Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fetal exposure to methamphetamine in utero stimulates development of serotonergic neurons in three‐dimensional reaggregate tissue culture

Methamphetamine is a potent psychomotor stimulant with neurotoxic potential which is widely abused by females of childbearing age, raising serious public health concerns in terms of exposure of the fetus to the drug. The current study was conducted to determine the effect of maternal administration of methamphetamine on developing monoaminergic neurons using three‐dimensional reaggregate tissue cultures prepared from fetal mesencephalic and striatal cells. In this culture system, the dopaminergic and serotonergic mesencephalic‐striatal projections are reconstructed and develop with a time course similar to that observed in vivo. Pregnant C57Bl/6J mice were injected twice daily with 40 mg/kg methamphetamine or saline from gestational days 6–13. On gestational day 14, cells from methamphetamine and saline‐exposed embryos were used to prepare reaggregate cultures. Levels of neurotransmitters and their metabolites in the reaggregates and culture medium were monitored at 14, 29, 43, and 64 days of culture. Reaggregates prepared from methamphetamine‐exposed embryos showed a significant elevation in serotonin levels at all culture ages compared to reaggregates prepared from saline‐treated embryos. Levels of 5‐HIAA in reaggregates and culture medium were also elevated in 14‐ and 29‐day‐old cultures derived from drug‐exposed embryos. The development of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal projection was resistant to repeated in utero exposure to methamphetamine. In contrast, exposure of the fetus to methamphetamine, during early to midgestation, produced a long‐lasting stimulatory effect on serotonergic development in culture. Synapse 43:139–144, 2002. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterizing the relationship between aluminum content and pH in coffee ( Coffea arabica L . ) crop soils in Mexico

Mexico ranks fifth among coffee producing countries worldwide. Coffee production has economic implications at both a national and an international level. Therefore, the investigation of factors negatively impacting the cultivation of different crops on the American continent is an important area of study. In Mexico, the production of coffee may be affected by the presence of aluminum and other soluble metals in crop soils. Furthermore, coffee grows in acidic soils that have increased availability of Al 3+ , which is more accessible to plants than other elements present in the soil. These high levels of Al 3+ produce toxic effects in coffee plants. To study the relationship between the pH conditions and aluminum contents of the soils in which coffee crops are produced, we determined the pH, Al 3+ and total aluminum levels in the soil from three different regions of Mexico. We found different pH values in the three regions of Mexico: the pH was lower in soils from Veracruz than in the Chiapas and Yucatan soils, coinciding with the higher amount of Al 3+ detected in the soil from Huatusco, Veracruz. Additionally, Al 3+ determinations were performed on several coffee products used for human consumption. We detected the presence of aluminum in coffee beverages and ground coffee products originating from Chiapas and Veracruz. Our results suggest a direct relationship between acidic pH and Al 3+ content. We also detected the metal in products derived from coffee.
Optimization of the piezoresistive AFM cantilever design for use at cryogenic temperatures

We have developed heavily boron-doped piezoresistive single-crystalline silicon AFM cantilevers for operation at low temperatures, including the cryogenic temperature range. The optimization of the design to increase sensitivity and reduce noise at cryogenic temperatures is considered by controlling the dopant concentration. The relatively low concentration of 6/spl times/10/sup 18/ atoms/cm/sup 3/ shows the lowest minimum detectable force (MDF) at room temperature (RT) by calculation. However, it was predicted by calculation that the optimal concentration of dopant for MDF was shifted to a higher concentration at cryogenic temperatures. First, we developed AFM cantilevers integrated with piezoresistive elements at the support of the cantilever. The actual fabricated heavily doped cantilever shows that the sensitivity at cryogenic temperature increased by 1.6 times at 5 K compared to that at RT.
Measuring Well-Being among Spanish Older Adults: Development of a Simplified Version of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being

Two studies were designed to develop and obtain information about the psychometric properties of a shortened 54-item, Spanish version of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being adapted to older people. In Study 1, 267 older people completed the scales, and data were submitted to a principal components analysis. Then, 22 items were selected and grouped into four components (Self-confidence, Orientation to present, Stress, and Social tension) to form the Simplified Ryff's Well-being Scales. In Study 2, the new scales were administered to 107 older people. While internal consistency estimates were similar to those generally obtained for the 54-item scale, results extracted from a confirmatory factor analysis did not support any factorial model. Although the simplified scales can distinguish between conceptually different approaches to well-being, further studies are needed to obtain estimates of reliability and validity.
A review on model updating of joint structure for dynamic analysis purpose

Structural joints provide connection between structural element (beam, plate etc.) in order to construct a whole assembled structure. There are many types of structural joints such as bolted joint, riveted joints and welded joints. The joints structures significantly contribute to structural stiffness and dynamic behaviour of structures hence the main objectives of this paper are to review on method of model updating on joints structure and to discuss the guidelines to perform model updating for dynamic analysis purpose. This review paper firstly will outline some of the existing finite element modelling works of joints structure. Experimental modal analysis is the next step to obtain modal parameters (natural frequency & mode shape) to validate and improve the discrepancy between results obtained from experimental and the simulation counterparts. Hence model updating will be carried out to minimize the differences between the two results. There are two methods of model updating; direct method and iterative method. Sensitivity analysis employed using SOL200 in NASTRAN by selecting the suitable updating parameters to avoid ill-conditioning problem. It is best to consider both geometrical and material properties in the updating procedure rather than choosing only a number of geometrical properties alone. Iterative method was chosen as the best model updating procedure because the physical meaning of updated parameters are guaranteed although this method required computational effort compare to direct method.
Low intracellular zinc induces oxidative DNA damage, disrupts p53, NFκB, and AP1 DNA binding, and affects DNA repair in a rat glioma cell line

Approximately 10% of the U.S. population ingests <50% of the current recommended daily allowance for zinc. We investigate the effect of zinc deficiency on DNA damage, expression of DNA-repair enzymes, and downstream signaling events in a cell-culture model. Low zinc inhibited cell growth of rat glioma C6 cells and increased oxidative stress. Low intracellular zinc increased DNA single-strand breaks (comet assay). Zinc-deficient C6 cells also exhibited an increase in the expression of the zinc-containing DNA-repair proteins p53 and apurinic endonuclease (APE). Repletion with zinc restored cell growth and reversed DNA damage. APE is a multifunctional protein that not only repairs DNA but also controls DNA-binding activity of many transcription factors that may be involved in cancer progression. The ability of the transcription factors p53, nuclear factor κB, and activator protein 1 (AP1) to bind to consensus DNA sequences was decreased markedly with zinc deficiency, as assayed by electrophoretic mobility-shift assays. Thus, low intracellular zinc status causes oxidative DNA damage and induces DNA-repair protein expression, but binding of p53 and important downstream signals leading to proper DNA repair are lost without zinc.
SEFDM over satellite systems with advanced interference cancellation

For high data rates satellite systems, where multiple carriers are frequency division multiplexed with a slight overlap, the overall spectral efficiency is limited. This work applies highly overlapped carriers for satellite broadcast and broadband scenarios to achieve higher spectral efficiency. Spectrally efficient frequency division multiplexing (SEFDM) compresses subcarrier spacing to increase the spectral efficiency at the expense of orthogonality violation. SEFDM systems performance degrades compared to orthogonal signals, unless efficient interference cancellation is used. Turbo equalisation with interference cancellation is implemented to improve receiver performance for variable coding, compression and modulation/constellation proposals that may be applied in satellite communications settings. Such parameters may be set to satisfy pre-defined spectral efficiency values for a given quality index or associated application. Assuming low-density parity check coded data, the work proposes two approaches to receiver design: a simple matched filter approach and an approach utilising an iterative interference cancellation structure specially designed for SEFDM. Mathematical models and simulations studies are presented indicating promising gains to be achieved for SEFDM transmission with advanced transceiver architectures at the cost of increased complexity at the receiver.
Adult age differences in memory for name–face associations: The effects of intentional and incidental learning

Previous studies have indicated that older adults have a special deficit in the encoding and retrieval of associations. The current study assessed this deficit using ecologically valid name–face pairs. In two experiments, younger and older participants learned a series of name–face pairs under intentional and incidental learning instructions, respectively, and were then tested for their recognition of the faces, the names, and the associations between the names and faces. Under incidental encoding conditions older adults’ performance was uniformly lower than younger adults in all three tests, indicating age-related impairments in episodic memory representations. An age-related deficit specific to associations was found under intentional but not under incidental learning conditions, highlighting the importance of strategic associative processes and their decline in older adults. Separate analyses of hits and false alarms indicate that older adults’ associative deficit originated from high false alarm rates in the associative test. Older adults’ high false alarm rates potentially reflect their reduced ability to recollect the study-phase name–face pairs in the presence of intact familiarity with individual names and faces.
General Lack of Correlations between Age and Signs of the Metabolic Syndrome in Subjects with Non-diabetic Fasting Glucose Values

ABSTRACT Background: Insulin resistance and advancing age are well-recognized risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Recent reports indicate that fasting glucose levels in non-diabetic patients correlate appropriately with the development of certain elements in metabolic syndrome, which suggest a cause–effect relationship with insulin resistance. Objective: The present investigation assessed whether a significant association exists between chronological age and various elements of metabolic syndrome in this same group of subjects possessing non-diabetic fasting glucose levels. Methods: Baseline data were taken from 288 subjects (age 17–87 years) with fasting glucose levels ≤ 125 mg/dl. Correlations between chronological age and different metabolic parameters were assessed to determine any statistically significant relationships and compare these with previously demonstrated metabolic parameters. Results: With the exception of systolic blood pressure, the following correlations between age and components of metabolic syndrome were not significant or even significant in the opposite direction compared to those found in the same population using fasting glucose as the independent variable: body weight, body fat, diastolic blood pressure, white blood cell count (WBC)/neutrophil count, and circulating levels of insulin, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Although systolic blood pressure still increased, it was to a lesser extent than might be expected. Conclusions: In the present investigation, a cross-sectional analysis was carried out over a wide age range of subjects. It is noteworthy that fasting glucose levels and the other major elements of metabolic syndrome did not change significantly with advancing age. These results demonstrate that decreasing insulin resistance and fasting glucose levels may be an important way to overcome the adverse effects and perturbations of advancing age-induced consequences of metabolic syndrome.
Recommendation Systems and Consumer Satisfaction Online: Moderating Effects of Consumer Product Awareness

Recommender systems are popular tools in e-commerce websites for helping people find the products that fit them. Many algorithms have been proposed, mostly to improve their accuracy. The underlying assumption is that accuracy will increase user satisfaction and ultimately lead to high purchase intention. However, past research has suggested that accuracy does not necessarily lead to satisfaction. As consumers usually being aware of at least some products when using recommenders, could this assumption depend on different types of recommender systems and consumer product awareness? This study investigates the effects of popular recommenders such as collaborative-filtering and content-based systems to see if they have different effects on user satisfaction and willingness to purchase for consumers with different types of product awareness.
Steroid production by the bovine testis and steroid transfer across the pampiniform plexus.

Plasma concentrations of 8 steroids2 were measured in blood from the testicular vein, testicular artery and systemic circulation of standing conscious bulls. Testosterone (including �5 percent dihydrotestosterone) concentration in testicular venous blood was 75 to 575 ng/ml. Concentration of other steroids in venous blood were correlated (r > 0.89) with those of testosterone. Steroid concentrations (ng/ml) in testicular venous blood averaged (N 10-1 2): 5-androstenediol, 14.7; progesterone, 5.7; androstenedione, 6.4; testosterone plus dlihydrotestosterone, 184; 3a-androstanediol, 7.0; 313-androstanediol, 10.4; and estradiol plus estrone, 0.020. Except for androstenedione, the concentration of each steroid was about 2-5X that in rete testis fluid. Based on data from 5 conscious bulls and two bulls anesthesized with halothane and given HCG, testosterone and estrogens were found to be transferred from testicular venous to testicular arterial blood across the pampiniform plexus. Similar transfer of androstenedione and progesterone was not detected. There was more (P<0.01) testosterone in testicular arterial blood than in systemic blood (9.1 vs. 4.8 ng/mI; N = 35), although the mass of steroid transferred represented only 0.8 percent of that in testicular venous plasma. For both testosterone and estrogens, the percentage of steroid transferred across the pampiniform plexus was independent of venous steroid concentration. We postulate that the transfer of estrogens could serve as a short feed-back loop to modulate Leydig cell function. Transfer of testosterone may provide the proximal epididymis with twice the concentration of androgen that is available in systemic blood.
Growth failure and pituitary function in CHARGE and VATER associations

Growth failure and anterior pituitary dysfunction are clinical features of the CHARGE and VATER associations. This study investigated pituitary dysfunction as a potential cause of poor growth in a series of four and three patients with the CHARGE and VATER associations, respectively, who had height standard deviation scores (SDS) less than −2. Five of the seven patients had associated subnormal growth velocity SDS. Patients were investigated with a combination of dynamic and basal endocrine tests. All patients were found to be normonatraemic and to have normal basal thyrotroph and stimulated corticotroph function. The one peripubertal patient had evidence of biochemical gonadotroph dysfunction. Although two patients had marginally low stimulated serum growth hormone responses to glucagon stimulation testing, this was associated with either normal growth velocity or normal serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) concentrations. Thus, somatotroph dysfunction could not be demonstrated unequivocally in any patient. Poor childhood linear growth in the CHARGE and VATER associations does not appear to be associated with pituitary dysfunction.
Prognostic significance of plasma norepinephrine in patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. SOLVD Investigators.

BACKGROUND Elevated plasma neurohormonal levels are associated with increased mortality rates in patients with symptomatic heart failure. A previous Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trial suggested that neurohumoral activation precedes the development of symptoms as demonstrated by increased neurohormonal levels in patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. However, the significance of this early neurohumoral activation is unclear. The goals of this study were to determine the prognostic significance of the plasma concentrations of plasma norepinephrine (PNE) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the renin activity (PRA) in patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS PNE and PRA were measured before randomization in 514 patients with left ventricular ejection fractions < or = 35% who did not require treatment for congestive heart failure and were enrolled in the SOLVD Prevention Trial. Plasma ANP levels were measured in a subset of 241 patients owing to study design. Using the Cox proportional hazards model that included left ventricular ejection fraction, New York Heart Association functional class, age, sex, treatment assignment to placebo or enalapril, and cause of heart failure, we examined whether these neurohormones predicted all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, hospitalization for heart failure, development of heart failure, or development of ischemic events (myocardial infarction or unstable angina). PNE was the strongest predictor of clinical events in this patient population. PNE levels above the median of 393 pg/mL were associated with a relative risk of 2.59 (P = .002) for all-cause mortality, 2.55 (P = .003) for cardiovascular mortality, 2.55 (P = .005) for hospitalization for heart failure, 1.88 (P = .002) for development of heart failure, 1.92 (P = .001) for ischemic events, and 2.59 (P = .005) for myocardial infarction. PNE remained the most powerful predictor for all-cause mortality and ischemic events when the analysis included only the patients with histories of ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. The increases in other neurohormonal levels were not useful in predicting the subsequent development of clinical events. CONCLUSIONS Increased PNE levels in patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction appear to predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities and development of clinical events related to the onset of heart failure or acute ischemic syndromes. Thus, measurement of PNE may be a possible early marker for assessment of disease progression in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and modulating the release or effect of PNE may lead to improved prognosis and/or a reduction in morbidity.
Strategies for Feeding Patients with Dementia

OVERVIEWDespite the high prevalence of dementia among elderly patients in hospitals and nursing homes and the strong association between dementia and feeding difficulty, few sources adequately address effective feeding interventions. Basing their discussion on the conceptual model that grew out of a previously published systematic literature review, the authors address a wide range of assessment and intervention practices specific to various observed behaviors that may aid in feeding patients with dementia. KeywordsAlzheimer's disease, dementia, feeding difficulties, malnutrition
Truncation mutagenesis of the non-alpha-helical carboxyterminal tail domain of vimentin reveals contributions to cellular localization but not to filament assembly.

We have investigated the effect of stepwise truncating the carboxyterminal domain ("tail") of the intermediate filament (IF) protein vimentin of the clawed toad, Xenopus laevis, on filament assembly in vitro and, using cell transfection, in vivo and also on the cellular topology of the structures formed. All truncations examined, except the minimal one missing the last 11 amino acids which made the protein more sensitive to changes of ionic strength, did not significantly alter IF assembly in vitro, as judged by electron microscopy, viscometry and determination of viscoelastic properties with a laser-operated torsion pendulum. Stable transfections of vimentin-free mammalian cells with cDNAs encoding these mutations resulted at 28 degrees C, i.e. the permissive temperature for assembly of Xenopus vimentin, in the formation of extended IF bundle arrays. At 37 degrees C, however, the mutants lacking more than the last 35 amino acids could leave the cytoplasm and accumulated in the nucleus, indicating a certain topogenic element is located in the tail and directs cytoplasmic restriction in the wild-type protein although this does not form IFs under these conditions. Transfer to the nucleus is, however, abolished if the IF-consensus motif at the end of the rod domain is removed, suggesting that this part of the molecule also contributes to nuclear location. Similar results were obtained with human vimentin: While the rod entered the nucleus, headless vimentin, unable to form IFs, remained restricted to the cytoplasm owing to its tail domain. In contrast, tailless human vimentin and tailless mouse desmin, which are fully assembly-competent in vitro, both formed extensive IF arrays in the cytoplasm but did not accumulate in the nucleus. We conclude that in class III IF proteins stepwise deletions in the tail, while not considerably altering IF assembly in vitro, can change the topogenesis of IF proteins and structures in the living cell.