Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Hepatic Expression of CYP2B6: Developmental Pattern and In Vitro Bioactivation of Chlorpyrifos.

CROOM, EDWARD LEE. Human Hepatic Expression of CYP2B6: Developmental Pattern and In Vitro Bioactivation of Chlorpyrifos. (Under the direction of Dr. Ernest Hodgson and the late Dr. Randy L. Rose). Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphorothioate insecticide. Known human exposures to chlorpyrifos range from low dietary levels to the intentional ingestion of concentrated chlorpyrifos solutions as a means of suicide. Chlorpyrifos derives its in vivo toxicity through bioactivation by the cytochromes P450 (CYPs) to the neurotoxic metabolite, chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO). Chlorpyrifos-induced toxicity occurs when the level of CPO produced exceeds the capacity to detoxify CPO before acetylcholinesterase inhibition occurs. Several human esterases detoxify CPO, the most efficient being the serum esterase, paraoxonase 1 (PON1). The capacity of PON1 to detoxify CPO is understood to depend on genotype, age and diet. PON1 expression can be developmentally delayed not plateauing until at least six months of age. The ability to produce CPO has not been as well studied in humans and there are questions regarding the impact of age, genetic variation on chlorpyrifos bioactivation. To assess CPO production variability, a series of in vitro metabolism studies were conducted with individual human liver microsomes incubated with chlorpyrifos. CPO production varied over 14-fold and was predicted by CYP2B6 activity but no relationship with CP2B6 genotype was observed. CYP expression can change substantially during development. However, CYP2B6 ontogeny has been poorly characterized. Earlier reports suggested a general lack of CYP2B6 expression in neonatal and fetal liver samples. CYP2B6 levels in 220 individual human liver microsomal samples ranging from 10 weeks gestation to 17 years were semi-quantitatively measured by western blot. CYP2B6 protein expression was determined to be significantly higher after the neonatal period and the percent of samples with detectable CYP2B6 protein increased from a low of 60% detectable in the first-trimester to over 90% detectable in samples from donors over 11 years of age. CYP2B6 is highly efficient at producing CPO,
The effects of partisan third parties on negotiator behavior and outcome perceptions

Two sources of third-party partisanship are: (1) the preexisting affiliation a third party may have with the negotiators and (2) the overt support a third party demonstrates by imposing an outcome. In 2 experiments, subjects involved in a negotiation simulation were told prior to negotiation that the third party was either positively affiliated with their side or with their opponent's side. In both studies, third parties imposed settlements on the disputants, reflecting varying degrees of overt support. The results suggest that negative third-party affiliation reduced disputant outcome expectations (thereby improving the likelihood of an agreement) and led to enhanced ratings of outcome and third-party satisfaction relative to favorable third-party affiliation
Regulation of human B-cell precursor adhesion to bone marrow stromal cells by cytokines that exert opposing effects on the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1)

Self-renewal and differentiation of B-cell precursors is dependent on interactions with bone marrow (BM) stromal cells and associated extracellular matrix. We have recently developed an interleukin (IL)-7- dependent, BM-derived stromal cell culture that supports the growth of normal human B-cell precursors. In the current study, we have characterized the constitutive expression, cytokine-regulated expression, and function of adhesion molecules on BM stromal cells that are critical for adhesion of B-cell precursors. Flow cytometric analysis showed that cultured adult BM stromal cells expressed higher constitutive levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 than intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 (CD54). IL-1 beta upregulated VCAM-1 and CD54 in a dose-dependent manner, whereas IL-4 upregulated VCAM-1, but had no effect on CD54. In contrast, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta decreased the level of BM stromal cell VCAM-1. Using an assay to measure the adhesion of 51Cr-labeled B-cell precursors to BM stromal cells, we observed a direct correlation between cytokine- regulated levels of VCAM-1 and the capacity of stromal cells to support the adhesion of B-cell precursors. Blocking studies using a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) showed that adhesion of B-cell precursors to untreated and cytokine-treated (IL-1 beta, IL-4) BM stromal cells was mediated by very late antigen (VLA)-4 (CD49d/CD29) and VCAM-1. Adhesion of B-cell precursors could also be enhanced by direct stimulation with MoAb to the CD29 subunit. Our collective results indicate that B-cell precursor/BM stromal cell adhesion is mediated by a VLA-4-VCAM-1 interaction, which in turn can be regulated at the level of the BM stromal cell by cytokines that specifically increase or decrease cell surface VCAM-1.
From Biophysical to Integrate-and-Fire Modeling

This article proposes a methodology to extract a low-dimensional integrate-and-fire model from an arbitrarily detailed single-compartment biophysical model. The method aims at relating the modulation of maximal conductance parameters in the biophysical model to the modulation of parameters in the proposed integrate-and-fire model. The approach is illustrated on two well-documented examples of cellular neuromodulation: the transition between type I and type II excitability and the transition between spiking and bursting.
Milk production and composition in crossbred cows fed calcium salts of mustard oil fatty acids

The effect of supplementing calcium salts of mustard oil fatty acids and heat-treated crushed mustard seeds was investigated in milch crossbred cows on milk yield and its composition. Twelve multipa-rous crossbred cows (360±6.5 kg BW) producing 6.5 ± 0.3 kg milk/d, 100 days in lactation, were divided into 3 groups of four animals each. Cows of control group were fed wheat straw and berseem along with concentrate I; those of group II and III were fed same roughage along with concentrate II and III containing Ca salts of mustard oil and heat-treated crushed mustard seeds, respectively to provide 4% supplemental fat of ration for 120 days. DMI (kg/d) was 9.19, 9.58 in group I and III and increase (P<0.05) of 10.99 and 6.4% was observed in group II over that of group I and III. Similarly, milk yield (kg/d) was 6.36 & 6.22 and increase (P<0.05) of 7.08% over group I and 9.48% over group III was recorded in group II cows. Milk total solids contents were 11.71% in group I and increase (P<0.05) of 7.08 and 9.48% was observed in group II & III respectively. Significant increase (p<0.05) in fat, FCM and SNF content (%) was observed in group II and III over that of group I. The proportion of C10.0, C12.0, C14.0, C15.0 and C16.0 fatty acids in milk fat decreased whereas that of C18.1, C18.2, C18.3 increased significantly (P<0.05) in group II. The results of the present study indicated the usefulness of supplementing protected fat in the diet of crossbred milch cows.
ODE guided Neural Data Augmentation Techniques for Time Series Data and its Benefits on Robustness

Exploring adversarial attack vectors and studying their effects on machine learning algorithms has been of interest to researchers. Deep neural networks working with time series data have received lesser interest compared to their image counterparts in this context. In a recent finding, it has been revealed that current state-of-the-art deep learning time series classifiers are vulnerable to adversarial attacks. In this paper, we introduce two local gradient based and one spectral density based time series data augmentation techniques. We show that a model trained with data obtained using our techniques obtains state-of-the-art classification accuracy on various time series benchmarks. In addition, it improves the robustness of the model against some of the most common corruption techniques,such as Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM) and Basic Iterative Method (BIM).
Adaptive norms for deep learning with regularized Newton methods

We investigate the use of regularized Newton methods with adaptive norms for optimizing neural networks. This approach can be seen as a second-order counterpart of adaptive gradient methods, which we here show to be interpretable as first-order trust region methods with ellipsoidal constraints. In particular, we prove that the preconditioning matrix used in RMSProp and Adam satisfies the necessary conditions for provable convergence of second-order trust region methods with standard worst-case complexities on general non-convex objectives. Furthermore, we run experiments across different neural architectures and datasets to find that the ellipsoidal constraints constantly outperform their spherical counterpart both in terms of number of backpropagations and asymptotic loss value. Finally, we find comparable performance to state-of-the-art first-order methods in terms of backpropagations, but further advances in hardware are needed to render Newton methods competitive in terms of computational time.
Chromosome Numbers and Karotypes Analysis of Genus Perilla L.

We observed the chromosome number of twenty-six accessions of genus Perilla L. ,and the karyotypes of one species (including zisu and baisu) and two varietal species from genus Perilla were also analyzed.The results showed that the chromosome numbers of all genus Perilla were fourty.The karotype formula of P.frutescens (L.) Britton var.frutescens(zi-su) is 2n=40=20m(2SAT)+10sm+10st;P.frutescens var.purpurascens (Hayata) H.W. Li is 2n=40=18m+14sm(2SAT)+8st;P.frutescens var.crispa (Benth.) Deane ex Bailey is 2n=40=10m(2SAT)+14sm+16st;P.fruteseens (L.) Britton var.frutescens (bai-su) is 2n=40=24m+12sm(2SAT)+4st.The results indicated that there were differences among the karotypes of the species and varietal species of genus Perilla and these karyotypes are reported for the first time.
Developmental toxicity evaluation of ethylene glycol by gavage in New Zealand white rabbits

Abstract Developmental Toxicity Evaluation of Ethylene Glycol by Gavage in New Zealand White Rabbits. Tyl, R. W. , Price, C. J., Marr, M. C. , Myers, C. B. , Seely, J. C. , Heindel, J. J., and Schwetz, B. A. (1993). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 20, 402-412. Artificially inseminated New Zealand white (NZW) rabbits were administered ethylene glycol (EG) by gavage on Gestational Days (GD) 6 through 19 at doses of 0, 100, 500, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg/day, with 23-24 inseminated animals per group. Clinical signs were recorded and water consumption was measured daily; does were weighed on GD 0, 6-19, 25, and 30. At necropsy (GD 30), maternal liver, kidney, and gravid uterine weights were recorded. Histopathologic examination was performed on kidneys from 10 does/dose and for all unscheduled deaths. Ovarian corpora lutea were counted and uterine implantation sites (total sites, resorptions, dead and live fetuses) were recorded. All live fetuses were weighed, sexed, and examined for external, visceral, and skeletal malformations and variations. EG resulted in profound maternal toxicity at 2000 mg/kg/day (42% mortality; three early, deliveries and one spontaneous abortion) associated with renal pathology and unaccompanied by any other indicators of maternal toxicity. Renal lesions at 2000 mg/kg/day involved the cortical renal tubules and included intraluminal oxalate crystals, epithelial necrosis, and tubular dilatation and degeneration, No dose-related maternal toxicity occurred at 100-1000 mg/kg/day. There was no indication of developmental toxicity at any dose tested, including no effects on pre- or postimplantation loss, number of fetuses, fetal body weight, or sex ratio (% male fetuses) per litter, and no evidence of teratogenicity. The "no observable adverse effect level" (NOAEL) for maternal toxicity was therefore 1000 mg/kg/day and the NOAEL for developmental toxicity was at least 2000 mg/kg/day in this study. The sensitivity of NZW rabbits relative to that of Sprague-Dawley rats and Swiss mice for maternal and developmental toxicity from gavage administration of EG during organogenesis can be determined for maternal toxicity: rabbits > mice > rats, and for developmental toxicity, mice ⪢ rats ⪢ rabbits.
The Monitoring of Psychosocial Factors During Hospitalization Before and After Cardiac Surgery Until Discharge From Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Research Protocol

Introduction: There is considerable evidence that psychosocial factors contribute to the etiology and prognosis of cardiac illness. Currently, in Italy, psychologists are only obligatory in the cardiac rehabilitation setting, although there are indications that patients could be experiencing distress also during other moments of hospitalization, such as on admission for cardiac surgery. Objective and Methods: The objective of this protocol is to gain more information about cardiac patients, specifically during the various moments of hospitalization for cardiac surgery, by collecting data at admission before cardiac surgery (t0), at admission to cardiac rehabilitation (t1), and at discharge (t2) at the Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Policlinico San Donato hospital. A psychosocial questionnaire was constructed after consulting the relevant national and international guidelines. Patients admitted for cardiac surgery and attending a rehabilitation program will be evaluated by acquiring data about their civil status, religiosity, education and work capacity, social condition (including the presence and quality of intimate relationships and support received), previous psychological and psychiatric histories, psychological status, lifestyle (including questions on nutrition, smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse), adherence to therapy, quality of life (QoL), health perception, anxiety, and depression at t0. Health perception, anxiety, and depression are also measured at t1 and t2. Discussion and Conclusion: This study is an attempt to identify the recommended psychosocial variables which need to be monitored during cardiac patients’ hospitalization for cardiac surgery, through to the completion of cardiac rehabilitation. After implementing this study at the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, attempts will be made to create studies on a national and international level to generate more evidence regarding these variables, in order to create tailor-made interventions for these patients during these specific and delicate moments.
DNA Barcoding for the Assessment of the Taxonomy and Conservation Status of the Fish Bycatch of the Northern Brazilian Shrimp Trawl Fishery

Trawling is a controversial fishing method due to the perceived lack of selectivity of the net and the resulting capture of a large quantity and diversity of non-target species. Here, we used DNA barcode methods to identify the composition of the bycatch produced by the trawl fishery of the Brazilian North coast. A total of 182 species belonging to 18 orders and 62 families were captured, including 17 species under some degree of threat in the wild according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN). These results highlight the impact on the marine biodiversity of northern Brazil caused by the bycatch of small-scale industrial and unregulated fishery operations, and support the application of DNA-based methods for the identification of the bycatch species taken by data-poor fisheries, as a powerful tool for the improvement of the quality of fishery catch statistics and more precise bycatch records.
Unique Names in China: Insights From Research in Japan—Commentary: Increasing Need for Uniqueness in Contemporary China: Empirical Evidence

By comparing naming practices between China and Japan, I propose three suggestions on Cai et al.'s (2018) Study 2, which examined historical changes in baby names in China. Their study found that the average daily frequencies of Chinese characters used in baby names decreased between 1950 and 2009. The authors concluded that unique names increased for this period and suggested a rise in the need for uniqueness and individualism in China. However, there are three questions that have remained unanswered. First, did the Chinese characters that were used in names indeed become more unique over time? Second, did the number of Chinese characters in names increase over time? Third, did the reading (pronunciation) of names become more unique over time? Answering these three questions would further increase the validity and impacts of the article and contribute to a better understanding of cultural changes in China.
Diversity of Sulfated Polysaccharides From Cell Walls of Coenocytic Green Algae and Their Structural Relationships in View of Green Algal Evolution

Seaweeds biosynthesize sulfated polysaccharides as key components of their cell walls. These polysaccharides are potentially interesting as biologically active compounds. Green macroalgae of the class Ulvophyceae comprise sulfated polysaccharides with great structural differences regarding the monosaccharide constituents, linearity of their backbones, and presence of other acidic substituents in their structure, including uronic acid residues and pyruvic acid. These structures have been thoroughly studied in the Ulvales and Ulotrichales, but only more recently have they been investigated with some detail in ulvophytes with giant multinucleate (coenocytic) cells, including the siphonous Bryopsidales and Dasycladales, and the siphonocladous Cladophorales. An early classification of these structurally heterogeneous polysaccharides was based on the presence of uronic acid residues in these molecules. In agreement with this classification based on chemical structures, sulfated polysaccharides of the orders Bryopsidales and Cladophorales fall in the same group, in which this acidic component is absent, or only present in very low quantities. The cell walls of Dasycladales have been less studied, and it remains unclear if they comprise sulfated polysaccharides of both types. Although in the Bryopsidales and Cladophorales the most important sulfated polysaccharides are arabinans and galactans (or arabinogalactans), their major structures are very different. The Bryopsidales produce sulfated pyruvylated 3-linked β-d-galactans, in most cases, with ramifications on C6. For some species, linear sulfated pyranosic β-l-arabinans have been described. In the Cladophorales, also sulfated pyranosic β-l-arabinans have been found, but 4-linked and highly substituted with side chains. These differences are consistent with recent molecular phylogenetic analyses, which indicate that the Bryopsidales and Cladophorales are distantly related. In addition, some of the Bryopsidales also biosynthesize other sulfated polysaccharides, i.e., sulfated mannans and sulfated rhamnans. The presence of sulfate groups as a distinctive characteristic of these biopolymers has been related to their adaptation to the marine environment. However, it has been shown that some freshwater algae from the Cladophorales also produce sulfated polysaccharides. In this review, structures of sulfated polysaccharides from bryopsidalean, dasycladalean, and cladophoralean green algae studied until now are described and analyzed based on current phylogenetic understanding, with the aim of unveiling the important knowledge gaps that still exist.
Genetic and Virulence Characteristics of a Hybrid Atypical Enteropathogenic and Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC/UPEC) Strain

Hybrid strains of Escherichia coli combine virulence traits of diarrheagenic (DEC) and extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), but it is poorly understood whether these combined features improve the virulence potential of such strains. We have previously identified a uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strain (UPEC 252) harboring the eae gene that encodes the adhesin intimin and is located in the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island. The LEE-encoded proteins allow enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) to form attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions in enterocytes. We sought to characterize UPEC 252 through whole-genome sequencing and phenotypic virulence assays. Genome analysis unveiled that this strain harbors a complete LEE region, with more than 97% of identity comparing to E2348/69 (EPEC) and O157:H7 Sakai (EHEC) prototype strains, which was functional, since UPEC 252 expressed the LEE-encoded proteins EspB and intimin and induced actin accumulation foci in HeLa cells. Phylogenetic analysis performed comparing 1,000 single-copy shared genes clustered UPEC 252 with atypical EPEC strains that belong to the sequence type 10, phylogroup A. Additionally, UPEC 252 was resistant to the bactericidal power of human serum and colonized cells of the urinary (T24 and HEK293-T) and intestinal (Caco-2 and LS174T) tracts. Our findings suggest that UPEC 252 is an atypical EPEC strain that emerges as a hybrid strain (aEPEC/UPEC), which could colonize new niches and potentially cause intestinal and extraintestinal infections.
Self-Efficacy and Depression in Boxers: A Mediation Model

Background Depression has become one of the most common problems faced by athletes. In many mental health problems, its production and development mechanisms and influencing factors have received full attention from researchers, whereas boxers’ depression has received limited attention. This study explored the relationship between boxers’ self-efficacy and depression, as well as the effect of self-control as a mediating factor. Methods This study used the athlete self-efficacy scale (ASES), the self-control scale (SCS), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale (CES-D). Using a large number of randomly selected samples, a total of N=231 boxers (age: M =20.28, SD = 2.60, ages around 18 to 32; the total number of years of exercise: M = 6.07 years, SD = 2.90, years around 1 to 15; 144 male) of Chinese national athletes participated the study. Results Self-efficacy and self-control were negatively correlated with depression; self-efficacy was positively correlated with self-control. In addition, self-control played a partial mediation role between self-efficacy and depression among boxers. Conclusion Above all, an important way to improve and prevent the depression of Chinese boxers maybe enhance their level of self-efficacy and self-control.
An SCN1B Variant Affects Both Cardiac-Type (NaV1.5) and Brain-Type (NaV1.1) Sodium Currents and Contributes to Complex Concomitant Brain and Cardiac Disorders

Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels are transmembrane proteins that initiate and propagate neuronal and cardiac action potentials. NaV channel β subunits have been widely studied due to their modulatory role. Mice null for Scn1b, which encodes NaV β1 and β1b subunits, have defects in neuronal development and excitability, spontaneous generalized seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, and early mortality. A mutation in exon 3 of SCN1B, c.308A>T leading to β1_p. D103V and β1b_p. D103V, was previously found in a patient with a history of proarrhythmic conditions with progressive atrial standstill as well as cognitive and motor deficits accompanying structural brain abnormalities. We investigated whether β1 or β1b subunits carrying this mutation affect NaV1.5 and/or NaV1.1 currents using a whole cell patch-clamp technique in tsA201 cells. We observed a decrease in sodium current density in cells co-expressing NaV1.5 or NaV1.1 and β1D103V compared to β1WT. Interestingly, β1bD103V did not affect NaV1.1 sodium current density but induced a positive shift in the voltage dependence of inactivation and a faster recovery from inactivation compared to β1bWT. The β1bD103V isoform did not affect NaV1.5 current properties. Although the SCN1B_c.308A>T mutation may not be the sole cause of the patient’s symptoms, we observed a clear loss of function in both cardiac and brain sodium channels. Our results suggest that the mutant β1 and β1b subunits play a fundamental role in the observed electrical dysfunction.