Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic control of multiple molecular forms of the alkaline phosphatase in chicken plasma.

Abstract Multiple molecular forms of enzymes, “isozymes,” are found in many organisms. Such multiplicity poses many problems for genetical and enzymological researches. Alkaline phosphatase isozymes are detected on starch gel electrophoresis of various organs in many species of animal including chicken. Law and Munro (1965) and Wilcox (1966) reported the genetic control of the alkaline phosphatase isozymes of the serum of the chicken. The present study was carried out to detect electrophoretic variations of the alkaline phosphatase isozymes of chicken plasma using various gel-systems of the electrophoresis, and in addition their genetic control was investigated. …
Evaluation of Bioinsecticides for Management of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and the Effect on the Whitefly Predator Delphastus catalinae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Organic Squash

Abstract Organic zucchini squash is a high-value vegetable crop in Florida and potential exists to expand its production throughout the state. A lack of knowledge on the effectiveness of organic products and their integration with natural enemies is an important constraint to the regulation of pest populations in organic squash production in Florida. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of insecticides labeled for organic production that can be used for management of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B, on organically grown squash; and to determine the effects of the most efficient insecticides on a key natural enemy, Delphastus catalinae (Horn). Experiments were conducted in the greenhouse in exclusion cages. The first experiment compared the effects of four bioinsecticides on whitefly densities. Insecticides include 1) AzaSol (azadirachtin), 2) PyGanic EC 1.4 (pyrethrin), 3) M-Pede (insecticidal soap), and 4) Entrust (spinosad). The second experiment investigated the effects of bioinsecticides on D. catalinae. Treatment effectiveness was evaluated 1, 3, and 5 d posttreatment. PyGanic and M-Pede were highly effective in controlling whitefly populations on organic squash, while moderate control was provided by AzaSol and there was no control provided by Entrust. PyGanic and M-Pede treatments reduced D. catalinae populations when adults were released 1 d post pesticide application. However, when adults were released 5 d post application, there was no reduction. The importance of using bioinsecticides in combination with natural enemies to regulate pest populations in organic cropping systems is discussed.
Adult brainstem gliomas

Brainstem gliomas in adults are a rare and heterogeneous group of brain tumors that vary with regard to underlying pathology, radiographic appearance, clinical course and prognosis. Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas represent the most common subtype. Although still considered aggressive and most often lethal, these brain tumors are associated with a more insidious clinical course and more favorable prognosis compared to the highly aggressive form in children. Treatment options for patients with brainstem gliomas still are limited and insufficiently studied. A better understanding of the pathobiology of these tumors will be crucial for the development of more specific and effective therapies. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society. Cancer 2016;122:2799–2809. © 2016 American Cancer Society
Dietary oils with added tocopherols: effects on egg or tissue tocopherols, fatty acids, and oxidative stability.

The effect of dietary oils [menhaden (MO), flax (FL), palm (PO), and sunflower oils (SF)] with added tocopherols on the tocopherol deposition, fatty acid composition, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values of egg or tissues (liver, adipose tissue, white meat, and dark meat) were examined. Addition of tocopherols increased (P < 0.05) the total egg or tissue tocopherol content. The enhancement of total tocopherols in the different tissues in the order of magnitude were egg yolk > liver > adipose tissue > dark meat > white meat. Dark meat contained higher (P < 0.05) total tocopherols than white meat. Dietary MO or FL resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) incorporation of C20:5 n-3 and c22:6 n-3 with a concomitant reduction in C20:4 n-6 in liver, egg, white meat and dark meat. Dietary SF resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) incorporation of C18:2 n-6 and C20:4 n-6 in all the tissues. Addition of PO did not result in any change in the yolk saturated fatty acid content. The content of monounsaturated fatty acids were greater (P < 0.05) in all the tissues from PO diets than in diets with other oils. Dietary tocopherols resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the content of C20:5 n-3 and C22:6 n-3 in the yolk, adipose tissue, and white meat from birds fed MO + T diets. Inclusion of tocopherols resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in TBA values in eggs, in liver for MO and FL diets, and in dark and white meat for the MO diet. Tocopherol supplementation did not result in any change in TBA values in the PO diet.
Somato-Dendritic Localization and Signaling by Leptin Receptors in Hypothalamic POMC and AgRP Neurons

Leptin acts via neuronal leptin receptors to control energy balance. Hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP)/Neuropeptide Y (NPY)/GABA neurons produce anorexigenic and orexigenic neuropeptides and neurotransmitters, and express the long signaling form of the leptin receptor (LepRb). Despite progress in the understanding of LepRb signaling and function, the sub-cellular localization of LepRb in target neurons has not been determined, primarily due to lack of sensitive anti-LepRb antibodies. Here we applied light microscopy (LM), confocal-laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and electron microscopy (EM) to investigate LepRb localization and signaling in mice expressing a HA-tagged LepRb selectively in POMC or AgRP/NPY/GABA neurons. We report that LepRb receptors exhibit a somato-dendritic expression pattern. We further show that LepRb activates STAT3 phosphorylation in neuronal fibers within several hypothalamic and hindbrain nuclei of wild-type mice and rats, and specifically in dendrites of arcuate POMC and AgRP/NPY/GABA neurons of Leprb +/+ mice and in Leprb db/db mice expressing HA-LepRb in a neuron specific manner. We did not find evidence of LepRb localization or STAT3-signaling in axon-fibers or nerve-terminals of POMC and AgRP/NPY/GABA neurons. Three-dimensional serial EM-reconstruction of dendritic segments from POMC and AgRP/NPY/GABA neurons indicates a high density of shaft synapses. In addition, we found that the leptin activates STAT3 signaling in proximity to synapses on POMC and AgRP/NPY/GABA dendritic shafts. Taken together, these data suggest that the signaling-form of the leptin receptor exhibits a somato-dendritic expression pattern in POMC and AgRP/NPY/GABA neurons. Dendritic LepRb signaling may therefore play an important role in leptin’s central effects on energy balance, possibly through modulation of synaptic activity via post-synaptic mechanisms.
Bilateral Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Improves Lower‐Limb Motor Function in Subjects With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used to augment the efficacy of task‐oriented training (TOT) after stroke. Bilateral intervention approaches have also been shown to be effective in augmenting motor function after stroke. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of bilateral TENS combined with TOT versus unilateral TENS combined with TOT in improving lower‐limb motor function in subjects with chronic stroke. Methods and Results Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to bilateral TENS+TOT or to unilateral TENS+TOT and underwent 20 sessions of training over a 10‐week period. The outcome measures included the maximal strength of the lower‐limb muscles and the results of the Lower Extremity Motor Coordination Test, Berg Balance Scale, Step Test, and Timed Up and Go test. Each participant was assessed at baseline, after 10 and 20 sessions of training and 3 months after the cessation of training. The subjects in the bilateral TENS+TOT group showed greater improvement in paretic ankle dorsiflexion strength (β=1.32; P=0.032) and in the completion time for the Timed Up and Go test (β=−1.54; P=0.004) than those in the unilateral TENS+TOT group. However, there were no significant between‐group differences for other outcome measures. Conclusions The application of bilateral TENS over the common peroneal nerve combined with TOT was superior to the application of unilateral TENS combined with TOT in improving paretic ankle dorsiflexion strength after 10 sessions of training and in improving the completion time for the Timed Up and Go test after 20 sessions of training. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT02152813.
The effect of acetic acid and air injection on appearance, moisture pick-up, microbiological quality, and Salmonella incidence on processed poultry carcasses.

Broiler carcasses were subjected to a 10-min prechill treatment with and without air injection and glacial acetic acid at concentrations of . 3 and . 6%. Some of the carcasses were inoculated with approximately 800 cells of a nalidixic acid-resistant strain of Salmonella typhimurium 1 min prior to treatment. After treatment, the carcasses were monitored for their visual appearance, moisture pick-up, and microbiological quality. Appearance was subjectively monitored for color change and resulting skin texture. Microbiological quality was determined using the low volume whole carcass rinse, and moisture pick-up was determined by weight differences. The skin color of treated carcasses was light yellow and the feather follicles were protruded or puckered. Moisture pick-up was significantly reduced by the acid treatments. Total aerobes were not affected by any of the treatments, but Enterobacteriaceae (ENT) counts of treated carcasses were significantly lower than the counts for the water control carcasses. Log10 ENT counts ranged from 5.52 for the control to 4.48 for the air injection, and to a low of 2.93 for the air injection with . 6% acetic acid. Salmonella incidence of inoculated carcasses was significantly reduced by the treatments. Using . 6% acetic acid with air injection resulted in the greatest reduction in Salmonella incidence (8% positive).
Learning from Crowds and Experts

Crowdsourcing services are often used to collect a large amount of labeled data for machine learning. Although they provide us an easy way to get labels at very low cost in a short period, they have serious limitations. One of them is the variable quality of the crowd-generated data. There have been many attempts to increase the reliability of crowd-generated data and the quality of classifiers obtained from such data. However, in these problem settings, relatively few researchers have tried using expert-generated data to achieve further improvements. In this paper, we extend three models that deal with the problem of learning from crowds to utilize ground truths: a latent class model, a personal classifier model, and a data-dependent error model. We evaluate the proposed methods against two baseline methods on a real data set to demonstrate the effectiveness of combining crowd-generated data and expert-generated data.
Contact tracing: comparing the approaches for sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis.

SETTING Literature review for the process of contact tracing for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and for tuberculosis (TB), focusing on articles that report results of studies or commentary. OBJECTIVE To compare and contrast contact tracing in order to highlight emerging commonalities. DESIGN A descriptive review, based on Medline search with augmentation from other published and unpublished sources. RESULTS Contact tracing for STD and TB have some obvious differences because of differing routes of transmission, differing sensibilities required to work with the affected populations, a different potential for anonymous contacts, and a major difference in the epidemiologic value of biomarkers. Nonetheless, the convergence of these processes on disadvantaged populations where drug use and sexual activity are important social factors has engendered an increasing similarity. CONCLUSION A broadened approach to both, with greater attention to how ancillary contacts and associates may be of use in interrupting deeply embedded endemic disease transmission, deserves further study. Some newer approaches in the use of network-informed methods to elicit contacts and investigate the community dynamics of transmission may be of particular value in TB case investigation. These strategies will be enhanced by the availability of DNA fingerprinting, a powerful biomarker of recent Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission and case association (a technology not available for STD contact tracing).
Latino Solo Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Introduction: The purpose of this descriptive report is to provide the first representative information on the sociodemographic profile and the prevalence of mental and physical health conditions of two “at-risk” groups of Latino caregivers: solo grandparent caregivers and single parents. Methods: The 2012 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System was used to compare five dimensions of health on a sample of Latino solo grandparents and Latino single parents, raising their grandchildren/children alone. Bivariate and logistic regression comparative analyses were conducted on study measures. Results: Latino solo grandparents have a high prevalence of chronic health conditions, including arthritis (51%), depression (40%), diabetes (34%), and asthma (34%). Latino single parents have lower but troubling health risks, including depression (22%), diabetes (14%), and asthma (14%). Differences between the two groups were largely due to the grandparents older age. Discussion: Latino solo grandparents have a high prevalence of several chronic medical conditions. The prevalence of disorders is much lower for Latino single parents, although they too have disturbing health risks. Conclusion: Latino solo grandparents perform their parenting role under intense physical and emotional strain. Health professionals can be instrumental in facilitating interventions that affect the well-being of this expanding family group.
Pleiotropic roles of melatonin in endometriosis, recurrent spontaneous abortion, and polycystic ovary syndrome

Melatonin is a neurohormone synthesized from the aromatic amino acid tryptophan mainly by the pineal gland of mammals. Melatonin acts as a broad‐spectrum antioxidant, powerful free radical scavenger, anti‐inflammatory agent, anticarcinogenic factor, sleep inducer and regulator of the circadian rhythm, and potential immunoregulator. Melatonin and reproductive system are interrelated under both physiological and pathological conditions. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune dysregulation are associated with the pathogenesis of the female reproductive system which causes endometriosis (EMS), recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Accumulating studies have indicated that melatonin plays pleiotropic and essential roles in these obstetrical and gynecological disorders and would be a candidate therapeutic drug to regulate inflammation and immune function and protect special cells or organs. Here, we systematically review the pleiotropic roles of melatonin in EMS, RSA, and PCOS to explore its pathological implications and treatment potential.
Excessive dietary vitamin E: its alleviation of hypervitaminosis A and lack of toxicity.

Abstract HYPERVITAMINOSIS A has been reported in several species particularly in domestic pets (Seawright et al., 1965) which were fed large amounts of liver, and in humans (Persson et al., 1965) due to therapeutic overdoses of vitamin A. High levels of this vitamin were also shown to have a detrimental effect on calcification in cows (Manston, 1966). On the other hand, comparable levels of vitamin A have been used experimentally in combination with massive doses of vitamin D3 to treat milk fever in lactating cows (Payne and Manston, 1967) without toxic effects of either vitamin. This antagonistic action of vitamins A and D on the toxicity of each other has been studied in chicks by Taylor et al. (1968). The present report indicates that the toxicity due to excessive vitamin A can be counteracted by large doses of vitamin E. Preliminary studies indicated that a high level of dietary vitamin E…
Influence of high-pressure hydrogen exposure on increase in volume by gas absorption and tensile properties of sealing rubber material

When a rubber O-ring was used as a sealing material of a pressure vessel for high-pressure hydrogen gas such as 70MPa, which is the hydrogen pressure for fuel cell electric systems, the O-ring was extruded from the pressure vessel due to an increase in volume by gas absorption, and consequently cracks initiated in the previous study. Therefore, it is important to clarify the influence of hydrogen pressure on the increase in volume and mechanical properties in order to design the rubber O-ring for high-pressure hydrogen gas. From this viewpoint, unfilled and carbon black-filled sulfur-vulcanized NBR composites were exposed to hydrogen gas at a maximum pressure of 100MPa ; then, the influence of hydrogen exposure on volume increase and tensile properties of the composites was investigated. The residual hydrogen content which was measured 35 min after decompression increased with an increase in the hydrogen pressures ranging from 0.7 to 100MPa for the unfilled composite (NF) and the filled composite (CB). In contrast, the volume of NF and CB was hardly changed less than 10MPa, and the increase in volume by gas absorption was observed more than 10MPa. The elastic modulus of NF and CB decreased with an increase in volume, and this tendency can be successfully explained in term of the decrease in the crosslink density and elongation by volume increase. Although the tensile strength of NF hardly depended on the volume of specimen, the tensile strength of CB clearly decreased with an increase in volume. This is considered to be because a boundary structure between carbon black and rubber matrix was changed by hydrogen exposure.
Analysis of influential factors for the relationship between PM 2.5 and AOD in Beijing

The relationship between aerosol optical depth (AOD) and PM 2.5 is often investigated in order to obtain surface PM 2.5 from satellite observation of AOD with a broad area coverage. However, various factors could affect the AOD–PM 2.5 regressions. Using both ground and satellite observations in Beijing from 2011 to 2015, this study analyzes the influential factors including the aerosol type, relative humidity (RH), planetary boundary layer height (PBLH), wind speed and direction, and the vertical structure of aerosol distribution. The ratio of PM 2.5 to AOD, which is defined as η , and the square of their correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) have been examined. It shows that η varies from 54.32 to 183.14, 87.32 to 104.79, 95.13 to 163.52, and 1.23 to 235.08 µg m −3 with aerosol type in spring, summer, fall, and winter, respectively. η is smaller for scattering-dominant aerosols than for absorbing-dominant aerosols, and smaller for coarse-mode aerosols than for fine-mode aerosols. Both RH and PBLH affect the η value significantly. The higher the RH, the smaller the η , and the higher the PBLH, the smaller the η . For AOD and PM 2.5 data with the correction of RH and PBLH compared to those without, R 2 of monthly averaged PM 2.5 and AOD at 14:00 LT increases from 0.63 to 0.76, and R 2 of multi-year averaged PM 2.5 and AOD by time of day increases from 0.01 to 0.93, 0.24 to 0.84, 0.85 to 0.91, and 0.84 to 0.93 in four seasons respectively. Wind direction is a key factor for the transport and spatial–temporal distribution of aerosols originated from different sources with distinctive physicochemical characteristics. Similar to the variation in AOD and PM 2.5 , η also decreases with the increasing surface wind speed, indicating that the contribution of surface PM 2.5 concentrations to AOD decreases with surface wind speed. The vertical structure of aerosol exhibits a remarkable change with seasons, with most particles concentrated within about 500 m in summer and within 150 m in winter. Compared to the AOD of the whole atmosphere, AOD below 500 m has a better correlation with PM 2.5 , for which R 2 is 0.77. This study suggests that all the above influential factors should be considered when we investigate the AOD–PM 2.5 relationships.
Eicosanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide (EHT) prevents Alzheimer’s disease-related cognitive and electrophysiological impairments in mice exposed to elevated concentrations of oligomeric beta-amyloid

Soluble forms of oligomeric beta-amyloid (Aβ) are thought to play a central role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Transgenic manipulation of methylation of the serine/threonine protein phosphatase, PP2A, was recently shown to alter the sensitivity of mice to AD-related impairments resulting from acute exposure to elevated levels of Aβ. In addition, eicosanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide (EHT), a naturally occurring component from coffee beans that modulates PP2A methylation, was shown to confer therapeutic benefits in rodent models of AD and Parkinson’s disease. Here, we tested the hypothesis that EHT protects animals from the pathological effects of exposure to elevated levels of soluble oligomeric Aβ. We treated mice with EHT-containing food at two different doses and assessed the sensitivity of these animals to Aβ-induced behavioral and electrophysiological impairments. We found that EHT administration protected animals from Aβ-induced cognitive impairments in both a radial-arm water maze and contextual fear conditioning task. We also found that both chronic and acute EHT administration prevented Aβ-induced impairments in long-term potentiation. These data add to the accumulating evidence suggesting that interventions with pharmacological agents, such as EHT, that target PP2A activity may be therapeutically beneficial for AD and other neurological conditions.
GCH1 plays a role in the high-altitude adaptation of Tibetans

Tibetans are well adapted to high-altitude hypoxia. Previous genome-wide scans have reported many candidate genes for this adaptation, but only a few have been studied. Here we report on a hypoxia gene (GCH1, GTP-cyclohydrolase I), involved in maintaining nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) function and normal blood pressure, that harbors many potentially adaptive variants in Tibetans. We resequenced an 80.8 kb fragment covering the entire gene region of GCH1 in 50 unrelated Tibetans. Combined with previously published data, we demonstrated many GCH1 variants showing deep divergence between highlander Tibetans and lowlander Han Chinese. Neutrality tests confirmed a signal of positive Darwinian selection on GCH1 in Tibetans. Moreover, association analysis indicated that the Tibetan version of GCH1 was significantly associated with multiple physiological traits in Tibetans, including blood nitric oxide concentration, blood oxygen saturation, and hemoglobin concentration. Taken together, we propose that GCH1 plays a role in the genetic adaptation of Tibetans to high altitude hypoxia.