Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Mechanism of Action of the Novel SSAO Substrate (C7NH10)6(V10O28)·2H2O, a Prodrug of Peroxovanadate Insulin Mimetics

A new vanadium salt, hexakis(benzylammonium) decavanadate (V) dihydrate (C7NH10)6(V10O28)·2H2O ( 1 ), has been synthesized as well as characterized chemically and biologically. An in vitro enzyme assay revealed that compound 1 is oxidized to the same extent as a combination of benzylamine and vanadate by the enzyme semicarbazide‐sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO), and therefore can be considered an SSAO substrate. It also stimulates glucose uptake in isolated rat adipocytes in a dose‐dependent manner. We describe here the results of 51V‐NMR experiments that, combined with the in vitro results, corroborate that compound 1 could act as a prodrug of di‐peroxovanadate ([V(OH)2(OO)2(OH)2]2−) insulin mimetics.
Identifying children at high risk for psychological sequelae after pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization*

Objective: To identify those patients in a pediatric intensive care unit who may be at highest risk for developing persistent psychological sequelae after hospital discharge. Design: A secondary data analysis was conducted to examine data gathered in an earlier study of children's psychological responses after critical illness. The current study focused exclusively on patients who required pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization. Patients: Sixty children, aged 6 to 17 yrs, hospitalized in two Canadian pediatric intensive care units. Procedures: Children were categorized as either high risk or low risk for developing persistent psychological sequelae after discharge based on their level of illness severity and the number of invasive procedures to which they were exposed. Outcome data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, followed by an assessment of group differences at baseline, 6 wks, and 6 mos post-discharge. Combined effects of invasive procedures and illness severity on the outcome variables were explored. Outcome Measures: Three questionnaires were completed by all children 6 wks and 6 mos postdischarge, including the Children's Impact of Events Scale, the Children's Medical Fears Scale, and the Children's Health Locus of Control Scale. Results: Children in the high risk group demonstrated more psychological sequelae 6 wks and 6 mos postdischarge. Exposure to high numbers of invasive procedures was the most important predictor of group differences 6 wks postdischarge. Conclusions: Findings suggest there is a group of children in the pediatric intensive care unit who are at higher risk for developing persistent psychological sequelae postdischarge. Exposure to high numbers of invasive procedures may be the driving force behind group differences, particularly at 6 wks postdischarge. These children warrant closer observation and follow-up.
Expert system for diagnosis pests and diseases of the rice plant using forward chaining and certainty factor method

Pests and diseases are one of the main factors that affect the low level of rice plant productivity. The symptoms in the infected rice plant are sometimes difficult to identify because they often shows the similar signs or characteristics so that only the experts who can identity them correctly. The infected rice plant actually can be identified since the beginning stage of planting until harvest time. So by knowing the symptoms in the early stage of the rice plant growth some preventif actions then can be done. Identifying pests and diseases of rice plant needs skills, experiences, and knowledge and should be done fast and accurate because the pests and diseases of rice plant can spread quickly and attack at all area of agriculture land. Since the number of experts in the pests and diseases of rice plant is limited, especially in a remote area, expert system then can be a smart solution for replacing the extensionist to decide what kind of pests or diseases that have attacked the rice plant. This paper presents a design and implementation of an expert system based on web application for diagnozing pests and diseases of the rice plant so that support system then still can be performed to provide the farmers with a correct decision. The knowledge representation model in this study used production rule and forward chaining based on symptoms or characteristics from attacked rice plant. The certainty factors method was used to define the expert confidence level for each symptom. This expert system testing was done by 15 person of non-extensionist of agriculture and 20 person of agriculture extensionist for observing 12 sample of images of the infected rice plant. The testing result showed that the accuracy level of this system is 73,81%. Meaning that this expert system can help farmers determining the pests or diseases of rice plant.
Pharmacological comparison of the vasorelaxant action displayed by kaurenoic acid and pimaradienoic acid

The vascular effects of two natural occurring diterpenes from the kaurane and pimarane classes were compared. The diterpenes ent‐kaur‐16‐en‐19‐oic acid (kaurenoic acid; KA) and ent‐pimara‐8(14), 15‐dien‐19‐oic acid (pimaradienoic acid; PA) were tested for their antispasmodic activity on isolated rat aorta. Vascular reactivity experiments, using standard muscle bath procedures, showed that KA and PA (both at 50 and 100 μm) inhibited phenylephrine and KCl‐induced contraction in both endothelium‐intact and endothelium‐denuded rat aortic rings, with PA being more effective than KA. These compounds also reduced CaCl2‐induced contraction in Ca2+‐free solution containing KCl (30 mm). Again, PA produced a greater reduction in CaCl2‐induced contraction than KA. PA (1–300 μm) and KA (1–450 μm) concentration dependently relaxed endothelium‐denuded aortic rings pre‐contracted with KCl (maximum relaxation 102.31 ± 6.94% and 82.71 ± 1.40%, respectively). Similarly, the relaxation induced by KA on aortic rings pre‐contracted with phenylephrine (73.06 ± 3.68%) was less pronounced than that found for PA (102.21 ± 3.64%). Incubation of endothelium‐denuded rings for different periods showed that at 50 μm, KA and PA achieved maximum inhibitory activity on KCl‐induced contraction after incubation for 60 (53.48 ± 5.83%) and 30 min (83.89 ± 2.12%), respectively. At 100 μm, KA and PA inhibited KCl‐induced contraction, with a maximum after incubation for 30 min (73.58 ± 5.30% and 92.07 ± 1.20%, respectively). The maximum inhibition induced by PA at both concentrations tested was greater than that induced by KA. The results provide evidence that structural differences between diterpenes, independent of the C‐19 carboxylic acid site, influence selectivity for voltage‐operated Ca2+ channels and rate of equilibrium with the target site for their vasorelaxant action in rat aortic rings.
Insured Without Moral Hazard in the Health Care Reform of China

Public insurance possibly increases the use of health care because of the insured person's interest in maximizing benefits without incurring out-of-pocket costs. A newly reformed public insurance scheme in China that builds on personal responsibility is thus likely to provide insurance without causing moral hazard. This possibility is the focus of this study, which surveyed 303 employees in a large city in China. The results show that the coverage and use of the public insurance scheme did not show a significant positive effect on the average employee's frequency of physician consultation. In contrast, the employee who endorsed public responsibility for health care visited physicians more frequently in response to some insurance factors. On balance, public insurance did not tempt the average employee to consult physicians frequently, presumably due to personal responsibility requirements in the insurance scheme.
Demographic and random amplified polymorphic DNA analyses reveal high levels of genetic diversity in a clonal violet

We performed demographic and molecular investigations on woodland populations of the clonal herb Viola riviniana in central Germany. We investigated the pattern of seedling recruitment, the amount of genotypic (clonal) variation and the partitioning of genetic variation among and within populations. Our demographic study was carried out in six violet populations of different ages and habitat conditions. It revealed that repeated seedling recruitment takes place in all of these populations, and that clonal propagation is accompanied by high ramet mortality. Our molecular investigations were performed on a subset of three of these six violet populations. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analyses using six primers yielded 45 scorable bands that were used to identify multilocus genotypes, i.e. putative clones. Consistent with our demographic results and independent of population age, we found a large genotypic diversity with a mean proportion of distinguishable genotypes of 0.93 and a mean Simpson’s diversity index of 0.99. Using amova we found a strong genetic differentiation among these violet populations with a ΦST value of 0.41. We suggest that a high selfing rate, limited gene flow due to short seed dispersal distances and drift due to founder effects are responsible for this pattern. Although Viola riviniana is a clonal plant, traits associated with sexual reproduction rather than clonality per se are moulding the pattern of genetic variation in this species.
COMT val158met Genotype Affects µ-Opioid Neurotransmitter Responses to a Pain Stressor

Responses to pain and other stressors are regulated by interactions between multiple brain areas and neurochemical systems. We examined the influence of a common functional genetic polymorphism affecting the metabolism of catecholamines on the modulation of responses to sustained pain in humans. Individuals homozygous for themet158 allele of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism (val158met) showed diminished regional μ-opioid system responses to pain compared with heterozygotes. These effects were accompanied by higher sensory and affective ratings of pain and a more negative internal affective state. Opposite effects were observed in val158 homozygotes. The COMTval158met polymorphism thus influences the human experience of pain and may underlie interindividual differences in the adaptation and responses to pain and other stressful stimuli.
Gender Influences as an Impediment to Knowledge Sharing: When Men and Women Fail to Seek Peer Feedback

Little research has considered how work team characteristics influence feedback-seeking behavior among team members. The authors' aim in this research was to identify central sources of influence on feedback-seeking behavior in a mixed-gender context. They placed men and women in work groups of varying gender composition. The participants then participated in a gender-biased (perceived as either male-oriented or female-oriented) negotiation exercise. Findings indicated that the gender of the participant, the team's gender composition, and the gender orientation of the task influenced feedback-seeking behavior among team members.
The Use of Source Scaling Relationships in the Simulation of a Seismic Scenario in Mexico

The general knowledge of seismicity of the Mexican Pacific Coast has been described in terms of its relationship within the regional context with the Middle America Trench, the convergence rate observed and predicted by plate tectonics processes, the use of seismic gap theory for forecast earthquakes on the region (Reyes [1]; Eissler and McNally [2]; Singh [3]; as well as Heaton and Kanamori [4]; among others) and prediction of strong ground motions using empirical relationship and seismic source scaling procedures (Somerville [5] and Somerville [6]).
Intrathecal Amitriptyline Acts as an N‐Methyl‐D‐Aspartate Receptor Antagonist in the Presence of Inflammatory Hyperalgesia in Rats

Background Amitriptyline and other tricyclic antidepressants exhibit high affinity binding to N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors in vitro and inhibit NMDA receptor activation‐induced neuroplasticity in hippocampal slices. Because spinal NMDA receptor activation is believed to be central to generation and maintenance of hyperalgesic pain, the purpose of this study was to test whether intrathecal amitriptyline reduced inflammation‐induced hyperalgesia in the rat.
AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)

While an increasing number of trust studies examine technological artifacts as trust recipients, we still lack a basic understanding of how technology trust “fits” into the broader nomological net espoused by trust theories. This paper adopts a measure of technology trust comprised of IT-specific dimensions. We then articulate a research model that separates technology trust from interpersonal trust (i.e., trust in humans). Our empirical study provides evidence that even in a context where technology fully replaces human interaction, technology trust does not substitute for interpersonal trust. Rather, our findings suggest that technology trust complements interpersonal trust as a predictor of intention and behavior.
Nonparabolicity and a sum rule associated with bound-to-bound and bound-to-continuum intersubband transitions in quantum wells.

A sum rule for electronic intersubband transitions has been derived following Kane's model, beyond the quadratic dispersion relations. The sum rule takes into account the effects of nonparabolicity and the different effective masses in the well and barrier materials; it depends on the property of the ground state of the system and, as such, on the shape of the potential. The boundaries of the validity of matrix element computations are also discussed in the case where only the conduction band is included. Experimental results are presented for bound-to-bound and bound-to-continuum intersubband transitions in various types of ${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{In}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As/${\mathrm{Ga}}_{\mathit{y}}$${\mathrm{In}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{y}}$As quantum well systems (single wells, coupled wells and quantum wells with Bragg confinement); the agreement with theory is excellent. In the last section of the paper, the effect of the electric field on the sum rule is investigated.
Superconductivity in bad metals.

It is argued that many synthetic metals, including high temperature superconductors are “bad matais”, with such a poor conductivity that the usual mean-field theory of superconductivity breaks down because of anomalously large classical and quantum fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting order parameter. Some consequences for high temperature superconductors are described.
Impact of Maternal Undernutrition During the Periconceptional Period, Fetal Number, and Fetal Sex on the Development of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary Adrenal Axis in Sheep During Late Gestation1

Abstract Evidence from epidemiologic, clinical, and experimental studies has shown that a suboptimal intrauterine environment during early pregnancy can alter fetal growth and gestation length and is associated with an increased prevalence of adult hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It has been postulated that maternal nutrient restriction may act to reprogram the development of the pituitary-adrenal axis, resulting in excess glucocorticoid exposure and adverse health outcomes in later life. It is unknown, however, whether maternal nutrient restriction during the periconceptional period alters the development of the fetal pituitary-adrenal axis or whether the effects of periconceptional undernutrition can be reversed by the provision of an adequate level of maternal nutrition throughout the remainder of pregnancy. We have investigated the effect of restricted periconceptional nutrition (70% of control feed allowance) from 60 days before until 7 days after mating and the effect of restricted gestational nutrition from Day 8 to 147 of gestation on the development of the fetal hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in the sheep. In these studies, we have also investigated the effects of fetal number and sex on the pituitary-adrenal responses to periconceptional and gestational undernutrition. In ewes maintained on a control diet throughout the periconceptional and gestational periods, fetal plasma ACTH concentrations were higher and the prepartum surge in cortisol occurred earlier in singletons compared with twins. Plasma ACTH concentrations were also significantly higher in male compared with female singletons, and in twin fetuses, the prepartum surge in cortisol concentrations occurred earlier in males than in females. Periconceptional undernutrition resulted in higher fetal plasma concentrations of ACTH between 110 and 145 days of gestation and a significantly greater cortisol response to a bolus dose of corticotropin-releasing hormone in twin, but not singleton, fetuses in late gestation. We have therefore demonstrated that fetal number and sex each has an impact on the timing of the prepartum activation of the HPA axis in the sheep. Restriction of the level of maternal nutrition before and in the first week of a twin pregnancy results in stimulation of the fetal pituitary-adrenal axis in late gestation, and this effect is not reversed by the provision of a maintenance control diet from the second week of pregnancy.
Natural history and outcome of patients with intramural hematomas and penetrating aortic ulcers

All pathologies of acute aortic syndromes should be precisely diagnosed for prompt therapy. Intramural hematomas, as well as penetrating ulcers can be encountered in these patients. Presentations, clinical scenarios, and proper management are outlined in this review, which sums up available current literature to provide the vascular specialist with an adequate understanding of these unique syndromes.
Dehydrogenase genes in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Tricholoma vaccinum: A role for Ald1 in mycorrhizal symbiosis

Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis is important for forest ecosystem functioning with tree‐fungal cooperation increasing performance and countering stress conditions. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) are key enzymes for detoxification and thus may play a role in stress response of the symbiotic association. With this focus, eight dehydrogenases, Ald1 through Ald7 and TyrA, of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Tricholoma vaccinum were characterized and phylogenetically investigated. Functional analysis was performed through differential expression analysis by feeding different, environmentally important substances. A strong effect of indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) was identified, linking mycorrhiza formation and auxin signaling between the symbiosis partners. We investigated ald1 overexpressing strains for performance in mycorrhiza with the host tree spruce (Picea abies) and observed an increased width of the apoplast, accommodating the Hartig’ net hyphae of the T. vaccinum over‐expressing transformants. The results support a role for Ald1 in ectomycorrhiza formation and underline functional differentiation within fungal aldehyde dehydrogenases in the family 1 of ALDHs.
Warm season cloud-to-ground lightning-precipitation relationships in the south-central United States

Abstract This study examines the relationship between cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning and surface precipitation using observations from six regions (each on the order of 10000 km2), April through October (1989–93), in the south-central United States. The relationship is evaluated using two different methods. First, regression equations are fit to the data, initially for only the CG lightning flash density and precipitation, and then with additional atmospheric and lightning parameters. Second, days are categorized according to differences in the precipitation-to-CG lightning ratio; the same additional parameters are then examined for differences occurring within each category. Results show that the relationship between CG lightning and surface precipitation is highly variable; r2 coefficients range from 0.121 in Baton Rouge to 0.601 in Dallas. A measure of the positive CG lightning flash density is the best addition to the model, statistically significant in all regions. When days are categorized, the perc.
The electrophoretic distribution of proteins in plasma in rheumatoid arthritis.

Abnormalities in the electrophoretic patterns of plasma proteins in rheumatoid arthritis have been described by various workers. With few exceptions an increase in the relative concentration of a,-, a2-, and y-globulin and of fibrinogen and lowering of the albumin concentration have been observed and have been associated consistently with activity of the disease (1-15). Olhagen (4, 10) and Svartz and Olhagen (8) ascribed a possible prognostic significance to isolated elevation of aor y-globulin. They suggested that an elevation of the a-globulins without an increase in the y-fraction, often noted in acute cases, indicated a tendency to more rapid healing, whereas a high y-globulin with low a-globulins represented a poor prognosis. Wallis (13) described a "T component" in three patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. A protein with a similar electrophoretic mobility, y'-globulin, was noted by Paul and Routh (14) in normal sera. These authors observed a small decrease of this fraction in the sera of seven patients with rheumatoid spondylitis but found no change in 27 patients with generalized rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, Laurell (16) and Mehl and Golden (17) have demonstrated the occurrence of small amounts of two proteins with isoelectric pH values lower than that of serum albumin when electrophoresis was performed in acetate buffer of pH 4.5. The concentration of one component, which at pH 8.6 in diethylbarbiturate migrates with a mobility of the a2-globulin, was considerably increased in sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (17) and disappeared on treatment with cortisone (16).
Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness and Axial Length in Preschool Children with Hyperopic Anisometropic Amblyopia

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the relationship between subfoveal choroidal thickness and axial length in Japanese preschool children with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia. Methods: Twenty-four children between the age of 3 and 6 years exhibiting hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia were examined. Differences in spherical equivalent between the two eyes were over 1.5 D in all children. Twenty-four eyes in 12 children without anisometropia and amblyopia were examined as age-matched normal controls. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured by using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Axial length was measured with noncontact optical biometer. Results: The spherical equivalent ranged from +3.50 to +7.25 D in amblyopic eyes and from +0.75 to +3.50 D in fellow eyes. The subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly greater in the amblyopic eyes than that in the fellow eyes (407.3 ± 54.2 μm versus 357.7 ± 54.3 μm, Paired t-test, p < 0.05). The axial length in the amblyopic eyes was significantly shorter than that in the fellow eyes (21.16 ± 0.64 mm versus 22.08 ± 0.72 mm, Paired t-test, p < 0.05). The mean choroidal thickness of the fellow eyes in hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia was greater than that in age matched normal children, although this difference did not reach statistical significance (326.0 ± 62.1 μm, p = 0.07). The subfoveal choroidal thickness in amblyopic children was negatively correlated with their axial length (r = −0.50, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The subfoveal choroidal thickness of amblyopic children abnormally increased and the thicker subfoveal choroid is mildly correlated with their shorter axial length. The anomalous subfoveal choroidal thicknesses in our amblyopic children may reflect a delay in emmetropization.