Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant effect of capsaicin on lipid peroxidation in homogeneous solution, micelle dispersions and liposomal membranes

Abstract The antioxidant activity of capsaicin (CAP) was measured in the oxidation of methyl linoleate (ML) in homogeneous solution, of ML micelles in aqueous dispersions and also of soybean phosphatidylcholine liposomal membrane, and was compared to that of -tocopherol (-TOH) which is one of the most important antioxidants in vivo. The reactivity of CAP toward galvinoxyl (a model phenoxyl radical) in acetonitrile solution was found to be much smaller than that of -TOH, suggesting that the radical scavenging activity of CAP is much weaker than that of -TOH. In fact, in homogeneous acetonitrile solution where the antioxidant activity is determined primarily by the chemical activity of the antioxidant toward peroxyl radicals, CAP inhibited the oxidation of ML much less efficiently than -TOH and a clear induction period was not observed. The antioxidant activity of CAP was found to be about 60 times smaller than that of -TOH in homogeneous solution. However, in micelle oxidation, the difference in antioxidant activity of the two antioxidants was much smaller than in homogeneous solution. Furthermore, in the membrane, CAP inhibited the oxidation almost as effectively as -TOH. These results suggest that CAP can act as an antioxidant in the biomembrane.
Natural Plasmid Transformation in Escherichia coli

Although Escherichia coli does not have a natural transformation process, strains of E. coli can incorporate extracellular plasmids into cytoplasm ‘naturally’ at low frequencies. A standard method was developed in which stationary phase cells were concentrated, mixed with plasmids, and then plated on agar plates with nutrients which allowed cells to grow. Transformed cells could then be selected by harvesting cells and plating again on selective agar plates. Competence developed in the lag phase, but disappeared during exponential growth. As more plasmids were added to the cell suspension, the number of transformants increased, eventually reaching a plateau. Supercoiled monomeric or linear concatemeric DNA could transform cells, while linear monomeric DNA could not. Plasmid transformation was not related to conjugation and was recA-independent. Most of the E. coli strains surveyed had this process. All tested plasmids, except pACYC184, could transform E. coli. Insertion of a DNA fragment containing the ampicillin resistance gene into pACYC184 made the plasmid transformable. By inserting random 20-base-pair oligonucleotides into pACYC184 and selecting for transformable plasmids, a most frequent sequence was identified. This sequence resembled the bacterial interspersed medium repetitive sequence of E. coli, suggesting the existence of a recognition sequence. We conclude that plasmid natural transformation exists in E. coli.
Neuroticism and extraversion moderate neural responses and effective connectivity during appetitive conditioning

Classical appetitive conditioning constitutes a basic learning process through which environmental stimuli can be associated with reward. Previous studies showed that individual differences in neuroticism and extraversion influence emotional processing and have been shown to modulate neural activity in subcortical and prefrontal areas in response to emotional stimuli. However, the role of individual differences in appetitive conditioning has so far not been investigated in detail. The aim of this study was to assess the association between neuroticism and extraversion with neural activity and connectivity during appetitive conditioning. The conditioned stimulus (CS) was either a picture of a dish or a cup. One stimulus (CS+) was paired with a monetary reward and the other stimulus (CS−) was associated with its absence while hemodynamic activity was measured by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging. A significant negative correlation of neuroticism scores with amygdala activity was observed during appetitive conditioning. Further, extraversion was positively associated with responses in the hippocampus and the thalamus. In addition, effective connectivity between the amygdala as a seed region and the anterior cingulate cortex, the insula, and the thalamus was negatively correlated with neuroticism scores and positively correlated with extraversion scores. The results may indicate a neural correlate for the deficits in appetitive learning in subjects with high neuroticism scores and point to a facilitating effect of extraversion on reward‐related learning. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2992–3002, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Neuromodulation by Implant for Treating Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Dysfunction

Objective: Patients with irritative micturition complaints, pelvic pain, involuntary urine loss or urinary retention are sometimes difficult to treat. The advent of direct sacral nerve stimulation offers a therapeutic alternative if conservative measures fail and surgery is considered. This paper reviews therapeutic neuromodulation by implant for treating lower urinary tract symptoms and dysfunction. Methods: The international literature is reviewed on topics such as the physiological basis of neuromodulation, techniques of acute testing and chronic implantation, and clinical results. Future developments and ways for possible improvement are discussed. Results: The mode of action of neuromodulation is probably through restoring the correct balance between excitatory and inhibitory impulses from and to the pelvic organs at a sacral and supra-sacral level. Depending on the predefined success criteria, average success rates of definitive implants vary from 50 to 70%. From the data it seems that patients with urge incontinence and urinary retention are the best candidates for neuromodulation. In the literature the lack of standardisation of selection criteria, stimulation parameters and definitions of success is striking. Conclusions: Neuromodulation by implant is a useful therapeutic alternative. It should at least be considered in patients with therapy-resistant urge incontinence and urinary retention before proceeding to surgery. Issues such as underlying physiologgy, methodological standardisation, technical improvements, and patient selection must be addressed in future research.
Modelling, Analysis and Design of Cascaded Forward and Interleaved Converter for Powering Future Microprocessors

The future microprocessors will operate at significantly lower voltages and demand much higher currents than the present generation microprocessors. They require voltage regulating modules (VRM) to provide the desired regulated power supply. In this paper, we present the requirements for the VRMs for future microprocessors and discuss the limitations of the existing topologies. Due to narrow duty ratio of single stage conversion, there is non-uniform distribution of losses. Thus a two-stage conversion comprising of an isolated stage as the front end and a phase-shifted interleaved converter as the backend is discussed. A small-signal model is derived for an interleaved converter, taking into account the asymmetry in the circuit elements. Finally a controller is designed for a cascaded system
Scalp Psoriasis, Clinical Presentations and Therapeutic Management

Background: The scalp is a well-known predilection site for psoriasis. Many patients indicate that scalp psoriasis is both psychologically and socially distressing. Objective: The aim of the present investigation is to provide epidemiological data on the various manifestations of scalp psoriasis, as well as on its therapeutic management. Methods: A questionnaire, targeted on scalp psoriasis, was mailed to patient subscribers of a Dutch journal on psoriasis. In total 1,023 forms were returned and evaluated. Results: Remarkably, a relatively high occurrence of facial psoriasis (25%) and nail psoriasis (40%) was recorded. The dynamics of scalp psoriasis were rather similar to psoriasis at other sites with respect to the total duration of the disease and exacerbations/remissions. In 57% of the patients, psoriasis was psychologically and socially distressing, at least occasionally. Itch and scaling proved to be the leading symptoms, in terms of frequency of occurrence as well as in terms of distress. Therefore, these parameters should be regarded as primary efficacy criteria in the treatment of scalp psoriasis. On average, most patients were seen by the dermatologist 5 times a year. The majority of prescriptions (76%) was given by the dermatologist. The application of topical corticosteroids was by far the most frequent treatment modality. To our surprise, calcipotriol was used by 28% of patients. At the time of investigation calcipotriol was only available as ointment. Tar shampoos were used by 51% of the patients, although the clinical efficacy of such a shampoo has never been demonstrated in a controlled study. A remarkable observation was the lack of instruction on the duration of treatment and the frequency of applications. In fact, 72% of the patients used topical treatments, including topical corticosteroids, for more than 8 weeks, and 42% of the patients used an intermittent schedule of a few applications per week. Conclusions: Based on the present survey, the following profile for an optimal treatment of scalp psoriasis can be constructed: (1) effective applications a few times per week; (2) either a lotion or an emulsion, and (3) safety for long-term use.
Olanzapine Induced Thrombocythemia in Sprague‐Dawley Rats

Olanzapine was administered orally (20 mg/kg/day) in Sprague‐Dawley rats. Forty‐eight male Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided into eight groups of six animals each. Four groups of animals received olanzapine for 7, 14, 21 and 48 days. There were no significant changes in hematological, clinical biochemistry parameters and superoxide dismutase activity in pancreas, liver and brain of all the groups. No significant changes in malonaldehyde levels were observed in liver and brain of all the groups. A significant increase in malonaldehyde levels in pancreas were observed in all the treatment groups; however, no increase in serum glucose levels were seen in these animals. A significant increase in platelet numbers in the treatment groups poses a serious threat regarding long‐term use of olanzapine.
Naidu Cutting and Breaking Events in Telugu T World

This paper makes a contribution to the on-going debate on conceptualization and lexicalization of cutting and breaking (C&B) verbs by discussing data from Telugu, a language of India belonging to the Dravidian family. Five Telugu native speakers’ verbalizations of agentive actions depicted in 43 short video-clips were analyzed. It was noted that verbalization of C&B events in Telugu requires formal units such as simple lexical verbs, explicator compound verbs, and other complex verb forms. The properties of the objects involved, the kind of instruments used, and the manner of action had differential influence on the lexicalization patterns. Further, it was noted that all the complex verb forms encode ‘result’ and ‘cause’ sub-events in that order. Due to the polysemy associated with some of the verb forms, our data does not support the straightforward bipartition of this semantic domain. Keywords—Cluster analysis, Cutting and breaking events, Polysemy, Semantic extension, Telugu.
Inhibition of succinic acid production in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli by neutralizing agent, organic acids, and osmolarity

The economical viability of biochemical succinic acid production is a result of many processing parameters including final succinic acid concentration, recovery of succinate, and the volumetric productivity. Maintaining volumetric productivities >2.5 g L−1 h−1 is important if production of succinic acid from renewable resources should be competitive. In this work, the effects of organic acids, osmolarity, and neutralizing agent (NH4OH, KOH, NaOH, K2CO3, and Na2CO3) on the fermentative succinic acid production by Escherichia coli AFP184 were investigated. The highest concentration of succinic acid, 77 g L−1, was obtained with Na2CO3. In general, irrespective of the base used, succinic acid productivity per viable cell was significantly reduced as the concentration of the produced acid increased. Increased osmolarity resulting from base addition during succinate production only marginally affected the productivity per viable cell. Addition of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine to cultures resulted in an increased aerobic growth rate and anaerobic glucose consumption rate, but decreased succinic acid yield. When using NH4OH productivity completely ceased at a succinic acid concentration of ∼40 g L−1. Volumetric productivities remained at 2.5 g L−1 h−1 for up to 10 h longer when K‐ or Na‐bases where used instead of NH4OH. The decrease in cellular succinic acid productivity observed during the anaerobic phase was found to be due to increased organic acid concentrations rather than medium osmolarity. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2009
Iron supplementation and oxidative damage to DNA in healthy individuals with high plasma ascorbate.

Previously, we have investigated the potential for a pro-oxidant interaction of iron and ascorbate in vivo in iron and ascorbate cosupplementation or ascorbate supplementation studies. In this study, for the first time, the effects of iron supplementation on oxidative damage to DNA in healthy individuals with plasma ascorbate levels at the upper end of the normal range were examined. Forty female and male volunteers (mean plasma ascorbate approximately equal to 70 micromol/L) were supplemented with a daily dose of syrup (ferrous glycine sulphate equivalent to 12.5 mg iron) for 6 weeks. Serum ferritin, transferrin bound iron, % saturation of transferrin and plasma ascorbate were assessed and the mean dietary intakes of all subjects were estimated through food frequency questionnaires. Oxidative damage to DNA bases from white blood cells was measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring (GC/MS-SIM), using isotope-labelled standards for quantification. Iron supplementation did not affect any of the iron status parameters. There were also no detrimental effects, over the period under investigation, in terms of oxidative damage to DNA. However, the effects of larger doses or of longer supplementation periods should also be investigated.
Uncovering the Dimensionality of Gender Voting in Congress

A unidimensional liberal-conservative voting model is generally accepted as the pattern that structures Congressional voting. Empirical research on mass and elite gender consciousness, case studies on congressional handling of women's issues, and feminist theory all imply, however, that more than one dimension should be used to explain voting for legislation that affects women. Using exploratory factor analysis, I provide evidence of a gender-related dimension in a set of voting indexes and a set of roll-call votes made by both male and female members of the 101st, 102d, and 103d Congresses.
Extremeness Aversion Bias and Learning Behavior: Evidence from the Sports Betting Market

This study finds that the extremeness aversion bias documented in decision making studies exists in the sports betting market in which real money is at stake. The magnitude of the bias is large that a naive betting strategy utilizing this bias, since the betting market's inception in 2008 through 2012, yields an average after-tax return greater than 47%. The size of the return is more surprising because this betting market provides an unconditional expected return of less than -50% due to low payout rate. I find evidence of learning behavior over time, but not enough to eliminate market inefficiency. The setting of this betting market also allows me to differentiate the two types of extremeness; extremeness based on the positioning of choices versus extremeness based on the statistical ordering of choices. I find that the bias is apparent only when the two types of extremeness are consistent with each other.
Taiwanese Women's Experiences of Lactation Suppression After Stillbirth.

OBJECTIVE To explore the experiences of lactation suppression (LS) among Taiwanese women who experienced stillbirth after 20-weeks gestation. DESIGN Qualitative research combining practitioner ethnography and the observ-view method (participant observation and unstructured interviews while caring for participants). SETTING Participants were recruited from a medical center in central Taiwan between June 2013 and November 2014. PARTICIPANTS Seven Taiwanese women who had stillbirths. METHODS Data were collected by the observ-view method. Recorded interviews were analyzed by content analysis. RESULTS Participants described three core experiences: deciding to use LS without careful deliberation; psychological pain is substantially stronger than physical pain; and not regretting their choice regarding method of LS. CONCLUSION Physical pain often remains unaddressed because of the greater psychological pain following fetal death. Therefore, LS should be an essential component of follow-up care as part of the discharge plan. Follow-up should be for at least 14 days. More research is needed on nonpharmacological LS to address cultural differences and personal beliefs about methods of LS.
Prevalence and behavioural correlates of enuresis in young children

Objectives: Previous studies based on clinical samples report that enuresis in children is associated with behavioural problems and reduced self‐esteem, but the relationship between behavioural problems and enuresis remains controversial. This population‐based study investigated the prevalence and behavioural correlates of enuresis in a group of preparatory school children.
Ecological Interface Design in the Nuclear Domain: An Empirical Evaluation of Ecological Displays for the Secondary Subsystems of a Boiling Water Reactor Plant Simulator

Laboratory studies have shown that ecological interfaces can enhance operator performance in process control. However, limited verification and validation studies in representative settings are impeding the adoption of the Ecological Interface Design (EID) framework in the nuclear domain. A companion article presents an application of EID to the secondary side of a boiling water reactor plant simulator, demonstrating that the framework can lead to display features and verification criteria relevant to supporting operators in both anticipated and unanticipated situations. This article presents an empirical study as a first step towards the validation of EID in the nuclear domain. The results suggest that ecological displays have a marked advantage in supporting operator performance during monitoring for unanticipated events as compared to mimic-based displays. The ecological displays did not support operator performance differently for other types of tasks. This study provides supporting or validation evidence that EID is effective at a scale and level of complexity that is representative of nuclear power plant operations. The implications for introducing ecological displays into NPP control rooms are discussed.
Post-acquisition structuring of CEO pay packages: Incentives and punishments

Posited on the asymmetric features of equity ownership and stock option pay, this article examines the extent to which acquisition activities affect boards of directors’ decisions to restructure the incentive design of executive compensation packages in the post-acquisition period. For a recent dataset of 148 deals between 1996 and 2009, the article finds that acquirers’ overpayment for target firms and equity financing are likely to require scapegoating, particularly under conditions of intervening poor performance and stronger board vigilance, inducing directors to respond to CEOs’ overly risky and suboptimal selection of acquisition terms by enlarging the proportion of equity ownership disincentives at the expense of stock option incentives in executive pay contracts. By linking the incidence of large acquisition deals to an altered agency problem, the article proposes an alternative way to gauge how corporate boards enact their monitoring responsibilities based on CEOs’ recent past strategic choices.
Role of autolysins in the activities of imipenem and CGP 31608, a novel penem, against slowly growing bacteria

The carbapenem imipenem and the penem CGP 31608 demonstrated unusually good bactericidal activity against slowly growing bacteria. In contrast to that of penicillin, the rate of killing was independent of growth rate. In logarithmically growing cells, a decrease in growth rate was paralleled by a decrease in the relative activity of only one of four autolysins measured (membrane-bound endopeptidase), suggesting that autolysis induced by penicillin G may be rate limited by this enzyme. Imipenem, on the other hand, appeared to trigger different autolysins in Escherichia coli, as evidenced by differences in the structure of peptidoglycan after imipenem- versus penicillin-induced autolysis.
Lysostaphin Treatment of Experimental Aortic Valve Endocarditis Caused by a Staphylococcus aureus Isolate with Reduced Susceptibility to Vancomycin

ABSTRACT The rabbit model of endocarditis was used to test the effectiveness of vancomycin and two different lysostaphin dosing regimens for the treatment of infections caused by a Staphylococcus aureusstrain with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin (glycopeptide-intermediate susceptible S. aureus [GISA]). Vancomycin was ineffective, with no evidence of sterilization of aortic valve vegetations. However, rates of sterilization of aortic valve vegetations were significantly better for animals treated with either a single dose of lysostaphin (43%) or lysostaphin given twice daily for 3 days (83%) than for animals treated with vancomycin. Rabbits given a single dose of lysostaphin followed by a 3-day drug-free period had mean reductions in aortic valve vegetation bacterial counts of 7.27 and 6.63 log10 CFU/g compared with those for untreated control rabbits and the vancomycin-treated group, respectively. We conclude that lysostaphin is an effective alternative for the treatment of experimental aortic valve endocarditis caused by a clinical VISA strain.
Circumstances of death in sudden death in epilepsy: interviews of bereaved relatives

OBJECTIVES To study the circumstances of death in sudden death in epilepsy. METHODS Self referred bereaved relatives of patients with epilepsy who had died suddenly were interviewed with information obtained substantiated through other sources—namely, coroners’ officers’ reports, postmortem reports, previous medical records, and EEG reports. RESULTS Of 34 cases, 26 were classified as sudden unexpected deaths in epilepsy (SUDEP). Twenty four of 26 cases of SUDEP were unwitnessed. Evidence indicative or suggestive of a seizure was found in most. In 11 of 26 the position of the head was such that breathing could have been compromised. Cases included both localisation related and idiopathic primary generalised epilepsy. Only three were in remission at the time of death. Most relatives expressed the view that they would have preferred to have known that epilepsy could be fatal. CONCLUSIONS Although the deaths in question were largely unwitnessed, the available evidence suggested that most cases of SUDEP represented ictal or postictal seizure deaths, occurring in people with a history of generalised tonic clonic seizures, and in both primary generalised and localisation related epilepsy. These interviews highlight the needs of bereaved relatives and their sense of isolation in the face of an entirely unexpected and apparently unexplained loss.