Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 Protects Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Neurons against MPTP Neurotoxicity by Inhibiting Microglial Activation

This study examined whether the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) receptor contributes to the survival of nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. MPTP induced significant loss of nigrostriatal DA neurons and microglial activation in the substantia nigra (SN), visualized with tyrosine hydroxylase or macrophage Ag complex-1 immunohistochemistry. Real-time PCR, ELISA, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry disclosed upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, activation of microglial NADPH oxidase, and subsequent reactive oxygen species production and oxidative damage of DNA and proteins in MPTP-treated SN, resulting in degeneration of DA neurons. Conversely, treatment with nonselective cannabinoid receptor agonists (WIN55,212-2 and HU210) led to increased survival of DA neurons in the SN, their fibers and dopamine levels in the striatum, and improved motor function. This neuroprotection by cannabinoids was accompanied by suppression of NADPH oxidase reactive oxygen species production and reduced expression of proinflammatory cytokines from activated microglia. Interestingly, cannabinoids protected DA neurons against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium neurotoxicity in cocultures of mesencephalic neurons and microglia, but not in neuron-enriched mesencephalic cultures devoid of microglia. The observed neuroprotection and inhibition of microglial activation were reversed upon treatment with CB1 receptor selective antagonists AM251 and/or SR14,716A, confirming the involvement of the CB1 receptor. The present in vivo and in vitro findings clearly indicate that the CB1 receptor possesses anti-inflammatory properties and inhibits microglia-mediated oxidative stress. Our results collectively suggest that the cannabinoid system is beneficial for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other disorders associated with neuroinflammation and microglia-derived oxidative damage.
Alice in the Wonderland of Science: Intertextual Figures in Scientific Articles

Since numerous scientific and mathematical concepts can unsurprisingly be found in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the book itself has been a great source of inspiration for many scientists. This paper gives an overview of how Alice finds her way into scientific articles. More precisely, it discusses intertextual figures that refer to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in a corpus of 29 scientific articles from disciplines including psychology, medicine or astrophysics. Results show that intertextual figures tend to be more explicit in the field of physics and medicine than those found in the field of psychology. Crucially, observations show that intertextual figures found in the collected scientific articles serve different purposes depending on the discipline that makes use of them.
Regulated expression of endothelial lipase by porcine brain capillary endothelial cells constituting the blood–brain barrier

Normal neurological function depends on a constant supply of polyunsaturated fatty acids to the brain. A considerable proportion of essential fatty acids originates from lipoprotein‐associated lipids that undergo uptake and/or catabolism at the blood–brain barrier (BBB). This study aimed at identifying expression and regulation of endothelial lipase (EL) in brain capillary endothelial cells (BCEC), major constituents of the BBB. Our results revealed that BCEC are capable of EL synthesis and secretion. Overexpression of EL resulted in enhanced hydrolysis of extracellular high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐associated sn‐2‐labeled [14C]20 : 4 phosphatidylcholine. [14C]20 : 4 was recovered in cellular lipids, indicating re‐uptake and intracellular re‐esterification. To investigate local regulation of EL in the cerebrovasculature, BCEC were cultured in the presence of peroxisome‐proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)‐ and liver X receptor (LXR)‐agonists, known to regulate HDL levels. These experiments revealed that 24(S)OH‐cholesterol (a LXR agonist), bezafibrate (a PPARα agonist), or pioglitazone (a PPARγ agonist) resulted in down‐regulation of EL mRNA and protein levels. Our findings implicate that EL could generate fatty acids at the BBB for transport to deeper regions of the brain as building blocks for membrane phospholipids. In addition PPAR and LXR agonists appear to contribute to HDL homeostasis at the BBB by regulating EL expression.
Comparative Anti-workplace Bullying Public Policy in Australia, Canada and the United States

This thesis seeks to compare the anti–workplace bullying movements in Australia, Canada and the United States. It gives a broad perspective on how each country initiated its anti– workplace bullying measures and highlights the distinct roles that different actors can play in the process of social change. Although the three countries of focus are federated nations and have similar economies, cultures and historical backgrounds, the pace of anti–workplace bullying movement has varied between Australia, Canada and the US. This thesis argues that the key factors influencing anti–workplace bullying initiatives in the three countries are the political and economic environment and the role of specific actors (including the state, unions, non-traditional actors and employers) in employment relations, as well as the strength of the labour movement. Employers in the three countries generally hinder anti-bullying initiatives due to the fear of litigation and the cost involved in settling bullying cases. Compared to Australia and Canada, the anti–workplace bullying movement in the US has fallen behind. This can be attributed partly to the recent economic recession, the fact that labour relations systems in the US are less pro-labour, the relatively low rate of union density compared to Australia and Canada, the traditional culture of power imbalance in employment relationships and employers’ opposition. As a result of these factors, the anti–workplace bullying lobby in the US started from a grassroots movement, which has advocated to unions and lobbied government for anti-bullying legislative change; in Australia and Canada, on the other hand, it was the collaboration of interest groups and the unions lobbying the government that advanced the development of anti-bullying legislation. In terms of motivation to support the anti-bullying movement in the three countries, there are generally three reasons why the advocates, legislators and unions do so: political motivation, concern for workers’ dignity and rights and a moral argument based on personal experience.
Proteomic and biomarker studies and neurological complications of pediatric sickle cell disease

Biomarker analysis and proteomic discovery in pediatric sickle cell disease has the potential to lead to important discoveries and improve care. The aim of this review article is to describe proteomic and biomarker articles involving neurological and developmental complications in this population. A systematic review was conducted to identify relevant research publications. Articles were selected for children under the age of 21 years with the most common subtypes of sickle cell disease. Included articles focused on growth factors (platelet‐derived growth factor), intra and extracellular brain proteins (glial fibrillary acidic protein, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor), and inflammatory and coagulation markers (interleukin‐1β, l‐selectin, thrombospondin‐1, erythrocyte, and platelet‐derived microparticles). Positive findings include increases in plasma brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and platelet‐derived growth factor with elevated transcranial Dopplers velocities, increases in platelet‐derived growth factor isoform AA with overt stroke, and increases in glial fibrillary acidic protein with acute brain injury. These promising potential neuro‐biomarkers provide insight into pathophysiologic processes and clinical events, but their clinical utility is yet to be established. Additional proteomics research is needed, including broad‐based proteomic discovery of plasma constituents and blood cell proteins, as well as urine and cerebrospinal fluid components, before, during and after neurological and developmental complications.
Serial founder effects and genetic differentiation during worldwide range expansion of monarch butterflies

Range expansions can result in founder effects, increasing genetic differentiation between expanding populations and reducing genetic diversity along the expansion front. However, few studies have addressed these effects in long-distance migratory species, for which high dispersal ability might counter the effects of genetic drift. Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) are best known for undertaking a long-distance annual migration in North America, but have also dispersed around the world to form populations that do not migrate or travel only short distances. Here, we used microsatellite markers to assess genetic differentiation among 18 monarch populations and to determine worldwide colonization routes. Our results indicate that North American monarch populations connected by land show limited differentiation, probably because of the monarch's ability to migrate long distances. Conversely, we found high genetic differentiation between populations separated by large bodies of water. Moreover, we show evidence for serial founder effects across the Pacific, suggesting stepwise dispersal from a North American origin. These findings demonstrate that genetic drift played a major role in shaping allele frequencies and created genetic differentiation among newly formed populations. Thus, range expansion can give rise to genetic differentiation and declines in genetic diversity, even in highly mobile species.
Home and neighbourhood correlates of BMI among children living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods

A detailed understanding of the underlying drivers of obesity-risk behaviours is needed to inform prevention initiatives, particularly for individuals of low socioeconomic position who are at increased risk of unhealthy weight gain. However, few studies have concurrently considered factors in the home and local neighbourhood environments, and little research has examined determinants among children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The present study examined home, social and neighbourhood correlates of BMI (kg/m2) in children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Cross-sectional data were collected from 491 women with children aged 5–12 years living in forty urban and forty rural socioeconomically disadvantaged areas (suburbs) of Victoria, Australia in 2007 and 2008. Mothers completed questionnaires about the home environment (maternal efficacy, perceived importance/beliefs, rewards, rules and access to equipment), social norms and perceived neighbourhood environment in relation to physical activity, healthy eating and sedentary behaviour. Children's height and weight were measured at school or home. Linear regression analyses controlled for child sex and age. In multivariable analyses, children whose mothers had higher efficacy for them doing physical activity tended to have lower BMI z scores (B = − 0·04, 95 % CI − 0·06, − 0·02), and children who had a television (TV) in their bedroom (B = 0·24, 95 % CI 0·04, 0·44) and whose mothers made greater use of food as a reward for good behaviour (B = 0·05, 95 % CI 0·01, 0·09) tended to have higher BMI z scores. Increasing efficacy among mothers to promote physical activity, limiting use of food as a reward and not placing TV in children's bedrooms may be important targets for future obesity prevention initiatives in disadvantaged communities.
Evaluation of the low-frequency neutral-point voltage oscillations in the three-level inverter

The nearest vectors to the reference vector are commonly used in space-vector modulation (SVM) strategies. The main advantages of these modulation strategies are the low switching frequencies of the devices, the good output voltage spectra, and the low electromagnetic interference. However, when these techniques are applied to the three-level neutral-point (NP)-clamped inverter, low-frequency oscillations appear in the NP voltage for some operating conditions. As a result, the value of the dc-link capacitors must be increased in order to attenuate such oscillations. In this paper, these amplitudes are quantified for two modulation strategies that use nearest vectors to the reference vector. Owing to the nondimensional variables used in the analysis, the information provided will help for the calculation of the dc-link capacitors in a given specific application. Simulated and experimental examples are presented.
Elastic Net based sparse feature learning and classification for Alzheimer's disease identification

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been successfully applied to investigate neuron pathological changes. Since the high dimension of observation data, sparse feature learning plays an important role in overcoming the challenge of high variable dimension and low sample size problem among the disease identification. In this paper, sparse Elastic Net (EN) was used to extract low dimension features and to identify the Alzheimer's disease (AD). Compare with principal component analysis (PCA) method, the EN method can solve the problems of less samples and high correlations between variables. For those variables sharing the same biological phenomenon, it selected whole groups into the model automatically once one variable among them was selected. Unlike other subspace learning methods, the proposed method used less man-made feature setting. The problems of dimension reduction and classification were conducted into a similar formulation. Experimental results illustrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Downregulation of ATM Gene and Protein Expression in Canine Mammary Tumors

The ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene encodes a protein associated with DNA damage repair and maintenance of genomic integrity. In women, ATM transcript and protein downregulation have been reported in sporadic breast carcinomas, and the absence of ATM protein expression has been associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate ATM gene and protein expression in canine mammary tumors and their association with clinical outcome. ATM gene and protein expression was evaluated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively, in normal mammary gland samples (n = 10), benign mammary tumors (n = 11), nonmetastatic mammary carcinomas (n = 19), and metastatic mammary carcinomas (n = 11). Lower ATM transcript levels were detected in benign mammary tumors and carcinomas compared with normal mammary glands (P = .011). Similarly, lower ATM protein expression was observed in benign tumors (P = .0003), nonmetastatic mammary carcinomas (P < .0001), and the primary sites of metastatic carcinomas (P < .0001) compared with normal mammary glands. No significant differences in ATM gene or protein levels were detected among benign tumors and nonmetastatic and metastatic mammary carcinomas (P > .05). The levels of ATM gene or protein expression were not significantly associated with clinical and pathological features or with survival. Similar to human breast cancer, the data in this study suggest that ATM gene and protein downregulation is involved in canine mammary gland tumorigenesis.
Synthesis and biological activity of prostaglandin lactones.

Most of the primary prostaglandins and several biologically important prostaglandin analogues were converted to 1,9-, 1,11- or 1,15-lactones, in order to investigate the biological profiles of these internal esters and to assess their potential as prodrugs for the corresponding open-chain hydroxy acids. In each case, the key lactonization step was done using Corey's "double activation" procedure (cyclization of omega-hydroxy-2-pyridinethiol esters). In general, the 1,9-lactones exhibited less than 1% of the biological activity of the parent hydroxy acids in the standard prostaglandin test systems. The 1,11- and 1,15-lactones, on the other hand, were essentially equal to the parent hydroxy acids as antifertility agents (a 4-day assay which would allow time for in vivo enzymatic lactone hydrolysis). The 1,11- and 1,15-lactones exhibited very low activity in acute or in vitro screens (e.g., rat blood pressure and gerbil colon stimulation), assays which more closely reflect the intrinsic activity of the lactones themselves. These results are consistent with the observed relative ease of enzymatic hydrolysis of the prostaglandin lactones (1,15 greater than or equal to 1,11 much greater than 1,9). Several of the lactones whose parent hydroxy acids are resistant to metabolic inactivation (e.g., 15-methyl, 16-phenoxy, and 17-phenyl) exhibited potent abortifacient activity in the hamster. These lactones, with greatly diminished activity in the blood pressure and smooth muscle assays (indicators of potential side effects), represent a therapeutically useful class of antifertility agents.
An incremental learning algorithm of multiple support vector machines

Based on analyzing the construction process of HT-SVM, this paper proposes incremental learning algorithm of multi-class SVM based on Huffman tree. This method is to convert the incremental learning of multi-class SVM into the incremental learning of two-class SVM. Firstly, construct the multi-class SVM based on Huffman tree according to original training dataset. Then, according to the structure of HT-SVM, the new adding dataset is divided into multiple intersection subsets of two-class (If there are k classes of the training dataset, the number of the multiple intersection subsets of two-class is k-1). Finally, the k-1 subsets is send to k-1 two-class classifiers of HT-SVM to be learn using incremental learning algorithm of two-class SVM. Simulate with KDD CUP 1999 dataset, and the experiment results show the performance.
Student Experience of Access to Egyptian Higher Education.

Focusing on the relationship between Higher Education (HE) and social justice in Egypt, this study attempts to identify the main socioeconomic factors affecting HE access in Egypt from the students' perspective through tracing and comparing students' narratives of their access processes in distinctively different socioeconomic settings. The study investigates the perceived effects of the General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC) students' socioeconomic conditions on determining their academic choices. Different socioeconomic dimensions, such as culture, social conditions and finance are examined. The study also looks at the way students incorporate issues of social justice such as fairness, distribution of resources and social connections into understanding the process of HE access. Following a snowballing approach to recruiting the research participants, 55 students of the Egyptian GSEC took part in the research. The analysis is based on two sets of data: 1) Quantitative data were derived from two questionnaires examining the participants' socioeconomic classes, their perception of their academic experience, their aspirations and attitudes towards HE, determinants of their HE access process, and their views of the (in)equality of the access process. Allocating the participants into 3 socioeconomic groups, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used and cross-tabulation and comparisons were made between the three groups and correlations were examined. 2) Qualitative data were derived from interviews: Narratives of 17 students were sought through comprehensive semi-structured interviews that aimed at capturing the students' perceptions of their journeys through GSEC and the HE access process. The interviewed cases were regarded as instruments to dig into the impact of the socioeconomic factors onto the HE access process. Bourdieu's theory of social and cultural reproduction was drawn upon to explain social inequality as an outcome of inequitable access to HE and socially differentiated educational attainment. The theory provides a framework of understanding that explains how education, rather than becoming a means of social reform and equality, has become a tool for the reproduction of classism. The study also examines social media as a research tool and discusses its potentialities and limitations in social sciences research.
Food choices in Ethiopia: Does nutritional information matter?

This article reports results from a framed market experiment conducted to examine whether milk choices are responsive to changes in the nutritional characteristics of milk products. Using a random-effect Tobit model, we analyzed experimental data collected from 160 participants in urban Ethiopia. It shows that sensory properties play a key role in the acceptance of reduced-fat milk while the provision of nutrition information has a mixed effect on a price premium. Further, a substantial percentage of participants were found to have a strong preference for whole milk while only 19% of them prefer reduced-fat milk with 2.8% price premium. The study unveils a heterogeneous preference for the nutritional quality of milk products. Consumers' health problems and socio-demographic characteristics influence their preference for the nutritional quality of milk products. The result also shows a nutrition-taste tradeoff, yet consumers place more value on sensory experience. Contrary to earlier studies, we found that prior belief about milk quality influences how consumers value sensory experience and nutrition information.
Retracted: Muscles within muscles: a tensiomyographic and histochemical analysis of the normal human vastus medialis longus and vastus medialis obliquus muscles

The aim of this study was to show the connection between structure (anatomical and histochemical) and function (muscle contraction properties) of vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) and vastus medialis longus (VML). The non‐invasive tensiomyography (TMG) method was used to determine the contractile properties (contraction time; Tc) of VML and VMO muscle, as a reflection of the ratio between the slow and fast fibers in two groups of nine young men. VML and VMO significantly (P < 0.01) differ in the proportion of type 1 (59.6: 44%) and type 2b (6.3: 15%) fibers. The VML muscle is almost entirely composed of type 1 and type 2a fibers. In many samples of this muscle no type 2b fibers were found. The proportion of slow‐twitch type 1 fibers is nearly twice as high as the proportion of fast‐twitch type 2a fibers. These observations indicate that VML is a slower and more fatigue‐resistant muscle than VMO muscle. These characteristics correspond to the different functions of the VML, which is an extensor of the knee, and to the VMO, which maintains the stable position of the patella in the femoral groove. Our results obtained by TMG provided additional evidence that muscle fibers within the segments of VM muscle were not homogenous with regard to their contractile properties, thereby confirming the histochemical results. Tc can be attributed to the higher percentage of slow‐twitch fibers – type 1. The statistically shorter Tc (P ≤ 0.001) of VMO (22.8 ± 4.0 ms) compared with VML (26.7 ± 4.0 ms) in our study is consistent with previously found differences in histochemical, morphological and electrophysiological data. In conclusion, the results of this study provide evidence that the VML and VMO muscles are not only anatomically and histochemically different muscles, but also functionally different biological structures.