cytokine production in response to α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) and reduced iNKT cell–mediated lysis of wild-type targets loaded with α-GalCer. The reduction in iNKT cells did not result from defective expression of CD1d or a lack of antigen-presenting cells. Although H-2 restricted CD4+ T cell responses were generally unaffected, processing of a lysosome-dependent analogue of α-GalCer was impaired in all the strains of mice tested. These data suggest that GSL storage may result in alterations in thymic selection of iNKT cells caused by impaired presentation of selecting ligands.
Degree of Hyper-Dynamic Circulation Correlates with the Severity of Liver Disease and Predicts Poor Outcome in Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis Patients in Intensive Care Unit

Background: Circulatory dysfunction is known in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) patients. We aimed to determine whether degree of hyper-dynamic circulation is significantly correlated with severity of liver disease and poor outcome in these patients or not. Methods: 61 patients diagnosed to have SBP were enrolled. In addition to routine laboratory investigation, Child Pugh and APACHE II scores were calculated for all patients. Degree of renal impairment was defined using Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. Stroke volume (SV) was measured by M mode and 2-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. Cardiac output (CO) and Systemic vascular resistance (SVR) were also calculated. All data were statistically analyzed. Results: SV, CO, SVR were significantly correlated with Child Pugh score, p value < 0.001, <0.001, and 0.011 respectively. In 46 (75.4%) patients who had AKI, degree of kidney injury using AKIN criteria is significantly correlated with SVR, SV, and CO. Inpatient mortality occurred in 10 (16.4%) patients. Non-survivors had lower SVR and higher SV and CO compared to survivors (1805 ± 105 dyn·sec/cm2, 80.3 ± 11.2 ml, and 6.7 ± 1.1 L/min vs 1936 ± 504, 67.6 ± 12.7, and 5.7 ± 0.9, p value 0.029, 0.005, 0.007 respectively). Using the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve, the cut-off value of CO that predicts mortality was 5.89 L/min with sensitivity and specificity measuring 80%, 70.6% respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) is 0.767 with 95% confidence interval (CI) is 0.566 to 0.968, p value 0.008. At this value, the odds ratio (OR) is 7.33 with p value 0.012. Conclusion: Degree of hyper-dynamic circulation is significantly correlated with the severity of liver disease and predicts poor outcome in SBP patients.
Mortality Differences Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage: A Risk-Adjusted Assessment Using Claims Data

Medicare Advantage (MA) has grown rapidly since the Affordable Care Act; nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries now choose MA. An assessment of the comparative value of the 2 options is confounded by an apparent selection bias favoring MA, as reflected in mortality differences. Previous assessments have been hampered by lack of access to claims diagnosis data for the MA population. An indirect comparison of mortality as an outcome variable was conducted by modeling mortality on a traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare data set, applying the model to an MA data set, and then evaluating the ratio of actual-to-predicted mortality in the MA data set. The mortality model adjusted for clinical conditions and demographic factors. Model development considered the effect of potentially greater coding intensity in the MA population. Further analysis calculated ratios for subpopulations. Predicted, risk-adjusted mortality was lower in the MA population than in FFS Medicare. However, the ratio of actual-to-predicted mortality (0.80) suggested that the individuals in the MA data set were less likely to die than would be predicted had those individuals been enrolled in FFS Medicare. Differences between actual and predicted mortality were particularly pronounced in low income (dual eligibility), nonwhite race, high morbidity, and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) subgroups. After controlling for baseline clinical risk as represented by claims diagnosis data, mortality differences favoring MA over FFS Medicare persisted, particularly in vulnerable subgroups and HMO plans. These findings suggest that differences in morbidity do not fully explain differences in mortality between the 2 programs.
Postsynaptic adhesion GPCR latrophilin-2 mediates target recognition in entorhinal-hippocampal synapse assembly

Synapse assembly likely requires postsynaptic target recognition by incoming presynaptic afferents. Using newly generated conditional knock-in and knockout mice, we show in this study that latrophilin-2 (Lphn2), a cell-adhesion G protein–coupled receptor and presumptive &agr;-latrotoxin receptor, controls the numbers of a specific subset of synapses in CA1-region hippocampal neurons, suggesting that Lphn2 acts as a synaptic target-recognition molecule. In cultured hippocampal neurons, Lphn2 maintained synapse numbers via a postsynaptic instead of a presynaptic mechanism, which was surprising given its presumptive role as an &agr;-latrotoxin receptor. In CA1-region neurons in vivo, Lphn2 was specifically targeted to dendritic spines in the stratum lacunosum-moleculare, which form synapses with presynaptic entorhinal cortex afferents. In this study, postsynaptic deletion of Lphn2 selectively decreased spine numbers and impaired synaptic inputs from entorhinal but not Schaffer-collateral afferents. Behaviorally, loss of Lphn2 from the CA1 region increased spatial memory retention but decreased learning of sequential spatial memory tasks. Thus, Lphn2 appears to control synapse numbers in the entorhinal cortex/CA1 region circuit by acting as a domain-specific postsynaptic target-recognition molecule.
678 Bhagat , Rabi S . ; And Others The Prediction of Consumer Buying Intentions : A Comparative Study of the Predictive Effica

The role of attitudes in the conduct of buyer behavior is examined in the context of two competiting models of attitude structure and attitudebehavior relationship. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to compare the Fishbein and Sheth models on the criteria of predictive as well as cross validities. Data cn both the models were obtained simultaneously from 243 respondents in the Champaign-Urbana area. The results show that the Sheth model has high predictive validity and cross-validity, while the Fishbein model has lower predictive validity but high cross validity. The comparative findings on the models were discussed in terms of their operationalization of the underlying constructs. And finally, the importance of other relevant moderatorvariables in improving the consistency of relationship between attitudes and behavior were shown. THE PREDICTION OF CONSUMER BUYING INTENTIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PREDICTIVE EFFICACY OF TWO ATTITUDINAL MODELS1 Prediction of behavior based on attitudinal and other social-context related variables has been the concern o2 both social and consumer psychologists. Several competing models proposing conceptual links between a number of such variables and occurrences of a giyen behavioral act have been recently proposed. Fishbein (1967), for example in extending Dulany's (1967) theory of propositional control to social beaavior has formulated a model for the prediction of behavioral intention based on two major determinants: 1) attitude of the individual toward the specific act in question, 2) his social normative beliefs pertaining to the given behavioral act weighted by his motivation to comply with such relevant beliefs. Further, it has been assumed that since most social behaviors are under volitional control Ryan (1970), knowledge of an individual's behavioral intention is a necessary prerequisite in the determination of the given behavior. Rokeach (1968) in his formulation of the behavioral intention emphasized the importance of situational aspects and distinguished between attitude-toward the object and attitude-toward the situation. Triandis (1975) has proposed a model leading to the probability of occurrence of a specific behavior toward an object based on three major constructs: 1) habit of the individual in relation to the object in question, 2) his behavioral intention based on norms, roles, self-image and general intention. , 3) the facilitation factors and/or ability of the individual to Perform the specific act. Working within a behavior theory framework, Sheth (1971) developed a model in which a specific choice behavior with respect to an object is determined by 1) affect towards the object, 2) unexpected events or situational factors and 3) behavioral intention which is itself determined by multidimensional evaluative beliefs (attitudes)
Identification of Molecular Fingerprints in Human Heat Pain Thresholds by Use of an Interactive Mixture Model R Toolbox (AdaptGauss)

Biomedical data obtained during cell experiments, laboratory animal research, or human studies often display a complex distribution. Statistical identification of subgroups in research data poses an analytical challenge. Here were introduce an interactive R-based bioinformatics tool, called “AdaptGauss”. It enables a valid identification of a biologically-meaningful multimodal structure in the data by fitting a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to the data. The interface allows a supervised selection of the number of subgroups. This enables the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to adapt more complex GMM than usually observed with a noninteractive approach. Interactively fitting a GMM to heat pain threshold data acquired from human volunteers revealed a distribution pattern with four Gaussian modes located at temperatures of 32.3, 37.2, 41.4, and 45.4 °C. Noninteractive fitting was unable to identify a meaningful data structure. Obtained results are compatible with known activity temperatures of different TRP ion channels suggesting the mechanistic contribution of different heat sensors to the perception of thermal pain. Thus, sophisticated analysis of the modal structure of biomedical data provides a basis for the mechanistic interpretation of the observations. As it may reflect the involvement of different TRP thermosensory ion channels, the analysis provides a starting point for hypothesis-driven laboratory experiments.
Norepinephrine reduces arterial compliance less than phenylephrine when treating general anesthesia‐induced arterial hypotension

During general anesthesia, arterial hypotension is frequent and may be an important contributor to perioperative morbidity. We assessed the effect of a 5 μg bolus of Norepinephrine (NA) when compared with 50 μg bolus of Phenylephrine (PE) administered to treat hypotension during maintenance anesthesia, on MAP, derived cardiac output and arterial stiffness parameters.