Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drosophila melanogaster as a Biotechnological Tool to Investigate the Close Connection Between Fatty Diseases and Pesticides

: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a public health problem developed by different etiologies, which induces metabolic dysfunctions and triglycerides accumulation in hepatocytes. This lipid accumulation can generate lipotoxicity, inflammation and the production of reactive oxygen species, collaborating with the progression of liver pathogenesis to more deleterious stage. Among the elements that initiate the establishment of liver diseases, pesticides should be considered. Worldwide, the use of agricultural chemicals to increase food production may accumulate in the environment, affecting non-target organisms. Thus, worldwide legislation must control pesticides use to preserve economies and lives. In this context, to address pesticide toxicity, the alternative animal model, Drosophila melanogaster , emerges as relevant biotechnological tool to investigate molecular connectors of toxic mechanisms in the establishment and development of NAFLD and liver diseases. In this review a comprehensive explanation about pesticides on human health and the use of Drosophila melanogaster as an alternative approach to defeat NAFLD will be presented.
The Effects of Uphill Vs. Level-Grade High-Intensity Interval Training on V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, Vmax, VLT, and Tmax in Well-Trained Distance Runners

Abstract Ferley, DD, Osborn, RW, and Vukovich, MD. The effects of uphill vs. level-grade high-intensity interval training on V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, Vmax, VLT, and Tmax in well-trained distance runners. J Strength Cond Res 27(6): 1549–1559, 2013—Uphill running represents a frequently used and often prescribed training tactic in the development of competitive distance runners but remains largely uninvestigated and unsubstantiated as a training modality. The purpose of this investigation included documenting the effects of uphill interval training compared with level-grade interval training on maximal oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max), the running speed associated with V[Combining Dot Above]O2max (Vmax), the running speed associated with lactate threshold (VLT), and the duration for which Vmax can be sustained (Tmax) in well-trained distance runners. Thirty-two well-trained distance runners (age, 27.4 ± 3.8 years; body mass, 64.8 ± 8.9 kg; height, 173.6 ± 6.4 cm; and V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, 60.9 ± 8.5 ml·min−1·kg−1) received assignment to an uphill interval training group (GHill = 12), level-grade interval training group (GFlat = 12), or control group (GCon = 8). GHill and GFlat completed 12 interval and 12 continuous running sessions over 6 weeks, whereas GCon maintained their normal training routine. Pre- and posttest measures of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, Vmax, VLT, and Tmax were used to assess performance. A 3 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance was performed for each dependent variable and revealed a significant difference in Tmax in both GHill and GFlat (p < 0.05). With regard to running performance, the results indicate that both uphill and level-grade interval training can induce significant improvements in a run-to-exhaustion test in well-trained runners at the speed associated with V[Combining Dot Above]O2max but that traditional level-grade training produces greater gains.
In Vivo Mapping of Brain Benzodiazepine Receptor Changes by Positron Emission Tomography After Focal Ischemia in the Anesthetized Baboon

Background and Purpose Recent reports have shown an increase in specific binding (in vitro) of [3H]PK 11195 to peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors in both experimental animals and humans, reflecting a glial/macrophagic reaction within and around focal ischemic insults. We have evaluated by positron emission tomography the time course of changes in brain uptake in vivo of 11C-labeled PK 11195 and flumazenil (an antagonist of central benzodiazepine receptors) as indirect and direct markers of neuronal loss, respectively, after focal cerebral ischemia. Methods Ten anesthetized baboons were submitted to sequential positron emission tomography studies between day 1 and day 91 after unilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion. The studies consisted of successive assessments, in the same positron emission tomography session, of [11C]PK 11195, [11C] flumazenil, cerebral blood flow, and oxygen consumption; late computed tomographic scans were obtained to map the approximate contours of infarction and to define a concentric peri-infarct area. Results We found a significant time-dependent increase in [11C]PK 11195 uptake in the peri-infarcted area, maximum at 20 to 40 days after occlusion. In contrast, there was a time- and perrasion-independent significant decrease in [11C] flumazenil uptake in the infarcted area, stable from day 2 onward, and already present in one baboon at day 1. Challenge studies with saturating doses of cold ligands confirmed that these changes represented alterations in specific binding. [11C] Flumazenil uptake was not affected in hypometabolic (but apparently noninfarcted, ie, deafferented) cortical areas. Conclusions The delayed and apparently transient increases in [11C]PK 11195 specific uptake in vivo presumably represent glial/macrophage reaction; the marked depression in [11C] flumazenil specific binding, which appears selective for synaptic damage, is both precocious and sustained and thus may be better suited for the early assessment of ischemic damage in humans.
Semantically enriching folksonomies with FLOR

While the increasing popularity of folksonomies has lead to a vast quantity of tagged data, resource retrieval in these systems is limited by them being agnostic to the meaning (i.e., semantics) of tags. Our goal is to automatically enrich folksonomy tags (and implicitly the related resources) with formal semantics by associating them to relevant concepts defined in online ontologies. We introduce FLOR, a mechanism for automatic folksonomy enrichment by combining knowledge from WordNet and online ontologies.We experimentally tested FLOR on tag sets drawn from 226 Flickr photos and obtained a precision value of 93% and an approximate recall of 49%.
Patient and family attitudes regarding the practice of procedures on the newly deceased.

UNLABELLED Performance of emergency lifesaving procedures is an integral part of emergency medicine resident training. OBJECTIVE To assess attitudes of ED patients regarding the practice of procedures on the newly deceased. METHODS A descriptive survey was administered to a convenience sample of ED patients and their families at two urban military Level-1 trauma centers. Subjects were asked about their overall opinions regarding the practice of nontherapeutic procedural skills on themselves or relatives immediately after death in the ED. Subgroup analysis included the issue of advanced permission and opinions regarding procedures defined by the investigators as noninvasive (e.g., laryngeal mask airway) or invasive (e.g., cricothyrotomy). Data were analyzed descriptively and with chi-square as appropriate. For comparison of proportions, a sample size of at least 140 was chosen for an alpha of 0.05 and a beta of 0.10 to detect an effect size of 0.3. Alpha was corrected for multiple comparisons prior to the study. RESULTS Three hundred seventeen surveys were collected and 88% (n = 280) were complete. Seventy-five percent (n = 290) and 70% (n = 273) of the respondents agreed to after-death procedures on themselves or their relatives, respectively. However, only 40% (n = 106) and 50% (n = 131) would allow such procedures without prior permission. Seventy-one percent (n = 189) were willing to give permission in a living will, while 85% (n = 238) indicated support of a wallet card format. There was no significant difference in permission rates when contrasting individual noninvasive and invasive procedures. CONCLUSION Most patients are willing to have procedures performed on themselves or relatives shortly after death, yet the majority request that permission be obtained in advance. A living will or carried card would be acceptable for such permission.
Modeling the Calibration Pipeline of the Lytro Camera for High Quality Light-Field Image Reconstruction

Light-field imaging systems have got much attention recently as the next generation camera model. A light-field imaging system consists of three parts: data acquisition, manipulation, and application. Given an acquisition system, it is important to understand how a light-field camera converts from its raw image to its resulting refocused image. In this paper, using the Lytro camera as an example, we describe step-by-step procedures to calibrate a raw light-field image. In particular, we are interested in knowing the spatial and angular coordinates of the micro lens array and the resampling process for image reconstruction. Since Lytro uses a hexagonal arrangement of a micro lens image, additional treatments in calibration are required. After calibration, we analyze and compare the performances of several resampling methods for image reconstruction with and without calibration. Finally, a learning based interpolation method is proposed which demonstrates a higher quality image reconstruction than previous interpolation methods including a method used in Lytro software.
The Influence of Online Word of Mouth on Product Sales in Retail E-commerce: An Empirical Investigation

The ability to exchange opinions and experiences online is known as online word of mouth (WOM) . Due to the high acceptance of consumers and their apparent rel iance on online WOM it is important for organizations to understand how it works and what kind of impact it has on product sales . Using the well established notions of volume and valence to describe online WOM, we empirically evaluate the hypothesized relations hip between online WOM in a retail e -commerce site and actual product sales . Our analysis of the data shows that there is a significant change in the number of products sold following the addition of online WOM to a retail e -commerce site’s product pages. Additionally, only the volume dimension of online WOM, measured by the number of customer review comments, is shown to have an influence on product sales .
Transmission of blue (S) cone signals through the primate lateral geniculate nucleus

This study concerns the transmission of short‐wavelength‐sensitive (S) cone signals through the primate dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. The principal cell classes, magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC), are traditionally segregated into on‐ and off‐subtypes on the basis of the sign of their response to luminance variation. Cells dominated by input from S‐cones (‘blue‐on and blue‐off’) are less frequently encountered and their properties are less well understood. Here we characterize the spatial and chromatic properties of a large sample of blue‐on and blue‐off neurons and contrast them with those of PC and MC neurons. The results confirm that blue‐on and blue‐off cells have larger receptive fields than PC and MC neurons at equivalent eccentricities. Relative to blue‐on cells, blue‐off cells are less sensitive to S‐cone contrast, have larger receptive fields, and show more low‐pass spatial frequency tuning. Thus, blue‐on and blue‐off neurons lack the functional symmetry characteristic of on‐ and off‐subtypes in the MC and PC pathways. The majority of MC and PC cells received no detectible input from S‐cones. Where present, input from S‐cones tended to provide weak inhibition to PC cells. All cell types showed evidence of a suppressive extra‐classical receptive field driven largely or exclusively by ML‐cones. These data indicate that S‐cone signals are isolated to supply the classical receptive field mechanisms of blue‐on and blue‐off cells in the LGN, and that the low spatial precision of S‐cone vision has origins in both classical and extraclassical receptive field properties of subcortical pathways.
Effects of Whey, Caseinate, or Milk Protein Ingestion on Muscle Protein Synthesis after Exercise

Whey protein (WP) is characterized as a “fast” protein and caseinate (CA) as a “slow” protein according to their digestion and absorption rates. We hypothesized that co-ingestion of milk proteins (WP and CA) may be effective for prolonging the muscle protein synthesis response compared to either protein alone. We therefore compared the effect of ingesting milk protein (MP) to either WP or CA alone on muscle protein synthesis after exercise in rats. We also compared the effects of these milk-derived proteins to a control, soy protein (SP). Male Sprague-Dawley rats swam for two hours. Immediately after exercise, one of the following four solutions was administered: WP, CA, MP, or SP. Individual rats were euthanized at designated postprandial time points and triceps muscle samples collected for measurement of the protein fractional synthesis rate (FSR). FSR tended to increase in all groups post-ingestion, although the initial peaks of FSR occurred at different times (WP, peak time = 60 min, FSR = 7.76%/day; MP, peak time = 90 min, FSR = 8.34%/day; CA, peak time = 120 min, FSR = 7.85%/day). Milk-derived proteins caused significantly greater increases (p < 0.05) in FSR compared with SP at different times (WP, 60 min; MP, 90 and 120 min; CA, 120 min). Although statistical analysis could not be performed, the calculated the area under the curve (AUC) values for FSR following this trend were: MP, 534.61; CA, 498.22; WP, 473.46; and SP, 406.18. We conclude that ingestion of MP, CA or WP causes the initial peak time in muscle protein synthesis to occur at different times (WP, fast; MP, intermediate; CA, slow) and the dairy proteins have a superior effect on muscle protein synthesis after exercise compared with SP.
Auxilin, a newly identified clathrin-associated protein in coated vesicles from bovine brain

We have identified a new coat protein in clathrin-coated vesicles from bovine brain by urea-SDS gel electrophoresis. The protein was purified from Tris-solubilized coat proteins either by combination of hydroxyapatite chromatography and gel filtration or more rapidly in a single step by immunoaffinity chromatography. The purified protein binds to clathrin triskelia and thereby promotes clathrin assembly into regular 50-100-nm cages. We propose for the new protein the name auxilin (Latin auxilium, meaning support). Auxilin migrates as a 110-kD polypeptide in standard type SDS-PAGE, but in the presence of 6 M urea shifts to a position corresponding to 126 kD. Gel filtration in 6 M guanidinium hydrochloride gives a molecular weight of approximately 86,000. The native protein is monomeric in 0.5 M Tris. Antigenic reactivity and two-dimensional peptide maps gave no evidence of gross similarities between auxilin and any of the other known coated vesicle- associated proteins. Since the structural organization of auxilin does not resemble that of the ubiquitous heterotetrameric HA1 and HA2 adaptor complexes, that are believed to connect clathrin to receptors, it is unlikely that it functions as an adaptor. Immunoblotting did not reveal the presence of auxilin in tissues other than brain. If auxilin and AP 180 are indeed both confined to neuronal cells, as the immunochemical evidence suggests, it might be inferred that both serve to adapt clathrin-coated vesicles to an as yet undisclosed function unique to this cell type.
Information-theoretic lower bound on energy cost of stochastic computation

Physical systems are often simulated using a stochastic computation where different final states result from identical initial states. Here, we derive the minimum energy cost of simulating a data sequence of a general physical system by stochastic computation. We show that the cost is proportional to the difference between two information-theoretic measures of complexity of the data—the statistical complexity and the predictive information. We derive the difference as the amount of information erased during the computation. Finally, we illustrate the physics of information by implementing the stochastic computation as a Gedanken experiment with a Szilard-type engine. The results create a new link between thermodynamics, information theory and complexity.
Ameliorative effects of docosahexaenoic acid on the toxicity induced by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in cultured rat hepatocytes

The 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an environmental contaminant toxicant that mediates carcinogenic effects associated with oxidative DNA damage. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with antioxidant functions has many biochemical, cellular, and physiological functions for cells. The present study assessed, for the first time, the ameliorative effect of DHA in alleviating the toxicity of TCDD on primary cultured rat hepatocytes (HEPs). In vitro, isolated HEPs were incubated with TCDD (5 and 10 μM) in the presence and absence of DHA (5, 10, and 20 μM) for 48 h. The cell viability was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. DNA damage was analyzed by liver micronucleus assay and 8-oxo-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) level. In addition, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidative stress (TOS) were assessed to determine the oxidative injury in HEPs. The results of MTT and LDH assays showed that TCDD decreased cell viability but not DHA. On the basis of increasing treatment concentrations, the dioxin caused significant increases of micronucleated HEPs and 8-OH-dG as compared to control culture. TCDD also led to significant increases in TOS content. On the contrary, in cultures treated with DHA, the level of TAC was significantly increased during treatment in a concentration-dependent fashion. DHA showed therapeutic potential against TCDD-mediated cell viability and DNA damages. As conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that DHA has protective effects against TCDD toxicity on primary cultured rat hepatocytes.
Semiparametric latent factor models

We propose a semiparametric model for regression and classification problems involving multiple response variables. The model makes use of a set of Gaussian processes to model the relationship to the inputs in a nonparametric fashion. Conditional dependencies between the responses can be captured through a linear mixture of the driving processes. This feature becomes important if some of the responses of predictive interest are less densely supplied by observed data than related auxiliary ones. We propose an efficient approximate inference scheme for this semiparametric model whose complexity is linear in the number of training data points.
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Measurements in Intervention Studies: Design Options, Progression Rates, and Sample Size Considerations: A Point of View

Background— Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurements are currently widely used in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to study the efficacy of interventions. In designing a RCT with CIMT as a primary outcome, several ultrasound options may be considered. We discuss the various options and provide a pooled estimate of CIMT progression. In addition, we quantify the effect of these choices on the sample size for a RCT. Summary of Comment— To estimate the average CIMT progression rate, we performed a pooled analysis using CIMT progression rates of control groups from published RCTs. The pros and cons of the following ultrasound options are discussed: which arterial segments may be studied; whether near and far wall CIMT measurements should be performed; whether a single image (1 angle of interrogation) or multiple images (more angles of interrogation) should be used; whether a manual or an automated edge detection reading system should be used; and whether images should be read in a random fashion or in batches. The pooled analysis showed an annual rate of change in mean common CIMT of 0.0147 mm (95% CI, 0.0122 to 0.0173) and in mean maximum CIMT of 0.0176 mm (95% CI, 0.0149 to 0.0203). Conclusions— Given the current evidence together with our experience with recently developed ultrasound protocols, we favor the use of mean maximum CIMT rather than mean common CIMT as the primary outcome measure in RCTs designed to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions in carotid artery atherosclerosis.
The engagement of mid‐ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior brain regions in intentional cognitive activity

It is now widely recognized that cognitive processes are carried out by a distributed network of brain areas, some of which are involved in perceptual processing of a stimulus, whilst others are involved in cognitive control processes required to carry out certain tasks. In this study, differential contributions of higher visual areas and of an area involved in cognitive control processes were investigated in a task requiring participants to simply look at a stimulus or to look with the intention of remembering. Varying the extent to which intentional cognitive processes were required and the stimulus material in this task allowed the analysis of “top‐down” and “bottom‐up” influences on these areas, respectively. Significant increases in the mid‐ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (mid‐VLPFC) were only observed when the stimuli were viewed with an intention in mind, irrespective of the stimulus type. In contrast, activity in the parahippocampal place area and the fusiform face area, was only modulated in conditions requiring intentional control when stimuli were presented that also elicited activity in these regions during passive viewing. These findings help to clarify the complimentary role that the mid‐VLPFC and posterior higher visual areas play in controlled and relatively automatic memory processing. Hum Brain Mapp 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microtubule polarity and dynamics in the control of organelle positioning, segregation, and cytokinesis in the trypanosome cell cycle

Trypanosoma brucei has a precisely ordered microtubule cytoskeleton whose morphogenesis is central to cell cycle events such as organelle positioning, segregation, mitosis, and cytokinesis. We have defined microtubule polarity and show the + ends of the cortical microtubules to be at the posterior end of the cell. Measurements of organelle positions through the cell cycle reveal a high degree of coordinate movement and a relationship with overall cell extension. Quantitative analysis of the segregation of the replicated mitochondrial genome (the kinetoplast) by the flagellar basal bodies identifies a new G2 cell cycle event marker. The subsequent mitosis then positions one "daughter" nucleus into the gap between the segregated basal bodies/kinetoplasts. The anterior daughter nucleus maintains its position relative to the anterior of the cell, suggesting an effective yet cryptic nuclear positioning mechanism. Inhibition of microtubule dynamics by rhizoxin results in a phenomenon whereby cells, which have segregated their kinetoplasts yet are compromised in mitosis, cleave into a nucleated portion and a flagellated, anucleate, cytoplast. We term these cytoplasts "zoids" and show that they contain the posterior (new) flagellum and associated basal-body/kinetoplast complex. Examination of zoids suggests a role for the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) in defining the position for the axis of cleavage in trypanosomes. Progression through cytokinesis, (zoid formation) while mitosis is compromised, suggests that the dependency relationships leading to the classical cell cycle check points may be altered in trypanosomes, to take account of the need to segregate two unit genomes (nuclear and mitochondrial) in this cell.
Role of H2O2 in pea seed germination

The imbibition of pea seeds with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) increased the germination as well as the seedling growth, producing an invigoration of the seeds. We propose that H2O2 could acts as signaling molecule in the beginning of seed germination involving specific changes at proteomic, transcriptomic and hormonal levels. These findings have practical implication in the context of seed priming technologies to invigorate low vigour seeds.