Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cadmium causes delayed effects on renal function in the offspring of cadmium-contaminated pregnant female rats.

In the adult rat, chronic cadmium intoxication induces nephropathy with Fanconi-like features. This result raises the question of whether intoxication of pregnant rats has any deleterious effects on renal function in their offspring. To test this hypothesis, we measured the renal function of 2- to 60-day-old postnatal offspring from female rats administered cadmium chloride by the oral route (0.5 mg.kg(-1). day(-1)) throughout their entire gestation. Investigations of rat offspring from contaminated pregnant rats showed the presence of cadmium in the kidney at gestational day 20. After birth, the cadmium kidney concentration increased from postnatal day 2 to day 60 (PND2 to PND60), presumably because of 1) milk contamination and 2) neonatal liver cadmium content release. Although the renal parameters (glomerular filtration, U/P inulin, and urinary excretion rate) were not significantly affected until PND45, renal failure appeared at PND60, as demonstrated by a dramatic decrease of the glomerular filtration rate associated with increased excretion of the main ions. In parallel, an immunofluorescence study of tight-junction protein expression of PND60 offspring from contaminated rats showed a disorganization of the tight-junction proteins claudin-2 and claudin-5, specifically expressed in the proximal tubule and glomerulus, respectively. In contrast, expression of a distal claudin protein, claudin-3, was not affected. In conclusion, in utero exposure of cadmium leads to toxic renal effects in adult offspring. These results suggest that contamination of pregnant rats is a serious and critical hazard for renal function of their offspring.
The African Symposium : An online journal of the African Educational Research Network FAMILIAL FACTORS , PERSONALITY TRAITS AND SELF-EFFICACY AS DETERMINANTS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION AMONG VOCATIONAL BASED COLLEGE OF EDUCATION STUDENTS IN OYO STATE , NIGERIA

This study explored the influence of familial factors, personality traits and self-efficacy on entrepreneurial behavior among college of education students. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The participants include 470 vocational based students in the two public Colleges of Education in Oyo state, Nigeria. Four research instruments were used to extract information from the participants. These include Entrepreneurial Intention Scale(r = 0.71), General Self-efficacy Scale (r =0.82), Big Five Inventory (0.83), and Bio-data Information. Two research questions were raised and answered in the study at 0.05 level of significance. Using Pearson Product Correlation Moment and multiple regression model, the results revealed that the independent variables examined jointly accounted for 74% of the total variance in entrepreneurial intention. The result also indicated that Parents occupation (t=2.45), extraversion (t=2.44), agreeableness (t=2.77), conscientiousness (t=3.30) neuroticism (t=-3.64), openness (t=23.66), and self-efficacy (t=3.99) linearly contributed to the prediction of entrepreneurial intention whereas family income did not. The outcomes of the study were discussed and it was suggested that counselling practitioners should take care of these variables while handling issues relating to entrepreneurial intention among students.
The Regulation of Seasonal Changes in Food Intake and Body Weight

Seasonal rhythms of body weight, reflecting altered food intake, energy storage and expenditure, are a common feature of mammals inhabiting temperate and arctic latitudes. They have evolved so that predictable annual changes in the external environment can be anticipated and animals can adjust their physiology and behaviour in preparation for the changing demands of the seasons. These long‐term changes in energy balance are not simply effected by the brain centres and peptidergic pathways known to underlie short‐term homeostatic regulation. Screens of altered gene expression in Siberian hamsters comparing the anabolic summer state in long photoperiods and the catabolic ‘winter’ state in short photoperiods have identified differential gene expression in the hypothalamus. The majority of gene expression changes are confined to two restricted areas: the dorsomedial posterior arcuate nucleus, and the ventral ependymal layer of the third ventricle. Functions encoded by these ‘seasonal’ genes include thyroid hormone metabolism, retinoic acid and histaminergic signalling, and VGF and secretogranin production. The changes in thyroid hormone availability that are brought about by differential activity of deiodinase enzymes are of particular importance because experimental manipulation of central thyroid levels can prevent seasonal cyclicity. Given the importance of thyroid hormone in the initial development of the brain, we hypothesise that thyroid hormone‐dependent plasticity of hypothalamic connections and neurogenesis underlie seasonal cycles of food intake and body weight.
Manifold Concept Design for ITER Gas Injection System

The main functions of the ITER gas injection system (GIS) are to provide gas fueling for plasma, wall conditioning operation, and neutral beam injectors. The dedicated manifold, which contains independent tubes for H<sub>2</sub>/D<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>, T<sub>2</sub>, <sup>4</sup>He/<sup>3</sup>He, N<sub>2</sub>/Ne, Ar, and evacuation, is the key part of the gas injection lines. It shall deliver gases from the tritium plant to various fueling systems. This paper presents an overview of the GIS manifold design, particularly introducing the solution of the penetration structure and the routing of the manifold from the concept design point of view.
Telepresence across the Ocean

We describe the development and deployment of a system for long-distance remote observation of robotic operations. The system we have developed is targeted to exploration, multi-participant interaction, and tele-learning. In particular, we used this system with a robot deployed in an underwater environment in order to produce interactive web-casts of scientific material. The system used a combination of robotic and networking technologies and was deployed and evaluated in a context where students in a classroom were able to observe and participate to a limited degree in the operation of a distant robot being used for environmental assessment.
A unified approach to the performance analysis of caching systems

We propose a unified methodology to analyse the performance of caches (both isolated and interconnected), by extending and generalizing a decoupling technique originally known as Che's approximation, which provides very accurate results at low computational cost. We consider several caching policies, taking into account the effects of temporal locality. In the case of interconnected caches, our approach allows us to do better than the Poisson approximation commonly adopted in prior work. Our results, validated against simulations and trace-driven experiments, provide interesting insights into the performance of caching systems.
Chemical fingerprints and anti-inflammatory activity of polar fraction from Cajanus cajan

Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. , Leguminosae or pigeon pea is traditional edible pea crop widely distributed in the northern part of Thailand. Besides it is also served as food due to its high protein content, the seed has been used traditionally for the treatment of stomatitis, gingivitis and as energy stimulant. Previous studies have demonstrated its interesting biological activities including in vitro Anti-oxidation, suppression of inflammatory cytokine production in macrophage which was relevant to the presence of certain phenolic components. In this study, pigeon pea polar components i.e. n-butanol fraction from the aqueous ethanolic seed extract was investigated for chemical constituents and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. HPLC-DAD-ELSD chromatographic analysis of the fraction was performed using X-Terra RP18 column with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Confirmation of components was done by comparision of Rt and absorbance spectral with reference standards. Four compounds were identified as genistin, genistein, soyasaponin I and soyasaponin II. Anti-inflammatory test was performed by carrageenan induced rat paw oedema model. The effect was observed at time 1, 2, 3 h after oedema induction. The polar fraction given orally to rats at 100 and 200 mg/kg, at time 3 h showed 35% and 61 % oedema inhibiting activity, respectively while that of diclofenac at 50 mg/kg was 68 %. The results indicate therapeutic potential of pigeon pea’s polar components which confirm its traditional uses as anti-inflammatory remedy.
Involvement of Apolipoprotein E in Excess Fat Accumulation and Insulin Resistance

Although apolipoprotein E (apoE) is well known to play a major role in lipid metabolism, its role in glucose and energy homeostasis remains unclear. Herein, we established apoE-deficient genetically obese Ay (apoE−/−;Ay/+) mice. ApoE deficiency in Ay mice prevented the development of obesity, with decreased fat accumulation in the liver and adipose tissues. ApoE−/−;Ay/+ mice exhibited better glucose tolerance than apoE+/+;Ay/+ mice. Insulin tolerance testing and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp study revealed marked improvement of insulin sensitivity, despite increased plasma free fatty acid levels. These metabolic phenotypes were reversed by adenoviral replenishment of apoE protein, indicating circulating apoE to be involved in increased adiposity and obesity-related metabolic disorders. Uptake of apoE-lacking VLDL into the liver and adipocytes was markedly inhibited, but adipocytes in apoE−/−;Ay/+ mice exhibited normal differentiation, suggesting that apoE-dependent VLDL transport is involved in the development of obesity, i.e., surplus fat accumulation. Interestingly, apoE−/−;Ay/+ mice exhibited decreased food intake and increased energy expenditure. Pair-feeding experiments indicate these phenomena to both contribute to the obesity-resistant phenotypes associated with apoE deficiency. Thus, apoE is involved in maintaining energy homeostasis. ApoE-dependent excess fat accumulation is a promising therapeutic target for the metabolic syndrome.
Electrogenic Na/HCO3 Cotransporter (NBCe1) Variants Expressed in Xenopus Oocytes: Functional Comparison and Roles of the Amino and Carboxy Termini

Using pH- and voltage-sensitive microelectrodes, as well as the two-electrode voltage-clamp and macropatch techniques, we compared the functional properties of the three NBCe1 variants (NBCe1-A, -B, and -C) with different amino and/or carboxy termini expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Oocytes expressing rat brain NBCe1-B and exposed to a CO2/HCO3 − solution displayed all the hallmarks of an electrogenic Na+/HCO3 − cotransporter: (a) a DIDS-sensitive pHi recovery following the initial CO2-induced acidification, (b) an instantaneous hyperpolarization, and (c) an instantaneous Na+-dependent outward current under voltage-clamp conditions (−60 mV). All three variants had similar external HCO3 − dependencies (apparent KM of 4–6 mM) and external Na+ dependencies (apparent KM of 21–36 mM), as well as similar voltage dependencies. However, voltage-clamped oocytes (−60 mV) expressing NBCe1-A exhibited peak HCO3 −-stimulated NBC currents that were 4.3-fold larger than the currents seen in oocytes expressing the most dissimilar C variant. Larger NBCe1-A currents were also observed in current–voltage relationships. Plasma membrane expression levels as assessed by single oocyte chemiluminescence with hemagglutinin-tagged NBCs were similar for the three variants. In whole-cell experiments (Vm = −60 mV), removing the unique amino terminus of NBCe1-A reduced the mean HCO3 −-induced NBC current 55%, whereas removing the different amino terminus of NBCe1-C increased the mean NBC current 2.7-fold. A similar pattern was observed in macropatch experiments. Thus, the unique amino terminus of NBCe1-A stimulates transporter activity, whereas the different amino terminus of the B and C variants inhibits activity. One or more cytosolic factors may also contribute to NBCe1 activity based on discrepancies between macropatch and whole-cell currents. While the amino termini influence transporter function, the carboxy termini influence plasma membrane expression. Removing the entire cytosolic carboxy terminus of NBCe1-C, or the different carboxy terminus of the A/B variants, causes a loss of NBC activity due to low expression at the plasma membrane.
Detection of PEGylated proteins in polyacrylamide gels by reverse staining with zinc and imidazole salts

The reverse staining, with imidazole–SDS–zinc, of PEG‐linked proteins separated by SDS‐PAGE was studied. Using model conjugates (interferon‐α 2b (IFN‐α2b) reacted with either a branched‐chain (40 000) PEG (PEG2,40) or a linear monomethoxy PEG polymer (Mr of 12 000) and chromatographically purified monoPEG2,40‐IFN‐α2b), conventional small‐format analytical gels (<1 mm thick) showed typical detection patterns (i.e., transparent, colorless bands clearly discernible against a zinc imidazolate‐generated white gel background), in less than 20 min. Nonreacted (free) PEG was almost undetected, as expected. The reverse‐stained PEGylated IFN‐α2b patterns were qualitatively indistinguishable from those of parallel gels stained with iodine (I2). The LOD was estimated in the low nanogram range (e.g., at about 7 ng for mono‐ or bi‐PEG2,40 IFN‐α2b per lane on gradient (4–17%) gels). Also, this stain allowed the visualization of Coomassie blue‐undetected PEG‐IFN bands, and could be restained with I2. PEGylated species of lysozyme, a low‐molecular‐weight peptide, ovalbumin, and chymotrypsin were used to demonstrate the generality of this stain. We also show (i) how to counteract the adverse effect of some parameters (e.g., gel thickness above 1 mm, long gel length, low (e.g., 4–6%) acrylamide concentration) on the reverse staining process and (ii) that the properties of the reverse‐stained PEGylated proteins remain unchanged, as judged by analyzing both the ion exchange chromatography‐based positional isomer separation profile and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent response of PEG‐IFN recovered from gels. Consequently, this technique may be useful for the rapid analysis or the small‐scale preparation of PEGylated proteins.
Differential Shannon entropy and differential coefficient of variation: alternatives and augmentations to differential expression in the search for disease-related genes

Differential expression has been a standard tool for analysing case-control transcriptomic data since the advent of microarray technology. It has proved invaluable in characterising the molecular mechanisms of disease. Nevertheless, the expression profile of a gene across samples can be perturbed in ways that leave the expression level unaltered, while a biological effect is nonetheless present. This paper describes and analyses differential Shannon entropy and differential coefficient of variation, two alternate techniques for identifying genes of interest. Ontological analysis across 16 human disease datasets demonstrates that these alternatives are effective at identifying disease-related genes not found by mere differential expression alone. Because the two alternate techniques are based on somewhat different mathematical formulations, they tend to produce somewhat different gene lists. Moreover, each may pinpoint genes completely overlooked by the other. Thus, measures of entropy and variation can be used to replace or better yet augment standard differential expression computations.
NMR structure and dynamics of inhibitory repeat domain variant 12, a plant protease inhibitor from Capsicum annuum, and its structural relationship to other plant protease inhibitors

Abstract Although several plant protease inhibitors have been structurally characterized using X-ray crystallography, very few have been studied using NMR techniques. Here, we report an NMR study of the solution structure and dynamics of an inhibitory repeat domain (IRD) variant 12 from the wound-inducible Pin-II type proteinase inhibitor from Capsicum annuum. IRD variant 12 (IRD12) showed strong anti-metabolic activity against the Lepidopteran insect pest, Helicoverpa armigera. The NMR-derived three-dimensional structure of IRD12 reveals a three-stranded anti-parallel β-sheet rigidly held together by four disulfide bridges and shows structural homology with known IRDs. It is interesting to note that the IRD12 structure containing ∼75% unstructured part still shows substantial amount of rigidity of N–H bond vectors with respect to its molecular motion. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Caspase Inhibition Extends the Commitment to Neuronal Death Beyond Cytochrome c Release to the Point of Mitochondrial Depolarization

Nerve growth factor (NGF) deprivation induces a Bax-dependent, caspase-dependent programmed cell death in sympathetic neurons. We examined whether the release of cytochrome c was accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential during sympathetic neuronal death. NGF- deprived, caspase inhibitor–treated mouse sympathetic neurons maintained mitochondrial membrane poten-tial for 25–30 h after releasing cytochrome c. NGF- deprived sympathetic neurons became committed to die, as measured by the inability of cells to be rescued by NGF readdition, at the time of cytochrome c release. In the presence of caspase inhibitor, however, this commitment to death was extended beyond the point of cytochrome c release, but only up to the subsequent point of mitochondrial membrane potential loss. Caspase-9 deficiency also arrested NGF-deprived sympathetic neurons after release of cytochrome c, and permitted these neurons to be rescued with NGF readdition. Commitment to death in the NGF-deprived, caspase- 9–deficient sympathetic neurons was also coincident with the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Thus, caspase inhibition extended commitment to death in trophic factor–deprived sympathetic neurons and allowed recovery of neurons arrested after the loss of cytochrome c, but not beyond the subsequent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential.
Capabilities and Features: Linking Business and Application Architectures - I

Many organizations now perceive the importance of linking business architecture to information architecture, [1]. Without this linkage, it is difficult to manage the changes needed by the business and maximize the benefits from the information technology (IT) investments. Linking the two domains require that we define the two architectures using a "common language". The information architecture domain has developed tools and processes to define and represent the architecture, and use it to build the related processes and services. The business architecture domain, however, lacks such processes and tools and/or have not matured enough to be useful for linking of the two. In this paper we address several questions dealing with the linking of the business and the information/application architectures. Specifically, how do we define business architecture (useful for linking)? What level of details we need to represent? What view of the information architecture we should use for linking? How do we represent both these architectures and what "language" should we use? We propose the use Category theory related constructs and notions to represent both the business and information architecture [2]. The work reported here is primarily the current status of research in the area of business architecture,application architecture and linking these two.
A robust metric for soft-output detection in the presence of class-A noise

Digital communications over channels impaired by impulse noise are considered. We first address the problem from an information-theoretical viewpoint, discussing the performance limits imposed by the channel model. Then, we describe and compare a couple of practical communication schemes employing powerful channel codes and iterative decoding, with focus on a very simple and robust detection scheme that does not require the estimation of the statistics of the impulse noise.
Models of Working Memory: Models of Working Memory: An Introduction

Working memory plays an essential role in complex cognition. Everyday cognitive tasks – such as reading a newspaper article, calculating the appropriate amount to tip in a restaurant, mentally rearranging furniture in one's living room to create space for a new sofa, and comparing and contrasting various attributes of different apartments to decide which to rent – often involve multiple steps with intermediate results that need to be kept in mind temporarily to accomplish the task at hand successfully. “Working memory” is the theoretical construct that has come to be used in cognitive psychology to refer to the system or mechanism underlying the maintenance of task-relevant information during the performance of a cognitive task (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974; Daneman & Carpenter, 1980). As reflected by the fact that it has been labeled “the hub of cognition” (Haberlandt, 1997, p. 212) and proclaimed as “perhaps the most significant achievement of human mental evolution” (Goldman-Rakic, 1992, p. 111), it is a central construct in cognitive psychology and, more recently, cognitive neuroscience. Despite the familiarity of the term, however, it is not easy to figure out what working memory really is. To begin with, the term working memory is used in quite different senses by different communities of researchers. In the behavioral neuroscience and animal behavior fields, for example, the term is associated with the radial arm maze paradigm.
Science performance of the Pupil-mapping Exoplanet Coronagraphic Observer (PECO)

The Pupil-mapping Exoplanet Coronagraphic Observer (PECO) medium-class mission concept is a 1.4-m space-based optical telescope with a high-performance Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization (PIAA) coronagraph. PECO detects and characterizes exoplanets and their host systems at 2 λ/D (0.15") separation at high contrast (~1e-10). The optical design images in 16 filter bands from 400-800 nm, producing simultaneous low-resolution target spectra. PECO will characterize terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of ~20 nearby F, G, K stars at spectral resolution of R~15, as well as over a dozen radial-velocity planets and over a hundred gas giants and exozodiacal dust disks. We discuss PECO's expected science performance and simulated data products over its three-year mission lifetime.
DFT Analysis of NO Adsorption on the Undoped and Ce-Doped LaCoO3 (011) Surface

Using the density functional theory (DFT) method, we investigated the adsorption of NO on the undoped and Ce-doped LaCoO3 (011) surface. According to our calculations, the best adsorption site is not changed after Ce doping. When the NO molecule is adsorbed on the perfect LaO-terminated LaCoO3 (011) surface, the most stable adsorption site is hollow-top, which corresponds to the hollow-NO configuration in our study. After the substitution of La with Ce, the adsorption energy of hollow-NO configuration is increased. For the perfect CoO2-terminated LaCoO3 (011) surface, it is found that Co-NO configuration is the preferential adsorption structure. Its adsorption energy can also be enhanced after Ce doping. When NO molecule is adsorbed on the undoped and Ce-doped LaO-terminated LaCoO3 (011) surface with hollow-NO configuration, it serves as the acceptor and electrons transfer from the surface to it in the adsorption process. On the contrary, for the Co-NO configuration of undoped and Ce-doped CoO2-terminated LaCoO3 (011) surface, NO molecule becomes the donor and loses electrons to the surface.