Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Training Petting Zoo Sheep to Act Like Petting Zoo Sheep: An Empirical Evaluation of Response-Independent Schedules and Shaping with Negative Reinforcement

Simple Summary The present study examines the use of response-independent food schedules (food delivered independent of what an animal is doing) and negative reinforcement in the form of a trainer removing themselves from the presence of an animal to effectively train approach and contact behaviors in petting zoo sheep. All sheep had previously been reported to avoid/escape the presence of zoo staff and caretakers, as well as refuse to eat in the presence of any persons. In Experiment 1, we were able to effectively use response-independent schedules to produce both approach and contact behaviors in a Hampshire sheep. In Experiment 2, a Jacob sheep was trained for approach/contact via a shaping procedure that initially rewarded approach behaviors by removing the presence of the trainer (negative reinforcement), and was later switched to rewarding responses directly with food (positive reinforcement) once the sheep began to regularly eat in the trainer’s presence. The results are discussed with respect to how both procedures are effective in examining the applied approach/avoidance behaviors with zoo animals, as well as the greater ethical considerations involved in using negative vs. positive reinforcement to train animals. Abstract Shaping through differential reinforcement of successive approximations to a target response has been a cornerstone procedure for the training of novel behavior. However, much of how it has traditionally been implemented occurs through informal observation, rather than any direct, systematic measurement. In the present study, we examine the use of response-independent food schedules and shaping for increasing approach and contact behaviors in petting zoo sheep. In Experiment 1, a fixed-time (FT) 15 s food schedule was used to effectively increase approach and contact behaviors in one sheep. In Experiment 2, negative reinforcement in the form of removal of the presence of a trainer was made contingent on the successful completion of approximations within a shaping procedure and later switched to food rewards. A changing-criterion design was used to empirically examine the effects of the shaping procedure during each step of the program. The result is one of the first studies to demonstrate the utility of using negative reinforcement within a shaping procedure to successfully intervene on approach/avoidance behaviors in an applied animal setting.
Are human faces and voices ornaments signaling common underlying cues to mate value?

In our daily lives, we constantly interact with people. We maintain relationships with families and friends. We collaborate with colleagues. We seek passion with our lovers and avoid conflicts with our enemies. How we divide the world into these and many other categories of people is initially guided by our first impressions of how they look and sound. Many times we are surprised when we hear someone on the phone whom we have not yet met face‐to face; they sound different from what we imagined. There are, however, many things that we are not surprised about in such situations. People are accurate at identifying sex, health, emotions, and age by both voices and faces.3–12 There is good evidence that many seemingly disparate ornaments such as body and face,13 body and voice,14–16 and face and odor19 may convey either backup signals of the same underlying quality20,21 or convey signals of different underlying qualities that are used in conjunction to provide a more robust view of the organism's overall fitness.22,23 Is this also true of face and voices?
Acute central effects of neonatal dexamethasone treatment: towards a rescue strategy

Dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic glucocorticoid, is widely used to wean preterm infants from the ventilator. Despite the important short-term benefit on lung function, there is growing concern about the long-term outcome of this treatment, since follow-up studies of preterm infants have shown pervasive adverse neurodevelopmental effects. Since the mechanism underlying these neurodevelopmental impairments is largely unknown, the aim of the present study was (i) to investigate the acute effects of neonatal DEX treatment on the developing brain; and (ii) to block the effects of DEX in the brain by central administration of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist mifepristone. Long Evans rat pups were injected subcutaneously with tapering doses of DEX or saline (SAL) on postnatal days (pnd) 1, 2 and 3. Separate groups received intracerebroventricular injections with mifepristone prior to DEX treatment. On pnd 4 and 10 pups were sacrificed and brains collected for analysis of cell proliferation (Ki67) and gliosis (GFAP). We report that neonatal DEX treatment reduced hippocampal cell proliferation on pnd 4 and caused a significant reduction in the number and density of astrocytes within various brain areas on pnd 10. These effects could be partially prevented by GR antagonist pre-treatment. These findings represent a proof of principle for the use of central GR antagonist pre-treatment as a potential intervention strategy to block postnatal DEX-induced alterations in brain development and function.
Explaining Differences in Perceived Threat: Why Education Matters

Recently, Italy has seen a dramatic increase in violent attacks on immigrants, suggesting that anti-immigrant attitudes are rising in Italy. It has often been found that especially the lower educated tend to be unwelcoming towards immigrants. Moreover, an important reason for people to be unwelcoming towards immigrants is that immigrants are perceived to be a threat. Following socialization theory, this paper explores the possibility that the more educated perceive less threat because education socializes them into a culture of openness towards others, whereas the less educated are socialized into a culture in which national identification and traditions are central. The eighth round of the European Social Survey is used and mediation analyses are conducted by means of the process-macro. We find partial mediation, with the more educated perceiving less threat because they attach more importance to openness and less importance to traditions. Whereas we expected the higher educated to be less emotionally attached to Italy, we find them to be higher identifiers. However, national identification did not influence the level of perceived immigrant threat.
Self-microemulsifying drug delivery system of curcumin with enhanced solubility and bioavailability using a new semi-synthetic bicephalous heterolipid: in vitro and in vivo evaluation

Despite the various therapeutic actions displayed by curcumin, its poor aqueous solubility and bioavailability restricts its biological applications. This problem can be addressed by its efficient loading into a nano formulation. The present paper reports the utilization of a new semi-synthetic oleic acid derived bicephalous heterolipid, E1E, as an oil phase in the formulation development of a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) of curcumin to enhance its solubility and bioavailability. The solubility of curcumin in E1E was found to be 14 and 2.6-fold greater than oleic acid and ethyl oleate respectively. The SMEDDS developed from E1E (Curcumin-E1E_SMEDDS5e) had high curcumin loading efficiency of 70.52 ± 2.46 mg g−1, and was able to form spontaneous microemulsion on addition to aqueous phase with mean globule diameter of 22.39 ± 0.2 nm and polydispersity index of 0.243 ± 0.010. In vivo oral bioavailability studies in male Wistar rats revealed that the maximum serum concentration (Cmax) and time taken to reach maximum serum concentration (Tmax) were 4.921 ± 0.42 μg mL−1 and 60 min respectively. The absorption of curcumin increased 26-folds via its delivery through Curcumin-E1E_SMEDDS5e. The cytostatic and total growth inhibition concentrations of Curcumin-E1E_SMEDDS5e against HeLa cell line were almost comparable to doxorubicin (GI50 and TGI < 10 μg mL−1) whereas lethal concentration (LC50) was 71.8 μg mL−1. Further, the minimum inhibitory concentrations against E. coli and S. aureus were 48.62 and 97.65 μg mL−1 respectively. These results suggested potent anticancer, antibacterial activity and non-cytotoxicity of developed Curcumin-E1E_SMEDDS5e. The heterolipid, E1E, proved to be an efficient solubility and bioavailability enhancer for curcumin for formulation development of its SMEDDS.
Maize Y9 Encodes a Product Essential for 15-cis-ζ-Carotene Isomerization1[OA]

Carotenoids are a diverse group of pigments found in plants, fungi, and bacteria. They serve essential functions in plants and provide health benefits for humans and animals. In plants, it was thought that conversion of the C40 carotenoid backbone, 15-cis-phytoene, to all-trans-lycopene, the geometrical isomer required by downstream enzymes, required two desaturases (phytoene desaturase and ζ-carotene desaturase [ZDS]) plus a carotene isomerase (CRTISO), in addition to light-mediated photoisomerization of the 15-cis-double bond; bacteria employ only a single enzyme, CRTI. Characterization of the maize (Zea mays) pale yellow9 (y9) locus has brought to light a new isomerase required in plant carotenoid biosynthesis. We report that maize Y9 encodes a factor required for isomerase activity upstream of CRTISO, which we term Z-ISO, an activity that catalyzes the cis- to trans-conversion of the 15-cis-bond in 9,15,9′-tri-cis-ζ-carotene, the product of phytoene desaturase, to form 9,9′-di-cis-ζ-carotene, the substrate of ZDS. We show that recessive y9 alleles condition accumulation of 9,15,9′-tri-cis-ζ-carotene in dark tissues, such as roots and etiolated leaves, in contrast to accumulation of 9,9′-di-cis-ζ-carotene in a ZDS mutant, viviparous9. We also identify a locus in Euglena gracilis, which is similarly required for Z-ISO activity. These data, taken together with the geometrical isomer substrate requirement of ZDS in evolutionarily distant plants, suggest that Z-ISO activity is not unique to maize, but will be found in all higher plants. Further analysis of this new gene-controlled step is critical to understanding regulation of this essential biosynthetic pathway.
The Hyperoxic-Hypoxic Paradox

Effective metabolism is highly dependent on a narrow therapeutic range of oxygen. Accordingly, low levels of oxygen, or hypoxia, are one of the most powerful inducers of gene expression, metabolic changes, and regenerative processes, including angiogenesis and stimulation of stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The sensing of decreased oxygen levels (hypoxia) or increased oxygen levels (hyperoxia), occurs through specialized chemoreceptor cells and metabolic changes at the cellular level, which regulate the response. Interestingly, fluctuations in the free oxygen concentration rather than the absolute level of oxygen can be interpreted at the cellular level as a lack of oxygen. Thus, repeated intermittent hyperoxia can induce many of the mediators and cellular mechanisms that are usually induced during hypoxia. This is called the hyperoxic-hypoxic paradox (HHP). This article reviews oxygen physiology, the main cellular processes triggered by hypoxia, and the cascade of events triggered by the HHP.
The Clinical Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Knee Disorders and Surgery—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

In recent years, the interest in biological treatment of knee lesions has increased, especially the application of platelet-rich plasma is of particular note. The number of articles evaluating platelet-rich plasma (PRP) efficacy in the recovery of knee disorders and during knee surgery has exponentially increased over the last decade. A systematic review with meta-analyses was performed by assessing selected studies of local PRP injections to the knee joint. The study was completed in accordance with 2009 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. A multistep search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Clinicaltrials.gov was performed to identify studies on knee surgery and knee lesion treatment with PRP. Of the 4004 articles initially identified, 357 articles focusing on knee lesions were selected and, consequently, only 83 clinical trials were analyzed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool to evaluate risk. In total, seven areas of meta-analysis reported a positive effect of PRP. Among them, 10 sub-analyses demonstrated significant differences in favor of PRP when compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). This study showed the positive effects of PRP, both on the recovery of knee disorders and during knee surgery; however further prospective and randomized studies with a higher number of subjects and with lower biases are needed.
Extracellular Vesicles from Healthy Cells Improves Cell Function and Stemness in Premature Senescent Stem Cells by miR-302b and HIF-1α Activation

Aging is accompanied by the accumulation of senescent cells that alter intercellular communication, thereby impairing tissue homeostasis and reducing organ regenerative potential. Recently, the administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles has proven to be more effective and less challenging than current stem cell-based therapies. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain a cell-specific cargo of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids that are released and taken up by probably all cell types, thereby inducing functional changes via the horizontal transfer of their cargo. Here, we describe the beneficial properties of extracellular vesicles derived from non-senescent MSC, cultured in a low physiological oxygen tension (3%) microenvironment into prematurely senescent MSC, cultured in a hyperoxic ambient (usual oxygen culture conditions, i.e., 21%). We observed that senescent MCS, treated with EVs from non-senescent MCS, showed reduced SA-β-galactosidase activity levels and pluripotency factor (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and cMYC, or OSKM) overexpression and increased glycolysis, as well as reduced oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Moreover, these EVs’ cargo induced the upregulation of miR-302b and HIF-1α levels in the target cells. We propose that miR-302b triggered HIF-1α upregulation, which in turn activated different pathways to delay premature senescence, improve stemness and switch energetic metabolism towards glycolysis. Taken together, we suggest that EVs could be a powerful tool to restore altered intercellular communication and improve stem cell function and stemness, thus delaying stem cell exhaustion in aging.
Exome sequencing identifies somatic mutations in novel driver genes in non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and accounts for more than one-third of all newly diagnosed cancer cases in China. Therefore, it is of great clinical significance to explore new driver gene mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Using an initial bioinformatic analysis, we identified somatic gene mutations in 13 patients with NSCLC and confirmed these mutations by targeted sequencing in an extended validation group of 88 patients. Recurrent mutations were detected in UNC5D (7.9%), PREX1 (5.0%), HECW1 (4.0%), DACH1 (2.0%), and GPC5 (2.0%). A functional study was also performed in UNC5D mutants. Mutations in UNC5D promoted tumorigenesis by abolishing the tumor suppressor function of the encoded protein. Additionally, in ten patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma, we identified mutations in KEAP1/NFE2L2 that influenced the expression of target genes in vivo and in vitro. Overall, the results of our study expanded the known spectrum of driver mutations involved in the pathogenesis of NSCLC.
The influence of different stocking densities on the performance and behavior among the hatchery reared sea bass (Lates calcarifer) juveniles in recirculating system.

Asian sea bass juveniles (62 days post hatching) with a mean body weight of 0.69 ± 0.05 g and mean total length of 3.45 ± 1.02 cm were distributed randomly among 12 units of 100 L cylindroconical tanks in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with 70 L of filtered seawater for 56 days. Four different stocking densities S2, S4, S6, S8 fish/L (140, 280, 420, 560 fish per tank) at three replicates were determined. Light was provided by fluorescent tubes on a 12 h light and 12 h dark photoperiod per day. A commercial dry 2 mm pellets were used to feed the fish at 8 – 10 % biomass, four times a day at 2 h intervals during the experiment. Weekly sampling was done for length and weight measurement and fish mortality was recorded daily. Significant increase in weight gain, specific growth rate, condition factor and the lowest food conversion ratio (P<0.05) were observed in sea bass at 4 individuals/L (S4) stocking density as compared to the other groups of fish. Statistical analyses showed that there were no significant differences on survival rates after 56 days of culture period among groups S2 and S4, but survival rate was significantly lower in S6 and S8 groups of sea bass (P<0.05). During day 35 of culture period, it was observed that sea bass juveniles reared under stocking densities of 6 and 8 fish/L showed competition among the individuals (aggressive shooters) for feed and space resulting in size variation that influenced fish behavior that leads to cannibalism. Size difference is considered a major factor which caused cannibalism among juvenile fish even though sufficient food was being provided. In the present investigation, cannibalism was observed to some extent in high stocking density groups due to various attacks from their tails. Water quality parameters were monitored and maintain within the optimum ranges for sea bass at temperature of 29.5 to 30 C; salinity range of 31 to 32 ppt; dissolved oxygen of 8.2 to 8.5 ppm and pH from 7.5 to 8.0. The unionized ammonia (NH3) and nitrite (NO2-N) levels in the tanks stocked with 2, 4, 6 and 8 fish/L were within the ranges of 0.04 to 0.09 ppm and 0.02 to 0.05 ppm respectively and these values are considered optimal for the growth of sea bass. The water was changed daily around 15 % in the recirculation system. This study found that homogeneity in the growth of juvenile sea bass, improved the feeding performance and survival rate of sea bass juveniles. It is concluded that growth of juvenile sea bass can be significantly increased by stocking the fish at lower density of 4 fish/L in a recirculating aquaculture system.
Biodiversity and ecology of small mammals (Rodents and Shrews) of the "RÃ©serve de Faune Ã Okapis", Democratic Republic of the Congo

We carried out a small mammal (rodents and shrews) inventory in the Okapi Fauna Reserve in the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo. Using snap traps and life traps we collected 1577 specimens of small mammals belonging to 7 species of Soricomorpha and 23 species of Rodentia. Rodents included Hylomyscus par- vus, which previously only was known in D.R. Congo near Kisangani. The record of Crocidura congobelgica (Sori- comorpha) is the second record after the description of the species. Hybomys cf. lunaris (27.58%) and Praomys jacksoni (21.81%) were the most abundant and ubiquitous species on the prospected habitats (mixed forest, monodominant forest, swampy forest, hill forest, secondary forest and fallows) except in grassy fallows where Lophuromys dudui was the most abundant species. Other common species in the Reserve included Deomys ferrugineus, Hylomyscus stella, H. aeta, Malacomys longipes and Praomys misonnei. Shrews included Crocidura congobelgica, C. hildegardeae, C. olivieri and Scutisorex somereni. The Shannon-Wiener and Simpson diversity indices show a large diversity and high equitability in small mammal communities. The sex ratio for the principal species was near parity. All the species seemed to breed throughout the year but for most repro- duction was less intensive in the dry season.
Reduced genioglossus muscle activity caused by fluid overload in anesthetized rats

Although the precise cause of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains unknown, various anatomical or structural factors are thought to influence upper airway patency. Recent clinical studies show that OSA is frequently observed among patients with fluid‐retaining states, such as heart/renal failure and postsurgery. It is important to note that a cause–effect relationship is not yet established, and our understanding of the effects of fluid overload is limited. The goal of this study was to investigate an animal model that can characterize the physiological changes that occur in response to fluid overload.
Kinetics of pre‐myelodysplastic syndromes blood values correlate with disease risk and survival

We reviewed pre‐diagnosis clinical data of 420 patients with pathologically confirmed myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) presenting with anemia. In 232 patients with yearly pre‐diagnosis complete blood counts (CBCs), we also analyzed CBC kinetics in respects to a standardized timepoint in which all patients had similar levels of hemoglobin (Hgb). At the standardized timepoint (last documented 12 > Hgb ≥ 11 g/dL), occurring months‐years before diagnosis, median CBC values were Hgb 11.4 g/dL, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) 2.7 × 103(k)/mcl, and platelets (PLTs) 181 k/mcl. Gradual changes in CBC could be observed years prior to this timepoint, for the most part while within normal/near‐normal limits. During this time, most patients had a coexisting alternative etiology for anemia. Patients with high‐risk cytogenetic/blast features had a rapid and steeper decrease in counts in the last year before developing a concerning anemia (decrease in: Hgb 0.75 g/dL vs 0.55 g/dL; PLT 29.5 vs 4.5 k/mcl; ANC 0.86 vs 0.4 k/mcl, P = .03). Low‐risk patients had a high rate of longstanding mild anemia (31% vs 16%, P = .05). Rate of development of cytopenia and number of involved hematopoietic lines were prognostic. In 65% of patients, with near normal CBC at the standardized timepoint, but in whom there was a decrease in multiple hematopoietic lines over the preceding year, the 5‐year overall survival (5yOS) was 53% compared to 71% in patients with isolated slowly progressing anemia (20% of patients). In 15% of patients with mild cytopenia developing after both a rapid decrease and multiple involved lines, prognosis was dismal (5yOS 34%). In conclusion, kinetics of pre‐MDS CBC values correlate with disease risk and survival.