Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voltage-Dependent Dopamine Potency at D1-Like Dopamine Receptors

In recent years, transmembrane voltage has been found to modify agonist potencies at several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Whereas the voltage sensitivities of the Gαi/o-coupled dopamine D2-like receptors (D2R, D3R, D4R) have previously been investigated, the putative impact of transmembrane voltage on agonist potency at the mainly Gαs/olf-coupled dopamine D1-like receptors (D1R, D5R) has hitherto not been reported. Here, we assayed the potency of dopamine in activating G protein-coupled inward rectifier potassium (GIRK) channels co-expressed with D1R and D5R in Xenopus oocytes, at -80 mV and at 0 mV. Furthermore, GIRK response deactivation rates upon dopamine washout were measured to estimate dopamine dissociation rate (koff) constants. Depolarization from -80 to 0 mV was found to reduce dopamine potency by about 7-fold at both D1R and D5R. This potency reduction was accompanied by an increase in estimated dopamine koffs at both receptors. While the GIRK response elicited via D1R was insensitive to pertussis toxin (PTX), the response evoked via D5R was reduced by 64% (-80 mV) and 71% (0 mV) in the presence of PTX. Injection of oocytes with Gαs antisense oligonucleotide inhibited the D1R-mediated response by 62% (-80 mV) and 76% (0 mV) and abolished the D5R response when combined with PTX. Our results suggest that depolarization decreases dopamine affinity at D1R and D5R. The voltage-dependent affinities of dopamine at D1R and D5R may be relevant to the functions of these receptors in learning and memory.
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF CRUDE EXTRACTS OF HELIOTROPIUM MARIFOLIUM RETZ

Objective : To investigate the antimicrobial activity of different extracts (chloroform, ethylacetate, methanol, water) of the plant. Heliotropium marifolium Retz. Methods : Antimicrobial activity was assessed by standard dilution test using Mueller Hinton agar (MH) medium. The zone of inhibition of the extracts was compared with that of ciprofloxacin (5 μg / disc) by disc diffusion method. Results : The findings showed potential antimicrobial properties of the extracts against the organisms tested. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts was 133.33 μg/ml. The zone of inhibition of all extracts was comparable with that of ciprofloxacin. Conclusions : The study suggests that the plant is promising for development of phytomedicine for antimicrobial properties.
Reanalysis of the Effect of Vitamin C on Mortality in the CITRIS-ALI Trial: Important Findings Dismissed in the Trial Report

The CITRIS-ALI trial was a randomized clinical trial assessing the effect of vitamin C on organ failure and biomarkers of inflammation and vascular injury in patients with sepsis and severe acute respiratory failure (1). Patients with sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome were administered 50 mg/kg vitamin C intravenously for four days. The trial report states that, “The Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the 2 groups were significantly different by the Wilcoxon test (χ2 [1df ] = 6.5; P = 0.01)” (1). However, this finding was not mentioned in the abstract and it was downplayed in the discussion section. Previously, we conducted a meta-analysis of 12 controlled trials assessing the effect of vitamin C on intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. The meta-analysis included 1,766 patients and found that vitamin C shortened ICU stay on average by 8% (95% CI: 4-11%) (2). One of the included trials found that vitamin C reduced mortality in sepsis patients by 78% (P = 0.01) (3). Both our meta-analysis and this trial are relevant when considering the effect of vitamin C on ICU patients, but neither was cited in the CITRIS-ALI trial report (1). The CITRIS-ALI trial report suggested that the effect of vitamin C on mortality might be explained by multiple comparisons (1). The purpose of this reanalysis is to argue that the multiple comparisons issue is an unlikely explanation for the published survival findings.
Application of Radiomics for the Prediction of Radiation-Induced Toxicity in the IMRT Era: Current State-of-the-Art

Normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models that were formulated in the Quantitative Analyses of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (QUANTEC) are one of the pillars in support of everyday’s clinical radiation oncology. Because of steady therapeutic refinements and the availability of cutting-edge technical solutions, the ceiling of organs-at-risk-sparing has been reached for photon-based intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The possibility to capture heterogeneity of patients and tissues in the prediction of toxicity is still an unmet need in modern radiation therapy. Potentially, a major step towards a wider therapeutic index could be obtained from refined assessment of radiation-induced morbidity at an individual level. The rising integration of quantitative imaging and machine learning applications into radiation oncology workflow offers an unprecedented opportunity to further explore the biologic interplay underlying the normal tissue response to radiation. Based on these premises, in this review we focused on the current-state-of-the-art on the use of radiomics for the prediction of toxicity in the field of head and neck, lung, breast and prostate radiotherapy.
A comparative molecular analysis of two genotypes of Solanum lycopersicum in respect of the expression of selected salt responsive genes in leaves and roots

Plant salt tolerance is a complex trait controlled by multiple genes. In recent years, considerable attention has been directed toward elucidating the molecular basis of plant salt tolerance, and numerous salt related genes have been identified. High salinity is one of the most serious threats to crop production. To understand better the molecular basis of plant responses to salt stress, a comprehensive knowledge of the up-and down-regulating genes under salt stress is necessary. Solanum lycopersicum is a moderately salt tolerant crop species with considerable economic importance in salinity affected arid and semi-arid regions of the world. In this study, the tomato cultivars “Pusa Ruby” (PR) and “Punjab Keshari” (PK) were used for transcriptional profiling under salinity stress (200 mM NaCl for 6 h), using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The experiment was designed to target ten defense related genes in roots and leaves of two-month-old plants. A comparable transcript expression profile of up-regulated and down-regulated genes has been created in two different varieties of tomato, in response to salinity. The study confirmed that transcriptional responses differed in leaves and roots, indicating that the molecular mechanisms for responses to the stress in tomato leaves were distinct from those in the roots. Our results revealed a differential expression of all the targeted genes under study in both cultivars of tomato. A higher level of expression of stress responsive genes in PK leaves in comparison to PR leaves, together with a much higher basal expression of the targeted genes targeted in our study suggested a more effective defense system in PK.
Effed of Fertilizer Nand S Interaction on Composition and Uptake of Nutrients by Linseed on Acid Alfisol

Under field conditions, sulphur application @ 20 kg ha-1 increased the N, P and S concentration and N, P, K and S uptake by the crop at flowering. podformation and harvesting stages. With each increment of applied N, both N and S concentration and N, P, K and S uptake at all the three stages of crop growth increased significantly.
Genetic Variability and Character Association Analysis in Tomato

Genetic variability, heritability (h2), genetic advance, character association and path analysis were carried out in 17 accessions of tomato (Solallum tycopersicllnl Mill.) during 2000–2001. Significant genotypic differences were observed for all characters under study as indicated by the high genotypic eocfticient of variation for number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, number of locules per fruit, acidity percentage. length of fruits and yield of fruits per plant. The characters with high genotypic coefficient of variation had also high heritabilities. This indicates the possibility of genetic improvements for such traits through selection based on phenotype. Association studies indicated that the yield of fruits per plant positively correlated with plant height. number of branches per plant. number of fruits per plant. average fruit weight, fruit length, number of locules, TSS and ascorbic acid content. Pericarp thickness and acidity percentage are negatively correlated with yield. Path cocfficient analysis revealed that plant height. number of branches per plant, width of fruit, number of fruits per plant and average fruit weight exhibited the maximum positive direct effect on yield. Thus an increase in selection on these traits may lead to an over all increase in the yield. Quality traits except pericarp thickness and TSS did not play any signiticant dircct and indirect role. Therefore, a genetic improvement of yield can be initiated by putting positive selection pressure on plant height, number of branches per plant, width of fruit, number of fruits per plant and average fruit weight.
Role of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products in Heat Stress-Induced Endothelial Hyperpermeability in Acute Lung Injury

Objective To study the role of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in endothelial barrier dysfunction induced by heat stress, to further explore the signal pathway by which RAGE contributes to heat-induced endothelia response, and thereby find a novel target for the clinical treatment of ALI (acute lung injury) induced by heatstroke. Methods This study established the animal model of heatstroke using RAGE knockout mice. We observed the role of RAGE in acute lung injury induced by heatstroke in mice by evaluating the leukocytes, neutrophils, and protein concentration in BALF (Bronchoalveolar lavage fluids), lung wet/dry ratio, histopathological changes, and the morphological ultrastructure of lung tissue and arterial blood gas analysis. To further study the mechanism, we established a heat stress model of HUVEC and concentrated on the role of RAGE and its signal pathway in the endothelial barrier dysfunction induced by heat stress, measuring Transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and western blot. Results RAGE played a key role in acute lung injury induced by heatstroke in mice. The mechanism C-Jun is located in the promoter region of the RAGE gene. C-Jun increased the RAGE protein expression while HSF1 suppressed RAGE protein expression. The overexpressed RAGE protein then increased HUVEC monolayer permeability by activating ERK and P38 MAPK under heat stress. Conclusion This study indicates the critical role of RAGE in heat stress-induced endothelial hyperpermeability in acute lung injury and suggests that RAGE could be a potential therapeutic target in protecting patients against acute lung injury induced by heatstroke.
Retinal Thickness and Microvascular Pattern in Early Parkinson's Disease

A thinning of intraretinal layers has been previously described in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients compared to healthy controls (HCs). Few studies evaluated the possible correlation between retinal thickness and retinal microvascularization. Thus, here we assessed the thickness of retinal layers and microvascular pattern in early PD patients and HCs, using, respectively, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and SD-OCT-angiography (SD-OCT-A), and more interestingly, we evaluated a possible correlation between retinal thickness and microvascular pattern. Patients fulfilling criteria for clinically established/clinically probable PD and HCs were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were any ocular, retinal, and systemic disease impairing the visual system. Retinal vascularization was analyzed using SD-OCT-A, and retinal layer thickness was assessed using SD-OCT. Forty-one eyes from 21 PD patients and 33 eyes from 17 HCs were evaluated. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular RNFL, ganglionic cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and inner nuclear layer (INL), resulted to be thinner in PD compared to HCs. Among PD patients, a positive correlation between RNFL, GCL, and IPL thickness and microvascular density was found in the foveal region, also adjusting by age, sex, and, especially, hypertension. Such findings were already present in the early stage of disease and were irrespective of dopaminergic treatment. Thus, the retina might be considered a biomarker of PD and could be a useful instrument for onset and disease progression.
Modulation of Efficient Diiodo-BODIPY in vitro Phototoxicity to Cancer Cells by Carbon Nano-Onions

Photodynamic therapy is currently one of the most promising approaches for targeted cancer treatment. It is based on responses of vital physiological signals, namely, reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are associated with diseased condition development, such as tumors. This study presents the synthesis, incorporation, and application of a diiodo-BODIPY–based photosensitizer, based on a non-covalent functionalization of carbon nano-onions (CNOs). In vitro assays demonstrate that HeLa cells internalize the diiodo-BODIPY molecules and their CNO nanohybrids. Upon cell internalization and light exposure, the pyrene–diiodo-BODIPY molecules induce an increase of the ROS level of HeLa cells, resulting in remarkable photomediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Conversely, when HeLa cells internalize the diiodo-BODIPY/CNO nanohybrids, no significant cytotoxicity or ROS basal level increase can be detected. These results define a first step toward the understanding of carbon nanomaterials that function as molecular shuttles for photodynamic therapeutics, boosting the modulation of the photosensitizer.
Trust Perceptions of Metadata in Open-Source Software: The Role of Performance and Reputation

Open-source software (OSS) is a key aspect of software creation. However, little is known about programmers’ decisions to trust software from OSS websites. The current study emulated OSS websites and manipulated reputation and performance factors in the stimuli according to the heuristic-systematic processing model. We sampled professional programmers—with a minimum experience of three years—from Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 38). We used a 3 × 3 within-subjects design to investigate the relationship between OSS reputation and performance on users’ time spent on code, the number of interface clicks, trustworthiness perceptions, and willingness to use OSS code. We found that participants spent more time on and clicked the interface more often for code that was high in reputation. Meta-information included with OSS tools was found to affect the degree to which computer programmers interact with and perceive online code repositories. Furthermore, participants reported higher levels of perceived trustworthiness in and trust toward highly reputable OSS code. Notably, we observed fewer significant main effects for the performance manipulation, which may correspond to participants considering performance attributes mainly within the context of reputation-relevant information. That is, the degree to which programmers investigate and then trust OSS code may depend on the initial reputation ratings.
Mitigation Impact of Different Harvest Scenarios of Finnish Forests That Account for Albedo, Aerosols, and Trade-Offs of Carbon Sequestration and Avoided Emissions

The pressure to increase forest and land carbon stocks simultaneously with increasing forest based biomass harvest for energy and materials emphasizes the need for dedicated analyses of impacts and possible trade-offs between these different mitigation options including also forest related biophysical factors, surface albedo and the formation of biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA). We analyzed the change in global radiative forcing (RF) due to changes in these climatic agents as affected by the change in state of Finnish forests under increased or decreased harvest scenarios from a baseline. We also included avoided emissions due to wood material and energy substitution. Increasing harvests from baseline (65% of Current Annual Increment) decreased the total carbon sink (carbon in trees, soil and harvested wood products) at least for 50 years. When we coupled this change in carbon with other biosphere responses, surface albedo and aerosols, decreasing harvests from the baseline produced the largest cooling effect during 50 years. Accounting also for the avoided emissions due to increased wood use, the RF responses of the two lowest harvest scenarios were within uncertainty range. Our results show that the effects of forest management on SOA formation should be included in the analyses trying to deduce the net climate impact of forest use. The inclusion of the rarely considered SOA effects enforces the view that the lower the harvest, the more climatic cooling boreal forests provide. These results should act as a caution mark for policy makers who are emphasizing the increased utilization of forest biomass for short-living products and bioenergy as an efficient measure to mitigate climate change.
Helminths from the digestive tract of the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) in the western Mediterranean: infection patterns within a long-term scale

The intestine of 52 (28 males and 24 females) striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from western Mediterranean waters was examined for helminths. Animals were found stranded along the Spanish coasts during the morbillivirus epizootic in 1990. In accordance with observations from other pelagic tetrapods, including cetaceans from other geographical regions, the intestinal helminth community was depauperate. Four helminth species were found: three tetrabothriid cestodes, Tetrabothrius forsteri (prevalence: 96.2%; mean intensity [95% CI]: 47.4 [34.4–68.2]), Trigonocotyle globicephalae (9.6%; 1.8 [1.0–2.2]), and Strobilocephalus triangularis (23.1%; 5.3 [2.9–10.2]), and immature individuals of the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma vasculosum (51.9%; 2.7 [2.0–3.4]). Schluter’s variance test indicated a weak, but statistically significant association of occurrence of helminth species in dolphins, suggesting that some tetrabothriid species might use the same intermediate or paratenic hosts. Neither the abundance of helminth species nor infracommunity descriptors were significantly affected by sex, host body length or age. The absence of predictable effects of body size and age on the recruitment rate of helminths could be related to the fact that the host sample was largely composed of adults. This study provides quantitative evidence about helminth community structure of striped dolphins, based on a large sample size.
X-Linked Immunodeficient Mice With No Functional Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Are Protected From Sepsis-Induced Multiple Organ Failure

We previously reported the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors ibrutinib and acalabrutinib improve outcomes in a mouse model of polymicrobial sepsis. Now we show that genetic deficiency of the BTK gene alone in Xid mice confers protection against cardiac, renal, and liver injury in polymicrobial sepsis and reduces hyperimmune stimulation (“cytokine storm”) induced by an overwhelming bacterial infection. Protection is due in part to enhanced bacterial phagocytosis in vivo, changes in lipid metabolism and decreased activation of NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome. The inactivation of BTK leads to reduced innate immune cell recruitment and a phenotypic switch from M1 to M2 macrophages, aiding in the resolution of sepsis. We have also found that BTK expression in humans is increased in the blood of septic non-survivors, while lower expression is associated with survival from sepsis. Importantly no further reduction in organ damage, cytokine production, or changes in plasma metabolites is seen in Xid mice treated with the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib, demonstrating that the protective effects of BTK inhibitors in polymicrobial sepsis are mediated solely by inhibition of BTK and not by off-target effects of this class of drugs.
Effect of Swathing and Clear-Cutting Alfalfa on Insect Populations in Southern Alberta

Swathing alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) for hay greatly reduced the populations of several pest insects and their insect predators for 2 and often for 4 wk after swathing in southern Alberta. Clear-cutting alfalfa reduced pest and predator insects usually for 3-4 wk, but the predator populations recovered rapidly in some fields. The pest insects were Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Lygus spp. , Adelphocoris lineolatus (Goeze), and Sitona scissifrons Say. Predators were Aeolothrips fasciatus (L.), Nabls alternatus Parshley, Orius tristicolor White, and Coccinellidae. There was a difference in insect populations among fields because of management of the alfalfa during the growing season. These results have led to the recommendation for southern Alberta that, if pea aphid populations are high and the alfalfa is near the 10% bloom stage, the crop should be cut rather than treated with an insecticide.
Batrachospermum Hongdongense (Sect. Batrachospermum, Batrachospermaceae), a New Species from Shanxi, China

Batrachospermum hongdongense (Batrachospermaceae, atrachospermales, Rhodophyta), a new species from Shanxi province, China, is escribed and illustrated. This species is assigned to sect. Batrachospermum in that carpogonial branches are long, straight, and do not differ from the primary fascicle cells. This new species is similar to B. carpoinvolucrum Sheath et Vis in having involucral filaments terminated with carpogonia, and to B. debile Entwisle et Foard and B. kraftii Entwisle et Foard in the length of carpogonia. It differs from B. carpoinvolucrum in having long-scimitar trichogyne (vs. clavate trichogyne), and from B. debile and B. kraftii in having involucral filaments bearing carpogonia (vs. involucral filamentswithout).