Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PPAR agonists stimulate adipogenesis at the expense of osteoblast differentiation while inhibiting osteoclast formation and activity

Drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, specifically peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR) agonists, have been reported to affect bone cell function and fracture risk. In this study, we assessed the direct effects of PPAR‐γ agonists (rosiglitazone and troglitazone), used in the treatment of diabetes, and a PPAR‐α agonist (fenofibrate), used to treat hyperlipidaemia, on the function of primary osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Formation of ‘trabecular’ bone structures by rat calvarial osteoblasts was reduced by up to 85% in cultures treated with rosiglitazone and by 45% in troglitazone‐treated or fenofibrate‐treated cultures; at the same time, lipid droplet formation was increased by 40–70%. The expression of key osteogenic markers was similarly downregulated in cultures treated with PPAR agonists, whereas adipogenesis markers were upregulated. Formation of osteoclasts in cultures derived from mouse marrow diminished with fenofibrate treatment, whereas both glitazones reduced resorptive activity without affecting osteoclast number. Metformin, although not a PPAR agonist, is also commonly used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Here, metformin was found to have no effect on bone cell function. Taken together, these data suggest that PPAR‐γ agonists may enhance bone loss via increased adipogenesis at the expense of osteoblast formation. In contrast, PPAR‐α agonists may prevent bone loss. Given that the prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease is expected to rise significantly, greater attention may need to be paid to the effects of PPAR agonists on bone homeostasis. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Study on the Relationship of the Phenolic, Flavonoid and Tannin Content to the Antioxidant Activity of Garcinia Atroviridis

The presence of phenolic, flavanoid and tannin compound content in the methanolic extract of Garcinia atroviridis were investigated in this study using UV-Vis Spectrometry and consequently find the relationship between the chemical contents with the antioxidant activity. Garcinia atroviridis has phenolic content the highest followed by flavonoid and tannin content. The antioxidant activities of dried sample of Garcinia atroviridis was carried out by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The plant shows low antioxidant activity. Garcinia leaves from ethyl acetate extract showed the highest antioxidant activity (59.18%) followed by Garcinia leaves from methanol extract (57.97%), and then Garcinia leaves from hexane extract (55.67%). The total phenolic content showed a good correlation with the antioxidant activity but not with the total flavonoid and tannin content.
Optimization of a piezoelectric energy harvester for environmental broadband vibrations

Energy scavenging systems (ESS) can be important, theoretically endless, sources of energy. In the future, they could recharge or even replace batteries. In this paper a design methodology is presented in order to maximize the harvested energy and the transduction efficiency of a cantilever-like piezoelectric scavenger. The role of geometrical parameters is investigated through a theoretical analysis based on an equivalent lumped-parameter circuit, while their optimum value is chosen by means of FEM simulations.
The frequency of twinning in a rural community in Western Nigeria

It is generally known that the incidence of twinning in Nigeria is very high and in fact the twinning rates in some parts of the country are the highest on record-45 per 1000 maternities compared with 11-12 per 1000 maternities in England and Wales and U.S.A. (RegistrarGeneral, 1967; Shipley, et al. 1967). Most of the information relating to the high twinning rate, however, is derived from the analysis of hospital statistics (Knox & Morley, 1960; Cannon & Hartfield, 1964; Cox, 1963; Nylander, 1967) and while such data may be very useful in many cases, they are, nevertheless, biased owing to selective factors in hospital populations. However, in some hospitals the twinning incidence agrees fairly closely with that in the general community, either because selection is minimal or some selection factors are offset by others (Nylander, 1967). It is hoped that analysis of data collected from a whole community in a rural area in Western Nigeria (Igbo-Ora) in which there is no selection, will provide valuable information to indicate the true incidence of twinning in Western Nigeria (where the main ethnic group is Yoruba).
Does beauty matter? The role of friends' attractiveness and gender on social attractiveness ratings of individuals on Facebook

Social network sites have become essential for managing relationships in today's life. Therefore, it is increasingly important for scientist to understand how impressions are formed and connections develop in the virtual world. The current research focuses on the popular social network site Facebook. It seeks to investigate how the attractiveness of Facebook friends affects the impression formation of the profile owner, thereby, including gender effects of target and perceiver. Following this objective, a sample of 78 students took part in the experimental study, rating mocked-up Facebook profiles on the social attractiveness of the owner. Results show that the friends' attractiveness has a direct positive impact on the social attractiveness of the target. The gender of the target and perceiver is not a significant moderator of this relationship. However, a main influence of perceiver's gender could be constituted, implying that male as opposed to female perceivers generally rate strangers more socially attractive on SNSs.
Posttraumatic stress disorder and responses to couple conflict: implications for cardiovascular risk.

OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and difficulties in intimate relationships. Greater frequency and severity of couple conflict and greater cardiovascular reactivity to such conflict might contribute to CHD risk in those with PTSD, but affective and physiological responses to couple conflict have not been examined previously in this population. METHOD In a preliminary test of this hypothesis, 32 male veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars with PTSD and their female partners, and 33 control male veterans without PTSD and their female partners completed relationship quality assessments and a conflict discussion task. PTSD diagnosis was confirmed through diagnostic interviews and questionnaires. State anger, state anxiety, and cardiovascular measures (i.e., blood pressure, heart rate) were recorded during baseline and the conflict discussion. RESULTS Compared with controls, PTSD couples reported greater couple conflict and less warmth, and displayed pronounced increases in anger and greater increases in systolic blood pressure in response to the conflict task (all ps < .05; range η2: .05-.24). Partners in the PTSD group exhibited similar, if not greater, responses as veterans. CONCLUSIONS This was the first investigation to document emotional and cardiovascular responses to couple conflict in veterans with PTSD and their partners. PTSD was associated with greater frequency and severity of couple conflict, and greater anger and cardiovascular reactivity to conflict discussions. Anger and physiological responses to couple discord might contribute to CHD risk in veterans with PTSD, and perhaps their partners, as well.
Approaches to Compute Workflow Complexity

During the last 20 years, complexity has been an interesting topic that has been investigated in many fields of science, such as biology, neurology, software engineering, chemistry, psychology, and economy. A survey of the various approaches to understand complexity has lead sometimes to a measurable quantity with a rigorous but narrow definition and other times as merely an ad hoc label. In this paper we investigate the complexity concept to avoid a vague use of the term `complexity' in workflow designs. We present several complexity metrics that have been used for a number of years in adjacent fields of science and explain how they can be adapted and use to evaluate the complexity of workflows.
Association of serum myeloperoxidase with the ankle–brachial index and peripheral arterial disease

Abstract Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzymatic mediator of several inflammatory cascades and higher serum levels have been associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. We investigated the association of serum MPO with the ankle–brachial index (ABI) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in a bi-ethnic cohort of African-Americans and non-Hispanic white individuals. Participants included 1324 African-Americans (mean age 64 years, 71% women) and 1237 non-Hispanic white individuals (mean age 59 years, 57% women) belonging to hypertensive sibships. Serum levels of MPO were measured by solid phase sandwich immunoassay. ABI was measured using a standard protocol and PAD was defined as an ABI < 0.90. Multivariable regression analysis using generalized estimating equations were performed to assess whether serum MPO levels were associated with ABI and the presence of PAD. After adjustment for age and sex, higher MPO levels were significantly associated with lower ABI and the presence of PAD in African-Americans (p = 0.004 and p = 0.005, respectively) and in non-Hispanic white individuals (p = 0.001 and p = 0.016, respectively). After additional adjustment for conventional risk factors (diabetes, smoking status, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, waist circumference, hypertension), prior history of myocardial infarction or stroke, and medication use (statins, aspirin, estrogen), higher MPO levels remained significantly associated with lower ABI and the presence of PAD in both African-Americans (p = 0.008 and p = 0.010, respectively) and non-Hispanic white individuals (p = 0.001 and p = 0.018, respectively). We conclude that higher MPO levels are associated with lower ABI and the presence of PAD in African-Americans and non-Hispanic white individuals.
A novel mechanism for control of antigenic variation in the haemagglutinin gene family of Mycoplasma synoviae

High‐frequency phase and antigenic variation of homologous lipoprotein haemagglutinins has been seen in both the major avian mycoplasma pathogens, Mycoplasma synoviae and Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The expression and, hence, antigenic variation of the pMGA gene family (encoding these lipoproteins in M. gallisepticum) is controlled by variation in the length of a trinucleotide repeat motif 5′ to the promoter of each gene. However, such a mechanism was not detected in preliminary observations on M. synoviae. Thus, the basis for control of variation in the vlhA gene family (which encodes the homologous haemagglutinin in M. synoviae) was investigated to enable comparison with its homologue in M. gallisepticum and with other lipoprotein gene families in mycoplasmas. The start point of transcription was identified 119 bp upstream of the initiation codon, but features associated with control of transcription in other mycoplasma lipoprotein genes were not seen. Comparison of three copies of vlhA revealed considerable sequence divergence at the 3′ end of the gene, but conservation of the 5′ end. Southern blot analysis of M. synoviae genomic DNA revealed that the promoter region and part of the conserved 5′ coding sequence occurred as a single copy, whereas the remainder of the coding sequence occurred as multiple copies. A 9.7 kb fragment of the genome was found to contain eight tandemly repeated regions partially homologous to vlhA, all lacking the putative promoter region and the single‐copy 5′ end of vlhA, but extending over one of four distinct overlapping regions of the 3′ coding sequence. Examination of sequential clones of M. synoviae established that unidirectional recombination occurs between the pseudogenes and the expressed vlhA, with duplication of pseudogene sequence and loss of the corresponding region previously seen in the expressed gene. Expression of the 5′ end of two variants of the vlhA gene showed that they differed in their reaction with monoclonal antibodies specific for this region. These data suggest that the control of vlhA antigenic variation in M. synoviae is achieved by multiple gene conversion events using a repertoire of coding sequences to generate a chimeric expressed gene, with the greatest potential for variation generated in the region encoding the haemagglutinin. Thus, completely distinct mechanisms have been adopted to control antigenic variation in homologous gene families.
Dihydroartemisinin upregulates death receptor 5 expression and cooperates with TRAIL to induce apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is a derivative of artemisinin and is an effective anti-malaria therapeutic used worldwide. In this report, we report that DHA is as a potential anti-cancer drug for prostate cancer. Our data indicate that DHA suppresses the PI3-K/Akt and ERK cell survival pathways and triggers the induction of death receptor DR5 and activation of extrinsic and intrinsic cell death signaling. DHA-mediated DR5 induction appears to occur via increased transcriptional activity of DR5 promoter. Our data also show that, while DHA has strong cytotocixity in tumor cells, it exhibits minimal cytotoxic effects on normal prostate epithelial cells. Our studies also demonstrate that DHA worked cooperatively with death ligand TRAIL. Combination of DHA and TRAIL significantly enhanced cell killing above that noted with a single agent alone. Based on these results, we propose a novel idea of developing DHA alone and/or in combination with TRAIL for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Export Pricing and Credit Constraints: Theory and Evidence from Greek Firms

We propose a partial-equilibrium model with endogenous quality, non-homothetic preferences and credit constraints. The model's main predictions are supported empirically by a unique data set of Greek manufacturing firms with firm-level exports, credit scores and financial variables. Specifically, we find that less credit-constrained Greek exporters enjoying higher credit scores charge higher export prices, sell greater export quantities, and face less price elastic export demand curves. The finding of a positive and significant correlation between less credit-constrained exporters and export prices contradicts the prediction of standard models of trade with heterogeneous firms and credit constraints. These models predict that less credit-constrained firms face lower marginal costs of production and charge lower export prices. Our analysis suggests that credit constraints affect exporter behavior through changes in product quality.
Quotient fuzzy cognitive maps

In this paper we introduce a decomposition theory for fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs). First, we partition the set of vertices of an FCM into blocks according to an equivalence relation on the set, and by regarding these blocks as vertices we construct a quotient FCM. Second, each block induces a natural sectional FCM of the original FCM. We apply our theory to a practical university management example. The framework proposed is effective for calculating causal inferencing in real-world applications.
Roles of PilC and PilE Proteins in Pilus-Mediated Adherence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis to Human Erythrocytes and Endothelial and Epithelial Cells

ABSTRACT Unlike other type 4 pili, the neisserial pili consist of at least two distinct proteins, the highly variable major subunit PilE forming the pilus fiber and the tip-associated adhesin PilC. PilC protein purified either from gonococci or from Escherichia coliinteracted with different human epithelial cell lines, primary epithelial and endothelial cells. The binding of PilC protein efficiently prevented the attachment of piliated Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis to these cell types. Fluorescent beads coated with pili prepared from piliated wild-type N. gonorrhoeae also adhered to these cells, in contrast to beads coated with pili prepared from a piliated PilC-deficient mutant. In the latter case, the binding of fluorescent beads was restored after pretreatment of the pilus-loaded beads with purified PilC. Piliated wild-type N. gonorrhoeae, the piliated PilC-deficient mutant, and N. gonorrhoeae pili assembled in Pseudomonas aeruginosa agglutinated human erythrocytes, while nonpiliated gonococci did not. Consistently, purified PilC did not agglutinate or bind to human erythrocytes, suggesting that N. gonorrhoeae PilE is responsible for pilus-mediated hemagglutination.
What is the Direction of Land Change? A New Approach to Land-Change Analysis

Accurate characterization of the direction of land change is a neglected aspect of land dynamics. Knowledge on direction of historical land change can be useful information when understanding relative influence of different land-change drivers is of interest. In this study, we present a novel perspective on land-change analysis by focusing on directionality of change. To this end, we employed Maximum Cross-Correlation (MCC) approach to estimate the directional change in land cover in a dynamic river floodplain environment using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images. This approach has previously been used for detecting and measuring fluid and ice motions but not to study directional changes in land cover. We applied the MCC approach on land-cover class membership layers derived from fuzzy remote-sensing image classification. We tested the sensitivity of the resulting displacement vectors to three user-defined parameters—template size, search window size, and a threshold parameter to determine valid (non-noisy) displacement vectors—that directly affect the generation of change, or displacement, vectors; this has not previously been thoroughly investigated in any application domain. The results demonstrate that it is possible to quantitatively measure the rate of directional change in land cover in this floodplain environment using this particular approach. Sensitivity analyses indicate that template size and MCC threshold parameter are more influential on the displacement vectors than search window size. The results vary by land-cover class, suggesting that spatial configuration of land-cover classes should be taken into consideration in the implementation of the method.
Otolaryngologic aspects of lyme disease

Lyme disease is a systemic illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by the bite of a tick in the Iocodes ricinus complex. While the illness is often associated with a characteristic rash, erythema migrans, patients may also present with a variety of complaints in the absence of the rash. The otolaryngologist may be called upon to see both groups of patients, with any number of signs and symptoms referable to the head and neck, including headache, neck pain, odynophagia, cranial nerve palsy, head and neck dysesthesia, otalgia, tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo, temporomandibular pain, lymphad‐enopathy, and dysgeusia. We review our institutional experience with 266 patients with Lyme disease, 75% of whom experienced head and neck symptoms. We also summarize the diagnostic and treatment modalities for this illness.
Really too risk averse and too impatient to escape poverty? Insights from a field experiment in West Africa

In this paper, we analyze risk and time preferences as factors related to technology adoption. In the context of West African small-scale cattle farm households, we examine why the adoption of prophylactic drugs as an ex-ante risk management strategy to protect cattle from tsetse-transmitted African Animal Trypanosomosis (AAT) despite experts recommendation is low. To do so, we conducted two types of economic field experiments: (i) to elicit farmers risk and time preferences, considering additional behavioral information beyond standard economic theory and (ii) to observe farmers adoption decision of alternative drug treatments to manage the risk of AAT. Results show that loss aversion and high discount rates are associated with low prophylaxis take-up. More specifically, farmers value losses of animals that are infected with AAT larger than gains from healthy animals and short-term benefits from therapeutic treatment over long-term benefits from prophylactic treatment. As a consequence, a loss averse and impatient farmer that is less likely to apply AAT prophylaxis forgives chances of higher and sustainable returns, thereby deteriorates risk management abilities and likely perpetuates poverty. We suggest that the consideration of farmers risk and time preferences can help improving the effectiveness of livestock extension and veterinary services in West Africa. Acknowledgement : This work was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) [grant number WA 1002/8-1].
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: a blessing or a curse for weed management in organic olive crops?

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form symbiotic associations with the roots of many plants including important weeds. Cultural practices affect the populations and the infectivity of AM fungi. Density, biomass, root density, AM root colonization and N% of weeds were compared in the two olive production systems (organic and conventional). Weed species differed in the response to AM root colonization. The highest AM root colonization was found for Lactuca serriola, Picris echioides, Plantago lanceolata and Gallium aparine. In addition, Avena sterilis, Fumaria officinalis and Stellaria media had the lowest AM root colonization. The highest AM root colonization of weeds was found in organic olive fields. AM root colonisation of weeds influences the density and biomass of competitive weeds. A positive correlation was found between AM root colonization and weed growth. Moreover, the different cultural practices in two production systems influence the weed AM root colonization. There were significant differences in the density and biomass of competitive weeds (Avena sterilis L.; Galium aparine L.; Lactuca serriola L.; Picris echioides L.; Plantago lanceolata L.; Sonchus oleraceus L.), with the highest values being found in organic olive fields. On contrast, there were no significant differences between the organic and conventional systems in the density and biomass of non-competitive weeds (Anthemis arvensis L.; Fumaria officinalis L.; Lamium aplexicaule L.; Lolium rigidum Gaudin.; Stellaria media (L.) Vill. ; Veronica hederifolia L). Our results indicate that organic cultural practices significantly increased weed biomass and AM root colonization. The mycorrhizal symbiosis is an important factor influencing weed growth.