Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alteration of lipid status and lipid metabolism, induction of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation by 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic herbicide in rat liver

Abstract This study aims to investigate the effects of the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic herbicide (2,4-D) on plasma lipids, lipoproteins concentrations, hepatic lipid peroxidation, fatty acid composition and antioxidant enzyme activities in rats. Animals were randomly divided into four groups of 10 each: control group and three 2,4-D-treated groups G1, G2 and G3 were administered 15, 75 and 150 mg/kg/BW/d 2,4-D by gavage for 28 d, respectively. Results showed that 2,4-D caused significant negative changes in the biochemical parameters investigated. The malondialdehyde level was significantly increased in 2,4-D-treated groups. Fatty acid composition of the liver was also significantly changed with 2,4-D exposure. Furthermore, the hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly affected. Finally, 2,4-D at the studied doses modifies lipidic status, disrupt lipid metabolism and induce hepatic oxidative stress. In conclusion, at higher doses, 2,4-D may play an important role in the development of vascular disease via metabolic disorder of lipoproteins, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress.
Specificity of Schoolchildren's Social Skills during Physical Education Classes / Specifičnost socijalnih vještina školske djece za vrijeme nastave tjelesnog odgoja

AbstractThe objective of the study was to analyse the level of schoolchildren's social skills during physical education classes, and to examine specificity of social skills among schoolchildren during physical education classes. The analysis included 364 schoolchildren (178 male and 186 female students). The data were collected according to social skills inventory prepared by Bakutyte and adapted by Sniras and Malinauskas. An original conception of the exploration of schoolchildren’s social skills during physical education classes is presented and efficiently applied; it is a unique study dealing with gender differences in schoolchildren’s social skills during physical education classes. It has been revealed that female students show higher levels of the following social skills: willingness to console (p<0.01), and to help (p<0.01), not pretending (p<0.05), not cheating (p<0.05), and not humiliating others (p<0.05). Key words: level of social skills; physical education classes; social skills. ---Sažetak Cilj je istraživanja bio analizirati razinu socijalnih vještina školske djece za vrijeme nastave tjelesnog odgoja i ispitati specifičnosti socijalnih vještina među školskom djecom za vrijeme tjelesnog odgoja. Analiza je obuhvatila 364 školske djece (178 dječaka i 186 djevojčica). Podatci su prikupljeni s pomoću upitnika o socijalnim vještinama koji je pripremio Bakutyte, a prilagodili su ga Sniras i Malinauskas. Originalna koncepcija istraživanja socijalnih vještina učenika tijekom tjelesnog odgoja predstavljena je i učinkovito primijenjena; u pitanju je jedinstveno istraživanje koje se bavi razlikama u socijalnim vještinama prema spolu školske djece za vrijeme nastave tjelesnog odgoja. Rezultati su pokazali da su djevojčice postigle višu razinu u sljedećim socijalnim vještinama: utješiti (p<0,01), pomoći (p<0,01), ne pretvarati se (p<0,05), ne varati (p<0,05), ne ponižavati druge (p<0,05). Ključne riječi: razina socijalnih vještina; tjelesni odgoj; socijalne vještine
Antifibrillary Action of Class I‐IV Antiarrhythmic Agents in the Model of Ventricular Fibrillation Threshold of Anesthetized Guinea Pigs

Summary: We compared the effects of class I-IV antiarrhythmic agents on the ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) induced by electrical stimulation directly on the myocardium in anesthetized, open-chest guinea pigs. VFT was assessed by determining the intensity (mA) of electrical current required to induce ventricular fibrillation (VF) and is expressed as a percentage change of the baseline premedication value. The following antiarrhythmic agents or their solvent were administered intravenously (i.v.) to pentobarbital-anesthetized animals (n = 6–12 per group): class I antiarrhythmic agent encainide (1.5 mg/kg); class II antiarrhythmic agents atenolol (2.5 mg/kg), metoprolol (2.5 mg/kg), and nebivolol (2.5 mg/kg); class III antiarrhythmic agents dofetilide (0.08 mg/kg), terikalant (0.04 mg/kg), and DL-sotalolol (10 mg/kg); and class IV antiarrhythmic agent verapamil (0.16 mg/kg). The antiarrhythmic compounds or their solvents resulted in the following changes in the VFT at 15 min after treatment: saline control, 1 ± 14% (mean ± SEM) from its baseline value; 10% hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrine (CD), 4 ± 13%; encainide, 183 ± 46% (p < 0.05 vs. saline); atenolol, 66 ± 23% (p > 0.05 vs. saline); metoprolol, 89 ± 25% (p > 0.05 vs. saline); nebivolol, 224 ± 58% (p < 0.05 vs. 10% CD); DL-sotalol, 485 ± 119% (p < 0.05 vs. saline); dofetilide, 357 ± 69% (p < 0.05 vs. saline); terikalant, 487 ± 183% (p < 0.05 vs. saline), and verapamil, −17 ± 21% (p > 0.05 vs. saline). At the doses used, all compounds significantly reduced heart rate (HR). The class I antiarrhythmic agent encainide and the class III antiarrhythmic agents DL-sotalol, dofetilide, and terikalant significantly prolonged the ventricular repolarization (QT- and QTc-intervals), whereas only encainide significantly increased conduction time (QRS duration). These results indicate that class HI antiarrhythmic agents have the most potent antifibrillatory action in the model of VFT of anesthetized guinea pigs.
Exercise‐Induced Changes in the Blood Concentration of Leukocyte Populations in Teenage Athletes

Neutrophilia following exercise is well described in adults and children. However, the effects of exercise on less concentrated leukocyte populations, such as circulating colony forming unit-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM), CFU-granulocyte, erythrocyte, megakaryocyte, macrophage (CFU-GEMM), and the various lymphocyte subsets, is not clear. To obtain this information, members of a high school track team were asked to run flights of stairs at their most rapid pace for 10 min. Prior to and 5 min following the exercise, blood concentrations of various leukocyte populations were measured. As expected, the circulating neutrophil concentration increased following exercise (26% increase). However, the largest postexercise increases were in eosinophils (139% increase) and lymphocytes (67% increase). The increase in blood lymphocytes was primarily due to an increase in total T-cells (52% increase) and T-suppressor cells (49% increase), with no significant elevation in T-helper cell or B-cell populations. The exercise did not induce an increase in the immature/total neutrophil ratio or in the number of circulating CFU-GM or CFU-GEMM.
Multi- and Megavariate Data Analysis

This text is essentially an application of principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) to multivariate (X0X matrix full rank) and megavariate (X0X not full rank) problems in the physical sciences. The software used is SIMCA-P and MODDE from Umetrics. Also included is a CD with all of the data  les used as examples in the text. Chapter 0 is a Preface that includes no mention of the software/version used. I guess because SIMCA-P and MODDE are mentioned as registered trademarks on the cover page, the reader should know this fact. However, I had SIMCA-P, version 8 on my computer, but could not read any of the data  les until I upgraded to version 9. Part I comprises four introductory chapters on the concepts and principles of projections along with discussions and derivations of PCA and PLS. Graphs are used extensively throughout the discussion, and overall this is an excellent introduction to PCA and PLS. In addition, examples are used to explain the output/terminology from SIMCA-P. Part II, Chapters 5–8, covers the following applications: multivariate characterization (mixture of qualitative and quantitative variables, with the goal of quantifying discrete changes in the qualitative variables), multivariate calibration, multivariate process modeling and monitoring, multivariate classi cation, and discriminant analysis). Part III, Chapters 9–11, discusses preprocessing of the data with respect to transformation, scaling, and signal correction and compression. Part IV, Chapters 12–15, discusses multivariate statistical process control charts for batch and continuous data, multivariate time series, and design of experiments. Part V, Chapters 16–20, covers QSAR modeling, combinatorial chemistry, bioinformatics, and cheminformatics. Finally, Part VI, Chapters 21– 23, discusses nonlinear PLS modeling, analysis of preference (sensory) data, and validation. I liked a number of features of this book, including (1) illustration of the concepts using real data, (2) clear and straightforward discussion of the different application types, (3) thorough discussion/explanation of the SIMCA-P and MODDE output, and (4) the broad range of application topics. What I disliked about the book is that after Part I, the text becomes mainly an application guide for SIMCA-P and MODDE. There is no discussion on alternative methods of analysis or, for that matter, when PCA and PLS might not be appropriate. The basic message is that when one has a multivariate problem, do either a PCA analysis or a PLS analysis, or both. The chapters became very predictable—a few pages of discussion of the application, presentation of one or more datasets, and analysis using SIMCA-P.
Sequence relationships between the genome segments of human and animal rotavirus strains

The sequence relationships of a range of cultivable and noncultivable human and animal rotaviruses were investigated by hybridization of rotavirus cDNA probes to genomic RNAs immobilized on diazobenzyloxymethyl paper. Under conditions of low stringency (34% base mismatch tolerated) most genome segments exhibited partial homology except for genes 4 and 5. In contrast, under more stringent conditions of hybridization in which no more than 8% base mismatch was tolerated, few segments exhibited homology. Generally the human and animal rotaviruses were found to possess distinct nucleic acid sequences that exhibit only a low order of sequence relatedness. These results are consistent with the notion that both cumulative changes in nucleic acid sequences and the interchange of segments may be involved in the evolution of distinct rotavirus strains.
GABAB‐receptor‐mediated control of GABAergic inhibition in rat histaminergic neurons in vitro

The onset of slow wave sleep may require an inhibition of histaminergic neurons by GABAergic afferents from the ventrolateral preoptic area. We have utilized electrophysiological methods in an in vitro brain slice preparation to examine the role of GABAB receptor activation in GABAergic synaptic inhibition in histaminergic neurons of the tuberomammillary nucleus. Tetrodotoxin blocked evoked GABAergic IPSPs but not miniature IPSPs or IPSCs. Evoked IPSPs varied in amplitude and exhibited failures of transmission. Baclofen reduced the amplitude of evoked IPSPs in all experiments and often caused an increase in failures of transmission. Responses elicited by application of exogenous GABA were insensitive to baclofen treatment. The action of baclofen was blocked by CGP‐35348 (100 μm), a GABAB receptor antagonist, which also enhanced the amplitude of evoked IPSPs. The frequency of spontaneous and miniature IPSPs and IPSCs was reduced by baclofen. However, the amplitude distribution of mIPSCs was not altered. We conclude that GABA release onto TM neurons is under presynaptic control via GABAB receptors. This presynaptic control of transmission to tuberomammillary neurons may reduce inhibition, increasing histamine release and enhancing wakefulness.
Perinatal and long‐term outcomes in fetuses diagnosed with isolated unilateral ventriculomegaly: systematic review and meta‐analysis

The majority of studies on fetal ventriculomegaly have focused on the perinatal and long‐term outcomes in fetuses with an antenatal diagnosis of bilateral ventriculomegaly. The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review and meta‐analysis to quantify the perinatal and long‐term outcomes in fetuses diagnosed in the second or third trimester of pregnancy with isolated unilateral ventriculomegaly.
Screening for IgA deficiency on the Olympus PK7100 by haemagglutination inhibition

SUMMARY. Severe or life‐threatening anaphylactic reactions during blood transfusion to patients with anti‐IgA, though infrequent, can be avoided by transfusing blood products prepared from IgA deficient donors. This report describes the development and use a passive haemagglutination assay adapted for use on the Olympus PK7100 blood group analyser. Donor plasma samples identified as being presumptive IgA deficient were further screened by a manual passive haemagglutination inhibition technique and finally confirmed by means of a quantitative enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Of 5723 donors tested simultaneously for IgA deficiency, blood grouping and red cell antibody screening, six (1 in 954) were confirmed as IgA deficient (i.e. < 100ng/ml of IgA). The test is simple and cost effective and can be used to establish a database of IgA‐deficient donors.
Sodium channel inactivation defects are associated with acetazolamide‐exacerbated hypokalemic periodic paralysis

A novel mutation in a family with hypokalemic periodic paralysis is described. The mutation R672S is located in the voltage sensor segment S4 of domain II in the SCN4A gene encoding the human skeletal muscle voltage‐gated sodium channel. Functional expression of the R672S channels in human embryonic kidney 293 cells revealed a small but significant hyperpolarizing shift in the steady‐state fast inactivation, and a dramatic enhancement in channel slow inactivation. These two defects are mainly due to a slow recovery of the mutant channels from fast and/or slow inactivation. Our data may help explain the mechanism underlying hypokalemic periodic paralysis and the patient's worsening from acetazolamide.
Occupational contact dermatitis among the traditional 'tie and dye' cottage industry in Western Rajasthan.

BACKGROUND Dyeing is an age-old process and forms an integral part of textile industries. Tying is a process by which a particular part of cloth is prevented from the process of dyeing. The skin diseases in workers engaged in the 'tie and dye' industry have not been extensively studied. AIMS To study the prevalence of contact dermatitis among workers engaged in the 'tie and dye' industries in and around Jodhpur (Western Rajasthan). METHODS One thousand three hundred workers engaged in 'tie and dye' work were evaluated for occupation-related dermatitis. Those with skin lesions were subjected to patch tests using 2% aqueous solution of the dyes and chemicals commonly used by them. These included direct dyes, VAT dyes, sulfur dyes and azo dyes. Fifty workers without skin lesions served as controls. RESULTS One hundred patients (7.69%) had dermatitis involving the exposed sites, mainly the hands and forearms. Eighty-one patients showed positive reactions to one or more dyes, most commonly Red RC base (azo dye), followed by naphthol. CONCLUSION Red RC base and naphthol were the commonest allergens in the 'tie and dye' industry.
Nature Climate Change政策和市场关注要览

2011年4月Nature针对气候变化推出了新专刊Nature Climate Change，该刊除了关注气候变化的科学问题，同时还重视气候变化中的人文研究，并特别设置了政策和市场观察栏目，以期更全面地介绍气候变化的研究进展和动向。 本文以政策和市场观察栏目为重点，针对气候变化引发的多个社会热点问题，筛选相关文章分别就其前沿观点进行了简要介绍，以供读者参考。
The Relationship of Motivation and Flow Experience to Academic Procrastination in University Students

In this article, the author examined the relationships of motivation and flow experience to academic procrastination in 262 Korean undergraduate students who completed a questionnaire on procrastination, flow, and motivation. The results indicated that high procrastination was associated with lack of self-determined motivation and low incidence of flow state. The results also indicated that, although amotivation and intrinsic motivation showed significant unique effects on procrastination, they did not contribute significantly to the variance in procrastination when the effects caused by flow experiences were considered. The author discusses implications for practice and gives suggestions for further research.
Protein, amino acids and the control of food intake

The influence of protein and amino acid on the control of food intake and the specific control of protein and amino acid intakes remains incompletely understood. The most commonly accepted conclusions are: (1) the existence of an aversive response to diets deficient in or devoid of protein or deficient in at least one essential amino acid; (2) the existence of a mechanism that enables attainment of the minimum requirement for N and essential amino acids by increasing intake of a low-protein diet; (3) a decrease in the intake of a high-protein diet is associated with different processes, including the high satiating effect of protein. Ingested proteins are believed to generate pre- and post-absorptive signals that contribute to the control of gastric kinetics, pancreatic secretion and food intake. At the brain level, two major afferent pathways are involved in protein and amino acid monitoring: the indirect neuro-mediated (mainly vagus-mediated) pathway and the direct blood pathway. The neuro-mediated pathway transfers pre-absorptive and visceral information. This information is for the main part transferred through the vagus nerve that innervates part of the oro-sensory zone: the stomach, the duodenum and the liver. Other information is directly monitored in the blood. It is likely that the system responds precisely when protein and essential amino acid intake is inadequate, but in contrast allows a large range of adaptive capacities through amino acid degradation and substrate interconversion.
Real-Time Indoor Staircase Detection on Mobile Devices

Staircases are among the most common architectural features in urban environments. In this paper, we describe a method for detecting indoor staircases from depth images. The objective of this development is to aid visually impaired people in perceiving the environment, especially in unfamiliar places. This method is based on the detection and clustering of patches that have the surface normal vectors oriented towards the "up" direction. A series of filters is applied in order to eliminate false-positive patches. In addition to the depth information, we use the camera's absolute orientation information, provided by an IMU sensor. This additional information is used to correct the orientation of the surface normal vectors in such a way that no matter how the camera moves, the surface normal vectors have the correct orientation. This method provides real-time performance on a mobile device with low computational capabilities and it was tested on real-case scenarios, showing promising results
Evolutionary conservation of microsatellite flanking regions and their use in resolving the phylogeny of cichlid fishes (Pisces: Perciformes)

A phylogeny of the principal lineages of cichlid fishes and two other fish families of the suborder Labroidei was based on phylogenetic information from DNA sequences of the flanking region of a (CA)n microsatellite locus. Microsatellite (CA)n containing clones from a genomic library of an African cichlid fish from Lake Tanganyika, Tropheus moorii, were sequenced and primers for the polymerase chain reaction designed. All primers amplified the homologous microsatellite loci in many more than the source species and one microsatellite flanking locus (TmoM27) was particularly conserved and amplified in several lineages of perciform fishes that diverged more than 80—100 million years ago. Despite the extensive level of evolutionary conservation of this microsatellite flanking region (MFR), this nuclear region contained reliable phylogenetic information in the form of both point and length mutations. A phylogeny of cichlids based on this MFR agrees with other phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphological, mitochondrial, and anonymous nuclear DNA. Madagascan and Indian cichlids are found to be paraphyletic and the most basal group in the family Cichlidae. African and Neotropical cichlids are both monophyletic and sistergroups. Within African lineages, the East African cichlids are most likely to be monophyletic and the West African cichlids are probably paraphyletic and basal to all African species. The focal microsatellite locus contained much variation in (CA)nrepeats in African cichlids and in surfperches (up to 64 repeats), but was short (with only 2—4 repeats) and almost invariant in Neotropical cichlids. The design of phylogenetically highly versatile MFR-primers will be of use not only for phylogeny reconstruction among families of perciform fishes, but also for population-level work in the thousands of species belonging to this highly species-rich suborder of fishes.
Serum antibody responses in naturally occurring influenza A virus infection determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, hemagglutination inhibition, and complement fixation

Serum antibody responses to influenza A virus infection were examined in 388 normal subjects during a trial of chemoprophylaxis in an outbreak of influenza A in 1980-1981 in which both A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 viruses circulated. Paired serum specimens obtained over a 6-week period were tested for antibodies to both A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 viruses by conventional hemagglutination inhibition, complement fixation, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibody responses detected by ELISA were determined by calculation of the area generated between titration curves of paired sera (area method), as well as by a conventional endpoint dilution method (endpoint method). Forty-two significant antibody rises were detected; 42 by ELISA (area method), 33 by ELISA (endpoint method), 32 by hemagglutination inhibition, and 13 by complement fixation. ELISA (area method) detected rises more frequently than either ELISA (endpoint method) (P less than 0.01), hemagglutination inhibition (P less than 0.005), or complement fixation (P less than 0.001). Another sensitive assay, the microneutralization test, detected significantly fewer rises (33, P less than 0.025) than the ELISA (area method). In the 42 subjects with ELISA (area method) rises, corroborating evidence of influenza A infection by other techniques (virus isolation, microneutralization, hemagglutination inhibition, or complement fixation tests) were available for 39 (93%). ELISA (area method) rises were subtype specific in all serum pairs in which other documentation of subtype-specific infection was available (38 of 38). Thus, ELISA (area method) was the single most sensitive assay for detection of serum antibody rises in this setting and possessed a high degree of subtype specificity.