Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF THE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF JOJOBA EXTRACT AGAINST FUMONISIN TOXICITY IN RATS

Aim of the work: The current study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of the ethanolic extract of jojoba in rats treated with fumonisin. Material and Method: Forty mature male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups included the control groups and the groups treated with fumonisin-contaminated cultural materials (60 mg/L), the group treated orally with jojoba extract (5 mg/kg b.w) and the group treated with fumonisin and the extract. Results: the results indicated that fumonisin induced a significant decrease in RBCs, HB, platelets, WBCs and triglycerides accompanied with a significant increase in all the other biochemical parameters tested. Moreover, animals treated with fumonisin alone showed severe pathological and histochemical changes in the liver tissues. Animals treated with jojoba extract alone were comparable to the controls regarding the haematological, the biochemical parameters, the histological structure and histochemical picture of the liver. In conclusion: The extract contracted the toxic effects of fumonisin and succeeded to normalize all the parameters tested and improve the histological and histochemical structure of the liver.
Regulation of neuronal Cl- homeostasis and GABAergic inhibition by components of excitatory neurotransmission

KCC2 is the neuron-specific member of the K+-Clcotransporter family of proteins, which maintains a low intracellular Cl− essential for fast inhibitory synaptic transmission in the mature central nervous system (CNS). KCC2 is essential for survival, as KCC2 knock-out mice die at birth due to respiratory failure. Moreover several neurological disorders including neuropathic pain, epileptic seizures and autism spectrum disorders exhibit impaired synaptic inhibition due to decreased KCC2 expression and function. Despite the critical importance of this protein in maintaining fast synaptic inhibition, KCC2 was discovered to be abundantly expressed at the vicinity of excitatory synapses in 2001. Since this discovery, no study has systematically analyzed how components of synaptic excitation regulate KCC2 function and fast synaptic inhibition in the CNS The principal novel discoveries from my thesis research are: (i) native-KCC2 exists in a multiprotein complex with key members of excitatory synapse namely, the kainate-type ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) subunit GluK2, and its auxiliary subunit Neto2; (ii) these iii components of excitatory synapse could serve as auxiliary subunits of KCC2 – a concept which was previously non-existent for transporters in general, and in particularly for KCC2; (iii) Neto2 and GluK2 regulates several aspects of KCC2 cellular regulation including total and surface abundance, oligomerization and transporter efficacy in vitro and in vivo; (iv) finally, loss of Neto2 or GluK2 result in impaired KCC2 transporter function in hippocampal neurons. Hence, my discovery represent a novel regulation of KCC2 function and fast synaptic inhibition by components of excitatory transmission, significantly advancing our growing understanding of the tight interplay between excitation and inhibition.
Optimization of bioethanol production from soybean molasses using different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Bioethanol technology represents an important scientific research area because of the high market value and wide availability of its primary and by-products. Worldwide interest in utilizing bioethanol as a renewable and sustainable energy source has significantly increased in the last few years due to limited reserves of fossil fuels and concerns about climate change. Therefore, improvement of the bioethanol production process is a priority research field at the international scale, due to both economic and environmental reasons. The aim of this study was to optimize production of bioethanol from soybean molasses based media using response surface methodology. Three different strains of the yeast Saccharomices cerevisiae, commercially available in dried form, were used as production microorganisms, and the best results were obtained by using dried baker? s yeast. The results of optimization of alcoholic fermentation using dried baker? s yeast indicate that the highest value of the overall desirability function (0.945) is obtained when the initial sugar content is 18.10 % (w/v) at the fermentation time of 48.00 h. At these conditions the model predicts that bioethanol concentration is 8.40 % (v/v), yeast cell number 2.21? 108 cells/mL and the residual sugar content is 0.35 % (w/v).
FT-IR Spectroscopy for the Identification of Binding Sites and Measurements of the Binding Interactions of Important Metal Ions with Bovine Serum Albumin

Proteins play crucial roles in the transportation and distribution of therapeutic substances, including metal ions in living systems. Some metal ions can strongly associate, while others show low affinity towards proteins. Consequently, in the present work, the binding behaviors of Ca2+, Ba2+, Ag+, Ru3+, Cu2+ and Co2+ with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were screened. BSA and the metal ions were allowed to interact at physiological pH and their binding interactions were screened by using FT-IR spectroscopy. Spectra were collected by using hydrated films over a range of 4000–400 cm−1. The interaction was demonstrated by a significant reduction in the spectral intensities of the amide I (C=O stretching) and amide II bands (C–N stretching coupled to NH bending) of the protein after complexation with metal ions. The binding interaction was further revealed by spectral shifting of the amide I band from 1651 cm−1 (free BSA) to 1653, 1654, 1649, 1655, 1655, and 1654 cm−1 for BSA–Ca2+, BSA–Ba2+, BSA–Ag+, BSA–Ru3+, BSA–Cu2+ and BSA–Co2+ complexes, respectively. The shifting of the amide I band was due to the interactions of metal ions with the O and N atoms of the ligand protein. Estimation of the secondary protein structure showed alteration in the protein conformation, characterized by a marked decrease (12.9–40.3%) in the α-helix accompanied by increased β-sheet and β-turn after interaction with the metal ions. The interaction results of this study were comparable with those reported in our previous investigation of metal ion–BSA interactions using affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE), which has proven the accuracy of the FT-IR technique in the measurement of interactions between proteins and metal ions.
Personality Assessment Using Biosignals and Human Computer Interaction applied to Medical Decision Making

Clinical decision-making for patients with multiple acute or chronic diseases (i.e. multimorbidity) is complex. There is often no ’right’ or optimal treatment due to the potentially harmful effects of multiple interactions between drugs and diseases. This makes it necessary to establish trade-offs between the benefits and risks of different treatment strategies. This means also that there may be high levels of risk and uncertainty when making decisions. One factor that can influence how decisions are made under conditions of risk and uncertainty is the decision maker’s personality. The studies of this dissertation used biosignals and eye-tracking methods and developed pointer tracking techniques to monitor human computer interaction to assess, using machine learning techniques, the individual personality of decision makers. Data acquisition systems were designed and prepared to collect and synchronize: 1) physiological data electrocardiogram, blood volume pulse and electrodermal activity; 2) human-computer interaction data pointer movements, eye tracking and pupil diameter; 3) decision-making task data; and 4) personality questionnaire’ results. A set of processing tools was developed to ensure the correct extraction of psychophysiologyrelated features that could manifest personality. These features were combined by several machine learning algorithms to predict the Big-Five personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. The five personality traits were well modelled by, at least, one of the sets of features extracted. With a sample of 88 students, features from the pointer movements in online surveys predicted four personality traits with a mean squared error (MSE)<0.46. The blood volume pulse responses in a decision-making task trained in a distinct sample of 79 students predicted four personality traits with a MSE<0.49. The application of the personality models based on the pointer movements in the personality questionnaire in a sample of 12 medical doctors achieved a MSE<0.40 for three personality traits. These were the best results achieved in each context of this thesis. The outcomes of this work demonstrate the huge potential of broader models that predict personality through human behaviour, with possible application in a wide variety of fields, such as human resources, medical research studies or machine learning approaches.
The Effects of Passive Dehydration on Neuromuscular Function

iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.vi TABLES.38 Table 1.38 FIGURES.39 Figure 1.39 Figure 2.40 Figure 3.41 Figure 4.42 APPENDIX.49 Informed Consent.49 Health History Questionnaire.56 Exit Survey.60 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION.1 Purpose.2 Hypothesis and Aims.2 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE.3 Hydration.3 Dehydration.4 Circulatory System.5 Renal Function.8 Thermoregulatory System.9 Skeletal Muscle.10 Performance Limitations.11 Cytokines.13 Exercise and Cytokines.14 Thermoregulation and Cytokines.15 Neuromuscular Function.15 Motor Units.15 Motor Unit Action Potentials.16 Coactivation.17 Dehydration and Neuromuscular Function.18 Isometric Strength.18 Isokinetic Strength.19 Muscular Endurance.19 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY.23 Research Design.23 Participants.23 Procedures.24 Instruments and Measures.26 Statistical Analysis.31 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS.32 Demographics.32
GC-MS Analysis of Anti-Candida and Antioxidant Activities of Hydroalcoholic Leaf Extract of Chaerophyllum macropodum

Background: Chaerophyllum is a genus from the family Apiaceae. Chaerophyllum macropodum as a wild species is endemic to Iran and Turkey. The leaves of this plant are used in the food industry, as well as medicine. Since resistance has increased in some Candida species, side effects of chemical drugs and the use of medicinal plants are very important. Objectives: We reviewed the antioxidant and anti-Candida effects of hydroalcoholic leaf extracts of C. macropodum. Methods: For the evaluation of the antioxidant potential of C. macropodum extracts, DPPH radical scavenging test, reducing power assay, and β-carotene bleaching test were performed. Moreover, the total free phenolic and flavonoid contents were measured. A GC-MS instrument was used for analyzing the extract components. In addition, hydroalcoholic extraction was performed by agar well-diffusion method against 40 Candida species isolated from patients. Results: According to the DPPH test, a moderate antiradical activity was attributed to C. macropodum leaf extract; maximum inhibition (6.38) was reported at 1000 µg/mL. Based on the findings, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 57.43 ± 0.25 and 138 ± 19.80 (mg/g), respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations for C. albicans and C. glabrata were 300 and 400 µg/µL at 48 hours, respectively. Conclusions: In this study, a moderate antioxidant activity was attributed to C. macropodum leaf extracts. In addition, the results confirmed that leaf extracts had inhibitory activity against bacteria and Candida species. Therefore, they may be applied as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal agents in food protection. Copyright © 2018, Jundishapur Journal of Natural Pharmaceutical Products.
Alpha-lipoic acid alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced liver damage in rats via antioxidant effect

Objective: The effect of lipoic acid (LA), which is considered to be a potential antioxidant, on oxidative stress parameters in liver tissue damage has not been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship of LA with oxidant and antioxidant parameters in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced liver damage in rats. Methods: First group (n=10) was injected a single dose of 20 mg/kg saline (control), second group (n=10) was injected a single dose of 20 mg/kg LPS (LPS) and third group (n=10) was injected a single dose of 20 mg/kg LPS at the end of third day of 10 mg/kg/day LA injection (LA+LPS). The glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined by spectrophotometric method. 3-Nitrotyrosine (3-NT) level was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Results: It was found that 3-NT and MDA levels were significantly lower in LA+LPS group than those of LPS group. Moreover, it was found that antioxidant enzyme activity values of LA+LPS approached to the values of control group. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the oxidant/antioxidant status is balanced in the LA group. Therefore, it may be suggested that LA supplementation to be beneficial for preventing oxidative stress in LPS-induced liver damage in rats.
Effects of thiourea on the kinetics and electrochemical nucleation of tin electrodeposition from stannous chloride bath in acidic medium

The effects of thiourea (TU) on the kinetics and electrochemical nucleation of tin from stannous chloride bath in acidic medium have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry. CV results showed that the tin reduction is a one-step reaction and indicated that TU inhibited the reduction of tin ions at high concentration. EIS analysis showed that the electrodeposition process of tin is affected by the addition of TU. The nucleation mechanism of tin was studied using both Sharifker? Hills (SH) and Palomar? Pardav? (PP) models. SH model indicated that hydrogen evolution and tin reduction occurred simultaneously. Non-dimensional current-time transients curves based on PP model revealed that the tin nucleation followed 3D progressive mechanism without TU and with 0.01 M TU, while the nucleation process changes to 3D instantaneous in presence of 0.1 M TU. However, at 1 M TU, the nucleation mechanism is located between instantaneous and progressive model. The proton reduction reaction was inhibited at all concentrations of TU. Quantitative determination showed that in the presence of TU, the diffusion coefficient of tin species, the hydrogen evolution rate constant, the nucleation rate constant and the number of active sites were decreased.
MacMARCKS and the Protein Kinase C Signal Transduction Pathway: Role in Neural Secretion and Neural Development

1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCI10N SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND THE CYTOSKELETON THE CYTOSKELETON AND DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION MARCKS AND MacMARCKS INTEGRATE SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND THE ACTIN CYTOSKELETON 2 CHAPTER TWO: MATERIALS AND METHODS REAGENTS CELL CULTURE BIOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES FUNCTIONAL ASSAYS MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES GENERATION OF LACZ TRANSGENIC MICE GENERATION OF MacMARCKS NULL MICE 25 CHAPTER THREE: CHARACfERIZATION OF MacMARCKS IN SYNAPTOSOMES AND PC12 CELLS INTRODUCTION RESULTS DISCUSSION 47
A Novel Staining Method For Detecting Bloodborne Bacteria After Their Dielectrophoretic Isolation

A NOVEL STAINING METHOD FOR DETECTING BLOODBORNE BACTERIA AFTER THEIR DIELECTROPHORETIC ISOLATION. John Gaudet (Sponsored by David Peaper). Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Current methods to diagnose bacteremia typically require 18 to 36 hours to detect positive samples and five days to identify negative ones. This delay stems in part from the incubation time necessary for bacteria to multiply and achieve detectable concentrations. In recent years, microfluidic chips have been developed that isolate and concentrate bacteria from the blood on a time scale of minutes to hours (1). This research seeks to stain and visualize these bacteria after their microfluidic processing thereby significantly shortening the time required to diagnose bacteremia. The traditional Gram stain is not sufficiently sensitive to detect bacteria in this setting (2). A novel staining procedure involving sample filtration was therefore developed and tested against the Gram stain with a focus on the relative performance of these methods in samples with low concentrations of bacteria. The experimental staining procedure was first optimized by testing different combinations of filters and counterstains. The resulting finalized procedure, when tested against the Gram stain, detected bacteria at concentrations roughly two orders of magnitude lower than those of the control method. The results indicate that this novel staining method may have utility when used in conjunction with a microfluidic condenser in certain applications. As for a broadly applicable method of diagnosing bacteremia more quickly, these results are promising but further improvements are required to increase the sensitivity of the test and decrease the time required to perform it. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. David Peaper for providing patient support, instruction, funding, and access to the resources of the clinical microbiology lab. I would also like to thank the many other members of the microbiology lab who were happy not only to share their space with me but also to answer many questions about how to use or find some instrument. I would also like to thank my classmates. It would be difficult to list the large number of them that have played a significant and constructive role for me, but I do want to specifically thank John Andrews and Will Meyerson for a long and detailed conversation about this project that brought a unique perspective and excitement to my research. Finally, I would like to thank my family. Their effect on my life is, of course, too vast for this forum, but specifically in this scenario I would like to thank them for their genuine support for and curiosity in my research. Table of
The social psychology of economic inequality, redistribution, and subjective well-being

ABSTRACT As economic inequality continues to rise, there is increased concern about both the consequences of inequality and what can be done to reverse this trend. In the present paper, we review the social psychology of economic inequality and redistribution, focusing on their effects on subjective well-being. We address who is affected by inequality and redistribution, what psychological processes link inequality and redistribution to well-being, and how (incorrect) beliefs about redistribution may underlie opposition. Although redistribution has been shown to promote well-being, which policies are effective in promoting well-being remains unclear. We also highlight current limitations, namely, limited understanding of the underlying psychological mechanisms, overlooking the multidimensionality of redistribution, culture and country-specific effects, and a more intersectional approach to who is affected by inequality. Taken together, initial steps have been taken to understand how policy can be used to promote a happy society, yet many questions remain.
Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of V(IV), Ag(I) and Cd(II) Complexes with Mixed Ligands Derived from Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim

A series of new metal complexes were prepared by mixing 4-amino-N-(5-methylisoxazole-3-yl)-benzene -sulfonamide (L1) as a chelating ligand in the presence of the co-ligand trimethoprim (L2), with Vanadium (V), Cadmium (Cd) and Silver (Ag) ions in alcoholic medium. The complexes were characterized in solid state by using flame atomic absorption, elemental analysis C.H. N.S, FT-IR, UV-Vis Spectroscopy, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Tetrahedral geometry was suggested for CdL1L2, AgL1L2 complexes, while VL1L2 complex has a square pyramidal. The ligand L1, with the metal ions, was clearly behaving as a bidentate through O and N atoms of sulfonylamid, while L2 behaves as a bidentate ligand through N and N atoms for all the complexes. Conductivity has shown that all the preparations complexes are ionized, and the nature of bonding between the metal ion and the donor atoms of the ligands was demonstrated by calculating the ligand field parameters by using suitable Tanaba-Sugano diagrams. Biological activity of V(IV), Cd(II), Ag(I), TMP, and SMX, with different concentrations (50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000)ppm, were studied respectively, complexes with chelating ligand and co-ligand were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, after incubating for 24hr at 37oC. Results showed that L1 and L2 enhance effect of (V) against growth of (Staph. aureus and E. coli) with concentration (50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000)ppm, while Ps. aeruginosa was sensitized to (Cd) and (Ag) with concentration more than (250)ppm, after incubated for 24hr at 37oC. Whereas, the SMX is exposed to a failure in its efficiency against Staph. aureus, Ps. aeruginosa, and E. coli.
Hypoxia decreases osteogenic differentiation potential but enhances vasculogenic differentiation potential of human adipose stem cells on biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds in fibrin gels

Background: In bone tissue engineering, biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) with different hydroxyapatite (HA)/s-tricalcium phosphate (s-TCP) ratios can be combined with regeneration-competent stem cells, and bioscaffolds like fibrin that trigger neovascularization. We have shown recently that human adipose stem cells (hASCs) on BCP with a HA/s-TCP ratio of 20/80 (BCP20/80) incorporated in fibrin gel show enhanced osteogenic and/or vasculogenic differentiation potential compared to BCP with a HA/s-TCP ratio of 60/40 (BCP60/40) in vitro. A hypoxic microenvironment for the cells might occur in these hASC-seeded BCP-based composites after implantation in vivo. This limits oxygen supply which is essential for successful bone tissue engineering. Objectives: Here we aimed to test the effect of hypoxia on osteogenic and/or vasculogenic differentiation of hASC-seeded BCP60/40 or BCP20/80 scaffolds in fibrin gels as well as fibrin gel degradation. Methods: BCP60/40-based composites and BCP20/80-based composites were cultured under normoxia (20% O2) or hypoxia (1% O2) for 12 days, and total DNA content, alkaline phosphatase activity, nitric oxide production, vascular endothelial growth factor production, and fibrin gel degradation were assessed during culture. Results: Hypoxia similarly decreased total DNA content at day 7 (1.3-fold) and 12 (1.2-fold) in both composites. It also decreased alkaline phosphatase activity at day 5 (5.0 and 4.7-fold), day 7 (4.5 and 6-fold), and 12 (7.1 and 6.8-fold) in BCP60/40-based composites and BCP20/80-based composites. Hypoxia similarly increased vascular endothelial growth factor production at day 5 (3.9-fold) and day 7 (2.6-fold) by both BCP-based composites. Hypoxia did not affect nitric oxide production and fibrin gel degradation in both BCP-based composites at all-time points. Conclusion: Hypoxia decreased osteogenic differentiation but enhanced vasculogenic differentiation of cultured BCP-based composites. These in vitro results implicate that cell-seeded BCP-based composites implanted in vivo, might enhance vascular endothelial growth factor production resulting in sprouting and tube formation leading to increased survival of cells in these composites, and stimulation of bone formation.