Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis contributes to testicular toxicity induced by two isomers of bromopropanes

The aim of this study was to investigate the different testicular toxicity and the role of apoptosis in the possible mechanism induced by the two isomers of bromopropanes (BPs) in the same dosage. Following the 14-day treatment with a single dose of 1-BP and 2-BP (1 g/kg), male rats were killed and a series of experiments were performed. 1-BP and 2-BP both significantly decreased the epididymal sperm count, while only 2-BP induced an increase in sperms with abnormal heads. Morphological evaluation showed that 1-BP did not cause morphological changes in seminiferous epithelium, but 2-BP treatment resulted in the disappearance of spermatogonia, atrophy of the seminiferous tubules and degeneration of germ cells. 2-BP significantly increased the TUNEL-positive cells and the activation of caspase-3 and decreased the genes and proteins expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and p53. In contrast, there were no significant changes in the expression of apoptosis-related genes and proteins in 1-BP group, though the TUNEL-positive cells were significantly increased. Taken together, this study indicated that those two isomers both have toxicity in male rats, however, the testicular toxicity and the role of apoptosis in the toxic mechanism induced by 1-BP and 2-BP may be different.
Comparison of combinatory effects of PCBs (118, 138, 153 and 180) with 17 β-estradiol on proliferation and apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

We analyzed whether polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) interfere with the activity of 17 β-estradiol in the proliferation and apoptosis of the MCF-7 cell line. MCF-7 cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) without phenol red supplemented with 5% charcoal-treated fetal bovine serum (CD-FBS) for 3 days with 10 nM 17 β-estradiol or 0.1 µM, 0.5 µM and 1 µM of the tested PCB congeners (118, 138, 153 and 180), or both. Cell proliferation was determined by measuring 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation, and cell apoptosis was measured by caspase-9 activity. From the PCB congeners tested, PCB138 and 153 had the highest stimulatory effects on basal cell proliferation as well as the highest inhibitory actions on basal caspase-9 activity. The proliferative and anti-apoptotic actions of PCB138 and 153 were still observed in the presence of 17 β-estradiol, while the actions of PCB118 and 180 were reversed. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest the possibility that PCB138 and 153 contribute to the action of endogenous 17 β-estradiol on cell proliferation and apoptosis in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7.
Excitation of Orbital Angular Momentum Resonances in Helically Twisted Photonic Crystal Fiber

Fiber with a Twist Optic fibers provide the backbone of communication networks. Controlling light propagation through the fiber is key to maximizing the capacity of information flow. By introducing a literal twist on the photonic crystal fiber, Wong et al. (p. 446) show that adding chirality to the cladding surrounding the core may provide another route to manipulating the transmission of light. Coupling between the twisted cladding and the core results in dips in the transmission spectrum, which are dependent on the degree of twist introduced into the fiber. Such twisted microstructure fibers may offer opportunities for coupling, filtering and manipulating light. Adding chirality to the structure of a photonic crystal fiber may provide another route to controlling light transmission. Spiral twisting offers additional opportunities for controlling the loss, dispersion, and polarization state of light in optical fibers with noncircular guiding cores. Here, we report an effect that appears in continuously twisted photonic crystal fiber. Guided by the helical lattice of hollow channels, cladding light is forced to follow a spiral path. This diverts a fraction of the axial momentum flow into the azimuthal direction, leading to the formation of discrete orbital angular momentum states at wavelengths that scale linearly with the twist rate. Core-guided light phase-matches topologically to these leaky states, causing a series of dips in the transmitted spectrum. Twisted photonic crystal fiber has potential applications in, for example, band-rejection filters and dispersion control.
Physical Activity and Television Viewing Linked to Body Mass Index among Philippine High School Students: Signaling of an Emerging Epidemic of Obesity?

The major purpose of this study was to determine whether body mass index (BMI) was associated with reports of vigorous physical activity and television viewing among a sample of more than 3,000 Philippine high school students. In addition, the International Task Force on Obesity's new cutoff points to these adolescents' self-reports were applied to calculations of BMI based on self-reported height and weight in order to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among this sample of Filipino adolescents. Results showed that Filipino boys and girls who were the most frequent participants in vigorous physical activity (3 or more times a week) had significantly lower BMI when compared to those who were physically active less frequently. Conversely, Filipino boys and girls who viewed five or more hours of television during an average school day had significantly higher BMI than those who watched less television. The percentage of Philippine students in this study above the international cut offs for overweight (6.5 percent of boys and 5.7 percent of girls) and obesity (1.6 percent of boys and 1.8 percent of girls) was considerably lower than what has been found in studies of youth in developed Western nations. However, the adopting of Western lifestyle habits, including increased recreational inactivity (e.g., television viewing, video games, and surfing the Internet) and decreased participation in vigorous physical activity, could signal an emerging epidemic in this developing nation.
Echocardiographic Findings of Iranian Military Parachutists, in Comparison to Normal Population

Background: Occupation related stress such as military parachuting has been considered to be a potentially important cardiovascular risk factor. The present study was performed to determine structural and functional changes of the left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV) and aorta by echocardiographic assessment of Iranian military parachutists compared to the normal population. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study on the echocardiographic fi ndings of 95 military parachutists, compared to 92 healthy workers with normal range of activities and no previous history of heart and other diseases. Information regarding demographic and lifestyle were obtained from each subject. Arterial blood pressure (BP), weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured by standard methods. Then transthoracic echocardiography was performed for two groups. Results: Systolic BP, diastolic BP, LV end systolic diameter, septal wall thickness, posterior wall thickness, left ventricular mass (LVM), LVM index, ascending aorta systolic and diastolic diameter and aortic stiffness were signifi cantly higher in parachutists whereas, pulse pressure, LV ejection fraction, RV tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, aortic distensibility and pulmonary acceleration time were signifi cantly lower in parachutists. Conclusion: War-related stressors and high intensity physical activities are associated with cardiac events and morphologic and functional alteration. Echocardiographic evaluations could clarify these differences. Key words: Cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, parachuting.
Defining the Plant Germ Line—Nature or Nurture?

Cellular redox state affects cell fate determination during germline development in plants. Teasing apart environmental from inherent or genetic causes in human development is notoriously difficult. Although both likely play important roles, we tend to favor one or the other to explain why we turn out the way we do. A similar nature-nurture tension is at play in the acquisition of cell fates during development. A fertilized zygote must not only divide, but its daughter cells must acquire distinct identities. Are cell fates determined by lineage, such that a mother cell can only give rise to daughter cells of a certain type, or can daughter cells adopt multiple identities depending on their environment? On page 345 in this issue, Kelliher and Walbot (1) show that germline cell identity in maize (corn) is specified by cellular redox potential (the oxidation-reduction state of a cell) under the influence of the environment, and not by cell lineage, as previously thought.
Energy-efficient motion control of a hydraulic manipulator

In this paper a novel hydraulic closed-loop motion control system has been proposed, designed and implemented on a heavy-duty 2-DOF hydraulic manipulator. A new unconventional hydraulic drive is introduced to remove the complex nonlinear interconnection between cylinder pressure levels, supply pressure and load force. The remaining nonlinear coupling of force and velocity is then removed by nonlinear controller design. New hardware combined with this proposed controller design is able to improve the controllability of the load with lower supply pressure values than conventional controllers. This leads to improved energy efficiency and is therefore of great practical and economic importance. This is a significant result since energy efficiency of closed-loop controlled hydraulics is generally known to be very low and improvements very difficult to obtain.
Mutations in BCKD-kinase Lead to a Potentially Treatable Form of Autism with Epilepsy

A Fine Balance Intellectual and neurological disabilities can arise from diverse developmental aberrations. Novarino et al. (p. 394, published online 6 September; see the Perspective by Beaudet) have now determined the genetic basis for one such disorder for a small group of patients. Exome sequencing led to identification of mutations in a kinase BCKDK (Branched Chain Ketoacid Dehydrogenase Kinase) that regulates metabolism of branched-chain amino acids such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Mice with homozygous mutations in the BCKDK gene showed developmental and neurological abnormalities resembling those in certain mouse autism models. Analysis of transport mechanisms responsible for carrying amino acids across the blood-brain barrier revealed competition between the branched-chain amino acids and large neutral amino acids. Nutritional supplementation with extra branched-chain amino acids in the diet of mice carrying homozygous mutations in the BCKDK gene normalized their phenotype. When the balance of branched-chain amino acids transported into the brain goes awry, neurological deficits can ensue. Autism spectrum disorders are a genetically heterogeneous constellation of syndromes characterized by impairments in reciprocal social interaction. Available somatic treatments have limited efficacy. We have identified inactivating mutations in the gene BCKDK (Branched Chain Ketoacid Dehydrogenase Kinase) in consanguineous families with autism, epilepsy, and intellectual disability. The encoded protein is responsible for phosphorylation-mediated inactivation of the E1α subunit of branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH). Patients with homozygous BCKDK mutations display reductions in BCKDK messenger RNA and protein, E1α phosphorylation, and plasma branched-chain amino acids. Bckdk knockout mice show abnormal brain amino acid profiles and neurobehavioral deficits that respond to dietary supplementation. Thus, autism presenting with intellectual disability and epilepsy caused by BCKDK mutations represents a potentially treatable syndrome.
ASTHMA IN ELITE ATHLETES – WHO CARES?

Asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is highly prevalent in athletes and if untreated has the potential to impact on their health and performance. The condition can be diagnosed and managed effectively yet there is concern that the care afforded to elite athletes with this condition is often sub-optimal. In this respect, it is apparent that more could be done to protect athletes from developing airway dysfunction (e.g. by reducing exposure to irritant environments); that the diagnosis of asthma in athletes is often made without secure objective evidence and that athletes may be advised to reduce activity levels in order to improve symptoms. Moreover there appears to be poor surveillance of airway health in athletes when a diagnosis of asthma has been made. Overall this raises the question of who cares about athletes with asthma? The article that follows presents the case of why this is an important clinical area for physicians. The review provides an overview of asthma in athletes with the overall aim of ensuring that respiratory health in this unique population is optimised.
Paget's disease (osteitis deformans): A classic case?

Osteitis deformans, first described by Sir James Paget in 1877, is rare in the palaeopathological record. Today, it is a common disease in individuals of 50 or more years, with frequency and extent of skeletal involvement increasing with age. This predilection for the elderly is thought to be the reason why the disease is rarely found in archaeological groups; until recently, it has always been assumed that individuals in the past died relatively young. Recent excavations in Norwich on the site of the medieval church of St Margaret in combusto (terminus ante quemAD 1468), have yielded 436 inhumations. Approximately a quarter of these have been analysed so far; the analysis has demonstrated the presence of a variety of pathological lesions, some rarer than others. The subject of this paper is an older adult male who appears to have had widespread and advanced Paget's disease, with the involvement of multiple osseous sites. Macroscopic and radiological analyses of the skeleton suggest that the lesions present a classic case of this disease.
First‐trimester markers for the prediction of pre‐eclampsia in women with a‐priori high risk

To investigate the predictive value of the combination of first‐trimester serum placental protein 13 (PP13), uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index (PI) and pulse wave analysis (augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 beats per min (AIx‐75)), and to evaluate concurrent and contingent strategies using this combination for assessing the risk of pre‐eclampsia in high‐risk women.
Stochastic model predictive control with driver behavior learning for improved powertrain control

In this paper we advocate the use of stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) for improving the performance of powertrain control algorithms, by optimally controlling the complex system composed of driver and vehicle. While the powertrain is modeled as the deterministic component of the dynamics, the driver behavior is represented as a stochastic system which affects the vehicle dynamics. Since stochastic MPC is based on online numerical optimization, the driver model can be learned online, hence allowing the control algorithm to adapt to different drivers and drivers' behaviors. The proposed technique is evaluated in two applications: adaptive cruise control, where the driver behavioral model is used to predict the leading vehicle dynamics, and series hybrid electric vehicle (SHEV) energy management, where the driver model is used to predict the future power requests.
Assessment of the Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with the Satisfaction Related to the Childbirth Experience

Assessment of the socio-demographic factors associated with the satisfaction is related to the childbirth experience. Objective: A mother’s satisfaction with the childbirth experience may have instant and lasting effects on her wellbeing, and on the bonding with her infant. The main aim of the study was to assess which socio-demographic factors are associated with this satisfaction. Most factors that authors agree on are: Pain intensity, personal control, self-efficacy, length of labor, method of delivery and numerous other demographic factors. Design: A cross-sectional study. Data was collected using a self-reported survey. Settings: The sample consisted of 100 women, selected from St Georges Hospital and CHU-NDS, who had to speak Arabic and had given birth in the past three days prior to interview. Methods: The multiple linear regressions and the mean test were used to assess which factors were associated with a positive childbirth experience. The Mackey childbirth satisfaction scale, three items from the Wijma delivery Expectancy/Experience questionnaire, a seven item mastery scale developed by Pearlin and Schooler and a background questionnaire were filled by women. Findings: Factors that were linked to a positive birth experience were: Higher age, multiparous women, higher education, high monthly income, unemployment, childbirth preparation, high personal control and self-efficacy, high childbirth and labor pain, fulfilled expectations, shorter period of labor and instrumented delivery. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that satisfaction with the childbirth experience is multi-dimensional with diverse factors foreseeing diverse dimensions of satisfaction.
An Interacting Binary System Powers Precessing Outflows of an Evolved Star

Not Single After All Planetary nebulae form toward the end of the lives of sunlike stars. They appear after the star has shed its outer layers, and radiation from what is left of it ionizes the surrounding medium. Using the Very Large Telescope in Chile, Boffin et al. (p. 773) obtained spectra of the star at the center of Fleming 1, a point-symmetric planetary nebula with rotating bipolar jets. It has long been assumed that jets like these arose from an interacting binary system. Indeed, the data reveal that the central star in Fleming 1 has a companion in a very close orbit. Spectra of a planetary nebula’s central star reveal a companion star responsible for launching the system’s rotating jets. Stars are generally spherical, yet their gaseous envelopes often appear nonspherical when ejected near the end of their lives. This quirk is most notable during the planetary nebula phase, when these envelopes become ionized. Interactions among stars in a binary system are suspected to cause the asymmetry. In particular, a precessing accretion disk around a companion is believed to launch point-symmetric jets, as seen in the prototype Fleming 1. Our finding of a post–common-envelope binary nucleus in Fleming 1 confirms that this scenario is highly favorable. Similar binary interactions are therefore likely to explain these kinds of outflows in a large variety of systems.
Corals Chemically Cue Mutualistic Fishes to Remove Competing Seaweeds

Keeping Coral Clean Seaweed overgrowth is a major problem for coral reefs and also seems to be a consequence of excessive harvesting of herbivorous fish. Dixson and Hay (p. 804) examined this effect on Fijian reefs. Species of small herbivorous gobies and coral-associated damselfish were compared for their effect on the toxic Chlorodesmis seaweed in experiments that required caging colonies of the branching coral Acropora nasuta and the associated fish species. Only the gobies actively removed algal fronds attached to the cages and only one species (itself toxic to predators) ate them; the damselfish simply defected from the arena when toxic algae were present. The hydrophobic toxins exuded in the algal mucus lysed coral polyps releasing cell constituents that, together with the algal toxin, attract the gobies, which then eat the algal fronds. Interestingly, the toxic goby became more toxic to predators after consumption of the seaweed, which may help to drive symbiosis with a coral colony. Goby fish remove toxic algae from their coral habitat, becoming more distasteful to predators in the process. Corals in the genus Acropora generate much of the structural complexity upon which coral reefs depend, but they are susceptible to damage from toxic seaweeds. Acropora nasuta minimizes this damage by chemically cuing symbiotic goby fishes (Gobiodon histrio or Paragobiodon echinocephalus) to remove the toxic seaweed Chlorodesmis fastigiata. Within minutes of seaweed contact, or contact from only seaweed chemical extract, the coral releases an odor that recruits gobies to trim the seaweed and dramatically reduce coral damage that would otherwise occur. In turn, chemically defended gobies become more toxic after consumption of this noxious alga. Mutualistic gobies and corals appear to represent a marine parallel to terrestrial ant-plants, in that the host provides shelter and food in return for protection from natural enemies.
Role-Emerging Placements are an Essential Risk for the Development of the Occupational Therapy Profession: The Debate

There is an increasing awareness of the use of role-emerging placements within occupational therapy education. A greater number of higher education institutions are recognising the value of their students undertaking at least one of their practice placements within a role-emerging setting. Similarly, students are developing a sense of the depth of the learning experience that can be gained from these placements. However, with these developments are the inevitable challenges, posed to academic staff, students, clinicians, staff within the voluntary sector and the profession as a whole. This opinion piece discusses both the challenges and the opportunities posed by the increasing use of role-emerging placements within the United Kingdom, and whether or not role-emerging placements are actually essential to the development of the profession.
Deflecting the Path to Burn-out among Community Health Nurses: How the Effective Practice of Self-Tuning Renews Job Engagement

Interviews with eleven community nurses with reputations for high job engagement revealed that nine had earlier been near burn-out but had managed to recapture job engagement. For these nine nurses, the path to burn-out was set by perfectionism and devotion to nursing as a calling, coupled with inability to meet arduous self-standards. The nurses’ desire to regain job engagement triggered deep introspection and reflection, which in turn enabled coping, including solving emotional problems, striving to be a realistic idealist, making changes in the work situation and preserving time for contemplation. These processes underpin the Self Tuning Model, presented for the first time in this paper. This study suggests that the self-tuning exhibited by these nurses is salutogenic, supporting mental health and recapture of job engagement. Teaching self-tuning skills to people in stressful professions may provide skills that are critical to recapturing job engagement that may fade over time because of unremitting professional strain.