Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of pesticides on soil invertebrates in laboratory studies: A review and analysis using species sensitivity distributions

Species sensitivity distributions (SSD) and 5% hazardous concentrations (HC5) are distribution‐based approaches for assessing environmental risks of pollutants. These methods have potential for application in pesticide risk assessments, but their applicability for assessing pesticide risks to soil invertebrate communities has not been evaluated. Using data obtained in a systematic review, the present study investigates the relevance of SSD and HC5 for predicting pesticide risks to soil invertebrates. Altogether, 1,950 laboratory toxicity data were obtained, representing 250 pesticides and 67 invertebrate taxa. The majority (96%) of pesticides have toxicity data for fewer than five species. Based on a minimum of five species, the best available endpoint data (acute mortality median lethal concentration) enabled SSD and HC5 to be calculated for 11 pesticides (atrazine, carbendazim, chlorpyrifos, copper compounds, diazinon, dimethoate, γ‐hexachlorocyclohexane, lambda‐cyhalothrin, parathion, pentachlorophenol, and propoxur). Arthropods and oligochaetes exhibit pronounced differences in their sensitivity to most of these pesticides. The standard test earthworm species, Eisenia fetida sensu lato, is the species that is least sensitive to insecticides based on acute mortality, whereas the standard Collembola test species, Folsomia candida, is among the most sensitive species for a broad range of toxic modes of action (biocide, fungicide, herbicide, and insecticide). These findings suggest that soil arthropods should be tested routinely in regulatory risk assessments. In addition, the data indicate that the uncertainty factor for earthworm acute mortality tests (i.e., 10) does not fully cover the range of earthworm species sensitivities and that acute mortality tests would not provide the most sensitive risk estimate for earthworms in the majority (95%) of cases.
The epigenetic effect of nicotine on dopamine D1 receptor expression in rat prefrontal cortex

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and exerts its effect partially through causing dopamine release, thereby increasing intrasynaptic dopamine levels in the brain reward systems. Dopaine D1 receptor (DRD1) mRNAs and receptors are localized in reward‐related brain regions, which receive cholinergic input. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether nicotine administration affects the expression of DRD1s, and if so, whether epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone acetylation, are involved. Twenty Male Sprague Dawley rats received nicotine (0.4 mg/kg/day, s.c.) or saline injections for 15 days. After nicotine/saline treatment, rats were perfused with saline; prefrontal cortex (PFC), corpus striatum (STR), and ventral tegmental area (VTA) were dissected. Homogenates were divided into two parts for total RNA isolation and histone H4 acetylation studies. DRD1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in the PFC of the nicotine‐treated group compared with controls; similar trends were observed in the VTA and STR. To study epigenetic regulation, the 2kb upstream region of the DRD1 gene promoter was investigated for histone H4 acetylation in PFC samples. After chromatin immunoprecipitation with anti‐acetyl histone H4 antibody, we found an increase in histone acetylation by two different primer pairs which amplified the −1365 to −1202 (P < 0.005) and −170 to +12 (P < 0.05) upstream regions of the DRD1 promoter. Our results suggest that intermittent subcutaneous nicotine administration increases the expression of DRD1 mRNA in the PFC of rats, and this increase may be due to changes in histone H4 acetylation of the 2kb promoter of the DRD1 gene. Synapse 67:545–552, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High gain microstrip yagi antenna for millimeter waves

In this paper a printed microstrip Yagi antenna is proposed for Millimeter or 5G applications. The resonant frequency of antenna is 60 GHz. The design has single wide band of 4.44 GHz. The proposed antenna shows good impedance matching throughout the band with minimum return loss −27.62 dB at 57.25 GHz. The antenna is low profile, low cost and light in weight. The overall dimensions of the antenna is 8.016 × 8 mm2. The antenna has the maximum gain of 10.2 dB. The radiation mechanism of Yagi antenna with its radiation characteristic are discussed. It can be a prospective candidate for future 5G applications. The antenna can be utilized for short distance communication like Device-to-Device (D-2-D). WLAN, WPAN and WHDMI.
Y-box Binding Protein 1: Providing a New Angle on Translational Regulation

Current models of translational regulation are mostly focused on how translational factors engage a messenger mRNA to the ribosome to initiate translation. Since the majority of mRNAs in eukaryotes are translated in a cap-dependent manner, the mRNA 5’ cap-binding protein eIF4E was characterized as a key player responsible for the recruitment of mRNAs to the initiation complex. The availability of eIF4E is believed to be especially critical for translational activation of mRNAs with extensive secondary structures in their 5’UTRs, many of which code for labile regulatory proteins essential for cell growth or viability. Surprisingly, little attention is paid to the other side of translational control, e.g., to define mechanisms responsible for translational silencing and storage of the above messages. In this review, we discuss the possibility that eIF4E per se may not be sufficient to release mRNAs from translational block. We found that many growth- and stress-related mRNAs are associated with the translational repressor YB-1, which can compete with the eIF4E-driven translation initiation complex for binding to the capped 5’ mRNA terminus. Moreover, the cap-dependent repressor activity of YB-1 appears to be negatively regulated via Akt-mediated phosphorylation of the Ser-102 residue of YB-1. Taken together with recent evidence suggesting that translational activation of growth-related messages is a primary cellular response to activation of Ras-Erk and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, our data suggest that differential expression of specific mRNA subsets is regulated by the PI3K-Akt pathway and achieved via coordinated activation of the components of translational machinery and inactivation of general translational repressors such as YB-1.
Molecular analysis of HumDN1 VNTR polymorphism of the human deoxyribonuclease I in systemic lupus erythematosus

Deoxyribonuclease I (DNASE1) may be responsible for the removal of DNA from nuclear antigens at sites of high cell turnover, thus preventing the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The purpose of this study was to screen DNASE1 gene for mutations that may have an effect on susceptibility to develop SLE. DNA was extracted from 76 Kuwaiti SLE patients and 92 race‐matched controls. PCR‐direct sequencing was used to screen DNASE1 promoter, coding sequence and exon–intron boundaries for mutation. Association of genomic variations was assessed using a Chi‐square test. Molecular analysis of the DNASE1 gene did not reveal any mutation. However, a 56‐bp repeat was detected in intron4 which was previously reported and named HumDN1. The allelic and genotypic distributions of the HumDN1 VNTR were compared between SLE patients and healthy subjects. Alleles were denoted as 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 corresponding to the number of repeats of the 56 bp unit. Alleles 4, 5, and 6 showed significant association with SLE. Allele 5 showed the highest association [χ2 = 32.57; P ≤ 0.001; OR = 4.16; 95% CI: (2.55–6.79)]. Association of allele 5 was also found at the genotypic level, where genotype 5/5 is more prevalent in SLE subjects as compared with controls (17% versus 9%). We report a significant association of HumDN1 VNTR polymorphism in DNASE1 gene with SLE. Further functional assays needed to assess the effect of this VNTR on DNASE1 activity and its association with SLE.
A Case Study of Highly Effective Transfer School Principals Serving Low-Income African American Students in an Urban Setting

The purpose of this case study was to examine highly effective transfer school principals serving lowincome African American students in an urban setting. Transfer high schools in New York City, which are a form of continuation schools, were created as a means of re-engaging and retaining students who have not benefitted from external motivators found in the traditional setting. Understanding the problems that this unique population faces, it is important that the leaders of these schools be highly effective, transformational leaders who possess the characteristics and traits needed to ensure student success. Based on the data gathered, this research study found that among the most important strategies to improve graduation rates among African American students involved the school principal having a clear vision for student success, collaborating with all stakeholders, modeling best practices and providing ongoing feedback for the purpose of monitoring and making adjustments. It was found that these strategies were successful when implemented in transfer school communities serving a high population of low income African American students. Schools that have been designated as serving a large population of low income students are considered Title I schools. The funding from Title I provides supplemental instruction for students who are economically disadvantaged or at risk of failing to meet state standards. The schools that have been identified for the purposes of this study have been designated as Title I schools. Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Robert Siebert Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_etd/313 A Case Study of Highly Effective Transfer School Principals Serving Low-Income African American Students in an Urban Setting
Base Pairing between Hepatitis C Virus RNA and MicroRNA 122 3′ of Its Seed Sequence Is Essential for Genome Stabilization and Production of Infectious Virus

ABSTRACT MicroRNA 122 (miR-122) facilitates hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication by recruiting an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC)-like complex containing argonaute 2 (Ago2) to the 5′ end of the HCV genome, thereby stabilizing the viral RNA. This requires base pairing between the miR-122 “seed sequence” (nucleotides [nt] 2 to 8) and two sequences near the 5′ end of the HCV RNA: S1 (nt 22 to 28) and S2 (nt 38 to 43). However, recent reports suggest that additional base pair interactions occur between HCV RNA and miR-122. We searched 606 sequences from a public database (genotypes 1 to 6) and identified two conserved, putatively single-stranded RNA segments, upstream of S1 (nt 2 and 3) and S2 (nt 30 to 34), with potential for base pairing to miR-122 (nt 15 and 16 and nt 13 to 16, respectively). Mutagenesis and genetic complementation experiments confirmed that HCV nt 2 and 3 pair with nt 15 and 16 of miR-122 bound to S1, while HCV nt 30 to 33 pair with nt 13 to 16 of miR-122 at S2. In genotype 1 and 6 HCV, nt 4 also base pairs with nt 14 of miR-122. These 3′ supplementary base pair interactions of miR-122 are functionally important and are required for Ago2 recruitment to HCV RNA by miR-122, miR-122-mediated stabilization of HCV RNA, and production of infectious virus. However, while complementary mutations at HCV nt 30 and 31 efficiently rescued the activity of a 15C,16C miR-122 mutant targeting S2, similar mutations at nt 2 and 3 failed to rescue Ago2 recruitment at S1. These data add to the current understanding of miR-122 interactions with HCV RNA but indicate that base pairing between miR-122 and the 5′ 43 nt of the HCV genome is more complex than suggested by existing models.
Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation conditions for improved bioethanol production from potato peel residues

The aim of this work was the optimization of the enzyme hydrolysis of potato peel residues (PPR) for bioethanol production. The process included a pretreatment step followed by an enzyme hydrolysis using crude enzyme system composed of cellulase, amylase and hemicellulase, produced by a mixed culture of Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei. Hydrothermal, alkali and acid pretreatments were considered with regards to the enhancement of enzyme hydrolysis of potato peel residues. The obtained results showed that hydrothermal pretreatment lead to a higher enzyme hydrolysis yield compared to both acid and alkali pretreatments. Enzyme hydrolysis was also optimized for parameters such as temperature, pH, substrate loading and surfactant loading using a response surface methodology. Under optimized conditions, 77 g L−1 of reducing sugars were obtained. Yeast fermentation of the released reducing sugars led to an ethanol titer of 30 g L−1 after supplementation of the culture medium with ammonium sulfate. Moreover, a comparative study between acid and enzyme hydrolysis of potato peel residues was investigated. Results showed that enzyme hydrolysis offers higher yield of bioethanol production than acid hydrolysis. These results highlight the potential of second generation bioethanol production from potato peel residues treated with onsite produced hydrolytic enzymes. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 33:397–406, 2017
Comparison of Emla cream and topical lidocaine tape for pain relief of V-beam laser treatment

Abstract The authors compared the analgesic effects of two topical applications; Emla® cream (Sato Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and 60% lidocaine tape (Penles® tape; Maruho, Osaka, Japan). The authors examined 20 outpatients with capillary malformations. Emla® cream or Penles® tape was applied 1 h before laser irradiation using V-Beam. After V-Beam irradiation, pain intensity was measured using Pain Vision® (NIPRO, Osaka, Japan), while subjective pain was converted into numerical values using the VAS system. In the assessment using Pain Vision®, pain was significantly lower in patients who received Emla® cream (Welch test), whereas no difference was observed in VAS ratings between the two applications (student’s t test). The objective system showed that Emla® cream had a significantly greater analgesic effect. We plan to evaluate the analgesic effects of these topical anesthetics by applying them to other anatomical areas.
Audiences, towards 2030 Priorities for audience analysis

This report presents outcomes of the second phase of CEDAR’s work: a foresight exercise aiming to present a research agenda for the field as it would stand in the year 2030. In order to do this, the consortium, having used a systematic literature review already, conducted a trend analysis exercise, a stakeholder consultation exercise and a horizon-scanning exercise to arrive at a set of implications and research recommendations for the field of audience studies looking into the immediate future. This report has been produced by the CEDAR network which was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, to run between 2015-2018.
Analysis of space-frequency coded OFDM with I/Q imbalance

Imperfections in analog circuits are serious obstacles to the realization of high data rate transmission for multiple-input multiple- output (MIMO) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems. An I/Q imbalance is one of such imperfections affecting the up- and down-conversions of quadrature modulators and demodulators in RF front-ends of transceivers. In this paper, we consider MIMO OFDM with the receiver I/Q imbalance and propose a novel space-frequency code (SFC) over mirror subcarriers based on the Alamouti scheme. The suggested scheme compensates for the I/Q imbalance efficiently without any additional signal processing. We analyse the symbol-error rate (SER) performance of the proposed scheme under two linear receiver algorithms and different fading conditions, and compare it with the SER of the SFC scheme across the adjacent subcarriers. A modification of the latter scheme is proposed and analyzed too. We present recommendations about using the above SFC schemes under different fading scenarios.
Ecological and genetic interactions between cyanobacteria and viruses in a low-oxygen mat community inferred through metagenomics and metatranscriptomics.

Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing was conducted on cyanobacterial mats of the Middle Island Sinkhole (MIS), Lake Huron. Metagenomic data from 14 samples collected over 5 years were used to reconstruct genomes of two genotypes of a novel virus, designated PhV1 type A and PhV1 type B. Both viral genotypes encode and express nblA, a gene involved in degrading phycobilisomes, which are complexes of pigmented proteins that harvest light for photosynthesis. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the viral-encoded nblA is derived from the host cyanobacterium, Phormidium MIS-PhA. The cyanobacterial host also has two complete CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) systems that serve as defence mechanisms for bacteria and archaea against viruses and plasmids. One 45 bp CRISPR spacer from Phormidium had 100% nucleotide identity to PhV1 type B, but this region was absent from PhV1 type A. Transcripts from PhV1 and the Phormidium CRISPR loci were detected in all six metatranscriptomic data sets (three during the day and three at night), indicating that both are transcriptionally active in the environment. These results reveal ecological and genetic interactions between viruses and cyanobacteria at MIS, highlighting the value of parallel analysis of viruses and hosts in understanding ecological interactions in natural communities.
Correlation of security events based on the analysis of structures of event types

The paper studies the process of correlation for SIEM systems based on analyzing the structures of security event types. The approach to automated analysis of security events as input data with dynamic content is proposed. For the automated analysis of events the paper suggests to build a graph of types of events with direct and indirect links between them. Processing of security input data means performing functional and behavioral analysis by computing the frequency-time characteristics of events, their ranking and building of patterns of behavior. The proposed approach allows to use a previously not applied method of rank correlation, alongside with other intelligent methods. The requirements to the normalization of original data are formulated. An example of the analysis of the security event log and the generated graph of event types are provided.
Determination of The Neural Network Performances In The Medical Prognosis By Roc Analysis

Recently, artificial neural networks are widely used in medical prognosis. The goal of this work is to predict whether a patient will live at least one year after a heart attack by using neural networks as an example of prognosis. With this aim, multi layer perceptrons (MLP), radial basis function networks (RBF), probabilistic neural networks (PNN), generalized regression neural networks (GRNN) and learning vector quantization networks (LVQ) are used. To demonstrate the real performances of the networks, not only classification accuracies but also receiver operation characteristics (ROC) analysis must be investigated. For this purpose, both sensitivity-specificity values and ROC curves are evaluated for all networks
PlantExpress: A Database Integrating OryzaExpress and ArthaExpress for Single-species and Cross-species Gene Expression Network Analyses with Microarray-Based Transcriptome Data

Publicly available microarray-based transcriptome data on plants are remarkably valuable in terms of abundance and variation of samples, particularly for Oryza sativa (rice) and Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Here, we introduce the web database PlantExpress (http://plantomics.mind.meiji.ac.jp/PlantExpress/) as a platform for gene expression network (GEN) analysis with the public microarray data of rice and Arabidopsis. PlantExpress has two functional modes. The single-species mode is specialized for GEN analysis within one of the species, while the cross-species mode is optimized for comparative GEN analysis between the species. The single-species mode for rice is the new version of OryzaExpress, which we have maintained since 2006. The single-species mode for Arabidopsis, named ArthaExpress, was newly developed. PlantExpress stores data obtained from three microarrays, the Affymetrix Rice Genome Array, the Agilent Rice Gene Expression 4x44K Microarray, and the Affymetrix Arabidopsis ATH1 Genome Array, with respective totals of 2,678, 1,206, and 10,940 samples. This database employs a ‘MyList’ function with which users may save lists of arbitrary genes and samples (experimental conditions) to use in analyses. In cross-species mode, the MyList function allows performing comparative GEN analysis between rice and Arabidopsis. In addition, the gene lists saved in MyList can be directly exported to the PODC database, which provides information and a platform for comparative GEN analysis based on RNA-seq data and knowledge-based functional annotation of plant genes. PlantExpress will facilitate understanding the biological functions of plant genes.
Healthcare-associated pneumonia is a heterogeneous disease, and all patients do not need the same broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy as complex nosocomial pneumonia

Purpose of review Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) develops in patients who have recently had contact with nosocomial and drug-resistant pathogens, because of a history of hospitalization in the past 90 days, need for hemodialysis or home wound care, or residence in a nursing home. HCAP was included in the 2005 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines for nosocomial pneumonia, with the recommendation that all such patients receive empiric therapy with a multidrug regimen directed against drug-resistant organisms. The purpose of this review was to examine articles published since the guidelines were developed to see whether this therapy recommendation is correct. Methods All articles published since July 2004 were identified using PubMed and the key words HCAP, nursing home-acquired pneumonia, and antibiotic therapy. The search was limited to adults, with a focus on clinical trials, reviews, meta-analyses, or practice guidelines. Recent findings We identified eight unique studies of HCAP, which were either prospective or retrospective series, with bacteriologic data on both Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms. We also examined three prospective, randomized therapy trials of nursing home-acquired pneumonia that included limited bacteriologic data. We found that patients with HCAP were a heterogeneous group, with some at risk for multidrug-resistant organisms, and others not, and this accounted for the observation that many patients were successfully treated with monotherapy regimens or with regimens used for patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Patients at risk for multidrug-resistant pathogens were those with severe illness or those with other risk factors including: hospitalization in the past 90 days, antibiotic therapy in the past 6 months, poor functional status as defined by activities of daily living score, and immune suppression. Conclusion On the basis of the risk factors identified in recent studies, we developed an algorithm for empiric therapy of HCAP, which suggests that not all such patients require a broad-spectrum multidrug regimen in order to achieve appropriate and effective therapy. This algorithm needs validation in future studies.