Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Basal late sodium current is a significant contributor to the duration of action potential of guinea pig ventricular myocytes

In cardiac myocytes, an enhancement of late sodium current (INaL) under pathological conditions is known to cause prolongation of action potential duration (APD). This study investigated the contribution of INaL under basal, physiological conditions to the APD. Whole‐cell INaL and the APD of ventricular myocytes isolated from healthy adult guinea pigs were measured at 36°C. The INaL inhibitor GS967 or TTX was applied to block INaL. The amplitude of basal INaL and the APD at 50% repolarization in myocytes stimulated at a frequency of 0.17 Hz were ‐0.24 ± 0.02 pA/pF and 229 ± 6 msec, respectively. GS967 (0.01–1 μmol/L) concentration dependently reduced the basal INaL by 18 ± 3–82 ± 4%. At the same concentrations, GS967 shortened the APD by 9 ± 2 to 25 ± 1%. Similarly, TTX at 0.1–10 μmol/L decreased the basal INaL by 13 ± 1–94 ± 1% and APD by 8 ± 1–31 ± 2%. There was a close correlation (R2 = 0.958) between the percentage inhibition of INaL and the percentage shortening of APD caused by either GS967 or TTX. MTSEA (methanethiosulfonate ethylammonium, 2 mmol/L), a NaV1.5 channel blocker, reduced the INaL by 90 ± 5%, suggesting that the NaV1.5 channel isoform is the major contributor to the basal INaL. KN‐93 (10 μmol/L) and AIP (2 μmol/L), blockers of CaMKII, moderately reduced the basal INaL. Thus, this study provides strong evidence that basal endogenous INaL is a significant contributor to the APD of cardiac myocytes. In addition, the basal INaL of guinea pig ventricular myocytes is mainly generated from NaV1.5 channel isoform and is regulated by CaMKII.
The time course of attentional bias to cues of threat and safety

ABSTRACT It is well known that relative to neutral stimuli, attention is biased towards processing stimuli that convey threat. In a previous study in which a particular stimulus (e.g. a blue diamond) was associated with the delivery of an electrical shock, the presence of the fear-conditioned stimulus interfered with the execution of voluntary eye movements to other locations. Here, we show that this effect not only occurs early in time, but remains present long after the fear-conditioned stimulus was removed from the screen. In a subsequent experiment, we associated the presence of a particular stimulus with safety, that is, when this stimulus was present it was certain that no electrical shock would be delivered. The presence of the safety signalling stimulus also interfered with the execution of voluntary saccades, but only when the time between stimulus and cue presentation was relatively long. The results indicate that both signals of threat and signals of safety interfere with execution of a saccade long after the source of threat or safety has been removed. However, only threatening stimuli affect saccade execution early in time, suggesting that threatening stimuli drive selection exogenously.
Suppression of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Expression by Antisense Oligonucleotides Inhibits Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation in Rat models With Focal Cerebral Infarction

This study is designed to investigate the role of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) antisense oligonucleotide (ASODN) on the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in rat models with focal cerebral infarction (CI). Seventy‐five Sprague‐Dawlay (SD) rats were randomly divided into the control, sham, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), MCAO + nonsense oligonucleotide (NODN), and MCAO + ASODN groups. Proliferation and differentiation of NSCs were detected by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. ELISA was performed to detect the expressions of endogenous factors that include insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1), glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), transforming growth factor‐α1 (TGF‐α1), bFGF, and nerve growth factor (NGF). Results show significant neurological deficits and focal CI in the MCAO and MCAO + NODN groups. An obvious increase of NSC proliferation, reactive proliferation of astrocytes in CI areas, differentiation of newly proliferated NSCs into mature neuronal cells, and expressions of endogenous growth factors exhibited in the MCAO, MCAO + NODN and MCAO + ASODN groups. Compared to the MCAO and MACO + NODN groups, the MCAO + ASODN group showed a significant decrease NSC proliferation and differentiation in CI areas as well as decrease expressions of endogenous growth factors. These findings may offer insight to help us understand more as to how bFGF ASODN can effectively suppress the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs. These findings are expected to help contribute to research for new targets in the treatment of focal CI. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3875–3882, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Preparation of Nickel Oxide-Samarium-Doped Ceria Carbonate Composite Anode Powders by Using High-Energy Ball Milling for Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The characteristics of the starting powder in powder preparation method are important for enhancement of cell performance. In this study, the composite anode powders of NiO–samarium-doped ceria carbonates (SDCC) were prepared by using different NiO loadings (50–70 wt.%) via high-energy ball milling. The composite anode powders were ball-milled in ethanol at a milling speed of 550 rpm. The obtained NiO–SDCC composite anode powders were characterized by XRD, FTIR, FESEM, and EDS. Results indicate that the composite anode powders demonstrated good chemical compatibility between NiO and SDCC, given that no new phases were detected in the XRD analysis. FTIR spectra confirmed that the composite anode powders contain carbonates in amorphous state after high-energy ball milling. FESEM investigation revealed well-distributed fine particles and significant reduction of particle size at nanoscale compared with the powder prepared using NiO particles as the starting material. EDS mapping verified the homogeneity of the composite powder with good elemental distribution. Thus, high-energy ball milling is an effective method to prepare NiO–SDCC composite anode powders within a relatively short processing time.
Mechanical, Thermal, and Water Uptake Characteristics of Woodflour-Filled Polyvinyl Chloride/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Blends

Woodflour-filled composites based on poly- meric blends of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and super high- impact grade ABS were developed. Mechanical, thermal, and water uptake characteristics of the PVC/ABS matrix and their wood composites were evaluated. In the case of PVC/ ABS matrix, the blend at a mass ratio of 50/50 rendered the impact strength with a very high value of up to 65 kJ/m 2 , noticeably higher than those of the parent resins, that is, 6k J/m 2 of PVC and 35 kJ/m 2 of ABS. Dynamic mechanical analysis thermograms showed two distinct glass transition temperatures (Tgs) that shifted toward each other indicating partial miscibility of the blends. Water absorption of the blends after 24 h immersion was low, that is, within the range of 0.04-0.2 wt % and exhibits a behavior closed to pseudo-Fickian type. The obtained PVC/ABS wood compo- sites exhibited an increase of flexural modulus as well as Tgs with an increase of woodflour content. Finally, impact strength of the PVC/ABS composites was significantly higher than those of PVC composites or polyethylene com- posites comparing at the same woodflour content. V C 2011
Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Watercress (Nasturtium Officinale) Leaves on Serum Glucose and Lipid Levels in Diabetic Rats.

OBJECTIVE Hyperlipidemia is a known complication of diabetes mellitus and predisposes to coronary heart disease. The lowering of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol should reduce the incidence of coronary disease. The aim of the present study was to examine the antihyperlipidemic and antidiabetic effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of watercress (Nasturtium officinale) leaves in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. METHODS Female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, diabetic and diabetic rats treated with the extract of watercress (Nasturtium officinale) at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. Diabetic rats received the watercress extract daily in drinking water for 4 weeks since the day after diabetes confirmation. The levels of serum glucose and lipids were spectrophotometrically measured in all groups at weeks 0 (before diabetes induction), 2 and 4. RESULTS There was a significant increase in serum glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, accompanied by a decrease in high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. The treatment of diabetic rats with hydroalcoholic extract of watercress (Nasturtium officinale) leaves over a 4-week period significantly reduced serum glucose, total cholesterol and LDL- cholesterol in comparison with diabetic untreated rats. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrated that a 4-week treatment with watercress extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg has hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. This implies that the consumption of watercress leaves can be helpful in reducing the complications of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia associated with diabetes.
The Implications of Eco-Evolutionary Processes for the Emergence of Marine Plankton Community Biogeography

Models of community assembly have been used to illustrate how the many functionally diverse species that compose plankton food webs can coexist. However, the evolutionary processes leading to the emergence of plankton food webs and their interplay with migratory processes and spatial heterogeneity are yet to be explored. We study the eco-evolutionary dynamics of a modeled plankton community structured in both size and space and physiologically constrained by empirical data. We demonstrate that a complex yet ecologically and evolutionarily stable size-structured food web can emerge from an initial set of two monomorphic phytoplankton and zooplankton populations. We also show that the coupling of spatial heterogeneity and migration results in the emergence of specific biogeographic patterns: (i) the emergence of a source-sink structure of the plankton metacommunities, (ii) changes in size diversity dependent on migratory intensity and on the scale at which diversity is considered (local vs. global), and (iii) the emergence of eco-evolutionary provinces (i.e., a spatial unit characterized by some level of abiotic heterogeneity but of homogenous size composition due to horizontal movements) at spatial scales that increase with the strength of the migratory processes.
Outcomes of trochanteric femoral fractures treated with proximal femoral nail: an analysis of 100 consecutive cases

Purpose In this study, we aimed to report the results of a retrospective study carried out at our institute regarding cases of patients who had suffered proximal femoral fractures between January 2002 and February 2007, and who were treated with a proximal femoral nail. Materials and methods One hundred consecutive cases were included in the study. A case documentation form was used to obtain intraoperative data including age, sex, mechanism of injury, type of fracture according to Association for Osteosynthesis/Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (AO/ASIF) classification and the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) physical status classification (ASA grade). Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed at the time of admission and at the 6th week; subsequent visits were organized on the 3rd month, 6th month, and 12th month, and in patients with longer follow-up and annually postoperatively. The Harris score of hip function was used, and any change in the position of the implants and the progress of the fracture union, which was determined radiologically, was noted. Results The mean age of the patients was 77.66 years (range: 37–98 years), and the sex distribution was 32 males and 68 females. Seventy-three fractures were reduced by closed means, whereas 27 needed limited open reduction. The mean follow-up time for the study group was 31.3 months (range: 12–75 months). Postoperative radiographs showed a near-anatomical fracture reduction in 78% of patients. The Harris hip score was negatively correlated with the ASA score and patient age. No cases of implant failure were observed. Three patients died before discharge (one due to pulmonary embolism, two due to cardiac arrest), and five patients died due to unrelated medical conditions within the first 3 months of the follow-up. Conclusion Our study showed that proximal femoral nail is a reliable fixation with good fracture union, and it is not associated with major complications in any type of trochanteric femoral fracture.
Allocating Emissions Permits in Cap-and-trade Programs: Theory and Evidence

The allocation of emissions permits in "cap-and-trade" programs is an increasingly contentious policy design issue. Recent theoretical work has characterized the e¢ ciency and distributional implications of alternative approaches to allocating these permits in detail. This paper addresses the empirical question: Is theory borne out in practice? I develop a simple analytical model to capture the essential theoretical relationships between permit allocation design choices and rm-level production decisions. Data gathered from a multi-state emissions trading program are used to analyze these relationships empirically. Results suggest that rms do account for explicit environmental compliance costs (i.e. the costs of holding permits to o¤set emissions) in their short-run supply decisions. The data provide somewhat weaker evidence that rms are also responding to the less salient production subsidy that is implicitly conferred by dynamic permit allocation updating regimes. I thank seminar participants at Environmental Defense, the University of California, Berkeley,the University of Michigan, the University of Toronto, and Yale University for helpful comments and discussion. I gratefully acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation through grant SES-0922401, the UC Energy Institute and the Center for State, Local, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan. Erik Johnson provided excellent research assistance. yDepartment of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California Berkeley, 301 Giannini Hall, Berkeley CA, 94720. email: fowlie@berkeley.edu
Mechanism of Generation of Oxidative Stress and Pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: How Are They Interlinked?

Oxidative stress has been considered as a major hallmark for the pathogenesis and development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but still it is debatable whether it is a mere aggregation of inflammatory‐induced responses or clinical entity that underlies with various pathophysiological factors. In this regard, the latest studies have shown the increasing trends for the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis and development of T2DM. ROS are highly reactive species and almost all cellular components are chemically changed due to the influence of ROS that ultimately results in the production of lipid peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation is a major causative factor for the development of oxidative stress that leads to overt T2DM and its associated micro‐ and macro‐vascular complications. In this article, we have briefly described the role of various causative factors, transcriptional and metabolic pathways which are responsible to increase the production of oxidative stress, a most pivotal factor for the pathogenesis and development of T2DM. Therefore, we conclude that measurement of oxidative stress biomarkers may be one of the optional tool for the diagnosis and prediction of T2DM. Moreover, the key findings described in this article also provides a new conceptual framework for forthcoming investigations on the role of oxidative stress in pathogenesis of T2DM and drug discovery. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3577–3585, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Kronecker's and Newton's Approaches to Solving: A First Comparison

These pages are a first attempt to compare the efficiency of symbolic and numerical analysis procedures that solve systems of multivariate polynomial equations. In particular, we compare Kronecker's solution (from the symbolic approach) with approximate zero theory (introduced by S. Smale as a foundation of numerical analysis). For this purpose we show upper and lower bounds of the bit length of approximate zeros. We also introduce efficient procedures that transform local Kronecker solutions into approximate zeros and conversely. As an application of our study we exhibit an efficient procedure to compute splitting field and Lagrange resolvent of univariate polynomial equations. We remark that this procedure is obtained by a convenient combination of both approaches (numeric and symbolic) to multivariate polynomial solving.
Transcriptomic and metabolomic data integration

Many studies now produce parallel data sets from different omics technologies; however, the task of interpreting the acquired data in an integrated fashion is not trivial. This review covers those methods that have been used over the past decade to statistically integrate and interpret metabolomics and transcriptomic data sets. It defines four categories of approaches, correlation-based integration, concatenation-based integration, multivariate-based integration and pathway-based integration, into which all existing statistical methods fit. It also explores the choices in study design for generating samples for analysis by these omics technologies and the impact that these technical decisions have on the subsequent data analysis options.
Performance on a 1-week delayed recall task is associated with medial temporal lobe structures in neurologically normal older adults

Abstract Objective: Traditional episodic memory tests employ a delayed recall length ranging from 10 to 30 min. The neurobiological process of memory consolidation extends well beyond these time intervals, however, raising the possibility that these tests might not be fully sensitive to the subtle neurocognitive changes found in early disease or age-related decline. We aimed to determine the sensitivity of a 1-week delayed recall paradigm to medial temporal lobe (MTL) structure among neurologically normal older adults. Methods: One hundred and forty functionally intact, older adults (mean age = 75.8) completed a story recall test in which participants learned to 90% criterion. Recall was tested after 30-min and 1-week. Participants also completed a standardized list learning task with a 20-min delay (n = 129) and a structural brain MRI. The MTL, including the parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, and entorhinal, was our primary region of interest. Results: Controlling for age, education, gender and total intracranial volume, the standard 20- and 30-min recalls showed no significant relationship with MTL. In contrast, 1-week recall was uniquely associated with MTL structure (partial r = .24, p = .006), specifically entorhinal (partial r = .27; p = .001) and hippocampal (partial r = .21, p = .02) volumes. Conclusion: Memory paradigms that utilize 1-week delays are more sensitive than standard paradigms to MTL volumes in neurologically normal older adults. Longer delay periods may improve detection of memory consolidation abilities associated with age-related, and potentially pathological, neurobehavioral change.
On simplex‐based piecewise‐linear approximations of non‐linear mappings

Simplex‐based piecewise‐linear (PWL) approximations of non‐linear mappings are needed when the robust PWL analysis is used to directly solve non‐linear equations. This paper proposes a straightforward technique for transforming the well‐known approximations into another form. This new form is computationally more efficient, since it preserves the sparse structure of the original Jacobian matrix. Furthermore, this new form of PWL approximation explicitly relates the simplex‐based PWL analysis to the conventional formulation of the Katzenelson algorithm. The proposed transform technique is also extended to treat groupwise‐separable mappings and, finally, non‐separable but sparse mappings that arise in real‐life simulation of large electronic circuits. In this paper, all these (transformed) simplex‐based PWL approximations are compared in terms of their generality and efficiency. The computational efficiency of the PWL approximation that utilizes sparsity is validated with realistic simulations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Therapeutic Perspectives of 8-Prenylnaringenin, a Potent Phytoestrogen from Hops

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.), as a key ingredient for beer brewing, is also a source of many biologically active molecules. A notable compound, 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN), structurally belonging to the group of prenylated flavonoids, was shown to be a potent phytoestrogen, and thus, became the topic of active research. Here, we overview the pharmacological properties of 8-PN and its therapeutic opportunities. Due to its estrogenic effects, administration of 8-PN represents a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of menopausal and post-menopausal symptoms that occur as a consequence of a progressive decline in hormone levels in women. Application of 8-PN in the treatment of menopause has been clinically examined with promising results. Other activities that have already been assessed include the potential to prevent bone-resorption or inhibition of tumor growth. On the other hand, the use of phytoestrogens is frequently questioned regarding possible adverse effects associated with long-term consumption. In conclusion, we emphasize the implications of using 8-PN in future treatments of menopausal and post-menopausal symptoms, including the need for precise evidence and further investigations to define the safety risks related to its therapeutic use.
Ovicidal and Insecticidal Activities of Pyriproxyfen Derivatives with an Oxime Ester Group

Based on the structural framework of a pyriproxyfen metabolite, nineteen oxime ester derivatives were synthesized via reaction of the carboxylic acids with 4-(2-(2-pyridinyloxy)ethoxy)benzaldehyde oxime. The corresponding structures were comprehensively characterized by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C-NMR, and electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS). All of the compounds were screened for their insecticidal activities against Plutella xylostella and Myzus persicae, and for their ovicidal activities against Helicoverpa armigera eggs. The results obtained show that most of the oxime ester derivatives displayed moderate to high insecticidal activities and ovicidal activities at a concentration of 600 μg/mL. In particular, the ovicidal activity of compounds 5j, 5o, 5p, 5q, and 5s was determined to be 100%. Importantly, some of the compounds presented even higher biological activities than the reference compound pyriproxyfen. For example, compound 5j displayed an insecticidal activity value of 87.5% against Myzus persicae, whereas the activity value of pyriproxyfen was 68.3% at a concentration of 600 μg/mL. Among the synthesized compounds 5j and 5s exhibited broad biological activity spectra.