Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining Faking on Personality Inventories Using Unfolding Item Response Theory Models

A concern about personality inventories in diagnostic and decision-making contexts is that individuals will fake. Although there is extensive research on faking, little research has focused on how perceptions of personality items change when individuals are faking or responding honestly. This research demonstrates how the delta parameter from the generalized graded unfolding item response theory model can be used to examine how individuals’ perceptions about personality items might change when responding honestly or when faking. The results indicate that perceptions changed from honest to faking conditions for several neuroticism items. The direction of the change varied, indicating that faking can operate to increase or decrease scores within a personality factor.
Breed, heterotic and diet effects on postweaning litter growth and mortality in rabbits.

The effects of sire breed, dam genetic group and diet on postweaning litter growth and mortality were evaluated in 208 litters of rabbits. Sire breeds were New Zealand White (NN), California (CC) and Flemish Giant (FG). Dam genetic groups were NN and CC straightbred and California X New Zealand White (CN) and New Zealand White X Californian (NC) reciprocal crossbreds. Litters were fed either a commercial diet or a 74% alfalfa diet. Litter size and weight at 56 d and litter gain (the difference between 56- and 28-d litter weights) tended to be lower in NN- compared with CC-sired litters; while feed intake was significantly lower and mortality was higher in progeny of NN sires. Litter 56-d weight, litter gain and litter feed efficiency (gain/feed intake) were improved (P less than .05) in litters sired by FG vs NN or CC bucks. Direct heterosis (CN and NC compared with NN and CC litters) for litter size, growth and feed-related traits was generally low (less than 11% in absolute value), while moderate heterosis levels (-21 and -22%) were observed for diarrhea-related and total mortality. Differences between NN and CC straightbred dams for litter size and weight at 56 d and litter gain were small, but in favor of NN dams. Diarrhea-related and total mortality were higher (P less than .05) in litters reared by NN vs CC straightbred dams. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Single-Event Data Analysis

Data needs to be carefully examined and sometimes corrected before used to predict upset rates in space. The data needs to be examined for illegitimate, systematic and random errors. Blunders and systematic errors are very likely during single-event data accumulation as repeated changes of device and ion or energy correspond to performing a large number of different experiments in a very short time. The most likely types of systematic error are due to dosimetry. They may occur occasionally, repeatedly if the dosimetry is not controlled, or with large standard deviations with controlled dosimetry. The dosimetry can be checked using golden chips, monitoring internal data consistency, occasional repetition of a measurement or calculation of observed versus expected values. The calculated linear energy transfer (LET) may need to be corrected if the device exhibits the funnel effect. The depth of the device leads to discontinuities in the data as ions are changed. The correction for this effect enables the depth of the device to be determined and places more values on the cross section curve. The data is often fitted using the Weibull function. This can be misleading as a single set of data can be fit with a variety of width and cross section values. It is often valuable to fit data with the log normal function, especially when studying the changes in the cross section curve with changes of some parameter. What appears to be a change of cross section is usually a change in the critical LET. The dependence of the critical LET on parameter can lead to a better understanding of the device.
Comparative study of the zebrafish embryonic toxicity test and mouse embryonic stem cell test to screen developmental toxicity of human pharmaceutical drugs

According to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines, each drug in development for administration to women of child-bearing potential must be tested for possible developmental toxicities using at least two species (a rodent and non-rodent). With the high cost and slow pace of embryonic-fetal toxicity testing in mammals, both the zebrafish embryonic toxicity test (ZET) and mouse embryonic stem cell test (mEST) have been shown to be useful to assess developmental toxicity of various chemical compounds, including human pharmaceutical drugs, in a high-throughput manner. However, comparative study of the sensitivity and specificity of these methods using the same set of human pharmaceutical drugs is scarce. In this study, we assessed developmental toxicity tests of 39 chemical compounds, including human pharmaceutical drugs, in both the ZET and mEST. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the ZET were 69%, 59%, and 82%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the mEST were 64%, 50%, and 82%, respectively. As a result, both the ZET and mEST showed acceptable accuracies compared with rat embryo-fetal toxicity study and Food and Drug Administration pregnancy categories. By comparing the results between the ZET and mEST, we identified different types of true positives and true negatives. Thus, complementary tests using both the ZET and mEST may better predict the developmental toxicity of human pharmaceuticals.
Can We Predict Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Progression and Rupture by Non-Invasive Imaging?—A Systematic Review

Introduction: The most commonly used predictor of aneurysm behavior in clinical decision-making is size. There are however small aneurysms that rupture and certain large aneurysms remain asymptomatic. There is growing evidence to suggest that other variables may provide better information on metabolic and physiological properties of aortic wall and therefore better predict aneurysm behavior. Methods: The literature was systematically reviewed from 1975-May 2011 to examine the evidence to support the use of non-invasive imaging modalities that might predict aneurysm behavior. Results: Ultrasound can be used to measure multiple dynamic aortic properties (i.e. distensibility and compliance) in addition to diameter. These parameters better predict aneurysm behavior. Computer tomography can utilize assessment of aortic calcification, presence of intra-luminal thrombus and distensibility. Finite element analysis model has been validated in-vivo to calculate peak wall stress, assess effects of intra-luminal thrombus and calcification. It however relies on assumptions related to aneurysm properties and therefore remains relatively inaccurate in the clinical setting. Small numbers of observational human studies have evaluated the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in aneurysms. Larger studies are needed, as 18F-FDG uptake is patchy and heterogeneous even in small number of patients. It varies in the same patient with time, as aneurysms grow in intermittently. We discuss functional magnetic resonance imaging with novel tracers such as 99 mTc-annexin-V and nanoparticles. Conclusion: Multimodality imaging with complementary methods such as CT, functional MRI (fMRI), ultrasound and physiological measurements improve the definition of aneurysm pathobiology. Larger-scale clinical validation is beginning to promise a new paradigm in cardiovascular diagnostics.
Chemical Composition of the Volatile oils of three Lamiaceae species growing wild in North of Iran

Background & Aim: The Lamiaceae or Labiatae (commonly referred to as the mint or deadnettle family) are an exceedingly large and widespread of flowering plants (Angiospermae). Most member of Lamiaceae plants are used in Iranian folk medicine as stimulant, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, stomachic, expectorant, carminative, anti-diarrheic and anti-bacterial. The aim of the present work was to obtain a better insight into the nature of essential oil. Experimental: The essences of three Lamiaceae species viz., Satureja macrantha C.A. Mey. , Ziziphora persica Bunge, and Lavandula stoechas L. obtained by hydro-distillation method of flowers growing wild in the north of Iran. The study led to the identification of 67 components by a combination HP-5 GC-FID and GC-MS analytical techniques and the oil yields were 1.3 %, 1.64 %, and 1.16 % on fresh flowers, respectively. Results & Discussion: The chemical components of S. macrantha were found to contain mainly: Carvacrol (43.3 %), -Terpinene (24.1 %) and p- Cymene (21.6 %). On the other hand the major oil components for Z. persica were Isopulegone (46.6 %), followed by p-mentha-1(7),8-diene (16.4 %), 1,8-Cineole (7.0 %), Isomenthol (5.5 %) and Isoledene (3.3 %), accounting for 98.0 % of the total components. Camphor (61.5 %), 1,8- Cineole (10.1 %), Fenchone (4.2 %) and Linalool (3.8 %) were found to be the major constituents of the oil of L. stoechas. The essential oils of S. macrantha, Z. persica, and L. stoechas were identified by much larger amount of monoterpenes (96.52 %, 89.31 %, and 93.49 %, respectively) and sesquiterpenes (1.87 %, 8.10 %, and 5.04 %, respectively). Industrial and practical recommendations: Based on the results of this study, the chemical variations of three volatile oils might be correlated with geographical regions and environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, interaction with other species and etc.) play a significant role in biosynthesis of the components of the oil
Consensus protocols for multi-agent systems with delays and noises in transmission channels

This paper studies the consensus problem for linear discrete-time multi-agent systems with delays and noises in transmission channels. The decaying weights of the consensus protocol satisfying persistence condition are applied to attenuate the effect of the noises so as to achieve the consensus. Necessary and sufficient conditions for strong consensus is given under fixed topology. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the results.
Model predictive engine torque control with real-time driver-in-the-loop simulation results

This paper presents the design and simulation results for a novel off-idle engine torque control strategy that uses online model predictive control (MPC) to simultaneously manage drivability, emissions, and fuel economy, while delivering desired engine torque. In order to achieve a tractable optimization, a modular control approach is used, wherein MPC is used to manipulate desired air/fuel ratio, engine air charge, spark advance, and variable valve timing, whereas lower level controllers are designed using conventional design techniques to deliver these desired values. The performance of the proposed control strategy is exhibited through simulation results on two test cases, including a driver-in-the-loop simulator. Results show that the model predictive torque control strategy yields a significant overall improvement in terms of a combined drivability, emissions, and fuel economy metric.
An IoT approach to vehicle accident detection, reporting, and navigation

One particular concern that Public Safety Organizations (PSO) must account for whilst engaging in many activities is decreasing the effect of vehicle accidents, aiding as many injured people as possible and providing 24/7 on the spot rescue. The Red Cross humanitarian organization is one of the most known PSOs to be present on-site whenever an accident or a disaster takes place. However, some of the rescue teams face difficulty in reaching the injured people to due late alerts and insufficient information of the specific accident location. The advent of the mobile phone and Internet of Things (IoT) industries reshaped the way people communicate and brought a paradigm shift to public and private services [1]. This ever-evolving technology marked the beginning of new era affecting the lives of people and various businesses. This paper conveys a smart and reliable IoT system solution which instantly notifies the PSO headquarter whenever an accident takes place and pinpoints its geographic coordinates on the map. When an accident takes place, a shock sensor detects it. Then, an algorithm is applied to process the sensor signal and send the geographic location along with some ancillary information to the PSO headquarter, indicating accident occurrence. This is a promising system expected to aid in the tedious rescuing process by reporting in a matter of seconds the location of an accident, the passengers injured, blood types, thus lowering death's rates. The geographical data collected from this system could be relied upon as admissible evidence or indicator of the road state and conditions.
A glycosaminoglycan inhibitor of thrombin: A new mechanism for abnormal hemostatic assays in cancer

The isolation and partial characterization of a novel anticoagulant from the plasma of a patient with metastatic prostate cancer is described. The patient had a prolonged activated partial thromboplastic time, prothrombin time and thrombin time which did not correct by mixing with normal plasma. The reptilase time was normal and the prolonged thrombin time was corrected with protamine sulfate suggesting a heparin‐like anticoagulant. A glycosaminoglycan anticoagulant (GAC) was isolated from the patient's plasma. The inhibitory activity of the GAC was destroyed by treatment with chondroitinase ABC. The GAC migrated on agarose gel electrophoresis between keratin sulfate and heparan sulfate. Purified GAC possessed only 2% (W/W) of the antithrombin III cofactor activity of porcine heparin. In assays using purified fibrinogen, the GAC was shown to directly inhibit fibrinogen proteolysis by thrombin. It is concluded that this glycosaminoglycan anticoagulant directly inhibits thrombin clotting of fibrinogen and is a new mechanism for abnormal hemostatic assays in cancer.
Single step, bulk synthesis of engineered MoS2 quantum dots for multifunctional electrocatalysis

Bi- or tri- functional catalysts based on atomic layers are receiving tremendous scientific attention due to their importance in various energy technologies. Recent studies on molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) nanosheets revealed that controlling the edge states and doping/modifying with suitable elements are highly important in tuning the catalytic activities of MoS2. Here we report a bulk, single step method to synthesize metal modified MoS2 quantum dots (QDs). Three elements, namely Fe, Mg and Li, are chosen to study the effects of dopants in the catalytic activities of MoS2. Fe and Mg are found to act like dopants in the MoS2 lattice forming respective doped MoS2 QDs, while Li formed an intercalated MoS2 QD. The efficacy and tunability of these luminescent doped QDs towards various electrocatalytic activities (hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction action) are reported here.
Use of the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer for Rapid and Reproducible Molecular Typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis is an economic and fast technique for molecular typing but has the drawback of difficulties in accurately sizing DNA fragments and comparing banding patterns on agarose gels. We aimed to improve RFLP for typing of the important human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae and to compare the results with the commonly used typing techniques of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. We designed primers to amplify a noncoding region adjacent to the pneumolysin gene. The PCR product was digested separately with six restriction endonucleases, and the DNA fragments were analyzed using an Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer for accurate sizing. The combined RFLP results for all enzymes allowed us to assign each of the 47 clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae tested to one of 33 RFLP types. RFLP analyzed using the bioanalyzer allowed discrimination between strains similar to that obtained by the more commonly used techniques of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, which discriminated between 34 types, and multilocus sequence typing, which discriminated between 35 types, but more quickly and with less expense. RFLP of a noncoding region using the Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer could be a useful addition to the molecular typing techniques in current use for S. pneumoniae, especially as a first screen of a local population.
Oral contraceptive pill use is associated with localized decreases in cortical thickness

Oral contraceptive pills (OCs), which are used to prevent pregnancy by the majority of women in the United States, contain steroid hormones that may affect the brain's structure and function. In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that OC use is associated with differences in brain structure using a hypothesis‐driven, surface‐based approach. In 90 women, (44 OC users, 46 naturally‐cycling women), we compared the cortical thickness of brain regions that participate in the salience network and the default mode network, as well as the volume of subcortical regions in these networks. We found that OC use was associated with significantly lower cortical thickness measurements in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex. These regions are believed to be important for responding to rewards and evaluating internal states/incoming stimuli, respectively. Further investigations are needed to determine if cortical thinning in these regions are associated with behavioral changes, and also to identify whether OC use is causally or only indirectly related to these changes in brain morphology. Hum Brain Mapp 36:2644–2654, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Diferenciales salariales y mercados laborales en la industria colombiana

En este trabajo se analizan los diferenciales salariales intersectoriales en la industria, que son persistentes en el tiempo y no atribuibles exclusivamente a diferenciales en habilidades o condiciones laborales, como evidencia de la formacion no competitiva de los salarios. En esta direccion se estudia la relacion entre diferenciales salariales y caracteristicas industriales, y se explora la hipotesis de participacion de los trabajadores en las rentas como explicacion de esos diferenciales. Los resultados del trabajo muestran que una parte sustancial de los diferenciales salariales no se explica por diferencias en el capital humano o por caracteristicas especificas de los trabajadores. La persistencia de esos diferenciales significa que tampoco pueden ser atribuidos a choques sectoriales en condiciones de imperfecta movilidad del trabajo. Se encuentran, en cambio, evidencias de la participacion del trabajo en las rentas en sectores oligopolicos y con poder de mercado como factor explicativo de las diferencias en los salarios reales de los trabajadores.
Evidence for the participation of Cys558 and Cys559 at the active site of mercuric reductase.

Mercuric reductase, with FAD and a reducible disulfide at the active site, catalyzes the two-electron reduction of Hg(II) by NADPH. Addition of reducing equivalents rapidly produces a spectrally distinct EH2 form of the enzyme containing oxidized FAD and reduced active site thiols. Formation of EH2 has previously been reported to require only 2 electrons for reduction of the active site disulfide. We present results of anaerobic titrations of mercuric reductase with NADPH and dithionite showing that the equilibrium conversion of oxidized enzyme to EH2 actually requires 2 equiv of reducing agent or 4 electrons. Kinetic studies conducted both at 4 degrees C and at 25 degrees C indicate that reduction of the active site occurs rapidly, as previously reported [Sahlman, L. , & Lindskog, S. (1983) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 117, 231-237]; this is followed by a slower reduction of another redox group via reaction with the active site. Thiol titrations of denatured Eox and EH2 enzyme forms show that an additional disulfide is the group in communication with the active site. [14C]Iodoacetamide labeling experiments demonstrate that the C-terminal residues, Cys558 and Cys559, are involved in this disulfide. The fluorescence, but not the absorbance, of the enzyme-bound FAD was found to be highly dependent on the redox state of the C-terminal thiols. Thus, Eox with Cys558 and Cys559 as thiols exhibits less than 50% of the fluorescence of Eox where these residues are present as a disulfide, indicating that the thiols remain intimately associated with the active site. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Exposure to cypermethrin and mancozeb alters the expression profile of THBS1, SPP1, FEZ1 and GPNMB in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Abstract The complex immune system displays a coordinated transcriptional response to xenobiotic exposure by altering expression of designated transcription factors that, in turn, trigger immune responses. Despite the identification of several transcription factors that contribute to regulatory response, very little is known about the specific role of factors that are triggered due to exposure to obnoxious pesticides. Here, for the first time, alterations in human peripheral blood lymphocyte expression of transcriptional factors – thrombospondin-1 (THBS-1), secretory phospho-protein-1 (SPP-1), glycoprotein non-metastatic-β (GPNMB) and fasciculation and elongation factor ζ-1 (FEZ-1), due to in vitro exposure to the crop protection chemicals cypermethrin and mancozeb are reported. Results revealed significant changes in expression profiles due to mancozeb exposure, supporting its immune dysfunction potential; in contrast, cypermethrin exposure did not cause significant changes. Based on these effects on gene expression across the doses tested, it was likely key components of immune mechanisms such as proliferation, cell adhesion, apoptosis and cell activation in human PBMC were affected. Although these data are from in vitro experiments, the results point out the potential role for changes in these factors in the etiology of defective T-cell immune function seen in humans occupationally exposed to crop protection chemicals like mancozeb. These studies suggest the involvement of transcription factors in regulation of pesticide-induced immune dysfunction; these studies also represent a novel approach for identifying potential immune-related dysfunctions due to exposure to pesticides. Further studies are needed to better understand the functional significance of these in vitro findings.
State and local pensions are different from private plans

*Alicia H. Munnell is the Peter F. Drucker Professor of Management Sciences in Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR). Mauricio Soto is a Senior Research Associate at the CRR. Kelly Haverstick played a key role in assembling the data. Jean-Pierre Aubry and Alexander GolubSass provided excellent research assistance. The authors would also like to thank Elizabeth Hill, Daniel Kohler, and Ian Lanoff for helpful comments. Introduction
Onocerin Biosynthesis Requires Two Highly Dedicated Triterpene Cyclases in a Fern Lycopodium clavatum

Onocerin is known for its unusual structure among triterpenoids, with a symmetrical structure that is formed by cyclizations at the both termini of dioxidosqualene. The nature of the enzyme catalyzing these unusual cyclizations has remained elusive for decades. Here, we report the cloning of genes responsible for these reactions; they exhibited unprecedented substrate specificities among oxidosqualene cyclase family members. Two genes, LCC and LCD, were identified from the fern Lycopodium clavatum. Expression in yeast revealed that both were required to produce α‐onocerin. LCC, the first dioxidosqualene cyclase, catalyzed the production of a novel intermediate pre‐α‐onocerin from only dioxidosqualene as a substrate; LCD catalyzed the second half of the cyclization, exclusively from pre‐α‐onocerin. These results demonstrated that these two most unusual oxidosqualene cyclases were involved in onocerin biosynthesis.