Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
development in research on the role of this hormone in humans, although many functions of pineal gland and melatonin still remains to be elucidated. BIOSYNTHESIS AND CATABOLISM OF MELATONIN Melatonin is unique universal substance with the molecular structure

Melatonin, the hormone of the pineal gland, received a great deal of attention in the last decade because of its availability as over-the-counter drug or food supplement in some countries and suggested role in many vital physiological processes. Melatonin secretion is not restricted to mammals but is also produced in nonmammalian vertebrates, in some invertebrates, and in many plants, with the same molecular structure. The synthesis of melatonin is strictly controlled by lighting conditions and shows a clear circadian rhythm with low values during the daytime and significant increase at night. In this survey the basic data on melatonin significance in human physiology and in pathological processes as well as its possible thrapeutic significance are reviewed and discussed.
Phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-Kinase Isoforms Exhibit Acyl Chain Selectivity for Both Substrate and Lipid Activator*

Background: Do isoforms of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase favor specific lipids? Results: The enzymes favor substrates and activators with specific acyl chains, which are different for substrates and activators. Conclusion: The γ isoform is the most selective for different acyl chains. Significance: Selectivity of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinases for acyl chains could be part of a tightly regulated mechanism producing physiologically active PtdIns(4,5)P2 species in the cell. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate is mostly produced in the cell by phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinases (PIP5K) and has a crucial role in numerous signaling events. Here we demonstrate that in vitro all three isoforms of PIP5K, α, β, and γ, discriminate among substrates with different acyl chains for both the substrates phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) and phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) although to different extents, with isoform γ being the most selective. Fully saturated dipalmitoyl-PtdIns4P was a poor substrate for all three isoforms, but both the 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl and the 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl forms of PtdIns4P were good substrates. Vmax was greater for the 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl form compared with the 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl form, although for PIP5Kβ the difference was small. For the α and γ isoforms, Km was much lower for 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl PtdIns4P, making this lipid the better substrate of the two under most conditions. Activation of PIP5K by phosphatidic acid is also acyl chain-dependent. Species of phosphatidic acid with two unsaturated acyl chains are much better activators of PIP5K than those containing one saturated and one unsaturated acyl chain. PtdIns is a poor substrate for PIP5K, but it also shows acyl chain selectivity. Curiously, there is no acyl chain discrimination among species of phosphatidic acid in the activation of the phosphorylation of PtdIns. Together, our findings indicate that PIP5K isoforms α, β, and γ act selectively on substrates and activators with different acyl chains. This could be a tightly regulated mechanism of producing physiologically active unsaturated phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate species in the cell.
Chromosomal rearrangements associated with morphological mutants provide a means for genetic variation of Candida albicans

At frequencies as high as 1.4%, the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans spontaneously gave rise to morphological mutants exhibiting more than 20 different types of abnormal colonies; approximately two-thirds of the mutants were stable, while the other one-third were unstable and produced mixtures of different colonial forms at very high rates. Abnormal electrophoretic karyotypes were observed for all of the 14 mutants that were examined, indicating that they were associated with different types of single and multiple gross chromosomal rearrangements. Because C. albicans is asexual and does not go through a meiotic cycle, we suggest that the high frequency of chromosomal rearrangements provides a means for genetic variation in this organism.
Connectivity Gradients Between the Default Mode and Attention Control Networks

Functional imaging studies have shown reduced activity within the default mode network during attention-demanding tasks. The network circuitry underlying this suppression remains unclear. Proposed hypotheses include an attentional switch in the right anterior insula and reciprocal inhibition between the default mode and attention control networks. We analyzed resting state blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) data from 1278 subjects from 26 sites and constructed whole-brain maps of functional connectivity between 7266 regions of interest (ROIs) covering the gray matter at ~5 mm resolution. ROIs belonging to the default mode network and attention control network were identified based on correlation to six published seed locations. Spatial heterogeneity of correlation between the default mode and attention control networks was observed, with smoothly varying gradients in every hub of both networks that ranged smoothly from weakly but significantly anticorrelated to positively correlated. Such gradients were reproduced in 3 separate groups of subjects. Anticorrelated subregions were identified in major hubs of both networks. Between-network connectivity gradients strengthen with age during late adolescence and early adulthood, with associated sharpening of the boundaries of the default mode network, integration of the insula and cingulate with frontoparietal attentional regions, and decreasing correlation between the default mode and attention control networks with age.
Protective effect of Gallic acid on doxorubicin‐induced testicular and epididymal toxicity

The effect of Gallic acid (GA) on doxorubicin (DOX)‐induced testicular and epididymal toxicity was investigated in experimental rat model. The rats were randomly divided into six groups of 10 animals per group. Rats in group A received clean tap water ad libitum. Rats in group B were administered DOX intraperitoneally at 15 mg/kg on the eighth day of the experiment. Animals in groups C and D received 60 and 120 mg/kg GA orally for 7 days with 15 mg/kg DOX on the eighth day. Rats in groups E and F received 60 and 120 mg/kg GA alone orally for 7 days. The animals were sacrificed 24 hr after the last administration. DOX administration led to a significant (p < 0.05) increase in hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde levels with significant reduction in antioxidant enzymes and reduced glutathione levels. DOX administration also led to a significant increase in total sperm abnormalities and prolactin together with a significant decrease in testosterone levels. Immunohistochemistry revealed higher expressions of caspase 3 in the testicular tissues of rats that received DOX alone. Together, pre‐treatment with GA attenuated markers of oxidative stress, reversed sperm abnormality and ameliorated the observed aberration in plasma testosterone and prolactin levels.
Canonical forms for stochastic nonlinear systems

We investigate the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of diffeomorphisms that transforms stochastic nonlinear systems to various canonical forms. A main tool in our analysis is the so called invariance under transformation rule that directly relates the coordinate transformation for stochastic nonlinear systems to that for deterministic uncertain nonlinear systems. This invariance rule allows the utilization of the existing necessary and sufficient conditions for deterministic nonlinear systems to the associated stochastic nonlinear systems.
Survey of total arsenic and arsenic speciation in US-produced rice as a reference point for evaluating change and future trends

Rice generally contains higher levels of arsenic than most terrestrial-based foods. Studies related to dietary intake of arsenic from rice must take into account arsenic speciation due to toxicity differences in arsenic species. In this study, microwave-assisted extraction with trifluoroacetic acid was used to prepare rice samples for arsenic speciation analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Fifty-three samples collected directly from the fields in four major rice-producing states in 1980 and 1981 were analysed for total and speciated arsenic and the results were compared with each other and with results for several more recently collected samples from local markets. The average content of total arsenic was 210 ± 190 ng As g−1. This study demonstrates that US rice samples with higher levels of total arsenic have higher levels of dimethylarsinic acid; however, inorganic arsenic levels, regardless of the total arsenic content, rarely exceed 150 ng As g−1 dry weight. These data are consistent with more recent findings, thus establishing trends that arsenic content in US-grown rice has been relatively constant throughout the last 30 years. To the authors’ knowledge, the presented data are unique in that they provide a historical reference point for arsenic distribution in US-produced rice. These data would be invaluable for several applications including long-term arsenic exposure studies, environmental clean-up assessments, and to establish models for future trends in arsenic contribution in total diet studies.
Automorphisms of higher rank lamplighter groups

Let $\Gamma_d(q)$ denote the group whose Cayley graph with respect to a particular generating set is the Diestel-Leader graph $DL_d(q)$, as described by Bartholdi, Neuhauser and Woess. We compute both $Aut(\Gamma_d(q))$ and $Out(\Gamma_d(q))$ for $d \geq 2$, and apply our results to count twisted conjugacy classes in these groups when $d \geq 3$. Specifically, we show that when $d \geq 3$, the groups $\Gamma_d(q)$ have property $R_{\infty}$, that is, every automorphism has an infinite number of twisted conjugacy classes. In contrast, when $d=2$ the lamplighter groups $\Gamma_2(q)=L_q = {\mathbb Z}_q \wr {\mathbb Z}$ have property $R_{\infty}$ if and only if $(q,6) \neq 1$.
The Trans-Contextual Model of Autonomous Motivation in Education

The trans-contextual model outlines the processes by which autonomous motivation toward activities in a physical education context predicts autonomous motivation toward physical activity outside of school, and beliefs about, intentions toward, and actual engagement in, out-of-school physical activity. In the present article, we clarify the fundamental propositions of the model and resolve some outstanding conceptual issues, including its generalizability across multiple educational domains, criteria for its rejection or failed replication, the role of belief-based antecedents of intentions, and the causal ordering of its constructs. We also evaluate the consistency of model relationships in previous tests of the model using path-analytic meta-analysis. The analysis supported model hypotheses but identified substantial heterogeneity in the hypothesized relationships across studies unattributed to sampling and measurement error. Based on our meta-analysis, future research needs to provide further replications of the model in diverse educational settings beyond physical education and test model hypotheses using experimental methods.
Dialogue Act Modeling for Non-Visual Web Access

Speech-enabled dialogue systems have the potential to enhance the ease with which blind individuals can interact with the Web beyond what is possible with screen readers - the currently available assistive technology which narrates the textual content on the screen and provides shortcuts to navigate the content. In this paper, we present a dialogue act model towards developing a speech enabled browsing system. The model is based on the corpus data that was collected in a wizard-of-oz study with 24 blind individuals who were assigned a gamut of browsing tasks. The development of the model included extensive experiments with assorted feature sets and classifiers; the outcomes of the experiments and the analysis of the results are presented.
Exchange blood transfusion in severe falciparum malaria: retrospective evaluation of 61 patients treated with, compared to 63 patients treated without, exchange transfusion

The rationale for exchange blood transfusion (ET) in severe falciparum malaria is threefold: reduction of parasitaemia, reduction of presumptive ‘toxic’ factors, and improvement of the rheological quality of the blood. We evaluated the records of 61 patients treated with ET to describe the present status of malaria treatment in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and to assess the efficacy of ET. Clinical data of 61 patients treated with ET were compared to data of 63 patients treated in 2 hospitals where ETs were generally not performed. We found that exchange transfusion is applied according to the clinician’s subjective impression rather than strict guidelines. Logistic regression analysis adjusting for the differences in clinical parameters between patients treated with or without ET did not identify treatment as a prognostic indicator (odds ratio for relative risk of death with ET: 1.3; 95% CI: 0.4–4.9). Exchange transfusion did not significantly improve the unfavourable prognosis in cases of severe falciparum malaria. However, failure to reach statistical significance may be due to the retrospective design of the study and therefore non‐systematic approach.
Is the early visual system optimised to be energy efficient?

This paper demonstrates that a representation which balances natural image encoding with metabolic energy efficiency shows many similarities to the neural organisation observed in the early visual system. A simple linear model was constructed that learned receptive fields by optimally balancing information coding with metabolic expense for an entire visual field in a 2-stage visual system. The input to the model consists of a space variant retinal array of photoreceptors. Natural images were then encoded through a bottleneck such as the retinal ganglion cells that form the optic nerve. The natural images represented by the activity of retinal ganglion cells were then encoded by many more ‘cortical’ cells in a divergent representation. Qualitatively, the system learnt by optimising information coding and energy expenditure and matched (1) the centre surround organisation of retinal ganglion cells; (2) the Gabor-like organisation of cortical simple cells; (3) higher densities of receptive fields in the fovea decreasing in the periphery; (4) smaller receptive fields in the fovea increasing in size in the periphery; (5) spacing ratios of retinal cells; and (6) aspect ratios of cortical receptive fields. Quantitatively, however, there are small but significant discrepancies between density slopes which may be accounted for by taking optic blur and fixation induced image statistics into account. In addition, the model cortical receptive fields are more broadly tuned than biological cortical neurons; this may be accounted for by the computational limitation of modelling a relatively low number of neurons. This paper shows that retinal receptive field properties can be understood in terms of balancing coding with synaptic energy expenditure and cortical receptive fields with firing rate energy expenditure, and provides a sound biological explanation of why ‘sparse’ distributions are beneficial.
17-Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate Significantly Improves Clinical Characteristics of Preeclampsia in the Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure Rat Model

Preeclampsia is characterized by increased uterine artery resistance index, chronic immune activation, and decreased circulating nitric oxide levels. 17-&agr;-Hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) is a synthetic metabolite of progesterone used for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. We hypothesized that 17-OHPC could reduce mean arterial pressure by decreasing inflammation, whereas improving vasodilation by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability and uterine artery resistance index during late gestation in the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat model of preeclampsia. 17-OHPC (3.32 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered on gestation day 18 into RUPP rats, carotid catheters inserted, and mean arterial pressure, blood, and tissues were collected on day 19. Mean arterial pressure in normal pregnant (NP; n=13) was 92±2.0 and increased to123±2.0 in RUPP (n=18; P<0.0001), which was improved to 116±1.5 mm Hg in RUPP+17-OHPC (n=10; P<0.05). Circulating CD4+ T cells were 1.19%±1.0% of gated cells in NP (n=7), which increased to 8.52%±2.4% in RUPP rats (n=10; P<0.05) but was reduced to 2.72%±0.87% (n=14; P<0.05) in RUPP+17-OHPC. Circulating nitrate/nitrite was 26.34±3.5 µmol/L in NP (n=12) but was reduced to14.58±3.1 in RUPP rats (n=8; P=0.03) and increased to 22.69±1.62 in RUPP+17-OHPC (n=7; P=0.05). Endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression was 0.65±0.11 AU in NP (n=4), which decreased to 0.33±0.01 in RUPP rats (n=4; P=0.05) but increased to 0.57±0.01 in RUPP+17-OHPC (n=5; P=0.03). Uterine artery resistance index was 0.54±0.02 in NP (n=3), 0.78±0.03 in RUPP (n=4), and 0.63±0.038 in RUPP+17-OHPC (n=8; both P<0.05). Our findings demonstrate that even though modest, lowering blood pressure with 17-OHPC could be a viable treatment option for suppressing inflammation, uterine artery vasoconstriction while improving litter size.
Etude du cycle sexuel de la sardinelle ronde ( Sardinella aurita Val. 1847) au Sénégal

Diffère&s aspects du cycle sexuel de la sardinelle ronde (Sardinella aurita Val. -7847) sont abordés. Le sex-ratio, voisin de 1, varie avec la taille et les femelles sont nettement plus nombreuses dans les grandes tailles. La taille à la première maturité se situe à 18,5 cm. Il existe un minimum de reproduction en août et deux saisons principales de ponte, l’une d’avril à juin, t’autre en octobre-novembre. Une forte variabilité interannuelle apparaît dans la durée et l’importance des deux saisons de ponte auxquelles, de plus, les diffèrentes classes d’âge ne participent pas de façon équivalente. Les côtes du Sénégal sont un lieu préférentiel de reproduction.
Wnt signaling mediates reorientation of outer hair cell stereociliary bundles in the mammalian cochlea

In the mammalian cochlea, stereociliary bundles located on mechanosensory hair cells within the sensory epithelium are unidirectionally oriented. Development of this planar polarity is necessary for normal hearing as stereociliary bundles are only sensitive to vibrations in a single plane; however, the mechanisms governing their orientation are unknown. We report that Wnt signaling regulates the development of unidirectional stereociliary bundle orientation. In vitro application of Wnt7a protein or inhibitors of Wnt signaling, secreted Frizzled-related protein 1 or Wnt inhibitory factor 1, disrupts bundle orientation. Moreover, Wnt7a is expressed in a pattern consistent with a role in the polarization of the developing stereociliary bundles. We propose that Wnt signaling across the region of developing outer hair cells gives rise to planar polarity in the mammalian cochlea.
Are Wages in Southern Europe More Flexible? The Effects of a Cohort Size on European Earnings

We exploit the cross-country and time variation in the demographics and education structure in 11 European countries to study how cohort size has affected real earnings in Europe. When we pool the data of all countries, we find that cohort size has a negative and statistically significant effect on the earnings of the older cohorts – aged between 35 and 54 – but no statistically significant effect on the earnings of younger cohorts – aged 20 to 34. The negative effect of cohort size on earnings is completely driven by Southern European countries, a result which we relate to institutional differences. While the share of individuals aged 20 to 34 in the population has declined in the EU11 by 10.20 percent between 1991 and 2001, the share of individuals aged 35 and 54 has increased by 9.32 percent. Our estimates suggest that, as a consequence of these significant demographic changes, the real earnings of the younger cohorts have increased on average by a tiny 0.06 percent, while the earnings of the older cohorts have declined by 0.93 percent, a modest variation.
Wetland Monitoring and Mapping Using Synthetic Aperture Radar

Wetlands are critical for ensuring healthy aquatic systems, preventing soil erosion, and securing groundwater reservoirs. Also, they provide habitat for many animal and plant species. Thus, the continuous monitoring and mapping of wetlands is necessary for observing effects of climate change and ensuring a healthy environment. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing satellites are active remote sensing instruments essential for monitoring wetlands, given the possibility to bypass the cloud-sensitive optical instruments and obtain satellite imagery day and night. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the basic concepts of SAR remote sensing technology and its applications for wetland monitoring and mapping. Emphasis is given to SAR systems with full and compact polarimetric SAR capabilities. Brief discussions on the latest stateof-the-art wetland applications using SAR imagery are presented. Also, we summarize the current trends in wetland monitoring and mapping using SAR imagery. This chapter provides a good introduction to interested readers with limited background in SAR technology and its possible wetland applications.
The Frequentist Information Criterion (FIC): The unification of information-based and frequentist inference

The failure of the information-based Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) in the context of singular models can be rectified by the definition of a Frequentist Information Criterion (FIC). FIC applies a frequentist approximation to the computation of the model complexity, which can be estimated analytically in many contexts. Like AIC, FIC can be understood as an unbiased estimator of the model predictive performance and is therefore identical to AIC for regular models in the large-observation-number limit ($N\rightarrow \infty$) . In the presence of unidentifiable parameters, the complexity exhibits a more general, non-AIC-like scaling ($\gg N^0$). For instance, both BIC-like ($\propto\log N$) and Hannan-Quinn-like ($\propto \log \log N$) scaling with observation number $N$ are observed. Unlike the Bayesian model selection approach, FIC is free from {\it ad hoc} prior probability distributions and appears to be widely applicable to model selection problems. Finally we demonstrate that FIC (information-based inference) is equivalent to frequentist inference for an important class of models.
Donor-Specific Regulatory T Cells Acquired from Tolerant Mice Bearing Cardiac Allograft Promote Mixed Chimerism and Prolong Intestinal Allograft Survival

The induction of donor-specific transplant tolerance has always been a central problem for small bowel transplantation (SBT), which is thought to be the best therapy for end-stage bowel failure. With the development of new tolerance-inducing strategies, mixed chimerism induced by co-stimulation blockade has become most potent for tolerance of allografts, such as skin, kidney, and heart. However, a lack of clinically available co-stimulation blockers has hindered efficient application in humans. Furthermore, unlike those for other types of solid organ transplantation, strategies to induce robust mixed chimerism for intestinal allografts have not been fully developed. To improve current mixed chimerism induction protocols for future clinical application, we developed a new protocol using donor-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells from mice with heart allograft tolerance, immunosuppressive drugs which could be used clinically and low doses of irradiation. Our results demonstrated that donor-specific Treg cells acquired from tolerant mice after in vitro expansion generate stable chimerism and lead to acceptance of intestinal allograft. Increased intragraft Treg cells and clonal deletion contribute to the development of SBT tolerance.