Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cadmium uptake by earthworms as related to the availability in the soil and the intestine

The free metal concentration in the soil solution is often considered a key parameter for metal uptake by and toxicity to soft‐bodied soil organisms. The equilibrium partitioning theory, which assumes a relationship between the contaminant concentration in pore water and the contaminant concentration in the body tissue, can be used to describe uptake by earthworms. This theory has proved useful for organic chemicals, but its applicability is less clear for metals. In this study, the Cd concentration in soil pore water (pw) was varied by increasing the soil pH by the addition of lime (Ca(OH)2) and by adding manganese oxide (MnO2), which has a high metal binding capacity. Both lime (0.135% w/w) and MnO2 (1% w/w) decreased [Cd2+]pw by a factor of 25, while CdWorm was reduced only by a factor of 1.3 in lime‐treated soils and 2.5 in MnO2‐treated soils. Cadmium uptake was weakly related to the free metal concentration (R2adj = 0.66). Adding pH as an explanatory variable increased R2adj to 0.89, indicating that Cd uptake from pore water is pH dependent, which might be attributed to competition of protons and Cd at the surface of the earthworm body. However, previous earthworm experiments in reconstituted groundwater showed a conspicuously smaller pH dependency of Cd uptake. The differences in metal uptake between earthworms in lime‐ and MnO2‐treated soils are therefore more likely to reflect the predominance of pH‐independent intestinal uptake of Cd. Equilibrating the soil with a solution of 0.01 M CaCl2 and 0.1 M triethanolamine (buffered at pH 7.2), simulating the conditions prevailing in the worm intestine, yielded free Cd concentrations that were closely (R2adj = 0.83) and linearly related to the Cd concentration in the earthworm tissue.
Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Head Down Tilt on Cerebral Hemodynamics: A Prospective Evaluation of a Space-Flight Analog using Phase Contrast MRI

25 Alterations in cerebral hemodynamics in microgravity are hypothesized to occur during 26 spaceflight and could be linked to the Visual Impairment and Intracranial Pressure syndrome. 27 Head down tilt (HDT) is frequently used as a ground-based analog to simulate cephalad fluid 28 shifts in microgravity, however its effects on cerebral hemodynamics have not been well studied 29 with MRI techniques. Here, we evaluate the effects of (1) various HDT angles on cerebral 30 arterial and venous hemodynamics and (2) exposure to 1% CO2 during an intermediate HDT 31 angle (-12°) as an additional space-related environmental factor. Blood flow, cross sectional area 32 (CSA) and blood flow velocity were measured with phase contrast MRI in the internal jugular 33 veins (IJVs) as well as the vertebral and internal carotid arteries. Nine healthy, male subjects 34 were measured at baseline (supine, 0°) and after 4.5 h of HDT at -6°, -12° (with and without 1% 35 CO2), and -18°. We found a decrease in total arterial blood flow from baseline during all angles 36 of HDT. On the venous side, CSA increased with HDT and outflow decreased during -12° HDT 37 (P=0.039). Moreover the addition of 1% CO2 to -12° HDT caused an increase in total arterial 38 blood flow (P=0.016) and jugular venous outflow (P <0.001) compared to -12° HDT with 39 ambient atmosphere. Overall, the results indicate decreased cerebral blood flow during HDT, 40 which may have implications for microgravity-induced cerebral hemodynamic changes. 41
Similar Studies with Different Conclusions: What’s a Reader to Believe?

In this issue of Pain Practice Zhao and colleagues report results from an observational analysis of commercially insured patients with fibromyalgia (FM) showing that health care costs were significantly lower with treatment using duloxetine compared to treatment using pregabalin. Shall we therefore switch our patients from pregabalin to duloxetine to save scarce health dollars? Wait! Another article in this same issue by Harnett and colleagues using the same dataset and similar data analytic methods found that costs were similar between pregabalin and duloxetine, with the nonsignificant difference favoring the pregabalin arm. What’s a reader to believe? As readers we are not as surprised when studies with different designs reach conflicting conclusions. For example, a number of observational studies showed that estrogen treatment benefited women on a variety of outcomes including reducing heart disease. However, when a randomized controlled trial was performed, women who took estrogen plus progestin actually were more likely to develop heart disease. Presumably, the findings from the observational studies were confounded. In all likelihood, women who took estrogen engaged in other behaviors that were healthful. Although multivariable analysis can adjust for known confounders that can be measured with precision, it is impossible to adjust for those factors that are unmeasured or hard to measure (eg, healthful life style). In comparison to multivariable adjustment of observational data, randomization eliminates confounding due to both measured and unmeasured confounders. In the case of these two articles comparing pregabalin to duloxetine, both studies are observational and both used multivariable models to adjust for known confounders. If the reason these two studies came to different conclusions is not study design then what could have led to the different results? There are six major possibilities, all of which pertain not only to these two studies but to any two similar studies that produce different results: (1) the results are different, but not statistically different from one another; (2) the results are different due to differences in the populations studied; (3) the results are different due to differences in the success of adjusting for confounding; (4) the results are different due to differences in how the treatments were administered; (5) the results are different due to differences in how the outcomes were measured; or (6) the results are different due to bias. I will discuss each of these issues with respect to these two articles.
Contrasting cloud composition between coupled and decoupled marine boundary layer clouds

Marine stratocumulus clouds often become decoupled from the vertical layer immediately above the ocean surface. This study contrasts cloud chemical composition between coupled and decoupled marine stratocumulus clouds for dissolved nonwater substances. Cloud water and droplet residual particle composition were measured in clouds off the California coast during three airborne experiments in July–August of separate years (Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment 2011, Nucleation in California Experiment 2013, and Biological and Oceanic Atmospheric Study 2015). Decoupled clouds exhibited significantly lower air‐equivalent mass concentrations in both cloud water and droplet residual particles, consistent with reduced cloud droplet number concentration and subcloud aerosol (Dp > 100 nm) number concentration, owing to detachment from surface sources. Nonrefractory submicrometer aerosol measurements show that coupled clouds exhibit higher sulfate mass fractions in droplet residual particles, owing to more abundant precursor emissions from the ocean and ships. Consequently, decoupled clouds exhibited higher mass fractions of organics, nitrate, and ammonium in droplet residual particles, owing to effects of long‐range transport from more distant sources. Sodium and chloride dominated in terms of air‐equivalent concentration in cloud water for coupled clouds, and their mass fractions and concentrations exceeded those in decoupled clouds. Conversely, with the exception of sea‐salt constituents (e.g., Cl, Na, Mg, and K), cloud water mass fractions of all species examined were higher in decoupled clouds relative to coupled clouds. Satellite and Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System‐based reanalysis data are compared with each other, and the airborne data to conclude that limitations in resolving boundary layer processes in a global model prevent it from accurately quantifying observed differences between coupled and decoupled cloud composition.
Fruit polyphenols and CVD risk: a review of human intervention studies

Epidemiological evidence suggests that polyphenols may, in part, explain the cardioprotective properties of fruits. This review aims to summarise the evidence for the effects of fruit polyphenols on four risk factors of CVD: platelet function, blood pressure, vascular function and blood lipids. This review includes human dietary intervention studies investigating fruits and their polyphenols. There was some evidence to suggest that fruits containing relatively high concentrations of flavonols, anthocyanins and procyanindins, such as pomegranate, purple grapes and berries, were effective at reducing CVD risk factors, particularly with respect to anti-hypertensive effects, inhibition of platelet aggregation and increasing endothelial-dependent vasodilation than other fruits investigated. Flavanone-rich fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, were reported to have hypocholesterolaemic effects, with little impact on other risk factors being examined. However, the evidence was limited, inconsistent and often inconclusive. This is in part due to the heterogeneity in the design of studies, the lack of controls, the relatively short intervention periods and low power in several studies. Details of the polyphenol content of the fruits investigated were also omitted in some studies, negating comparison of data. It is recommended that large, well-powered, long-term human dietary intervention studies investigating a wider range of fruits are required to confirm these observations. Investigations into the potential synergistic effects of polyphenols on a combination of CVD risk markers, dose–response relationships and standardisation in methodology would facilitate the comparison of studies and also provide valuable information on the types of fruits which could confer protection against CVD.
The Adaptive Brain: Glenn Hatton and the Supraoptic Nucleus

In December 2009, Glenn Hatton died, and neuroendocrinology lost a pioneer who had done much to forge our present understanding of the hypothalamus and whose productivity had not faded with the passing years. Glenn, an expert in both functional morphology and electrophysiology, was driven by a will to understand the significance of his observations in the context of the living, behaving organism. He also had the wit to generate bold and challenging hypotheses, the wherewithal to expose them to critical and elegant experimental testing, and a way with words that gave his papers and lectures clarity and eloquence. The hypothalamo‐neurohypophysial system offered a host of opportunities for understanding how physiological functions are fulfilled by the electrical activity of neurones, how neuronal behaviour changes with changing physiological states, and how morphological changes contribute to the physiological response. In the vision that Glenn developed over 35 years, the neuroendocrine brain is as dynamic in structure as it is adaptable in function. Its adaptability is reflected not only by mere synaptic plasticity, but also by changes in neuronal morphology and in the morphology of the glial cells. Astrocytes, in Glenn’s view, were intimate partners of the neurones, partners with an essential role in adaptation to changing physiological demands.
PENGARUH SIKAP, NORMA SUBYEKTIF, DAN KONTROL PERILAKU YANG DIPERSEPSIKAN STAFF PAJAK TERHADAP KEPATUHAN PAJAK WAJIB PAJAK BADAN

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan antara sikap, norma subyektif, dan kontrol perilaku yang dipersepsikan terhadap kepatuhan pajak wajib pajak badan. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain survey dengan kuesioner sebagai instrumennya. Responden dalam penelitian ini adalah staff pajak yang bekerja pada perusahaan industry manufaktur di Surabaya. Penelitian ini menggunakan sikap staff pajak terhadap kepatuhan pajak, norma subyektif dari staff pajak tersebut, dan kontrol perilaku yang dipersepsikan dari staff pajak tersebut sebagai variabel independen dan kepatuhan pajak wajib pajak badan sebagai variabel dependen. Analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan analisis regresi linier berganda dengan program SPSS 15.00 for Windows . Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa (1) Sikap staff pajak berpengaruh positif terhadap kepatuhan pajak wajib pajak badan secara signifikan, (2) Norma subyektif berpengaruh positif terhadap kepatuhan pajak wajib pajak badan secara signifikan, dan (3) Kontrol perilaku yang Dipersepsikan berpengaruh positif terhadap kepatuhan pajak wajib pajak badan secara signifikan.
Influence of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Ectopic Bone Formation in Calcium Phosphate Ceramics

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains a mixture of growth factors that play an important role in wound and fracture healing. While PRP enhanced bone formation by autogenous cancellous bone grafts, its influence in combination with different bone substitutes remained unknown. This study evaluated the effect of PRP on osteogenic differentiation and ectopic bone formation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in distinct resorbable calcium phosphate ceramics. Calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) blocks with a large specific surface area (48 m2/g) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) with a low specific surface area (<0.5 m2/g) were loaded with 2 × 105 bone marrow-derived MSC. Half of the specimens were treated with 5-fold concentrated PRP. Biocomposites were implanted subcutaneously into SCID mice or kept under osteogenic culture conditions for 2 weeks before implantation. The addition of PRP increased the specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (p = 0.012) in undifferentiated MSC/CDHA composites but not in MSC/β-TCP composites. Osteogenic preinduction was ineffective for CDHA and reduced ALP activity of β-TCP composites significantly at explantation. Ectopic bone formation was stronger in MSC/CDHA (7/32) compared to MSC/β-TCP (2/30) composites, but no influence of PRP was evident. In conclusion, the effect of PRP depended on the type of ceramic and the differentiation status of the MSC, and enhanced ALP activity of MSC on the high surface scaffold CDHA only, but PRP did not improve osteogenesis in our setting.
Systemic administration of L‐arginine benefits mdx skeletal muscle function

A major consequence of muscular dystrophy is that increased membrane fragility leads to high calcium influx and results in muscle degeneration and myonecrosis. Prior reports have demonstrated that increased nitric oxide production via L‐arginine treatment of normal and mdx mice resulted in increased expression of utrophin and increased activation of muscle satellite cells, which could ameliorate the dystrophic pathology. We delivered L‐arginine to normal and mdx mice, and examined muscles for any functional changes associated with its administration. Treated mdx muscles were less susceptible to contraction‐induced damage and exhibited a rightward shift of the force–frequency relationship. Immunoblotting revealed increases in utrophin and γ‐sarcoglycan in the treated muscles. There was also a decrease in Evans blue dye uptake, indicating a reduction in myonecrosis. However, there was no decrease in serum creatine kinase or the proportion of central nuclei, nor any improvement in specific force. Together, these results show that L‐arginine treatment can be beneficial to mdx muscle function, perhaps through a combination of enhanced calcium handling and increased utrophin, thereby decreasing muscle degeneration. Muscle Nerve, 2005
Few-Mode Cr-Doped Fibers by Cladded High Index Glass for Broadband Fiber Amplifiers

A few-mode Cr-doped crystalline core fiber (FMCDCCF) with high-index glass as a cladding is demonstrated. The FMCDCCF exhibits a core diameter of 34 μm and a V-value of 3.4, which could guide about two linear modes in theory, namely the LP01 and LP11 modes in fiber. A 4.1-dB gross gain of the FMCDCCF at wavelength of 1400-nm was obtained. Further study on higher gain is essential to open the possibility of utilizing the FMCDCCF as broadband fiber amplifiers for use in the next-generation optical transmission systems.
The Use of Artificial-Intelligence-Based Ensembles for Intrusion Detection: A Review

In supervised learning-based classification, ensembles have been successfully employed to different application domains. In the literature, many researchers have proposed different ensembles by considering different combination methods, training datasets, base classifiers, and many other factors. Artificial-intelligence-(AI-) based techniques play prominent role in development of ensemble for intrusion detection (ID) and have many benefits over other techniques. However, there is no comprehensive review of ensembles in general and AI-based ensembles for ID to examine and understand their current research status to solve the ID problem. Here, an updated review of ensembles and their taxonomies has been presented in general. The paper also presents the updated review of various AI-based ensembles for ID (in particular) during last decade. The related studies of AI-based ensembles are compared by set of evaluation metrics driven from (1) architecture & approach followed; (2) different methods utilized in different phases of ensemble learning; (3) other measures used to evaluate classification performance of the ensembles. The paper also provides the future directions of the research in this area. The paper will help the better understanding of different directions in which research of ensembles has been done in general and specifically: field of intrusion detection systems (IDSs).
Uniform Silicon Isotope Ratios Across the Milky Way Galaxy

We report the relative abundances of the three stable isotopes of silicon, 28Si, 29Si, and 30Si, across the Galaxy using the transition of silicon monoxide. The chosen sources represent a range in Galactocentric radii ( ) from 0 to 9.8 kpc. The high spectral resolution and sensitivity afforded by the Green Bank Telescope permit isotope ratios to be corrected for optical depths. The optical-depth-corrected data indicate that the secondary-to-primary silicon isotope ratios and vary much less than predicted on the basis of other stable isotope ratio gradients across the Galaxy. Indeed, there is no detectable variation in Si isotope ratios with . This lack of an isotope ratio gradient stands in stark contrast to the monotonically decreasing trend with exhibited by published secondary-to-primary oxygen isotope ratios. These results, when considered in the context of the expectations for chemical evolution, suggest that the reported oxygen isotope ratio trends, and perhaps those for carbon as well, require further investigation. The methods developed in this study for SiO isotopologue ratio measurements are equally applicable to Galactic oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen isotope ratio measurements, and should prove useful for future observations of these isotope systems.
Spousal caregivers and persons with dementia: Increasing participation in shared leisure activities among hospital-based dementia support program participants

Spousal caregivers of persons with dementia often have difficulty engaging persons with dementia in leisure activities. This qualitative descriptive study identifies how caregivers perceive their spouses’ participation in leisure activities since dementia onset and the professional guidance caregivers require to increase persons with dementia participation in shared leisure activities. Nine spousal caregivers from a hospital-based caregiver intervention attended one of three focus groups. Using symbolic interactionism and selective optimization with compensation theory as guiding frameworks, thematic content analysis was performed. Three major themes were identified: Recognizing and acknowledging changes, Making sense of changes and conflicts, and Embracing changes and forging ahead. Findings can be used by healthcare providers to better understand caregivers’ needs for engaging persons with dementia in shared leisure activities, and inform development of feedback protocols to enhance caregiver interventions.
Reduced set of phages for typing salmonellae

A set composed of 27 phages is described for differentiating Salmonella spp. representative of groups A, B, C1, C2, D1, D2, E1, E2, E3, E4, G1, K, and N. All of the 1,245 cultures used in this effort were typable and were differentiated on the basis of the 420 phage patterns observed. All results were reproducible. Characteristic phage patterns were produced by a variety of Salmonella serovars isolated from campus incidents and a number of hospital, family, restaurant, and processing plant outbreaks to indicate an existing epidemiological relationship.
Neurotransmitter evaluation in the hippocampus of rats after intracerebral injection of TsTX scorpion toxin

TsTX is an α-type sodium channel toxin that stimulates the discharge of neurotransmitters from neurons. In the present study we investigated which neurotransmitters are released in the hippocampus after TsTX injection and if they are responsible for electrographic or histopathological effects. Microdialysis revealed that the toxin increased glutamate extracellular levels in the hippocampus; however, levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were not significantly altered. Neurodegeneration in pyramidal cells of hippocampus and electroencephalographic alterations caused by the toxin were blocked by pretreatment with riluzole, a glutamate release inhibitor. The present results suggest a specific activity of TsTX in the hippocampus which affects only glutamate release.
Postmarketing Surveillance of the Safety and Effectiveness of Etanercept in Japan

Objective. Postmarketing surveillance (PMS) was conducted evaluating safety and effectiveness of etanercept (ETN; Enbrel®) in Japan, following all patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during the conditional approval period of ETN. Methods. Registration of patients from 1,334 medical sites was conducted between March 2005 and April 2007. Patients were followed for 24 weeks; data regarding patients’ background, safety, and effectiveness was recorded centrally. Adverse events (AE) and adverse drug reactions (ADR) were coded using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities. Effectiveness was measured using the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28). Results. Of 14,369 patients registered, data collection and evaluation for 7,091 patients by March 2006 is reported. At least 1 AE was observed for 2,173 patients (30.6%); 60% of AE occurred within 8 weeks of starting ETN. Most frequent AE were injection site reaction (n = 377, 5.3%) and rash (n = 228, 3.2%). Serious AE occurred in 403 patients (5.7%); most frequent were pneumonia (n = 59, 0.8%) and interstitial lung disease (n = 42, 0.6%). Pneumonia was the most common specifically important ADR (n = 102, 1.4%). Mean baseline DAS28 was 6.0, which reduced to 4.4 within 4 weeks, and to 3.9 within 24 weeks. The proportion of patients having good or moderate EULAR response measured by DAS28 was 84.1% at Week 24. Effectiveness rates were more favorable in patients concomitantly using methotrexate. Good or moderate EULAR response rate among patients switched from infliximab was 84.9%. Conclusion. This extensive observational trial, including all patients with RA in Japan taking ETN, found ETN to be both effective and well tolerated by Japanese patients with RA. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00503503.