Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extracellular 5‐Hydroxytryptamine in Median Raphe Nucleus of the Conscious Rat Is Decreased by Nanomolar Concentrations of 8‐Hydroxy‐2‐(Di‐n‐Propylamino)tetralin and Is Sensitive to Tetrodotoxin

Abstract: Extracellular 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) in the median raphe and dorsal hippocampus was measured using in vivo microdialysis. Administration of 60 mM K+ through the probe into the median raphe region significantly increased 5‐HT output from the median raphe and the right dorsal hippocampus. Local infusion of 10 µM tetrodotoxin into the median raphe region substantially decreased 5‐HT in the median raphe and left and right dorsal hippocampus. Systemic administration (0.3 mg/kg s.c.) of 8‐hydroxy‐2‐(di‐n‐propylamino)tetralin (8‐OH‐DPAT) decreased the 5‐HT levels in the dialysates from both the median raphe region and dorsal hippocampus. Administration of 30 nM 8‐OH‐DPAT through the dialysis probe into the median raphe region decreased 5‐HT output from the median raphe and dorsal hippocampus significantly, whereas at concentrations from 60 nM to 10 µM, no significant effects were found in either region. With 100 µM 8‐OH‐DPAT, a significant increase was seen in the median raphe region, but not in dorsal hippocampus. Similar findings were obtained following microinjections of different doses of the compound into the median raphe region. The results of this study indicate that the somatodendritic release of 5‐HT is impulse flow‐dependent. Moreover, the decrease of 5‐HT in the median raphe region by low nanomolar concentrations of 8‐OH‐DPAT supports the notion that somatodendritic 5‐HT release is subject to a local negative feedback mechanism through 5‐HT1A autoreceptors.
Horn Extensions of a Partially Defined Boolean Function

Given a partially defined Boolean function (pdBf) (T,F), we investigate in this paper how to find a Horn extension $f: \{0,1\}^n \mapsto \{0,1\}$, which is consistent with (T,F), where $T \subseteq \{0,1\}^n$ denotes a set of true Boolean vectors (or positive examples) and $F \subseteq \{0,1\}^n$ denotes a set of false Boolean vectors (or negative examples). Given a pdBf (T,F), it is known that the existence of a Horn extension can be checked in polynomial time. As there are many Horn extensions, however, we consider those extensions f which have maximal and minimal sets T(f) of the true vectors of f, respectively. For a pdBf (T,F), there always exists the unique maximal (i.e., maximum) Horn extension, but there are in general many minimal Horn extensions. We first show that a polynomial time membership oracle can be constructed for the maximum extension, even if its disjunctive normal form (DNF) can be very long. Our main contribution is to show that checking if a given Horn DNF represents a minimal extension and generating a Horn DNF of a minimal Horn extension can both be done in polynomial time. We also can check in polynomial time if a pdBf (T,F) has the unique minimal Horn extension. However, the problems of finding a Horn extension f with the smallest |T(f)| and of obtaining a Horn DNF, whose number of literals is smallest, are both NP-hard.
The “B Space” of mitochondrial phosphorylation

It was recently shown that, in progressively depolarizing mitochondria, the F0‐F1 ATP synthase and the adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) may change directionality independently from each other (Chinopoulos et al. [ 2010 ] FASEB J. 24:2405). When the membrane potentials at which these two molecular entities reverse directionality, termed reversal potential (Erev), are plotted as a function of matrix ATP/ADP ratio, an area of the plot is bracketed by the Erev_ATPase and the Erev_ANT, which we call “B space”. Both reversal potentials are dynamic, in that they depend on the fluctuating values of the participating reactants; however, Erev_ATPase is almost always more negative than Erev_ANT. Here we review the conditions that define the boundaries of the “B space”. Emphasis is placed on the role of matrix substrate‐level phosphorylation, because during metabolic compromise this mechanism could maintain mitochondrial membrane potential and prevent the influx of cytosolic ATP destined for hydrolysis by the reversed F0‐F1 ATP synthase. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Toward a sociocultural perspective on means of self-destruction.

ABSTRACT: The relationship between an individual's intent to die and choice of method is examined. A sociocultural perspective is developed in an attempt to: explain the principle differences in choice of method by sex; to explain regional variations over time, by sex; and to differentiate between regional and/or cultural areas in their use of firearms as a means of self‐destruction. The concept of availability is examined, and it is shown that it consists of, at least, two dimensions: the physical presence of a method, and the sociocultural acceptability of that method that results in the individual's selection of a particular method of self‐destruction from a range of socially and culturally acceptable means of suicide. A concept of suicidal threshold is advanced as suggestive of a suicidal level that an individual must reach before a suicidal process develops and results in the person's self‐inflicted death.
Development and Integration of Genome-Wide Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers onto a Reference Linkage Map for Constructing a High-Density Genetic Map of Chickpea

The identification of informative in silico polymorphic genomic and genic microsatellite markers by comparing the genome and transcriptome sequences of crop genotypes is a rapid, cost-effective and non-laborious approach for large-scale marker validation and genotyping applications, including construction of high-density genetic maps. We designed 1494 markers, including 1016 genomic and 478 transcript-derived microsatellite markers showing in-silico fragment length polymorphism between two parental genotypes (Cicer arietinum ICC4958 and C. reticulatum PI489777) of an inter-specific reference mapping population. High amplification efficiency (87%), experimental validation success rate (81%) and polymorphic potential (55%) of these microsatellite markers suggest their effective use in various applications of chickpea genetics and breeding. Intra-specific polymorphic potential (48%) detected by microsatellite markers in 22 desi and kabuli chickpea genotypes was lower than inter-specific polymorphic potential (59%). An advanced, high-density, integrated and inter-specific chickpea genetic map (ICC4958 x PI489777) having 1697 map positions spanning 1061.16 cM with an average inter-marker distance of 0.625 cM was constructed by assigning 634 novel informative transcript-derived and genomic microsatellite markers on eight linkage groups (LGs) of our prior documented, 1063 marker-based genetic map. The constructed genome map identified 88, including four major (7–23 cM) longest high-resolution genomic regions on LGs 3, 5 and 8, where the maximum number of novel genomic and genic microsatellite markers were specifically clustered within 1 cM genetic distance. It was for the first time in chickpea that in silico FLP analysis at genome-wide level was carried out and such a large number of microsatellite markers were identified, experimentally validated and further used in genetic mapping. To best of our knowledge, in the presently constructed genetic map, we mapped highest number of new sequence-based robust microsatellite markers (634) which is an advancement over the previously documented (~300 markers) inter-specific genetic maps. This advanced high-density map will serve as a foundation for large-scale marker validation and genotyping applications, including identification and targeted mapping of trait-specific genes/QTLs (quantitative trait loci) with sub-optimal use of resources and labour in chickpea.
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Do High Stakes and Competition Undermine Fair Behaviour? Evidence from Russia

This paper reports the results of a series of competitive labour market experiments in which subjects have the possibility to reciprocate favours. In the high stake condition subjects earned between two and three times their monthly income during the experiment. In the normal stake condition the stake level was reduced by a factor of ten. We observe that both in the high and the normal stake condition fairness concerns are strong enough to outweigh competitive forces and give rise to non-competitive wages. There is also no evidence that effort behaviour becomes generally more selfish at higher stake levels. Therefore, our results suggest that fairness concerns may play an important role even at relatively high stake levels.
Zinc-Finger Nuclease Knockout of Dual-Specificity Protein Phosphatase-5 Enhances the Myogenic Response and Autoregulation of Cerebral Blood Flow in FHH.1BN Rats

We recently reported that the myogenic responses of the renal afferent arteriole (Af-Art) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) and autoregulation of renal and cerebral blood flow (RBF and CBF) were impaired in Fawn Hooded hypertensive (FHH) rats and were restored in a FHH.1BN congenic strain in which a small segment of chromosome 1 from the Brown Norway (BN) containing 15 genes including dual-specificity protein phosphatase-5 (Dusp5) were transferred into the FHH genetic background. We identified 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the Dusp5 gene in FHH as compared with BN rats, two of which altered CpG sites and another that caused a G155R mutation. To determine whether Dusp5 contributes to the impaired myogenic response in FHH rats, we created a Dusp5 knockout (KO) rat in the FHH.1BN genetic background using a zinc-finger nuclease that introduced an 11 bp frame-shift deletion and a premature stop codon at AA121. The expression of Dusp5 was decreased and the levels of its substrates, phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2), were enhanced in the KO rats. The diameter of the MCA decreased to a greater extent in Dusp5 KO rats than in FHH.1BN and FHH rats when the perfusion pressure was increased from 40 to 140 mmHg. CBF increased markedly in FHH rats when MAP was increased from 100 to 160 mmHg, and CBF was better autoregulated in the Dusp5 KO and FHH.1BN rats. The expression of Dusp5 was higher at the mRNA level but not at the protein level and the levels of p-ERK1/2 and p-PKC were lower in cerebral microvessels and brain tissue isolated from FHH than in FHH.1BN rats. These results indicate that Dusp5 modulates myogenic reactivity in the cerebral circulation and support the view that a mutation in Dusp5 may enhance Dusp5 activity and contribute to the impaired myogenic response in FHH rats.
CD64 on neutrophils is a sensitive and specific marker for detection of infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE In inflammatory diseases, differentiation between infection and disease flares is often clinically difficult because of similar signs and symptoms, such as fever and elevation of inflammatory markers. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), infection is not only one of the major complications but also one of the frequent causes of death. Use of biologic agents such as tumor necrosis factor-a blockers has been reported to increase the incidence of tuberculosis or opportunistic infections. We examined the utility of CD64 (FcgRI) expressed on neutrophils as a marker for detection of infection complicated with RA. METHODS We measured the expression level of CD64 per neutrophil quantitatively by flow cytometry in 279 samples from 237 patients with RA with various levels of disease activity or types of infection, and in 52 samples from 36 controls including subjects with infection. RESULTS CD64 expression was significantly higher among RA patients with infection (median 4156 molecules per neutrophil, interquartile range 2583-8587) than in those without infection (884, IQR 670-1262) (p < or = 0.001). The sensitivity of CD64 on neutrophils for the diagnosis of infection (using a cutoff value of 2000 molecules per cell) was 92.7% and specificity was 96.5%. CD64 expression was not affected by the disease activity of RA or the use of corticosteroids, disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, and biologic agents. CD64 was upregulated in infection by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and mycobacteria. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that quantitative measurement of CD64 expression on neutrophils can be used as a sensitive and specific marker to detect infection complicating RA.
THE USE OF PHOSPHORUS 32 IN STUDIES ON PLASMODIUM GALLINACEUM

The measurement of the degree of incorporation of P32 into nucleic acids has been used as a quantitative means of studying parasite growth and development in vitro under various conditions. An extract of normal chicken erythrocytes was found to be of unique importance as a constituent of the medium, both for intact parasitized cells and for lysates of such cells. Heated normal chicken serum possessed some favorable effect upon intact cells. The major portion of the beneficial effect of the erythrocyte extract was found to be associated with the non-dialyzable portion, although the dialysate was shown to possess slight growth-promoting activity. Further attempts to characterize the extract in terms of its favorable effects upon parasite growth were unsuccessful. A medium and conditions were developed which permitted the growth of a limited parasite population in lysates of parasitized red cells. The most important constituents of the medium were concentrated, freshly prepared erythrocyte extract and malate. Comparative studies carried out with intact parasitized cells and with lysates showed that substances and conditions exerting quite marked effects upon the intact cell system were without effect or exerted a less marked effect upon parasite growth in lysates. The possible implications of these observations are discussed and the further exploitation of this comparative approach suggested as a means of furthering our knowledge of parasite-host cell relationships.
Autoregulation of serotonin neurons: role in antidepressant drug action.

The existence of an endogenous vasoconstrictor in blood serum ([Stevens and Lee, 1984][1]; [Brodie, 1900][2]) and the presence in the gut of a substance that increases intestinal motility ([Vialli and Ersparmer, 1933][3]) had been known to scientists since the beginning of the century. However, it
Level and Factors Related to Unintended Pregnancy with a Brief Review of New Population Policies in Iran

Background: High rate of unintended pregnancies in Iran is one of problems in family planning. The main goal of this study was to determine the rate of unintended pregnancies and to examine factors among married women in Shiraz City, Iran. It also discusses the possible effects of new population policies on the rate of unintended pregnancy. Methods: In this quantitative and survey study, data were collected by researcher-made questionnaire with interviewer from 400 pregnant women in Shiraz City referred to public and private health centers for prenatal care in 2013. Data were analyzed by SPSS both descriptively and analytically. Results: Overall, 17% of total pregnancies were unintended. The highest rate occurred among couples whose level of education was under diploma. In addition, women above 39 yr old experienced a higher rate of unintended pregnancy. The most popular methods were pills, withdrawal, and condom. The highest rate of unintended pregnancy was related to withdrawal. Knowledge about modern contraceptives particularly emergency contraceptives was low. Age, residence place, use of traditional contraception methods, knowledge about contraceptives, fear of side effects and couple agreement on contraception method were the main predictors of unintended pregnancy. Conclusion: There is still unmet need in family planning. The main predictors of unintended pregnancies are high prevalence of traditional contraception methods and insufficient knowledge about modern contraception methods. Policymakers should pay more attention to these issues. Furthermore, although Iranian policy makers are worried about low fertility, they need to be aware that new population policy through restriction of access to family planning services is effective, but also may exacerbate the problem by leading to a higher chance of unintended pregnancy.
Plant nucleolar DNA: Green light shed on the role of Nucleolin in genome organization

ABSTRACT The nucleolus forms as a consequence of ribosome biogenesis, but it is also implicated in other cell functions. The identification of nucleolus-associated chromatin domains (NADs) in animal and plant cells revealed the presence of DNA sequences other than rRNA genes in and around the nucleolus. NADs display repressive chromatin signatures and harbour repetitive DNA, but also tRNA genes and RNA polymerase II-transcribed genes. Furthermore, the identification of NADs revealed a specific function of the nucleolus and the protein Nucleolin 1 (NUC1) in telomere biology. Here, we discuss the significance of these data with regard to nucleolar structure and to the role of the nucleolus and NUC1 in global genome organization and stability.
Trichoderma Biocontrol: Signal Transduction Pathways Involved in Host Sensing and Mycoparasitism

Fungi of the genus Trichoderma are used as biocontrol agents against several plant pathogenic fungi like Rhizoctonia spp. , Pythium spp. , Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium spp. which cause both soil-borne and leaf- or flower-borne diseases of agricultural plants. Plant disease control by Trichoderma is based on complex interactions between Trichoderma, the plant pathogen and the plant. Until now, two main components of biocontrol have been identified: direct activity of Trichoderma against the plant pathogen by mycoparasitism and induced systemic resistance in plants. As the mycoparasitic interaction is host-specific and not merely a contact response, it is likely that signals from the host fungus are recognised by Trichoderma and provoke transcription of mycoparasitism-related genes. In the last few years examination of signalling pathways underlying Trichoderma biocontrol started and it was shown that heterotrimeric G-proteins and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases affected biocontrol-relevant processes such as the production of hydrolytic enzymes and antifungal metabolites and the formation of infection structures. MAPK signalling was also found to be involved in induction of plant systemic resistance in Trichoderma virens and in the hyperosmotic stress response in Trichoderma harzianum. Analyses of the function of components of the cAMP pathway during Trichoderma biocontrol revealed that mycoparasitism-associated coiling and chitinase production as well as secondary metabolism are affected by the internal cAMP level; in addition, a cross talk between regulation of light responses and the cAMP signalling pathway was found in Trichoderma atroviride.
Mechanical Reinforcement of Diopside Bone Scaffolds with Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are ideal candidates for the mechanical reinforcement of ceramic due to their excellent mechanical properties, high aspect ratio and nanometer scale diameter. In this study, the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the mechanical properties of diopside (Di) scaffolds fabricated by selective laser sintering were investigated. Results showed that compressive strength and fracture toughness improved significantly with increasing MWCNTs from 0.5 to 2 wt %, and then declined with increasing MWCNTs to 5 wt %. Compressive strength and fracture toughness were enhanced by 106% and 21%, respectively. The reinforcing mechanisms were identified as crack deflection, MWCNTs crack bridging and pull-out. Further, the scaffolds exhibited good apatite-formation ability and supported adhesion and proliferation of cells in vitro.
Pareto-based Multi-Objective Machine Learning

Machine learning is inherently a multi-objective task. Traditionally, however, either only one of the objectives is adopted as the cost function or multiple objectives are aggregated to a scalar cost function. This can mainly attributed to the fact that most conventional learning algorithms can only deal with a scalar cost function. Over the last decade, efforts on solving machine learning problems using the Pareto-based multi-objective optimization methodology have gained increasing impetus, particularly thanks to the great success of multi-objective optimization using evolutionary algorithms and other population-based stochastic search methods. It has been shown that Pareto-based multi-objective learning approaches are more powerful compared to learning algorithms with a scalar cost functions in addressing various topics of machine learning, such as clustering, feature selection, improvement of generalization ability, knowledge extraction, and ensemble generation. This talk provides first a brief overview of Pareto-based multi-objective machine learning techniques. In addition, a number of case studies are provided to illustrate the major benefits of the Pareto-based approach to machine learning, e.g., how to identify interpretable models and models that can generalize on unseen data from the obtained Pareto-optimal solutions. Three approaches to Pareto-based multi-objective ensemble generation are compared and discussed in detail. Most recent results on multi-objective optimization of spiking neural networks will be presented.
Parent And Family Outcomes Of An Empirically Validated Social Skills Intervention For Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

PARENT AND FAMILY OUTCOMES OF AN EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED SOCIAL SKILLS INTERVENTION FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS Jeffrey S. Karst, M.S. Marquette University, 2013 Past research has indicated that raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with increased parenting stress, decreased parenting self-efficacy, and increased family distress. While ASD therapies often include significant parental involvement and are typically time-intensive and expensive, studies of ASD treatment have not widely evaluated the impact of treatment on caregivers or the family. There is evidence that successful long-term treatment outcomes are dependent on healthy systemic functioning, and thus it is important to understand how any particular treatment adjunctively affects parents and the family system. The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS; Laugeson & Frankel, 2010) is a 14-week, manualized social skills intervention designed for adolescents with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. This study aimed to understand the impact of PEERS intervention on parenting stress, parenting self-efficacy, family distress, parent facilitation of teen autonomy, and parent-teen relational frustration, via a randomized, controlled trial. Comparison of an experimental group and waitlist control group from preto post-intervention via mixed between-within analysis of variance (ANOVA) suggested a significant group by time interaction effect indicative of a decrease in family chaos following PEERS intervention. In addition, parents in the experimental group demonstrated a significant increase in parenting self-efficacy from preto postintervention. There were not significant main or interaction effects found for parenting stress, teen autonomy, or relational frustration. Additional analyses examined the relationships between parent and teen functioning. Overall, these findings highlight adjunctive benefits resulting from PEERS intervention and suggest the need for increased study of this promising program.