Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Intestinal Microbiota in Baicalin-Induced Drug Interaction and Its Pharmacokinetics

Since many glycoside compounds in natural products are hydrolyzed by intestinal microbiota when administered orally, it is of interest to know whether their pharmacological effects are derived from the glycoside itself or from the aglycone form in vivo. An interesting example is baicalin versus baicalein, the aglycone of baicalin, which is contained in some herbs from Labiatae including Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Scutellaria lateriflora Linne. The herbs have been extensively used for treatment of inflammatory diseases in Asia. Although there have been numerous reports regarding the pharmacological effects of baicalin and baicalein in vivo and in vitro, some reports indicated that the glycoside form would hardly be absorbed in the intestine and that it should be hydrolyzed to baicalein in advance for absorption. Therefore, the role of metabolism by intestinal microbiota should also be considered in the metabolism of baicalin. In addition, baicalin contains a glucuronide moiety in its structure, by which baicalin and baicalein show complex pharmacokinetic behaviors, due to the interconversion between them by phase II enzymes in the body. Recently, concerns about drug interaction with baicalin and/or baicalein have been raised, because of the co-administration of Scutellaria species with certain drugs. Herein, we reviewed the role of intestinal microbiota in pharmacokinetic characteristics of baicalin and baicalein, with regards to their pharmacological and toxicological effects.
An investigation of recent orographic precipitation events in northeast Victoria

This study investigates the spatial and temporal variability of precipitation over northeast Victoria from 2000 to 2005. Using observational data for each month of the year, the elevation dependence of precipitation is analysed over the two distinct mountain ranges (the Strathbogie Ranges and the High Country) that characterise the region. It is found that the rate of increase of precipitation with terrain elevation is proportional to the rainfall at a reference station, representative of the mountain range. Therefore, extreme precipitation events result in pronounced increases in precipitation at the higher elevations. A synoptic classification is also applied to determine which systems are responsible for the precipitation over the region. This classification shows that interacting fronts produce the majority of the precipitation during the cooler months of the year, while cold lows dominate during the warmer months of the year. The consequences of this pattern is briefly investigated in terms of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and during 2000-2005 the precipitation from cold lows showed positive correlation with the SAM index, suggesting important large-scale influences on the regional precipitation.
Federalism, Freedom of Movement, and Fiscal Equalization

In this paper, we take up the question why a group of sovereign countries is willing to form a federation even if residents of the high-income region suspect potential immigrants to be net beneficiaries of the tax and transfer system. We argue that income uncertainty alone cannot satisfactorily explain the formation of federations, since in many existing and developing federations income differences are both large and persistent. In the model presented here remaining separated involves costs for the high-income region, which can be regarded as a proxy for the efficiency loss caused if mobile factors cannot reallocate. A fiscal equalization scheme that shares the resources saved by limiting costly migration between the regions can make both regions better off.
Presynaptic and Postsynaptic Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity and Metaplasticity during Intermediate-Term Memory Formation in Aplysia

Synaptic plasticity and learning involve different mechanisms depending on the following: (1) the stage of plasticity and (2) the history of plasticity, or metaplasticity. However, little is known about how these two factors are related. We have addressed that question by examining mechanisms of synaptic plasticity during short-term and intermediate-term behavioral sensitization and dishabituation in a semi-intact preparation of the Aplysia siphon-withdrawal reflex. Dishabituation differs from sensitization in that it is preceded by habituation, and is thus a paradigm for metaplasticity. We find that whereas facilitation during short-term sensitization by one tail shock involves presynaptic covalent modifications by protein kinase A (PKA) and CamKII, facilitation during intermediate-term sensitization by four shocks involves both presynaptic (PKA, CaMKII) and postsynaptic (Ca2+, CaMKII) covalent modifications, as well as both presynaptic and postsynaptic protein synthesis. The facilitation also involves presynaptic spike broadening 2.5 min after either one or four shocks, but not at later times. Dishabituation by four shocks differs from sensitization in several ways. First, it does not involve PKA or CaMKII, but rather involves presynaptic PKC. In addition, unlike sensitization with the same shock, dishabituation by four shocks does not involve protein synthesis or presynaptic spike broadening, and it also does not involve postsynaptic Ca2+. These results demonstrate that not only the mechanisms but also the site of plasticity depend on both the stage of plasticity and metaplasticity during memory formation.
Development and Validation of an Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge Tool (AKT)

Background Assessing and improving patients’ anticoagulation knowledge can lead to better treatment outcomes. While validated knowledge instruments exist for use in people taking warfarin, these tools are not necessarily applicable to patients taking direct-acting oral anticoagulants. Objective To develop and validate an oral anticoagulation knowledge instrument that is applicable to all oral anticoagulant medications. Methods Ten anticoagulation experts participated in the development of the Anticoagulation Knowledge Tool to ensure content validity. The knowledge instrument was administered to three groups of participants comprising of 44 pharmacists, 50 patients and 50 members of the general public. A subgroup of participants in the patient and pharmacist group were retested approximately 2–3 months after the initial testing. Statistical tests were conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the scale, and item analysis was used to determine the performance of individual questions. Results The 28-item instrument developed had a scale content validity index of 0.92, supporting content validity. The pharmacist group’s mean score was significantly higher than that of the patient group, and the patient group scored significantly higher than the general public group (94% vs 62% vs 20%, respectively; p<0.001), supporting construct validity. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable with a Cronbach’s α value of > 0.7 across the three groups, and the test–retest reliability was confirmed with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.72 and 0.78 for the pharmacist and patient groups, respectively. Conclusion The Anticoagulation Knowledge Tool is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in routine clinical practice to assess patients’ anticoagulation knowledge.
Maternal and Fetal Genetic Associations of PTGER3 and PON1 with Preterm Birth

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify associations between maternal and fetal genetic variants in candidate genes and spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) in a Norwegian population and to determine the effect size of those associations that corroborate a previous study of PTB. Methods DNA from 434 mother-baby dyads (214 cases and 220 controls) collected from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa) was examined for association between 1,430 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 143 genes and PTB. These results were compared to a previous study on European Americans (EA) from Centennial Women's Hospital in Nashville, TN, USA. Odds ratios for SNPs that corroborated the Cenntennial study were determined on the combined MoBa and Centennial studies. Results In maternal samples the strongest results that corroborated the Centennial study were in the prostaglandin E receptor 3 gene (PTGER3; rs977214) (combined genotype p = 3×10−4). The best model for rs977214 was the AG/GG genotypes relative to the AA genotype and resulted in an OR of 0.55 (95% CI = 0.37–0.82, p = 0.003), indicating a protective effect. In fetal samples the most significant association in the combined data was rs854552 in the paraoxonase 1 gene (PON1) (combined allele p = 8×10−4). The best model was the TT genotype relative to the CC/CT genotypes, and resulted in an OR of 1.32 (95% CI = 1.13–1.53, p = 4×10−4). Conclusions These studies identify single locus associations with preterm birth for both maternal and fetal genotypes in two populations of European ancestry.
On the Security of Internet Banking in South Korea { a lesson in how not to regulate security

South Korean Internet banking systems provide an interesting natural experiment. Having been concerned at restrictions on crypto key length during the 1990s, the Korean government set up a closed security system for online banking. Users are obliged to install proprietary security software { ActiveX plugins that implement a bundle of protection mechanisms in the user’s browser. In consequence, almost everyone in Korea uses Internet Explorer rather than other browsers. We conducted a survey of bank customers who use both Korean and other banking services, and found that the Korean mechanisms impose signicant usability penalties. Usability here is correlated with compatibility: Korean users have become stuck in an isolated backwater, and have not beneted from all the advances in mainstream browser and security technology. Also, the proprietary mechanisms fail to provide a trustworthy platform. We conclude that Korea should rejoin the mainstream.
Dopamine deficiency in the weaver mutant mouse

The dopamine system in weaver mutant mice (B6CBA-Aw-J/A background) was studied. Dopamine was 27% lower in the olfactory tubercle, 77% lower in the frontal cortex, and 75% lower in the striatum of 6-month-old weaver mice compared to control mice of the same age. Norepinephrine and serotonin were not lower in these brain areas. Tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the striatum was measured with a radiometric assay and was 70% lower in weaver mice. Examination of mice from 11 to 180 days of age revealed that the dopamine system failed to develop in weaver mice. Motor activity in individual animals was assessed using circular photocell activity cages with minimal illumination. Apomorphine and pergolide, direct dopamine agonists, increased activity more in weaver mice than in normal littermates. Amphetamine, which releases endogenous stores of dopamine, was less active in mutant mice. These findings provide suggestive evidence that postsynaptic dopamine receptors in weaver mutants might have become supersensitive as a result of lower levels of dopamine in motor areas of the brain. Anatomical evidence of dopamine system abnormalities was found in weaver mice by examination of serial sections cut from the midbrain of mutant and normal mice. The pars compacta of the substantia nigra in weaver mice appeared hypocellular when compared with the corresponding sections from controls. Fewer large neurons were seen in the affected animals. This study illustrates that weaver mice have specific deficiencies in the dopamine system. The weaver mouse might provide a way of examining the biochemical and behavioral effects of long term dopamine deficiency and a way to examine drugs to treat dopamine-deficient states in vivo.
Do antisaccade deficits in schizophrenia provide evidence of a specific inhibitory function?

Background: Despite its inhibitory control requirements, antisaccade deficits have been consistently associated with working memory impairments in schizophrenia. We investigated whether variance in antisaccade performance could be better accounted for in terms of a specific inhibitory function. Method: We assessed 48 clinically stable out-patients with schizophrenia on an antisaccade task, as well as on measures of spatial and verbal working memory, sustained selective attention, and a simple motoric go/no-go measure of response inhibition. Results: In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, go/no-go task performance accounted for a considerably greater percentage of variance in antisaccade performance (25.3%) than either working memory (8.4%) or sustained selective attention task (9.1%). Discussion: We conclude that antisaccade deficits in schizophrenia appear to be better understood in terms of a specific deficit of inhibitory control than in terms of more general difficulties with context maintenance or goal neglect. (JINS, 2006, 12, 901–906.)
Traceability Method for Software Engineering Documentation

Traceability has been widely discussed in research area. It has been one of interest topic to be research in software engineering. Traceability in software documentation is one of the interesting topics to be research further. It is important in software documentation to trace out the flow or process in all the documents whether they depends with one another or not. In this paper, we present a traceability method for software engineering documentation. The objective of this research is to facilitate in tracing of the software documentation.
Sympathetic Drive in Anterior and Inferior Uncomplicated Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background—The sympathetic activation that follows acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Because the prognosis after anterior AMI (ant-AMI) is worse than that after inferior AMI (inf-AMI), we planned to determine whether the magnitude of sympathetic hyperactivity differs between the two. Methods and Results—Thirty-nine patients with uncomplicated AMI, comprising 2 matched groups of 17 patients with ant-AMI, and 22 patients with inf-AMI were examined. Measurements were obtained 2 to 4 days after AMI and compared with 20 normal subjects (NC) who were matched in terms of age and body weight to the AMI groups. Resting muscle sympathetic nerve activity was quantified from multiunit bursts (MSNA) and from single units (s-MSNA). Both groups of AMI patients were matched with regard to hemodynamic variables, left ventricular function, and infarct size. Both groups had greater (at least P <0.01) sympathetic nerve activity than NC (60±4.3 bursts/100 cardiac beats and 68±4.9 impulses/100 cardiac beats), but the magnitude of sympathetic nerve hyperactivity in ant-AMI (81±4.0 bursts/100 cardiac beats and 91±4.9 impulses/100 cardiac beats) was similar (P >0.05) to that in inf-AMI (80±3.2 bursts/100 cardiac beats and 90±4.0 impulses/100 cardiac beats) Conclusions—Both ant-AMI and inf-AMI resulted primarily in a similar magnitude of sympathetic nerve hyperactivity. These findings suggest that the worse prognosis after ant-AMI compared with after inf-AMI would not be related primarily to the degree of sympathetic hyperactivity.
Mechanism of formation of human IgE-binding factors (soluble CD23): III. Evidence for a receptor (Fc epsilon RII)-associated proteolytic activity

There is mounting evidence that Fc epsilon RII (CD23) and its soluble fragments (IgE-binding factors [BFs] or soluble CD23) have pleiotropic activities. IgE-BFs are formed mainly by the proteolytic cleavage of surface Fc epsilon RII; they are first released as 37- and 33-kD unstable molecules that are subsequently transformed into 25-kD IgE- BFs. In this study, purified and radioiodinated 37-kD IgE-BFs as well as 45-kD Fc epsilon RII were used as substrates to identify the proteases leading to the formation of 25-kD IgE-BFs. These substrates generate 25-kD IgE-BFs when incubated with several Fc epsilon RII- bearing cells, including CHO1-7 cells (transfected with Fc epsilon RII cDNA); by contrast Fc epsilon RII- cells, including CHO control cells, have no effect. Highly purified unlabeled native 37-kD and recombinant 29-kD IgE-BFs also cleave labeled 45-kD Fc epsilon RII into 25-kD IgE- BFs. The proteolytic activity of these purified IgE-BFs is specifically removed by immunoprecipitation with an antibody against IgE-BFs. These data strongly suggest that Fc epsilon RII and some of its soluble fragments play an active role in the proteolytic mechanism generating IgE-BFs. They are supported by the observation that IgE-BFs released by CHO1-7 cells are cleaved exactly at the same sites as B cell-derived IgE-BFs. Taken collectively, the results are compatible with an autoproteolytic process.
Send Orders of Reprints at Reprints@benthamscience.ae Increasing Trend of Rainfall over Agumbe, Western Ghats, India in the Scenario of Global Warming

There are quite a number of conflicting conclusions about inter-annual trends of the monsoon rainfall over South Asia as a result of global warming. Western Ghats, next to Himalayas are the principal watershed areas for the rivers of India. In this study, an attempt has been made to understand the inter-seasonal and inter-annual patterns rainfall over Agumbe – popularly known as the Cheerapunji of the South India. Since this region is particularly influenced by the southwest monsoon, the monthly rainfall data of this station from 1963 to 2010 have been studied to understand the long-term trend in rainfall as a consequence of global warming. Seasonally, the maximum amount in rainfall occurs during the summer followed by fall, spring and the least during winter (84.31 to 98.98%, 0 to 9.92%, 0 to 8.23% and 0 to 0.41% respectively). Though the rainfall of the study area is generally in phase with that of all India summer rainfall, however, there is an increasing trend of both inter-annual and seasonal rainfall suggesting the induction of global warming in supplying moisture from the Indian Ocean. The rate of increase has been found to be maximum during the summer, followed by spring and fall seasons with a pronounced increasing in the annual rainfall (22.85, 4.29, 2.82 and 28.58 mm/yr respectively). Generally, the annual lows and highs are generally in agreement with El Niño and La Niña years respectively. However, about 80% of the rainfall data fall within the mean of 7304 mm and 1087 mm 1σ standard deviation. Despite increasing in rainfall, the major part of the study area suffers from the shortage of water resource particularly during the spring season. Therefore, this study suggests for a better management of the water resource in high rainfall terrain.
Compact fuzzy models and classifiers through model reduction and evolutionary optimization.

The automatic design of fuzzy rule-based models and classifiers from data is considered. It is recognized that both accuracy and transparency are of major importance and we seek to keep the rule-based models small and comprehensible. An iterative approach for developing such fuzzy rule-based models is proposed. First, an initial model is derived from the data. Subsequently, a real-coded genetic algorithm (GA) is applied in an iterative fashion together with a rule base simplification algorithm in order to optimize and simplify the model, respectively. The proposed modeling approach is demonstrated for a system identification and a classification problem. Results are compared to other approaches in the literature. The proposed modeling approach gives more compact, interpretable and accurate models. 1.
A 900-MHz RFID system with TAG-antenna magnetically-coupled to the die

A novel UHF-RFID system which employs a magnetic coupling between the die of a TAG and its external antenna is presented. With respect to the state-of-the-art, the proposed solution avoids the physical connection between die and antenna, thus significantly improving TAG reliability while reducing assembling costs. Thanks to the integrated spiral, on-wafer wireless testing can be performed thus greatly reducing testing costs. Moreover, the arrangement exploiting the TAG-antenna and its interface to the IC is well-suited to be implemented in a low-cost roll-to-roll process by using conductive inkjet on any dielectric material.
Buckling Pneumatic Linear Actuators Inspired by Muscle

The mechanical features characteristics of biological muscles are difficult to reproduce completely in synthetic systems. We describes a new class of soft pneumatic structures (VAMPs, or vacuum-actuated muscle-inspired pneumatic structures) that combine actuation by negative pressure (vacuum), with cooperative buckling of beams fabricated in a slab of elastomer, to achieve motion and demonstrate many features that are similar to that of mammalian muscle.
Scaling-Rotation Distance and Interpolation of Symmetric Positive-Definite Matrices

We introduce a new geometric framework for the set of symmetric positive-definite (SPD) matrices, aimed at characterizing deformations of SPD matrices by individual scaling of eigenvalues and rotation of eigenvectors of the SPD matrices. To characterize the deformation, the eigenvalue-eigenvector decomposition is used to find alternative representations of SPD matrices and to form a Riemannian manifold so that scaling and rotations of SPD matrices are captured by geodesics on this manifold. The problems of nonunique eigen-decompositions and eigenvalue multiplicities are addressed by finding minimal-length geodesics, which gives rise to a distance and an interpolation method for SPD matrices. Computational procedures for evaluating the minimal scaling-rotation deformations and distances are provided for the most useful cases of $2 \times 2$ and $3 \times 3$ SPD matrices. In the new geometric framework, minimal scaling-rotation curves interpolate eigenvalues at constant logarithmic rate, and eigenvectors at.
On the Uses of Benefit-Cost Reasoning in Choosing Policy Toward Global Climate Change

In the debate about the correct discount rate to use in evaluating policy with regard to climate change, which covers the entire world and extends for centuries, the conditions for deploying benefit-cost analysis are often overlooked. Where (a) income distributional effects of policies are large and (b) one cannot take for granted compensating adjustment in other policy instruments affecting distribution, simple aggregation of gains and losses is unlikely to provide a convincing basis for action, as an ethical matter, or predictor of policy, as a political matter.
Shock breakout in Type Ibc supernovae and application to GRB 060218/SN 2006aj

Recently, a soft blackbody component was observed in the early X-ray afterglow of GRB 060218, which was interpreted as shock breakout from the thick wind of the progenitor Wolf-Rayet (WR) star of the underlying Type Ic supernova 2006aj. In this paper, we present a simple model for computing the characteristic quantities (including energy, temperature and time duration) for the transient event from the shock breakout in Type Ibc supernovae produced by the core-collapse of WR stars surrounded by dense winds. In contrast to the case of a star without a strong wind, the shock breakout occurs in the wind region rather than inside the star, caused by the large optical depth in the wind. We find that, for the case of a WR star with a dense wind, the total energy of the radiation generated by the supernova shock breakout is larger than that in the case of the same star without a wind by a factor of > 10. The temperature can be either hotter or colder, depending on the wind parameters. The time duration is larger caused by the increase in the effective radius of the star due to the presence of a thick wind. Then, we apply the model to GRB 060218/SN 2006aj. We show that, to explain both the temperature and the total energy of the blackbody component observed in GRB 060218 by the shock breakout, the progenitor WR star has to have an unrealistically large core radius (the radius at optical depth of 20), larger than 100R ⊙ . In spite of this disappointing result, our model is expected to have important applications to the observations on Type Ibc supernovae in which the detection of shock breakout will provide important clues to the progenitors of Type Ibc supernovae.