Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Preliminary Assessment of the Acute and Subchronic Toxicity Profile of Phase2: An α-Amylase Inhibitor

Phase2®, which has been reported to reduce body weight by its inhibition of α-amylase, was evaluated for toxicity in young adult male and female Wistar rats (10 animals/dose group). Evaluations included mortality, change in body weight, food consumption pattern, organ weight, and other adverse side reactions as well as hematological, biochemical, and histopathological analyses. Acute toxicity was determined after a single dose of Phase2 by oral gavage at doses of 5.0, 1.0, and 0.5 g/kg body weight. Animals were sacrificed on fourteen days after Phase2 administration. Subchronic toxicity was determined by administering Phase2 daily for 90 days to rats, at doses of 1.0, 0.5, and 0.2 g/kg body weight. These animals were sacrificed on day 90. Acute and subchronic administration of Phase2 did not produce any adverse reactions or any significant change in the loss of body weight as compared to untreated controls, organ weight, and mortality. Administration of Phase2 did not alter the hepatic and renal function, and did not produce any change in the hematological parameters and in lipid profile. Subchronic administration produced a reduction in the food consumption after 77 days (1.0 g/kg body weight). These data indicate that acute and subchronic administration of Phase2 did not produce any toxicity to rats as evident from weight change, mortality, and limited biochemical and histopathological analyses.
Kynurenic Acid Triggers Firm Arrest of Leukocytes to Vascular Endothelium under Flow Conditions*

Recent studies have demonstrated that kynurenic acid (KYNA), a compound produced endogenously by the interferon-γ-induced degradation of tryptophan by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, activates the previously orphaned G protein-coupled receptor, GPR35. This receptor is expressed in immune tissues, although its potential function in immunomodulation remains to be explored. We determined that GPR35 was most highly expressed on human peripheral monocytes. In an in vitro vascular flow model, KYNA triggered the firm arrest of monocytes to both fibronectin and ICAM-1, via β1 integrin- and β2 integrin-mediated mechanisms, respectively. Incubation of monocytes with pertussis toxin prior to use in flow experiments significantly reduced the KYNA-induced monocyte adhesion, suggesting that adhesion is triggered by a Gi-mediated process. Furthermore, KYNA-triggered adhesion of monocytic cells was reduced by short hairpin RNA-mediated silencing of GPR35. Although GPR35 is expressed at slightly lower levels on neutrophils, KYNA induced firm adhesion of these cells to an ICAM-1-expressing monolayer as well. KYNA also elicited neutrophil shedding of surface L-selectin, another indicator of leukocyte activation. Taken together, these data suggest that KYNA could be an important early mediator of leukocyte recruitment.
Shaping ability of different single-file systems in severely curved root canals of extracted teeth.

AIM To compare the shaping ability of three different single-file systems with Mtwo rotary instruments during the preparation of curved root canals in extracted teeth. METHODOLOGY A total of 80 root canals with curvatures ranging between 25° and 35° were divided into four groups of 20 canals. Based on radiographs taken prior to instrumentation, the groups were balanced with respect to the angle and the radius of canal curvature. Canals were prepared to the following apical sizes: Mtwo: size 30 using the single-length technique; Reciproc, F360, and OneShape: size 25. Using pre- and post-instrumentation radiographs, straightening of the canal curvatures was determined with a computer image analysis programme. Preparation time, changes in working length, and instrument failures were also recorded. These data were analysed statistically using anova and Student-Newman-Keuls test. RESULTS During preparation, no file fractured. All instruments maintained the original canal curvature well with no significant differences between the instrument systems (P = 0.792). Instrumentation with Reciproc and OneShape was significantly faster than with F360 and Mtwo (P < 0.05), while F360 was significantly faster than Mtwo (P < 0.05). No significant differences were obtained regarding changes in working length during instrumentation with the different instruments (P = 0.784). CONCLUSIONS Under the conditions of this study, all instruments respected the original canal curvature well and were safe to use. The use of Reciproc and OneShape instruments required less time to prepare the curved canals compared with Mtwo and F360.
Threshold cointegration and interest rate pass - through during the pre - and post - banking consolidation in Nigeria: are there asymmetries?

This paper empirically examines the interest rate pass-through in Nigeria using the cointegration and threshold adjustment suggested by Enders and Siklos. The focus is on the pass-through of the central bank policy rates to the commercial banks' lending rates during the pre- and post-bank consolidation in the country. The estimated results indicate that, changes in the policy rate are transmitted completely to loans rate in the long run during the pre-cosolidation but incomplete during the post-consolidation period. The results also show evidence for asymmetric momentum threshold autoregression models during the both the pre-and post-consolidation periods. However, while the estimated nonlinear error correction models exhibit downward rigidity in lending rates during the pre-consolidation, a contrary finding was obtained during the post-consolidation period, which indicates upward rigidity of loans rates. Finally, the study discusses the potential implication of these findings on the banking sector and offers direction for future policy.
The interrelationships among service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty: Examination of the fast-food industry

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to use customers’ perspectives to develop a conceptual model for improving service quality and enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The 197 samples were selected from customers of leading fast food franchise enterprises in Taiwan. The research results indicate that service quality positively influences customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Service quality positively influences customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. The research findings indicate that managers need to ensure they have efficient service quality to enhance customer satisfaction and customer loyalty levels.
Increased incidence of FMO1 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Flavin‐containing monooxygenases (FMO) represent a gene family involved in the oxidative metabolism of a variety of xenobiotics, pesticides and drugs. A new function for FMO proteins has been recently uncovered: yeast FMO has been demonstrated to take part in maintaining the redox balance, catalysing the oxidation of reduced glutathione (GSH) to glutathione disulfide (GSSG). The GSSG/GSH balance is an important buffering system for reactive oxygen species and its involvement has been documented in ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders. Human FMO genes present different mutations, which may be related to ethnicity, altered metabolic activity and, in some cases, specific diseases. The human FMO1 gene presents 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in coding regions, intronic sequences and untranslated regions. The FMO1 gene has also recently been found underexpressed in spinal cord of ALS patients. Using SSCP and direct sequencing, we studied the allelic and genotypic frequency of two 3′UTR SNPs of the FMO1 gene in sporadic ALS patients compared to a healthy control population. We found a significantly higher frequency of these two polymorphisms, exclusive of the female population, in SALS patients compared to controls (p<0.01), suggesting that specific allelic variants of the FMO1 gene might be associated to susceptibility to develop ALS.
Chronic Cerebellar Stimulation in the Treatment of Epilepsy

Summary: Six cases of intractable epilepsy who were subjected to chronic cerebellar stimulation are reported. They had all been treated with a wide range of anticonvulsant drugs without success. The ages varied between 17 and 55 years. Three were genetic‐inherent, 2 were of unknown etiology, and 1 was symptomatic (infection? trauma? ). Four had generalized major convulsions and 2 had a mixture of major and minor attacks, 1 with a strong temporal lobe component. Stimulation was commenced in all cases as soon as the patient had a postoperative seizure. Headache occurred in all cases and necessitated reduction in the strength of the stimulation to between 2 and 4 V in all cases except 1. Occipital nerve block temporarily relieved 1 patient, but posterior root section of C2‐C3 and part of C4 did not prevent headaches in another case. Two patients were greatly improved and managed to hold employment whereas formerly they had been unemployed. One patient felt 50% improved but there was no reduction in his seizure frequency; another had a 50% reduction in seizures but felt no better. One patient was noted to be improved intellectually although her seizures were more frequent. The remaining patient was unchanged. One patient committed suicide and another drowned. One prosthesis became infected and had to be removed.
View-based recognition of 3D-textured surfaces

A new method for recognizing 3D-textured surfaces is proposed. Textures are modeled with multiple histograms of micro-textons, instead of the more macroscopic textons used in earlier studies. The micro-textons are extracted with a recently proposed multiresolution local binary pattern operator. Our approach has many advantages compared to the earlier approaches and provides the leading performance in the classification of Columbia-Utrecht database (CUReT) textures imaged under different viewpoints and illumination directions. An approach for learning appearance models for view-based texture recognition using self-organization of feature distributions is also proposed. It can be used for quickly selecting model histograms and rejecting outliers, thus providing an efficient tool for vision system training, even when the feature data has a large variability.
Mutation of epidermal growth factor receptor is associated with MIG6 expression

Controlled activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is systematically guaranteed at the molecular level; however, aberrant activation of EGFR is frequently found in cancer. Transcription induced by EGFR activation often involves the coordinated expression of genes that positively and negatively regulate the original signaling pathway; therefore, alterations in EGFR kinase activity may reflect changes in gene expression associated with the pathway. In the present study, we investigated transcriptional changes after EGF stimulation with or without the EGFR kinase inhibitor Iressa in H1299 human non‐small‐cell lung cancer cells [parental H1299, H1299 cells that overexpress wild‐type EGFR (EGFR‐WT) and mutant H1299 cells that overexpress EGFR where Leu858 is substituted with Arg (L858R)]. The results obtained clearly demonstrate differences in transcriptional activity in the absence or presence of EGFR kinase activity, with genes sharing the same molecular functions showing distinct expression dynamics. The results show the particular enrichment of EGFR/ErbB signaling‐related genes in a differentially expressed gene set, and significant protein expression of MIG6/RALT(ERRFI1), an EGFR negative regulator, was confirmed in L858R. High MIG6 protein expression was correlated with basal EGFR phosphorylation and inversely correlated with EGF‐induced extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase phosphorylation levels. Investigation of the NCI‐60 cell lines showed that ERRFI1 expression was correlated with EGFR expression, regardless of tissue type. These results suggest that cells accumulate MIG6 as an inherent negative regulator to suppress excess EGFR activity when basal EGFR kinase activity is considerably high. Taking all the above together, an EGFR mutation can cause transcriptional changes to accommodate the activation potency of the original signaling pathway at the cellular level.
Population Growth and Carbon Emissions

We provide evidence that lower fertility can simultaneously increase income per capita and lower carbon emissions, eliminating a trade-off central to most policies aimed at slowing global climate change. We estimate the effect of lower fertility on carbon emissions accounting for the fact that changes in fertility patterns affect carbon emissions through three channels: total population, the age structure of the population, and economic output. Our analysis proceeds in two steps. First, we estimate a version of the STIRPAT equation on an unbalanced yearly panel of cross-country data from 1950-2010. We demonstrate that the coefficient on population is nearly seven times larger than the coefficient on income per capita and that this difference is statistically significant. Thus, regression results imply that 1% slower population growth could be accompanied by an increase in income per capita of nearly 7% while still lowering carbon emissions. In the second part of our analysis, we use a recently constructed economic-demographic model of Nigeria to estimate the effect of lower fertility on carbon emissions accounting for the impacts of fertility on population growth, population age structure, and income per capita. The model was constructed to estimate the effect of lower fertility on economic growth, making it well-suited for this application. We find that by 2100 C.E. , moving from the medium to the low variant of the UN fertility projection leads to 35% lower yearly emissions and 15% higher income per capita. These results strongly suggest that population policies should be a part of the approach to combating global climate change.
Are Migrants More Productive than Stayers? Some Evidence from a Set of Highly Productive Academic Economists

This paper compares the average productivity of migrants (who work in a country different from their country of origin) and stayers (whose entire academic career takes place in their country of origin) in a set of 2,530 highly productive economists that work in 2007 in a selection of the top 81 Economics departments worldwide. The main findings are the following two. Firstly, productivity comparisons between migrants and stayers depend on the cohort and the type of department where individuals work in 2007. For example, in the top U.S. departments, foreigners are more productive than stayers only among older individuals; in the bottom U.S. departments, foreigners are more productive than stayers for both cohorts, while in the other countries with at least one department in the sample the productivity of foreigners and stayers is indistinguishable for both cohorts. Secondly, when we restrict our attention to an elite consisting of economists with above average productivity, all productivity differences between migrants and stayers in the U.S. vanish. These results are very robust. However, our ability to interpret these correlations is severely limited by the absence of information on the decision to migrate.
Heritabilities of radiologic osteoarthritis in peripheral joints and of disc degeneration of the spine.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the genetic influence on the occurrence of radiologic osteoarthritis (ROA) in the knees, hips, and hands and disc degeneration of the spine in the general population. METHODS A random sample of 1,583 individuals was drawn to estimate the prevalence of ROA and disc degeneration in the general population. Of 118 probands with multiple affected joint sites who were derived from this sample, we were able to recruit 257 siblings. The variance of ROA and disc degeneration within sibling pairs was compared with the variance between sibling pairs. Heritability estimates for ROA in the knees, hips, and hands and for disc degeneration of the spine were calculated. OA was defined according to radiologic criteria, using the Kellgren/Lawrence grading system. RESULTS We observed that hand ROA and disc degeneration of the spine were statistically significantly more frequent in siblings than in the random sample, whereas the prevalence of knee and of hip ROA was similar and lower, respectively. Heritability estimates for hand ROA and disc degeneration were statistically significant, P = 0.56 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.34-0.76) and P = 0.75 (95% CI 0.30-1.00), respectively. For knee and hip ROA, no evidence of a genetic effect in the general population was found. Finally, the heritability estimate for a score that summed the number of joints affected in the knees, hips, hands, and spine was 0.78 (95% CI 0.52-0.98). All heritability estimates were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and bone mineral density. CONCLUSION The present study shows that in the general population, there is a strong genetic effect for hand ROA and disc degeneration of the spine. The findings on the total number of joints affected at multiple sites suggest genetic susceptibility to generalized OA.
Decreased Efficacy of GABAA‐receptor Modulation by Midazolam in the Kainate Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Summary: Purpose: The objective of this investigation was to characterize quantitatively the time‐dependent changes in midazolam (MDL) efficacy in the silent period after induction of status epilepticus (SE) in rats. The changes in MDL efficacy were correlated to changes in ex vivo GABAA‐receptor expression.
Associations of discrimination and violence with smoking among emerging adults: differences by gender and sexual orientation.

INTRODUCTION Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (i.e., sexual minority) populations have higher smoking prevalence than their heterosexual peers, but there is a lack of empirical study into why such disparities exist. This secondary analysis of data sought to examine associations of discrimination and violence victimization with cigarette smoking within sexual orientation groups. METHODS Data from the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 National College Health Assessments were truncated to respondents of 18-24 years of age (n = 92,470). Since heterosexuals comprised over 90% of respondents, a random 5% subsample of heterosexuals was drawn, creating a total analytic sample of 11,046. Smoking status (i.e., never-, ever-, and current smoker) was regressed on general (e.g., not sexual orientation-specific) measures of past-year victimization and discrimination. To examine within-group differences, two sets of multivariate ordered logistic regression analyses were conducted: one set of models stratified by sexual orientation and another set stratified by gender-by-sexual-orientation groups. RESULTS Sexual minorities indicated more experiences of violence victimization and discrimination when compared with their heterosexual counterparts and had nearly twice the current smoking prevalence of heterosexuals. After adjusting for age and race, lesbians/gays who were in physical fights or were physically assaulted had higher proportional odds of being current smokers when compared with their lesbian/gay counterparts who did not experience those stressors. CONCLUSIONS When possible, lesbian/gay and bisexual groups should be analyzed separately, as analyses revealed that bisexuals had a higher risk profile than lesbians/gays. Further research is needed with more nuanced measures of smoking (e.g., intensity), as well as examining if victimization may interact with smoking cessation.
Pengaruh Debt To Asset Ratio (DAR), Long Term Debt To Equity Ratio (LTDER) dan Net Profit Margin (NPM) Terhadap Harga Saham Pada Perusahan Perbankan Yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia

ABSTRAK Tujuan penelitian ini mengetahui pengaruh Debt to Asset Ratio , Long Term Debt to Equity Ratio, dan Net Profit Margin terhadap harga saham pada perusahan perbankan yang terdaftar pada Bursa Efek Indonesia. Dalam hal ini peneliti menggunakan data berupa laporan keuangan perbankan yang tercatat di Bursa Efek Indonesia (BEI). Peneliti menggunakan sampel sebanyak 16 Bank yang dipilih secara purposive random sampling , yaitu perusahaan perbankan yang terdaftar di BEI periode tahun 2011-2013. Data laporan keuangan yang digunakan adalah laporan keuangan yang telah dipublikasikan di dalam Indonesia Capital Market Directory (ICMD) 2015. Alat analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis regresi berganda, uji t, uji F dan koefisien determinasi yang diuji dengan uji asumsi klasik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa variabel DAR, LTDER, dan NPM secara bersama-sama berpengaruh signifikan terhadap variabel dependen yaitu harga saham. Sedangkan secara parsial hanya variabel NPM berpengaruh signifikan terhadap harga saham. Sedangkan variabel DAR, dan LTDER berpengaruh tidak signifikan terhadap harga saham pada perusahaan perbankan yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia periode 2011-2013. Kata Kunci : Debt to Asset Ratio , Long Term Debt to Equity Ratio, dan Net Profit Margin dan Harga Saham
Proteomic Analysis of Dhh1 Complexes Reveals a Role for Hsp40 Chaperone Ydj1 in Yeast P-Body Assembly

P-bodies (PB) are ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes that aggregate into cytoplasmic foci when cells are exposed to stress. Although the conserved mRNA decay and translational repression machineries are known components of PB, how and why cells assemble RNP complexes into large foci remain unclear. Using mass spectrometry to analyze proteins immunoisolated with the core PB protein Dhh1, we show that a considerable number of proteins contain low-complexity sequences, similar to proteins highly represented in mammalian RNP granules. We also show that the Hsp40 chaperone Ydj1, which contains an low-complexity domain and controls prion protein aggregation, is required for the formation of Dhh1−GFP foci on glucose depletion. New classes of proteins that reproducibly coenrich with Dhh1−GFP during PB induction include proteins involved in nucleotide or amino acid metabolism, glycolysis, transfer RNA aminoacylation, and protein folding. Many of these proteins have been shown to form foci in response to other stresses. Finally, analysis of RNA associated with Dhh1−GFP shows enrichment of mRNA encoding the PB protein Pat1 and catalytic RNAs along with their associated mitochondrial RNA-binding proteins. Thus, global characterization of PB composition has uncovered proteins important for PB assembly and evidence suggesting an active role for RNA in PB function.
Neuromuscular Fatigue and Muscle Damage After a Women's Rugby Sevens Tournament.

PURPOSE To examine relationships between on-field game movement patterns and changes in markers of neuromuscular fatigue and muscle damage during a 2-d women's rugby sevens tournament. METHODS Female national (mean ± SD n = 12, 22.3 ± 2.5 y, 1.67 ± 0.04 m, 65.8 ± 4.6 kg) and state (n = 10, 24.4 ± 4.3 y, 1.67 ± 0.03 m, 66.1 ± 7.9 kg) representative players completed baseline testing for lower-body neuromuscular function (countermovement-jump [CMJ] test), muscle damage (capillary creatine kinase [CK]), perceived soreness, and perceived recovery. Testing was repeated after games on days 1 and 2 of the tournament. GPS (5-Hz) data were collected throughout the tournament (4-6 games/player). RESULTS National players were involved in greater on-field movements for total time, distance, high-speed running (>5 m/s), and impacts >10 g (effect size [ES] = 0.55-0.97) and displayed a smaller decrement in performance from day 1 to day 2. Despite this, state players had a much greater 4-fold increase (δCK = 737 U/L) in CK compared with the 2-fold increase (δCK = 502 U/L) in national players (ES = 0.73). Both groups had similar perceived soreness and recovery while CMJ performance was unchanged. High-speed running and impacts >10 g were largely correlated (r = .66-.91) with δCK for both groups. CONCLUSION A 2-day women's rugby sevens tournament elicits substantial muscle damage; however, there was little change in lower-body neuromuscular function. Modest increases in CK can largely be attributed to high-speed running and impacts >10 g that players typically endure.