Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Curcuma longa L. extract improves the cortical neural connectivity during the aging process

Turmeric or Curcuma is a natural product that has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic pharmacological properties. It can be used in the control of the aging process that involves oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Aging is a physiological process that affects higher cortical and cognitive functions with a reduction in learning and memory, limited judgment and deficits in emotional control and social behavior. Moreover, aging is a major risk factor for the appearance of several disorders such as cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. At the brain level, the aging process alters the synaptic intercommunication by a reduction in the dendritic arbor as well as the number of the dendritic spine in the pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and basolateral amygdala, consequently reducing the size of these regions. The present review discusses the synaptic changes caused by the aging process and the neuroprotective role the Curcuma has through its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic actions
Central vasopressin and oxytocin receptor distributions in two species of singing mice

The neuropeptides arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) are key modulators of vertebrate sociality. Although some general behavioral functions of AVP and OT are broadly conserved, the detailed consequences of peptide release seem to be regulated by species‐specific patterns of receptor distribution. We used autoradiography to characterize central vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) and OT receptor (OTR) distributions in two species of singing mice, ecologically specialized Central American rodents with a highly developed form of vocal communication. While both species exhibited high V1aR binding in the auditory thalamus (medial geniculate), binding in structures involved in vocal production (periaqueductal gray and anterior hypothalamus) was significantly higher in the more vocal species, Scotinomys teguina. In S. xerampelinus, receptor binding was significantly higher in a suite of interconnected structures implicated in social and spatial memory, including OTR in the hippocampus and medial amygdala, and V1aR in the anterior and laterodorsal thalamus. This pattern is concordant with species differences in population density and social spacing, which should favor enhanced sociospatial memory in S. xerampelinus. We propose that V1aR and OTR distributions in singing mice support an integral role for the AVP/OT system in several aspects of sociality, including vocal communication and sociospatial memory. J. Comp. Neurol. 516:321–333, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Study strategies and beliefs about learning as a function of academic achievement and achievement goals

ABSTRACT Prior research by Hartwig and Dunlosky [(2012). Study strategies of college students: Are self-testing and scheduling related to achievement? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 19(1), 126–134] has demonstrated that beliefs about learning and study strategies endorsed by students are related to academic achievement: higher performing students tend to choose more effective study strategies and are more aware of the benefits of self-testing. We examined whether students’ achievement goals, independent of academic achievement, predicted beliefs about learning and endorsement of study strategies. We administered Hartwig and Dunlosky’s survey, along with the Achievement Goals Questionnaire [Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 80, 501–519] to a large undergraduate biology course. Similar to results by Hartwig and Dunlosky, we found that high-performing students (relative to low-performing students) were more likely to endorse self-testing, less likely to cram, and more likely to plan a study schedule ahead of time. Independent of achievement, however, achievement goals were stronger predictors of certain study behaviours. In particular, avoidance goals (e.g., fear of failure) coincided with increased use of cramming and the tendency to be driven by impending deadlines. Results suggest that individual differences in student achievement, as well as the underlying reasons for achievement, are important predictors of students’ approaches to studying.
NORSp: predictions of long regions without regular secondary structure

Many structurally flexible regions play important roles in biological processes. It has been shown that extended loopy regions are very abundant in the protein universe and that they have been conserved through evolution. Here, we present NORSp, a publicly available predictor for disordered regions in protein. Specifically, NORSp predicts long regions with NO Regular Secondary structure. Upon user submission of a protein sequence, NORSp will analyse the protein for its secondary structure, presence of transmembrane helices and coiled-coil. It will then return email to the user about the presence and position of disordered regions. NORSp can be accessed from http://cubic.bioc. columbia.edu/services/NORSp/.
Cytokine profile as diagnostic and prognostic factor in neonatal sepsis

Abstract Antecedents: The serum levels of some cytokines can be useful in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis; the prognostic value of a cytokine profile has not, to our knowledge, been explored in this disease. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of the serum levels of cytokines IL-1, -2, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -10, -12, -13, and -17, TNF, IFNγ, G-CSF, GM-CSF, MCP1, and MIP1β in neonates with high risk of developing sepsis. Methods: Sepsis was evaluated in 96 high-risk neonates. We assessed cytokine levels on hospital admission and during or not during sepsis. Results: Fifty (52%) presented sepsis (26 early and 24 late). Sepsis was associated with high levels of IL-6, IL-10, G-CSF, and MCP1 and low levels of IFNγ, early sepsis with high levels of IL-6 and G-CSF, severe sepsis with high levels of IL-6 and IL-10, while deaths or sequelae was associated with low levels of IL-4, IL-12, IFNγ, and high levels of GM-CSF. IL-6 values of ≥40.1 pg/mL were associated with the development of any type of sepsis (relative risk [RR]: 1.70; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.18–2.24; p = .01), while IL-6 values of ≥44.9 pg/mL were associated with early sepsis (RR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.29–4.56; p = .01). Conclusion: In neonates with high risk for the development of sepsis, there is an association between levels of IL-6, IL-10, and G-SCF and the disease development/outcome.
Elevated phosphodiester and T2 levels can be measured in the absence of fat infiltration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients

Quantitative MRI and MRS are increasingly important as non‐invasive outcome measures in therapy development for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Many studies have focussed on individual measures such as fat fraction and metabolite levels in relation to age and functionality, but much less attention has been given to how these indices relate to each other. Here, we assessed spatially resolved metabolic changes in leg muscles of DMD patients, and classified muscles according to the degree of fat replacement compared with healthy controls. Quantitative MRI (three‐point Dixon and multi‐spin echo without fat suppression and a tri‐exponential fit) and 2D–CSI 31P MRS scans were obtained from 18 DMD patients and 12 healthy controls using a 3 T and a 7 T MR scanner. Metabolite levels, T2 values and fat fraction were individually assessed for five lower leg muscles. In muscles with extensive fat replacement, phosphodiester over adenosine triphosphate (PDE/ATP), inorganic phosphate over phosphocreatine, intracellular tissue pH and T2 were significantly increased compared with healthy controls. In contrast, in muscles without extensive fat replacement, only PDE/ATP and T2 values were significantly elevated. Overall, our results show that PDE levels and T2 values increase prior to the occurrence of fat replacement and remain elevated in later stages of the disease. This suggests that these individual measures could not only function as early markers for muscle damage but also reflect potentially reversible pathology in the more advanced stages.
In vitro antifungal activity of Zataria multiflora essential oil, fluconazole and ciclopirox olamine against nonalbicans Candida species isolated from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis

The aim of the present study was to investigate the antifungal activity of Zatariamultiflora essential oil, fluconazole and ciclopirox olamine against 44 non-albicansCandida isolates from patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. A set of C.glabrata (29 strains), C. krusei (3 stains) and C. patapsilosis (2 strains) were studiedusing Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth macrodilution method.The results revealed that 33 isolates were resistant (MIC=64 μg/ml), 4 isolates weresusceptible (MIC≤ 8 μg/ml) and 7 isolates had dose-dependent susceptibility (MIC= 16,32 μg/ml) to fluconazole, respectively. With regard to fluconazole, high resistance ratewas observed in C . glabrata and C. krusei. However, ciclopirox olamine was found toinhibit the growth of all non-albicans Candida species (MIC≤8 μg/ml). In this study,favorable antifungal activity against non-albicans Candida species was obtained by Z.multiflora despite having a wide range of MICs (34875-139500 μg/ml). The resultsindicated that ciclopirox olamine and Z. multiflora might be promising in the treatment ofrecurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.
In vivo MR measurements of regional arterial and venous blood volume fractions in intact rat brain

In vivo measurement of cerebral arterial and venous volume fractions is important to the understanding of brain physiology and function. By using an intravascular perfluorocarbon and 19F NMR at 4.7 T, regional arterial and venous volume fractions from an intact rat brain were resolved based on the pseudodiffusion coefficients, which were (33 ± 7) × 10‐3 and (0.45 ± 0.13) × 10‐3 mm2/sec (mean ± SD, n = 7) for the fast‐ and slow‐moving component, respectively. By exploiting the linear dependence of the perfluorocarbon 19F 1/T1 on the dissolved paramagnetic oxygen concentration, combined inversion‐recovery and diffusion measurements were made to correlate the short T1 (high‐oxygenation) component with the fast‐moving component and the long T1 (low‐oxygenation) component with the slow‐moving component. The arterial blood volume fraction was 29 ± 7% of the total cerebral blood volume. Finally, experiments were performed in which different oxygen concentrations were inhaled to validate this technique. Magn Reson Med 43:393–402, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Can experience modulate handler responses to boxes designed to decrease musculoskeletal load?*

Abstract Biomechanical load during the handling of commercial (cardboard box with and without cut out) and non-commercial boxes (cardboard box with a retreat on the bottom edges), on experienced compared to inexperienced subjects was evaluated. Thirty-seven inexperienced and 21 experienced workers handled all boxes at shoulder and ground levels. Biomechanical load on upper limb was investigated through posture and electromyography (EMG) recordings. Comfort and effort were assessed immediately after each handling. In general, experienced workers had low range of motion. On the other hand, EMG was similar between both groups, except when non-commercial boxes were handled in non-favourable heights. Comfort was higher when a non-commercial box was handled versus a commercial one, regardless of the group. Both groups had a lower biomechanical load when handling the non-commercial boxes compared to the commercial ones. However, experienced workers did not have the same advantage as inexperienced subjects when handling those new boxes. Practitioner Summary: Box designs favouring intuitive hand coupling and more efficient postures have potential to reduce the risk of upper-limb musculoskeletal disorders in inexperienced subjects. However, ergonomist has to deal with workers on different levels of experience. Results of this study can support the development of effective recommendations for the working context.
Characterisation and Expression of Calpain Family Members in Relation to Nutritional Status, Diet Composition and Flesh Texture in Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata)

Calpains are non-lysosomal calcium-activated neutral proteases involved in a wide range of cellular processes including muscle proteolysis linked to post-mortem flesh softening. The aims of this study were (a) to characterise several members of the calpain system in gilthead sea bream and (b) to examine their expression in relation to nutritional status and muscle tenderisation. We identified the complete open reading frame of gilthead sea bream calpains1-3, sacapn1, sacapn2, sacapn3, and two paralogs of the calpain small subunit1, sacapns1a and sacapns1b. Proteins showed 63–90% sequence identity compared with sequences from mammals and other teleost fishes, and the characteristic domain structure of vertebrate calpains. Transcripts of sacapn1, sacapn2, sacapns1a and sacapns1b had a wide tissue distribution, whereas sacapn3 was almost exclusively detected in skeletal muscle. Next, we assessed transcript expression in skeletal muscle following alteration of nutritional status by (a) fasting and re-feeding or (b) feeding four experimental diets with different carbohydrate-to-protein ratios. Fasting significantly reduced plasma glucose and increased free fatty acids and triglycerides, together with a significant increase in sacapns1b expression. Following 7 days of re-feeding, plasma parameters returned to fed values and sacapn1, sacapn2, sacapns1a and sacapns1b expression was significantly reduced. Furthermore, an increase in dietary carbohydrate content (11 to 39%) diminished growth but increased muscle texture, which showed a significant correlation with decreased sacapn1 and sacapns1a expression, whilst the other calpains remained unaffected. This study has demonstrated that calpain expression is modulated by nutritional status and diet composition in gilthead sea bream, and that the expression of several calpain members is correlated with muscle texture, indicating their potential use as molecular markers for flesh quality in aquaculture production.
Hepatoprotective effect of parthenolide in rat model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract Context: The active ingredients of traditional medical herbs have been the focus of scientific interests. Objective: This study was designed to explore the mechanisms of actions of parthenolide on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materials and methods: Thirty-five male Wistar rats were fed high-fat diet (HFD) for eight weeks with or without an intraperitoneal injection of parthenolide to develop NAFLD. Liver triacylglycerol (TG), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidative status (TOS), thiobarbituric acid reactant substances (TBARs), total thiol groups and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) levels as well as liver ALT, AST and catalase activities were determined. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR was performed to obtain hepatic gene expression levels of TNF-α, CYP2E1 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Results: HFD caused a significant weight gain and increased liver TG content as well as alteration in ALT and AST activities, which were attenuated after administration of parthenoide (p < .05). Weakened liver antioxidant system (TAC, total thiol groups and catalase activity) and increased oxidative stress markers (TBARs and TOS) were mainly ameliorated by parthenolide treatment (p < .05). Increased hepatic TNF-α, NF-κB and CYP2E1 at the both gene expression and protein levels were found associated with necroinflammatory changes in histopathological observations and were abrogated almost completely after parthenolide treatment. Oxidative and inflammatory changes observed in HFD fed rats were indicative of NAFLD, which were suppressed with parthenolide treatment. Conclusions: Based on these results, parthenolide might be a candidate agent for preventing NAFLD due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative potency.
Earth Return Admittance Effect on Underground Cable System Modeling

Typically, in cable system modeling for power system transients studies, the ground return effect is taken into account in the per unit length impedance, its effect on the admittance being neglected. In this paper, the per unit length impedance and admittance matrices for a cable system are established, based on the approach previously presented by the authors for the case of a single insulated cable in a dispersive medium. The presented formulation is derived from a full-wave approach, assuming quasi-TEM propagation which was proved suitable for the frequency range of interest. A comparison of the propagation modes indicates that the inclusion of the ground return admittance affects significantly the ground and intersheath modes in the high frequency range, i.e., above a few kilohertz. Test cases where the different modes are excited are used to analyze the impact of including the ground return admittance in computing the transient response of underground cable systems. The results indicate that this impact increases for high resistivity soils and shorter cables.
Estimating Actual 2D Ground Deformations Induced by Underground Activities with Cross-Heading InSAR Measurements

InSAR can only monitor relative ground deformations with respect to a reference area. In order to obtain actual deformations, GCPs or stable area is required in the study area, which, however, may be unavailable in the investigating of geohazards associated with underground activities (i.e., groundwater pumping, underground mining, and oil/gas exploitation). We propose a novel approach to estimate actual 2D deformations based on the InSAR relative LOS measurements acquired from cross-heading datasets. The errors induced by the arbitrary selection of reference areas can thus be avoided. The performance of the proposed approach is validated by a series of simulations. By providing the ascending and descending measurements with errors of 2 and 1.5 mm/year STDs, respectively, the RMSEs are 2.1 and 2.6 mm/year for the estimated vertical and east deformations, respectively. A case study is carried out in Cangzhou, China, for estimating the actual 2D ground deformations associated with groundwater pumping. By integrating ALOS ascending and ENVISAT descending datasets acquired between 2007 and 2010, we found that the Cangzhou area experienced ground subsidence of up to 23.4 mm/year in the suburbs but ground uplift of up to 20.9 mm/year in the urban area, both of which are accompanied by considerable lateral deformations.
Large scale synthesis and characterization of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles by self-propagating low temperature combustion method

Gamma Ferric Oxide (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles have been synthesised in large scale by self-propagating low temperature Combustion synthesis method using Ferric salt with polyethylene glycol as a fuel. The synthesized γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles was characterized by employing Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) techniques confirmed the formation of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the range 25 to 35 nm.
Unemployment Alters the Set Point for Life Satisfaction

According to set-point theories of subjective well-being, people react to events but then return to baseline levels of happiness and satisfaction over time. We tested this idea by examining reaction and adaptation to unemployment in a 15-year longitudinal study of more than 24,000 individuals living in Germany. In accordance with set-point theories, individuals reacted strongly to unemployment and then shifted back toward their baseline levels of life satisfaction. However, on average, individuals did not completely return to their former levels of satisfaction, even after they became reemployed. Furthermore, contrary to expectations from adaptation theories, people who had experienced unemployment in the past did not react any less negatively to a new bout of unemployment than did people who had not been previously unemployed. These results suggest that although life satisfaction is moderately stable over time, life events can have a strong influence on long-term levels of subjective well-being.
Engaging Computing Students with AI and Robotics

In this paper we describe a new curriculum for a CS1 course that uses personal robots as a context for learning introductory computer science. Students learn several computing and AI-related concepts in the process of exploring and designing robot behaviors. We believe that the use of personal robots and engaging examples can provide a good foundation for learning computing and hence serve to attract a more diverse body of students into the computing disciplines. In this paper, we describe how we have embedded numerous AI concepts in the design of our curriculum.
CHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL STUDIES OF CUPRESSUS SEMPERVIRENS L. AND C. HORIZENTALIS MILL. ESSENTIAL OILS

The essential oils of fresh fruits and terminal branches with adherent leaves of Cupressus sempervirens L. and C. horizentalis Mill. , growing in Iran, were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The oils were also screened for bacteriostatic and fungistatic activities. Thirteen and ten components were identified in the essential oils of C. sempervirens and C. horizentalis, respectively. The main constituents of both fruits and leaves of C. sempervirens were a-pinene and -3-carene, while they were α-pinene and -2-carene for C. horizentalis. The essential oil of C. horizentalis leaves showed no antimicrobial activity against, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while the essential oil of its fruits exhibited a weak effect on Bacillus subtilis. The essential oil of C. sempervirens leaves and fruits showed stronger antimicrobial activity against tested microorganisms compared to C. horizentalis essential oils. C. sempervirens fruits were relatively rich in tannins, and the leaves and fruits of C. horizentalis were quite rich in saponins and tannins. The amounts of flavonoids and alkaloids were not very high in both parts of these plants.
Common and unique strategies of male killing evolved in two distinct Drosophila symbionts

Male killing is a selfish reproductive manipulation caused by symbiotic bacteria, where male offspring of infected hosts are selectively killed. The underlying mechanisms and the process of their evolution are of great interest not only in terms of fundamental biology, but also their potential applications. The two bacterial Drosophila symbionts, Wolbachia and Spiroplasma, have independently evolved male-killing ability. This raises the question whether the underlying mechanisms share some similarities or are specific to each bacterial species. Here, we analyse pathogenic phenotypes of D. bifasciata infected with its natural male-killing Wolbachia strain and compare them with those of D. melanogaster infected with male-killing Spiroplasma. We show that male progeny infected with the Wolbachia strain die during embryogenesis with abnormal apoptosis. Interestingly, male-killing Wolbachia infection induces DNA damage and segregation defects in the dosage-compensated chromosome in male embryos, which are reminiscent of the phenotypes caused by male-killing Spiroplasma in D. melanogaster. By contrast, host neural development seems to proceed normally unlike male-killing Spiroplasma infection. Our results demonstrate that the dosage-compensated chromosome is a common target of two distinct male killers, yet Spiroplasma uniquely evolved the ability to damage neural tissue of male embryos.