Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carica papaya MicroRNAs Are Responsive to Papaya meleira virus Infection

MicroRNAs are implicated in the response to biotic stresses. Papaya meleira virus (PMeV) is the causal agent of sticky disease, a commercially important pathology in papaya for which there are currently no resistant varieties. PMeV has a number of unusual features, such as residence in the laticifers of infected plants, and the response of the papaya to PMeV infection is not well understood. The protein levels of 20S proteasome subunits increase during PMeV infection, suggesting that proteolysis could be an important aspect of the plant defense response mechanism. To date, 10,598 plant microRNAs have been identified in the Plant miRNAs Database, but only two, miR162 and miR403, are from papaya. In this study, known plant microRNA sequences were used to search for potential microRNAs in the papaya genome. A total of 462 microRNAs, representing 72 microRNA families, were identified. The expression of 11 microRNAs, whose targets are involved in 20S and 26S proteasomal degradation and in other stress response pathways, was compared by real-time PCR in healthy and infected papaya leaf tissue. We found that the expression of miRNAs involved in proteasomal degradation increased in response to very low levels of PMeV titre and decreased as the viral titre increased. In contrast, miRNAs implicated in the plant response to biotic stress decreased their expression at very low level of PMeV and increased at high PMeV levels. Corroborating with this results, analysed target genes for this miRNAs had their expression modulated in a dependent manner. This study represents a comprehensive identification of conserved miRNAs inpapaya. The data presented here might help to complement the available molecular and genomic tools for the study of papaya. The differential expression of some miRNAs and identifying their target genes will be helpful for understanding the regulation and interaction of PMeV and papaya.
Berberine sulfate blocks adherence of Streptococcus pyogenes to epithelial cells, fibronectin, and hexadecane

Berberine sulfate is an alkaloid extracted from the roots and bark of various plants and possesses antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal activities. Most studies have focused on the bacteriostatic or bactericidal activities of this compound. In this study, we report that berberine sulfate is bacteriostatic for streptococci and that sub-MICs of berberine blocked the adherence of streptococci to host cells, immobilized fibronectin, and hexadecane. Concentrations of berberine below its MIC caused an eightfold increase in release of lipoteichoic acid from the streptococci. Higher concentrations of berberine directly interfered with the adherence of streptococci to host cells either by preventing the complexing of lipoteichoic acid with fibronectin or by dissolution of such complexes once they were formed. Thus, berberine sulfate interferes with the adherence of group A streptococci by two distinct mechanisms: one by releasing the adhesin lipoteichoic acid from the streptococcal cell surface and another by directly preventing or dissolving lipoteichoic acid-fibronectin complexes.
Roles of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) Receptor and Reactive Oxygen Species in Hyperlipidemia‐Induced PTH Resistance in Preosteoblasts

Bioactive lipids initiate inflammatory reactions leading to pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Evidence shows that they also contribute to bone loss by inhibiting parathyroid hormone receptor (PTH1R) expression and differentiation of osteoblasts. We previously demonstrated that bone anabolic effects of PTH(1–34) are blunted in hyperlipidemic mice and that these PTH effects are restored by antioxidants. However, it is not clear which osteoblastic cell developmental stage is targeted by bioactive lipids. To investigate the effects of hyperlipidemia at the cellular level, hyperlipidemic Ldlr−/− mice were bred with Col3.6GFPtpz mice, in which preosteoblasts/osteoblasts carry a topaz fluorescent label, and with Col2.3GFPcyan mice, in which more mature osteoblasts/osteocytes carry a cyan fluorescent label. Histological analyses of trabecular bone surfaces in femoral as well as calvarial bones showed that intermittent PTH(1–34) increased fluorescence intensity in WT‐Tpz mice, but not in Tpz‐Ldlr−/− mice. In contrast, PTH(1–34) did not alter fluorescence intensity in femoral cortical envelopes of either WT‐Cyan or Ldlr−/−‐Cyan mice. To test the mechanism of PTH1R downregulation, preosteoblastic MC3T3‐E1 cells were treated with bioactive lipids and the antioxidant Trolox. Results showed that inhibitory effects of PTH1R levels by bioactive lipids were rescued by pretreatment with Trolox. The inhibitory effects on expression of PTH1R as well as on PTH‐induced osteoblastic genes were mimicked by xanthine/xanthine oxidase, a known generator of reactive oxygen species. These findings suggest an important role of the preosteoblastic development stage as the target and downregulation of PTH receptor expression mediated by intracellular oxidant stress as a mechanism in hyperlipidemia‐induced PTH resistance. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 179–188, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dexterous Grasping via Eigengrasps : A Low-dimensional Approach to a High-complexity Problem

In this paper, we build upon recent advances in neuroscience research which have shown that control of the human hand during grasping is dominated by movement in a configuration space of highly reduced dimensionality. We extend this concept to robotic hands and show how a similar dimensionality reduction can be defined for a number of different hand models. This framework can be used to derive optimization algorithms that simplify the task of finding stable grasps even for highly complex hand designs. Furthermore, it offers a unified approach for controlling different hands, even if the kinematic structures of the models are significantly different. We illustrate these concepts by building a comprehensive grasp planner that can be used on a large variety of robotic hands under various constraints.
Personality Perception Accuracy Development within Newly Acquainted Groups

approved: ____________________________________________ Frank J. Bernieri The present research sought to investigate the effect of acquaintance on the accuracy of personality judgments and extend results to groups resembling families. Participants were college students ranging from 18 to 54 years of age enrolled in a ten week long “Psychological Assessment” research practicum. The study was designed to assess the ability of individuals to accurately judge the distribution of group members on each of the big five traits of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness at three different time periods. During the first week participants made a first impression personality trait rating and then engaged in a getting-acquainted conversation with each target and made an additional rating. They then spent nine weeks interacting with targets in activities designed to represent interpersonal contexts that would traditionally occur in a family setting and made final personality ratings at the end of the ten week period. At zero acquaintance participants were able to accurately rank the targets on the traits of extraversion, openness, and neuroticism. After ten weeks of acquaintance-inducing activities participants were able to accurately assess the distribution of group members on each of the big five traits. There was a significant linear trend for increasing accuracy with further acquaintance for all traits with the exception of neuroticism. Implications for relationship development in families are discussed.
Accelerating Architectural Simulation Via Statistical Techniques: A Survey

In computer architecture research and development, simulation is a powerful way of acquiring and predicting processor behaviors. While architectural simulation has been extensively utilized for computer performance evaluation, design space exploration, and computer architecture assessment, it still suffers from the high computational costs in practice. Specifically, the total simulation time is determined by the simulator's raw speed and the total number of simulated instructions. The simulator's speed can be improved by enhanced simulation infrastructures (e.g., simulators with high-level abstraction, parallel simulators, and hardware-assisted simulators). Orthogonal to these work, recent studies also managed to significantly reduce the total number of simulated instructions with a slight loss of accuracy. Interestingly, we observe that most of these work are built upon statistical techniques. This survey presents a comprehensive review to such studies and proposes a taxonomy based on the sources of reduction. In addition to identifying the similarities and differences of state-of-the-art approaches, we further discuss insights gained from these studies as well as implications for future research.
Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effect of Exercise on Sleep

We tested the hypothesis that exercise would improve subjective sleep quality and activity in depressed elders, A lO-week randomized controlled trial was utilized. Participants consisted of a volunteer sample, aged >60 with a diagnosis of major or minor depression or dysthymia. A total of 32 subjects aged 60-84 years with a mean age of 71.3 ::<:: 1.2 years was used. Intervention consisted of a supervised weight-training program three times a week or an attention-control group. Main outcome measures were Pittsburgh Subjective Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Likert Scale of Subjective Sleep Quality and Quantity, Paffenbarger Activity Index, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD), and the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form 36 (SF-36). Results showed that exercise significantly improved all subjective sleep-quality and deprcssion measures. Depression measures were reduced by approximately twice that of controls. Habitual activity was not significantly increased by exercise. Quality of life subscales significantly improved. In a forward stepwise multiple regression, percent improvement in GDS and percent increase in strength remained significant predictors of the improvement in total PSQI score (r = 0.71, P = 0.0002). In conclusion, weight lifting exercise was effective in improving subjective sleep quality, depression, strength, and quality of life without significantly changing habitual activity.
Self -inflicted and other -inflicted intentional burns versus unintentional burns: A comparison study

Burn injuries are associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Intentional burn injuries are not well understood, and warrant study to improve adjustment and outcomes. The present study examined group differences between intentional and unintentional burn injuries, comparing individuals with self-inflicted (SIB; n=109) and other-inflicted (OIB; n=109) burns to an unintentional burn (UB) group. Compared to UB, those with intentional (SIB, OIB) burn injuries were more likely to be young, female, unmarried, unemployed, abuse substances, and have positive alcohol/drug screens at hospital admission. Individuals with intentional burns report more psychological distress, lower quality of life in some areas, and lower life satisfaction. When SIB and OIB were examined individually, OIB were more likely to be African American compared to SIB and UB. OIB also had more anxiety and paranoia than UB. SIB was more likely than OIB and UB to have had medical problems or psychiatric disorders and treatment prior to the burn injury. Those with SIB were 3 times more likely than UB to die in the hospital even after controlling for age, severity of burn, and inhalation injuries. Moreover, the SIB group had high rates of suicidal ideation at discharge and follow-up. Treatment implications for burn treatment providers were discussed.
Emergent spin filter at the interface between ferromagnetic and insulating layered oxides.

We report a strong effect of interface-induced magnetization on the transport properties of magnetic tunnel junctions consisting of ferromagnetic manganite La0.7Ca0. 3MnO3 and insulating cuprate PrBa2Cu3O7. Contrary to the typically observed steady increase of the tunnel magnetoresistance with decreasing temperature, this system exhibits a sudden anomalous decrease at low temperatures. Interestingly, this anomalous behavior can be attributed to the competition between the positive spin polarization of the manganite contacts and the negative spin-filter effect from the interface-induced Cu magnetization.
Origins of Serum Semicarbazide-Sensitive Amine Oxidase

Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAO) are enzymes that are capable of deaminating primary amines to produce aldehyde, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide. This activity has been associated with vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) and is found in the serum, endothelium, adipose, and smooth muscle of mammals. Circulating SSAO activity is increased in congestive heart failure, diabetes, and inflammatory liver diseases. To investigate the origin of circulating SSAO activity, two transgenic mouse models were created with full-length human VAP-1 (hVAP-1) expressed on either endothelial (mTIEhVAP-1) or adipose tissues (aP2hVAP-1), with tie-1 and adipocyte P2 promoters, respectively. Under normal conditions a circulating form of hVAP-1 was found at high levels in the serum of mice with endothelium-specific expression and at low levels in the serum of mice with adipose specific expression. The level of circulating hVAP-1 in the transgenic mice varied with gender, transgene zygosity, diabetes, and fasting. Serum SSAO activity was absent from VAP-1 knockout mice and endothelial cell–specific expression of human VAP-1 restored SSAO activity to the serum of VAP-1 knockout mice. Together, these experiments show that in the mouse VAP-1 is the only source of serum SSAO, that under physiological conditions vascular endothelial cells can be a major source of circulating VAP-1 protein and SSAO, and that serum VAP-1 can originate from both endothelial cells and adipocytes during experimental diabetes. An increased endothelial cell capacity for lymphocyte binding and altered expression of redox-sensitive proteins was also associated with the mTIEhVAP-1 transgene.
Alcohol Use and Related Behaviors Among Late-Adolescent Urban Youths: Peer and Parent Influences

Peer and parent influences on alcohol use and related risky behaviors were examined in a sample of late-adolescent (M = 17.3 years; SD = 1.11 years) urban youths. Participants (N = 400) completed an online measure assessing peer influences of alcohol use and alcohol offers and also parental influences of rules against alcohol use and perceived levels of emotional family support, relative to youths' alcohol use, binge drinking, alcohol-related consequences, and intentions to drink. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that increased peer alcohol use and alcohol offers were associated with youths' increased drinking, binge drinking, alcohol-related consequences, and intentions to drink. Controlling for peer influences, parental rules against alcohol use were associated with decreased drinking, binge drinking, and intentions to drink; increased levels of family support were associated with decreased alcohol-related consequences and intentions to drink. These findings suggest that parental influences, albeit small relative to peer influences, are associated with fewer instances of monthly alcohol use and related risky behaviors among late-adolescent urban youths.
Myths and realities of the cardiac vagus

Abstract There is continuing belief that cardiac parasympathetic postganglionic fibres are sparse or absent from the ventricles. This review of the literature shows that the supposition is a myth. Early studies considered that fine silver‐stained fibres coursing amongst ventricle myocardial cells were most likely cardiac parasympathetic postganglionic fibres. The conclusions were later supported by acetyl cholinesterase staining using a method that appeared not to be associated with noradrenaline nerve fibres. The conclusion is critically examined in the light of several recent histological studies using the acetyl cholinesterase method and also a more definitive technique (CHAT), that suggest a widespread location of parasympathetic ganglia and a relatively dense parasympathetic innervation of ventricular muscle in a range of mammals including man. The many studies demonstrating acetylcholine release in the ventricle on vagal nerve stimulation and a high density of acetylcholine M2 receptors is in accord with this as are tests of ventricular performance from many physiological studies. Selective control of cardiac functions by anatomically segregated parasympathetic ganglia is discussed. It is argued that the influence of vagal stimulation on ventricular myocardial action potential refractory period, duration, force and rhythm is evidence that vagal fibres have close apposition to myocardial fibres. This is supported by clear evidence of accentuated antagonism between sympathetic activity and vagal activity in the ventricle and also by direct effects of vagal activity independent of sympathetic activity. The idea of differential control of atrial and ventricular physiology by vagal C and vagal B preganglionic fibres is examined as well as differences in chemical phenotypes and their function. The latter is reflected in medullary and supramedullary control. Reference is made to the importance of this knowledge to understanding the normal physiology of cardiac autonomic control and significance to pathology.
Dynamic Imaging of Lipid Membranes by Means of Water

Lipid membranes are dynamic and self-assembled structures whose composition critically determines the properties of membranes of cells and organelles. They are complex and in a constant state of flux. However, molecular-level understanding of lipid membranes is based on spectroscopic measurements and molecular dynamics simulations of simplified lipid monolayer systems. As spectroscopic measurements rely on spatial and temporal averaging and are necessarily linked to mean field models, information about the molecular interactions and their spatiotemporal evolution in real membranes is currently unavailable. In this thesis, we use high throughput wide-field second harmonic (SH) microscopy to image water-membrane interactions at sub-second time scale to follow the spatiotemporal evolution of membrane fluctuations in freestanding lipid membranes. To achieve this, we improve the throughput of nonlinear SH microscope by 2-3 orders of magnitude and integrate the apparatus to form freestanding lipid membranes for simultaneous electrical and optical characterization of membranes. We show in a series of experiments involving symmetric and asymmetric freestanding lipid membranes, and changes in the ionic and pH content of adjacent solutions, that the non-resonant response of water can be SH imaged on sub-second time scales. This water response has a non-random orientational distribution because of charge-dipole and hydrogen bonding interactions with the lipid head groups. We use this water response as a contrast mechanism to image the spatiotemporal evolution of membrane fluctuations. We first characterize the formation of freestanding lipid membranes and investigate how oil redistributes within bilayers after formation. Focusing on hexadecane and squalene, we show using SH imaging that the annulus of freestanding lipid bilayers prepared with hexadecane is narrower compared to those prepared with squalene, indicating that less oil is present within bilayers prepared with hexadecane. We track the diffusion of excess oil droplets within the bilayer and show that hexadecane droplets follow directed diffusion, moving from the center of the bilayer to the annulus, with a diffusion coefficient similar to single lipids, whereas squalene shows no directed motion with a diffusion coefficient similar to lipid domains. We discuss the observed differences in terms of different coupling mechanisms between the oil and the lipid molecules induced by the different chemical structures of the oils. Hexadecane can stay within a single leaflet and can diffuse through the liquid phase of the lipids whereas squalene is bigger than a single leaflet and also more branched, so it couples to both leaflets and move slower. Using SH imaging, we probe the diffusion of charged lipid domains at sub-second time
Comparative analysis of regulatory instruments in reverse logistics for electrical and electronic wastes

Based on the problematic scenario facing the environmental issues related to excessive consumption and the early disposal of electrical and electronic equipments - EEE, this paper aims to analyse the laws and regulatory instruments targeted to the management of waste electrical and electronic equipments - WEEE in Brazil and in countries such as Japan, European Union members, USA and China. Specifically, we sought to make comparative analysis between the cited regions, in which it was possible to assess the return and recycling amount of this waste, and to point out the WEEE reverse logistics overview for each selected region. The results indicated that the largest number of laws created for the WEEE management were not decisive to improve the return index and electronic waste recycling. On the other hand, countries with few regulatory instruments (Japan and European Union members), were the ones that stood out for their high return indexes and WEEE recycling. This work's theoretical background is based on a descriptive and exploratory research, carried out through literature review.
Comparison of Three Strategies for Teaching Generalized Grocery Purchasing to High School Students with Severe Handicaps

Teachers often provide classroom based instruction on the assumption that behaviors learned in the classroom will be performed in natural settings. The present study examines this assumption by comparing the effectiveness of three strategies for purchasing grocery store items with four high school students labeled moderately or severely retarded. Students were trained to negotiate payment to the cashier by (a) role playing in the classroom with flashcards designating the amount of purchase, (b) role playing in the classroom with slides of cash registers at different amounts, or (c) role playing with the slides and in vivo training in one store. A multiple baseline design across subjects indicates afunctional relationship between the combined slide and in vivo strategy and correct performance across a range of nontrained probe stores. Neither role playing strategy alone was successful at teaching a generalized purchasing skill. The data are discussed in terms of research implications for studying generalization and instructional recommendations for teachers.