Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative mapping of aflatoxin pathway gene clusters in Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus

Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Aflatoxins are synthesized by condensation of acetate units; their synthesis is estimated to involve at least 16 different enzymes. In this study we have shown that at least nine genes involved in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway are located within a 60-kb DNA fragment. Four of these genes, nor-1, aflR, ver-1, and omtA (previously named omt-1), have been cloned in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. In addition, five other genes, pksA, uvm8, aad, ord-1, and ord-2 have been recently cloned in A. parasiticus. The pksA, aad, and uvm8 genes exhibit sequence homologies to polyketide synthase, aryl-alcohol dehydrogenase, and fatty acid synthase genes, respectively. The cDNA sequences of ord-1 and ord-2 genes, which may be involved in later steps of aflatoxin biosynthesis, have been determined; the ord-1 gene product exhibits homology to cytochrome P-450-type enzymes. By characterizing the overlapping regions of the DNA inserts in different cosmid and lambda DNA clones, we have determined the order of these aflatoxin pathway genes within this 60-kb DNA region to be pksA, nor-1, uvm8, aflR, aad, ver-1, ord-1, ord-2, and omtA in A. parasiticus and nor-1, aflR, ver-1, ord-1, ord-2, and omtA in A. flavus. The order is related to the order in enzymatic steps required for aflatoxin biosynthesis. The physical distances (in kilobase pairs) and the directions of transcription of these genes have been determined for both aflatoxigenic species.
Occupational exposure to dust, gases and fumes, a family history of asthma and impaired respiratory health.

OBJECTIVES This study assessed the impact of occupational exposure to dust, gases, and fumes on respiratory symptoms, obstructive lung diseases, or the use of asthma medication among persons with and without a family history of asthma. METHODS A population-based cohort was followed for 10 years. This study included all 1739 men and 1594 women occupationally active at the first survey. Exposure and respiratory health were assessed from questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the effects in relation to occupational groups, with age, gender, and smoking habits as possible confounders, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The susceptibility to impaired respiratory health was determined from a family history of asthma. RESULTS A family history of asthma was reported by 27% of the men and 34% of the women. Both occupational exposure and a family history of asthma were associated with impaired respiratory health. The etiologic fractions showed that up to about 70% of the symptoms could be explained by a family history of asthma among those exposed to low levels of air pollutants, as well as among those with high exposure. However, high exposure contributed up to 35% of the symptoms both among those with and among those without a family history of asthma. The study indicates that the relative risk of occupational exposure to pollutants is similar for both persons with and those without a family history of asthma. CONCLUSIONS The relative risk for impaired respiratory health after exposure to occupational air pollutants seems to be similar for persons with and those without a susceptibility to impaired respiratory health.
Do Women Express and Experience Psychosis Differently from Men? Epidemiological Evidence from the Australian National Study of Low Prevalence (Psychotic) Disorders

Objective: To examine how women differ from men in their expression and experience of psychosis. Method: Using an epidemiological sampling frame, 1090 cases of psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, affective psychoses, and other psychoses) were randomly selected from a catchment of 1.1million people as part of the Australian Study of Low Prevalence (Psychotic) Disorders. Women and men were compared with respect to their premorbid functioning, onset and course of illness, symptomatology, levels of disability and service utilization. Results: Results within diagnostic groupings confirm differences in how men and women experience and express their illness. Within each diagnostic group, women reported better premorbid functioning, a more benign illness course, lower levels of disability and better integration into the community than men. They were also less likely to have a chronic course of illness. There were no significant differences in age at onset. Differences between women across the diagnostic groups were more pronounced than differences between women and men within a diagnostic group. In particular, women with schizophrenia were severely disabled compared to other women. Conclusions: These comparisons across diagnostic groupings are among the most systematic and comprehensive in the literature. It is likely that several mechanisms are needed to explain the differences. Greater social integration and functioning in women across diagnostic groups may well reflect culturally and socially determined gender differences. In contrast, variability and attenuated findings with respect to symptom profiles beg the question of biological mechanisms with some degree of specificity.
Research the office automation system software based on workflow technology

In this paper, based on workflow technology, OA system, office, and many other items can be integrated with the work. It give a digital office environment for office business processes in the Internet / Intranet. As the backend support for Using SQL Server 2003 database, design and development of the OA system. System specification, flexible work flow management, the study covers office automation and software design and development theory, the system design is complete solution of the original office management, low efficiency, the problem of high resource consumption. , And gives the major design codes.
Human Paraoxonase-1 Activity in Childhood Obesity and Its Relation to Leptin and Adiponectin Levels

Childhood obesity is a predisposing factor for adult cardiovascular diseases. Human serum paraoxonase (PON1) may protect against atherosclerosis by hydrolyzing lipid peroxides in oxidized LDL. Alterations and potential correlations of PON1 activities, leptin and adiponectin levels in childhood obesity were studied. We measured PON1 paraoxonase and arylesterase activities, anthropometric parameters, leptin and adiponectin levels in 59 white, obese (obese group-OB: BMI corrected for age: 95.1 ± 3.5 percentile, age: 11.9 ± 1.6 y) and 51 normal-weight children (control group-C: BMI corrected for age: 64.1 ± 8.4 percentile, age: 12.0 ± 3.9 y). Obese children had significantly lower PON1 paraoxonase (OB: 84.80 (64.33/144.74) U/L versus. C: 99.42 (83.33/152.05) U/L; p < 0.05) and arylesterase activities (OB: 94.40 (82.20/108.70) U/L versus. C: 115.20 (93.70/126.00) U/L; p < 0.01), higher leptin (OB: 37.05 (24.33/53.87) ng/mL versus. C: 4.62 (2.52/17.6) ng/mL; p < 0.0001) and lower adiponectin levels (OB: 7.56 (5.69/12.06) μg/mL versus. C: 11.51 (8.84/14.49) μg/mL; p < 0.001) compared with the normal-weight group. PON1 arylesterase activity showed inverse univariate correlation with leptin (r = −0.29; p < 0.05) and positive correlation with adiponectin levels (r = 0.39; p < 0.01). In multiple regression analysis adiponectin was strongly associated with PON1 arylesterase activity in obese children (β = 0.45, p < 0.02). Our results emphasize the importance of the investigated metabolic alterations which may have further effects on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in later adulthood. Altered levels of leptin, adiponectin and PON1 activities may be useful markers beside the general risk factors in childhood obesity.
Benzodiazepine drug use and cancer risk: a dose–response meta analysis of prospective cohort studies

Conflicting results identifying the relationship between benzodiazepine drug use and cancer risk. Therefore, we conducted a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to clarify and quantitative assessed the relationship between benzodiazepine drug use and cancer risk. Up to July 2017, 22 original publications were included in current meta-analysis. Our results showed statistically significant association between benzodiazepine drug use and cancer risk (RR:1.25; 95% CI, 1.15–1.36). Subgroup analysis showed benzodiazepine using was associated with significantly a higher risk of breast cancer (RR:1.15; 95% CI, 1.05–1.26), ovarian cancer (RR:1.17; 95% CI, 1.09–1.25), colon cancer (RR:1.07; 95% CI, 1.02–1.13), renal cancer (RR:1.31; 95% CI, 1.15–1.49), malignant melanoma (RR:1.10; 95% CI, 1.03–1.17), brain cancer (RR:2.06; 95% CI, 1.76–2.43), esophagus cancer (RR:1.55; 95% CI, 1.30–1.85), prostate cancer (RR:1.26; 95% CI, 1.16–1.37), liver cancer (RR:1.22; 95% CI, 1.13–1.31), stomach cancer (RR:1.17; 95% CI, 1.03–1.32), pancreatic cancer (RR:1.39; 95% CI, 1.17–1.64) and lung cancer (RR:1.20; 95% CI, 1.12–1.28). Furthermore, a significant dose-response relationship was observed between benzodiazepine drug use and cancer risk (likelihood ratio test, P < 0.001). Our results showed per 500 mg/year, per 5 year of time since first using, per 3 prescriptions and per 3 year of duration incremental increase in benzodiazepine drug use was associated with a 17%, 4%, 16% and 5% in cancer risk increment. Considering these promising results, increasing benzodiazepine using might be harmful for health.
Survey of bulk tank milk in New Zealand for Mycoplasma bovis, using species-specific nested PCR and culture

Abstract AIM: To survey the dairy cattle population in New Zealand for the presence or absence of Mycoplasma bovis. METHODS: A random cross-sectional survey of bulk tank milk from dairy herds in New Zealand based on regionally proportioned sampling, weighted towards herds with a high bulk tank milk somatic cell count (SCC) was used to detect M. bovis at a between-herd prevalence of 2%, with 99% confidence. Bulk tank milk samples collected on-farm were tested using a nested M. bovis PCR, and bacteriological culture employing enrichment in mycoplasma broth and direct plating onto mycoplasma agar. RESULTS: Mycoplasma bovis was not detected in any of the 244 bulk tank milk samples by either PCR or culture. CONCLUSIONS: This survey provides further evidence that M. bovis is not present in the dairy cattle population in New Zealand.
High Arctic Holocene temperature record from the Agassiz ice cap and Greenland ice sheet evolution

Significance Reconstructions of past environmental changes are important for placing recent climate change in context and testing climate models. Periods of past climates warmer than today provide insight on how components of the climate system might respond in the future. Here, we report on an Arctic climate record from the Agassiz ice cap. Our results show that early Holocene air temperatures exceed present values by a few degrees Celsius, and that industrial era rates of temperature change are unprecedented over the Holocene period (∼12,000 y). We also demonstrate that the enhanced warming leads to a large response of the Greenland ice sheet; providing information on the ice sheet's sensitivity to elevated temperatures and thus helping to better estimate its future evolution. We present a revised and extended high Arctic air temperature reconstruction from a single proxy that spans the past ∼12,000 y (up to 2009 CE). Our reconstruction from the Agassiz ice cap (Ellesmere Island, Canada) indicates an earlier and warmer Holocene thermal maximum with early Holocene temperatures that are 4–5 °C warmer compared with a previous reconstruction, and regularly exceed contemporary values for a period of ∼3,000 y. Our results show that air temperatures in this region are now at their warmest in the past 6,800–7,800 y, and that the recent rate of temperature change is unprecedented over the entire Holocene. The warmer early Holocene inferred from the Agassiz ice core leads to an estimated ∼1 km of ice thinning in northwest Greenland during the early Holocene using the Camp Century ice core. Ice modeling results show that this large thinning is consistent with our air temperature reconstruction. The modeling results also demonstrate the broader significance of the enhanced warming, with a retreat of the northern ice margin behind its present position in the mid Holocene and a ∼25% increase in total Greenland ice sheet mass loss (∼1.4 m sea-level equivalent) during the last deglaciation, both of which have implications for interpreting geodetic measurements of land uplift and gravity changes in northern Greenland.
The influence of Perceived Hypermarket Size on Perceived Hypermarket Reputation, Trust and Customer Willingness to Purchase in South Africa

While a remarkable increase in research focusing customer purchase intentions in the retailing industry is noticeable, there is a dearth of studies that have investigated the influence of hypermarket size on customer perceived hypermarket reputation, trust in hypermarket and customer willingness to purchase in the African retailing context. This study used a sample 151 consumers in the Vanderbijlpark town in South Africa to examine these relationships. The results indicate that the proposed five hypotheses are positively supported in a significant way. A discussion of the academic and managerial implications of the results is provided and future research directions are suggested.
Design and application of a 23‐gene panel by next‐generation sequencing for inherited coagulation bleeding disorders

Molecular testing of Inherited bleeding coagulation disorders (IBCDs) not only offers confirmation of diagnosis but also aids in genetic counselling, prenatal diagnosis and in certain cases genotype–phenotype correlations are important for predicting the clinical course of the disease and to allow tailor‐made follow‐up of individuals. Until recently, genotyping has been mainly performed by Sanger sequencing, a technique known to be time consuming and expensive. Currently, next‐generation sequencing (NGS) offers a new potential approach that enables the simultaneous investigation of multiple genes at manageable cost.
Searching for convergence and its causes – an industry perspective

The past 20 years has been a period of rapid growth in emerging economies, leading to convergence in income and productivity levels. Less is known about the industry origins of this development, a gap this chapter aims to fill. For 30 industries in 40 economies, I estimate industry relative productivity levels for the period 1995-2011. The results show that convergence was concentrated in manufacturing. An analysis of potential productivity drivers shows that much less is known about what is behind the observed industry convergence.
Application of passive sampling for measuring dissolved concentrations of organic contaminants in the water column at three marine superfund sites

Currently, there is an effort under way to encourage remedial project managers at contaminated sites to use passive sampling to collect freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) of hydrophobic organic contaminants to improve site assessments. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of passive sampling for measuring water column Cfree for several hydrophobic organic contaminants at 3 US Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites. Sites investigated included New Bedford Harbor (New Bedford, MA, USA), Palos Verdes Shelf (Los Angeles, CA, USA), and Naval Station Newport (Newport, RI, USA); and the passive samplers evaluated were polyethylene, polydimethylsiloxane‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fibers, semipermeable membrane devices, and polyoxymethylene. In general, the different passive samplers demonstrated good agreement, with Cfree values varying by a factor of 2 to 3. Further, at New Bedford Harbor, where conventional water sample concentrations were also measured (i.e., grab samples), passive sampler–based Cfree values agreed within a factor of 2. These findings suggest that all of the samplers were experiencing and measuring similar Cfree during their respective deployments. Also, at New Bedford Harbor, a strong log‐linear, correlative, and predictive relationship was found between polyethylene passive sampler accumulation and lipid‐normalized blue mussel bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (r2 = 0.92, p < 0.05). The present study demonstrates the utility of passive sampling for generating scientifically accurate water column Cfree values, which is critical for making informed environmental management decisions at contaminated sediment sites. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:1720–1733. Published 2015 SETAC. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Distinct neural circuits subserve interpersonal and non-interpersonal emotions

Emotions elicited by interpersonal versus non-interpersonal experiences have different effects on neurobiological functioning in both animals and humans. However, the extent to which the brain circuits underlying interpersonal and non-interpersonal emotions are distinct still remains unclear. The goal of our study was to assess whether different neural circuits are implicated in the processing of arousal and valence of interpersonal versus non-interpersonal emotions. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants imagined themselves in emotion-eliciting interpersonal or non-interpersonal situations and then rated the arousal and valence of emotions they experienced. We identified (1) separate neural circuits that are implicated in the arousal and valence dimensions of interpersonal versus non-interpersonal emotions, (2) circuits that are implicated in arousal and valence for both types of emotion, and (3) circuits that are responsive to the type of emotion, regardless of the valence or arousal level of the emotion. We found extensive recruitment of limbic (for arousal) and temporal–parietal (for valence) systems associated with processing of specifically interpersonal emotions compared to non-interpersonal ones. The neural bases of interpersonal and non-interpersonal emotions may, therefore, be largely distinct.
Characteristics of Young Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: A Pilot Study

Sexual behavior problems (SBP) have been increasingly recognized in young children. Despite rising awareness, previous research has focused on school-age children with SBP and adolescent sex offenders. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the history, adjustment, and social environment of preschool children with SBP. Thirty-seven young children with SBP were evaluated. As expected, significant emotional and behavior problems were evident, and caregivers reported high levels of stress related to parenting. Contrary to findings among school-age samples, more of the children were female (65%) than male (35%). Many (62%) did not have substantiated histories of sexual abuse. Many children had experienced physical abuse (47%) and/or witnessed interparental violence (58%). Only four (11%) had no known history of sexual abuse, physical abuse, or witnessing domestic violence. Although further research is necessary, results supported the need to consider the developmentally unique presentation of young children with SBP.
Comprehensive analysis of sequences of a protein switch

Switches form a special class of proteins that dramatically change their three‐dimensional structures upon a small perturbation. One possible perturbation that we explore is that of a single point mutation. Building on the pioneering experimental work of Alexander et al. (Alexander et al. PNAS, 2007; 104,11963–11968) that determines switch sequences between α and α+β folds we conduct a comprehensive sequence sampling by a Markov Chain with multiple fitness criteria to identify new switches given the experimental folds. We screen for switch sequences using a combination of contact potential, secondary structure prediction, and finally molecular dynamics simulations. Statistical properties of switch sequences are discussed and illustrated to be most sensitive to mutation at the N‐ and C‐ termini of the switch protein. Based on this analysis, a particularly stable putative switch pair is identified and proposed for further experimental analysis.
Distributed Energy Trading in Microgrids: A Game-Theoretic Model and Its Equilibrium Analysis

This paper proposes a distributed mechanism for energy trading among microgrids in a competitive market. We consider multiple interconnected microgrids in a region where, at a given time, some microgrids have superfluous energy for sale or to keep in storage facilities, whereas some other microgrids wish to buy additional energy to meet local demands and/or storage requirements. Under our approach, sellers lead the competition by independently deciding the amount of energy for sale subject to a tradeoff between the attained satisfaction from the received revenue and that from the stored energy. Buyers follow the sellers' actions by independently submitting a unit price bid to the sellers. Correspondingly, the energy is allocated to the buyers in proportion to their bids, whereas the revenue is allocated to the sellers in proportion to their sales. We study the economic benefits of such an energy trading mechanism by analyzing its hierarchical decision-making scheme as a multileader-multifollower Stackelberg game. We show that distributing the energy based on a well-defined utility function converges to a unique equilibrium solution for maximizing the payoff of all participating microgrids. This game-theoretic study provides an incentive for energy trading among microgrids in future power grids.
Iron Insufficiency Compromises Motor Neurons and Their Mitochondrial Function in Irp2-Null Mice

Genetic ablation of Iron Regulatory Protein 2 (Irp2, Ireb2), which post-transcriptionally regulates iron metabolism genes, causes a gait disorder in mice that progresses to hind-limb paralysis. Here we have demonstrated that misregulation of iron metabolism from loss of Irp2 causes lower motor neuronal degeneration with significant spinal cord axonopathy. Mitochondria in the lumbar spinal cord showed significantly decreased Complex I and II activities, and abnormal morphology. Lower motor neurons appeared to be the most adversely affected neurons, and we show that functional iron starvation due to misregulation of iron import and storage proteins, including transferrin receptor 1 and ferritin, may have a causal role in disease. We demonstrated that two therapeutic approaches were beneficial for motor neuron survival. First, we activated a homologous protein, IRP1, by oral Tempol treatment and found that axons were partially spared from degeneration. Secondly, we genetically decreased expression of the iron storage protein, ferritin, to diminish functional iron starvation. These data suggest that functional iron deficiency may constitute a previously unrecognized molecular basis for degeneration of motor neurons in mice.