Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exposure to naphthalene induces naphthyl-keratin adducts in human epidermis in vitro and in vivo

We observed naphthyl-keratin adducts and dose-related metabolic enzyme induction at the mRNA level in reconstructed human epidermis in vitro after exposure to naphthalene. Immunofluorescence detection of 2-naphthyl-keratin-1 adducts confirmed the metabolism of naphthalene and adduction of keratin. We also observed naphthyl-keratin adducts in dermal tape-strip samples collected from naphthalene-exposed workers at levels ranging from 0.004 to 6.104 pmol adduct µg−1 keratin. We have demonstrated the ability of the human skin to metabolize naphthalene and to form naphthyl-keratin adducts both in vitro and in vivo. The results indicate the potential use of keratin adducts as biomarkers of dermal exposure.
Combination angiotensin converting enzyme and direct renin inhibition in heart failure following experimental myocardial infarction.

AIMS Diminishing the activity of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a pivotal role in the treatment of heart failure. In addition to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers, direct renin inhibition has emerged as a potential adjunctive treatment to conventional RAS blockade. We sought to determine the effectiveness of this strategy after myocardial infarction (MI) in the setting of preexisting hypertension, a common premorbid condition in patients with ischemic heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS Ten-week-old female heterozygous hypertensive (mRen-2)27 transgenic rats (Ren-2), were randomized to one of five groups (n = 8 per group); sham, MI, MI + aliskiren, MI + lisinopril and MI + combination lisinopril and aliskiren. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography and in vivo cardiac catheterization. Untreated MI animals developed heart failure with hypotension, dilation, reduced ejection fraction (EF), and raised left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). Treatment with single agent treatment had only modest effect on cardiac function though combination therapy was associated with significant improvements in EF and LVEDP when compared to untreated MI animals (P < 0.05). Histologic analysis demonstrated increase extracellular matrix deposition and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in the noninfarct region of all MI groups when compared with sham operated animals (P < 0.05) that was reduced by ACE inhibitor monotherapy and combination treatment but not by aliskiren alone. CONCLUSION In a hypertensive rat model that underwent experimental MI, EF, and LVEDP, key functional indices of heart failure, were improved by treatment with combination ACE and direct renin inhibition when compared with either agent used alone.
Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Child Development Research: Data and Recommendations.

Information and data are provided that are important for developmental psy chologists in selecting an SES index. The issues addressed are (a) the use of Holl ingshead's SES indexes, (b) the interrelationships among contemporary SES in dexes, and (c) the relationships between these SES indexes and young children's development. There exists substantial overlap among the Revised Duncan So cioeconomic Index, the Siegel Prestige Scale, and the Hollingshead Four Factor Index of Social Status, with interchangeability possible but with qualification and constraint. These indexes reveal a highly similar pattern of correlations with de velopmental status of young children, with the Hollingshead consistently show ing the highest correlations. Because the Hollingshead Four Factor Index of So cial Status is suitable for estimating SES of unmarried individuals and heads of households of both genders as well as for families, it should be considered by developmental psychologists.
Disparity processing in primary visual cortex

The first step in binocular stereopsis is to match features on the left retina with the correct features on the right retina, discarding ‘false’ matches. The physiological processing of these signals starts in the primary visual cortex, where the binocular energy model has been a powerful framework for understanding the underlying computation. For this reason, it is often used when thinking about how binocular matching might be performed beyond striate cortex. But this step depends critically on the accuracy of the model, and real V1 neurons show several properties that suggest they may be less sensitive to false matches than the energy model predicts. Several recent studies provide empirical support for an extended version of the energy model, in which the same principles are used, but the responses of single neurons are described as the sum of several subunits, each of which follows the principles of the energy model. These studies have significantly improved our understanding of the role played by striate cortex in the stereo correspondence problem. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Vision in our three-dimensional world’.
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a new tool for neuroeconomic research

Over the last decade, the application of neuroscience to economic research has gained in importance and the number of neuroeconomic studies has grown extensively. The most common method for these investigations is fMRI. However, fMRI has limitations (particularly concerning situational factors) that should be countered with other methods. This review elaborates on the use of functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a new and promising tool for investigating economic decision making both in field experiments and outside the laboratory. We describe results of studies investigating the reliability of prototype NIRS studies, as well as detailing experiments using conventional and stationary fNIRS devices to analyze this potential. This review article shows that further research using mobile fNIRS for studies on economic decision making outside the laboratory could be a fruitful avenue helping to develop the potential of a new method for field experiments outside the laboratory.
Aging and creep behavior of Sn3.9Ag0.6Cu solder alloy

Aging effects and creep behavior along with microstructure changes in eutectic PbSn and the lead-free solder alloy Sn3.9Ag0. 6Cu were studied. The room temperature aged Sn3.9Ag0. 6Cu alloy continually age-softened due to the growth of relatively large tin-rich crystals. The 180/spl deg/C aged Sn3.9Ag0. 6Cu alloy initially age-softened, and the minimum flow strength was reached after one day at 180/spl deg/C. This softening correlated with the growth of relatively large tin-rich crystals and with the coarsening of Ag/sub 3/Sn particles. When aged at 180/spl deg/C beyond one day the Sn3.9Ag0. 6Cu alloy age-hardened corresponding to the dispersion of Ag/sub 3/Sn particles into tin-rich crystals which previously had not contained intermetallic precipitates. The Sn3.9Ag0. 6Cu alloy showed much lower absolute creep rates than the PbSn eutectic. This extreme increase in creep resistance may result from finely dispersed IMC precipitates in the tin matrix. The /spl beta/-Sn dendrites after creep appear to have some orientational features (aligned at approximately 45/spl deg/ to the flow direction). The size and distributions of IMC is somewhat coarsened with increasing creep temperature. A number of coarsened precipitates of Cu/sub 6/Sn/sub 5/ segregate around the /spl beta/-Sn grain boundary. The simple power-law model was found inapplicable to the whole stress regime for both types of alloy. In addition, two hyperbolic-sine models were developed to describe the creep behavior of both alloys.
Factors relating to urinary protein excretion in children with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Adults with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) who have overt proteinuria (>300 mg/d) have higher mean arterial pressures, lower creatinine clearances, larger renal volumes, and a more aggressive course of renal disease than ADPKD patients without proteinuria. This study examines the relationship between proteinuria and microalbuminuria and similar factors in ADPKD children. A total of 189 children from 81 ADPKD families was included in the analysis. The ADPKD children (n = 103) had significantly greater urine protein excretion rates than the non-ADPKD children (n = 86) (3.9+/-0.3 versus 2.8+/-0.2 mg/m2 per h, P < 0.001). Children with severe renal cystic disease (> 10 cysts; n = 54) had greater protein excretion than those with moderate disease (< or = 10 cysts; n = 49) (4.4+/-0.5 versus 3.3+/-0.2 mg/m2 per h, P < 0.05). The ADPKD children had significantly greater albumin excretion rates than the non-ADPKD children (32+/-6 versus 10+/-2 mg/m2 per 24 h, P < 0.001), and a higher percentage of ADPKD children had significant microalbuminuria (>15 mg/m2 per 24 h in boys and >23 mg/m2 per 24 h in girls) than their unaffected siblings (30% versus 10%, P < 0.05). Thirty percent of ADPKD children had albuminuria and 23% had overt proteinuria. For all ADPKD children, there was no correlation between proteinuria and hypertension. However, there was a significant correlation between urinary protein excretion and diastolic BP among children diagnosed after the first year of life (r = 0.23, P < 0.05). Therefore, proteinuria and albuminuria occur early in the course of ADPKD and may be markers of more severe renal disease.
Giving Is Nicer than Taking: Preschoolers Reciprocate Based on the Social Intentions of the Distributor

Recent research has found that even preschoolers give more resources to others who have previously given resources to them, but the psychological bases of this reciprocity are unknown. In our study, a puppet distributed resources between herself and a child by taking some from a pile in front of the child or else by giving some from a pile in front of herself. Although the resulting distributions were identical, three- and five-year-olds reciprocated less generously when the puppet had taken rather than given resources. This suggests that children’s judgments about resource distribution are more about the social intentions of the distributor and the social framing of the distributional act than about the amount of resources obtained. In order to rule out that the differences in the children’s reciprocal behavior were merely due to experiencing gains and losses, we conducted a follow-up study. Here, three- and-five year olds won or lost resources in a lottery draw and could then freely give or take resources to/from a puppet, respectively. In this study, they did not respond differently after winning vs. losing resources.
Quantification of Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Feedlot Lagoons by Real-Time PCR

ABSTRACT A new real-time PCR method is presented that detects and quantifies three tetracycline resistance (Tcr) genes [tet(O), tet(W), and tet(Q)] in mixed microbial communities resident in feedlot lagoon wastewater. Tcr gene real-time TaqMan primer-probe sets were developed and optimized to quantify the Tcr genes present in seven different cattle feedlot lagoons, to validate the method, and to assess whether resistance gene concentrations correlate with free-tetracycline levels in lagoon waters. The method proved to be sensitive across a wide range of gene concentrations and provided consistent and reproducible results from complex lagoon water samples. The log10 of the sum of the three resistance gene concentrations was correlated with free-tetracycline levels (r2 = 0.50, P < 0.001; n = 18), with the geometric means of individual resistance concentrations ranging from 4- to 8.3-fold greater in lagoon samples with above-median tetracycline levels (>1.95 μg/liter by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques) than in below-median lagoon samples. Of the three Tcr genes tested, tet(W) and tet(Q) were more commonly found in lagoon water samples. Successful development of this real-time PCR assay will permit other studies quantifying Tcr gene numbers in environmental and other samples.
Using aspiration adaptation theory to improve learning

Creating agents that properly simulate and interact with people is critical for many applications. Towards creating these agents, models are needed that quickly and accurately predict how people behave in a variety of domains and problems. This paper explores how one bounded rationality theory, Aspiration Adaptation Theory (AAT), can be used to aid in this task. We extensively studied two types of problems -- a relatively simple optimization problem and two complex negotiation problems. We compared the predictive capabilities of traditional learning methods with those where we added key elements of AAT and other optimal and bounded rationality models. Within the extensive empirical studies we conducted, we found that machine learning models combined with AAT were most effective in quickly and accurately predicting people's behavior.
Trading Computation for Communication: Distributed Stochastic Dual Coordinate Ascent

We present and study a distributed optimization algorithm by employing a stochastic dual coordinate ascent method. Stochastic dual coordinate ascent methods enjoy strong theoretical guarantees and often have better performances than stochastic gradient descent methods in optimizing regularized loss minimization problems. It still lacks of efforts in studying them in a distributed framework. We make a progress along the line by presenting a distributed stochastic dual coordinate ascent algorithm in a star network, with an analysis of the tradeoff between computation and communication. We verify our analysis by experiments on real data sets. Moreover, we compare the proposed algorithm with distributed stochastic gradient descent methods and distributed alternating direction methods of multipliers for optimizing SVMs in the same distributed framework, and observe competitive performances.
Loss and gain of Drosophila TDP-43 impair synaptic efficacy and motor control leading to age-related neurodegeneration by loss-of-function phenotypes

Cytoplasmic accumulation and nuclear clearance of TDP-43 characterize familial and sporadic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, suggesting that either loss or gain of TDP-43 function, or both, cause disease formation. Here we have systematically compared loss- and gain-of-function of Drosophila TDP-43, TAR DNA Binding Protein Homolog (TBPH), in synaptic function and morphology, motor control, and age-related neuronal survival. Both loss and gain of TBPH severely affect development and result in premature lethality. TBPH dysfunction caused impaired synaptic transmission at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and in the adult. Tissue-specific knockdown together with electrophysiological recordings at the larval NMJ also revealed that alterations of TBPH function predominantly affect pre-synaptic efficacy, suggesting that impaired pre-synaptic transmission is one of the earliest events in TDP-43-related pathogenesis. Prolonged loss and gain of TBPH in adults resulted in synaptic defects and age-related, progressive degeneration of neurons involved in motor control. Toxic gain of TBPH did not downregulate or mislocalize its own expression, indicating that a dominant-negative effect leads to progressive neurodegeneration also seen with mutational inactivation of TBPH. Together these data suggest that dysfunction of Drosophila TDP-43 triggers a cascade of events leading to loss-of-function phenotypes whereby impaired synaptic transmission results in defective motor behavior and progressive deconstruction of neuronal connections, ultimately causing age-related neurodegeneration.
Integration of interpreters in mental health interventions with children and adolescents: The need for a framework

Few empirical studies have detailed the specificities of working with interpreters in mental healthcare for children. The integration of interpreters in clinical teams in child mental healthcare was explored in two clinics, in Montreal and Paris. Four focus groups were conducted with interpreters and clinicians. Participants described the development of the working alliance between interpreters and clinicians, the delineation of interpreters’ roles, and the effects of translation on the people in the interaction. Integrating interpreters in a clinical team is a slow process in which clinicians and interpreters need to reflect upon a common framework. An effective framework favours trust, mutual understanding, and valorization of the contribution of each to the therapeutic task. The interpreter’s presence and activities seem to have some therapeutic value.
Effects of prenatal maternal distress on reproductive outcomes

The primary goal of the current study was to examine the association between maternal distress during pregnancy, conceptualized as stress, anxiety, and depression, and infant reproductive outcomes. It was hypothesized that women who report high levels of distress during pregnancy would be more likely to experience adverse reproductive outcomes. An additional goal of the study was to examine the hypothesis that social support and coping style moderate the association between prenatal maternal distress and birth outcomes. This study utilized a prospective, longitudinal design. Pregnant women (N = 257) completed self-report questionnaires and clinical interviews at two time points during pregnancy. Following delivery, birth weight, week of delivery, head circumference, and Apgar score were extracted from medical records. Results suggested that women who were clinically depressed during pregnancy were more likely to experience adverse birth outcomes. In addition, maternal stress, anxiety, and depression were best conceptualized as one general “distress” factor, which did not predict variance in birth outcomes over and above demographic variables. However, when self-report measures were considered individually, they decreased over the course of pregnancy, and were associated with birth outcomes, particularly at time 2. Significant interactions between maternal distress and social support, as well as maternal distress and coping emerged as predictors of birth outcomes. Results suggest that women with high levels of stress, who also have small support networks, are at higher risk of adverse birth outcomes than women with large networks, who were relatively insulated from effects of higher distress. This study points to the need for ongoing assessment of maternal distress and
econstor Make Your Publications Visible . A Service of zbw

There are new challenges for spatial planning through energy transition. Federal and state governments have committed development goals for renewable energies. Often the objectives of the states go beyond the federal goal. The expansion of renewable energies is connected with new land requirements. National and regional planning can support the implementation of energy policy objectives. In state-wide and regional plans binding textual and graphic determinations on renewable energies can be made. For a spatial or volume control projects have to be regionally significant. Almost all countries use instruments to control the expansion of wind energy. Only few countries control free standing photovoltaic systems. In state-wide and regional plans biomass, water power and geothermal energy are yet hardly relevant.
Phylogenetic Diversity and Specificity of Bacteria Closely Associated with Alexandrium spp. and Other Phytoplankton

ABSTRACT While several studies have suggested that bacterium-phytoplankton interactions have the potential to dramatically influence harmful algal bloom dynamics, little is known about how bacteria and phytoplankton communities interact at the species composition level. The objective of the current study was to determine whether there are specific associations between diverse phytoplankton and the bacteria that co-occur with them. We determined the phylogenetic diversity of bacterial assemblages associated with 10 Alexandrium strains and representatives of the major taxonomic groups of phytoplankton in the Gulf of Maine. For this analysis we chose xenic phytoplankton cultures that (i) represented a broad taxonomic range, (ii) represented a broad geographic range for Alexandrium spp. isolates, (iii) grew under similar cultivation conditions, (iv) had a minimal length of time since the original isolation, and (v) had been isolated from a vegetative phytoplankton cell. 16S rRNA gene fragments of most Bacteria were amplified from DNA extracted from cultures and were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequencing. A greater number of bacterial species were shared by different Alexandrium cultures, regardless of the geographic origin, than by Alexandrium species and nontoxic phytoplankton from the Gulf of Maine. In particular, members of the Roseobacter clade showed a higher degree of association with Alexandrium than with other bacterial groups, and many sequences matched sequences reported to be associated with other toxic dinoflagellates. These results provide evidence for specificity in bacterium-phytoplankton associations.
Expectations and Human-Robot Interaction. The influence of robot expectations on personality attribution, impressions and anthropomorphism

More and more social robots are introduced to the consumer market. This means that it is important to investigate how and why humans interact with a social robot. The current study investigated if expectations of a social robot would influence the impressions humans had of a social robot, the degree to which humans anthropomorphised a social robot and to what extent humans would assign their own personality traits to that of the social robot. We also studied the influence of matching personality traits, between human and robot, on the impressions that this human had of the social robot. The results, from a between-participants experiment (high expectations and low expectations), indicated that participants had more positive impressions of a social robot when there was a matching conscientiousness personality. This finding supports the similarity-attraction hypothesis (Byrne et al, 1986). The assumed similarity and attributive projection theory were supported within this study for the agreeableness personality trait (Cronbach, 1995; Holmes, 1978). Participants who described themselves as being agreeable, tended to assign this personality trait to a social robot. This result was most visible in the low expectations condition. We also found that participants within the high expectations condition had more positive impressions of a social robot in comparison with participants within the low expectations conditions. This means that the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and the Confirmation Bias, in case of high expectations, were confirmed within this study (Merton, 1948; Nickerson, 1998). We also found similar results for anthropomorphism. Participants within the high expectations condition anthropomorphised the social robot to a higher degree than participants within the low expectations condition. We recommend that future research should also study expectations and how it influences human-robot interaction, whereby they use a different kind and/or type of robot.