Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Nanoparticle-Induced Oxidative Stress and Toxicity

The rapidly emerging field of nanotechnology has offered innovative discoveries in the medical, industrial, and consumer sectors. The unique physicochemical and electrical properties of engineered nanoparticles (NP) make them highly desirable in a variety of applications. However, these novel properties of NP are fraught with concerns for environmental and occupational exposure. Changes in structural and physicochemical properties of NP can lead to changes in biological activities including ROS generation, one of the most frequently reported NP-associated toxicities. Oxidative stress induced by engineered NP is due to acellular factors such as particle surface, size, composition, and presence of metals, while cellular responses such as mitochondrial respiration, NP-cell interaction, and immune cell activation are responsible for ROS-mediated damage. NP-induced oxidative stress responses are torch bearers for further pathophysiological effects including genotoxicity, inflammation, and fibrosis as demonstrated by activation of associated cell signaling pathways. Since oxidative stress is a key determinant of NP-induced injury, it is necessary to characterize the ROS response resulting from NP. Through physicochemical characterization and understanding of the multiple signaling cascades activated by NP-induced ROS, a systemic toxicity screen with oxidative stress as a predictive model for NP-induced injury can be developed.
Impact of sexual debut on culturable human seminal microbiota

Micro‐organisms are tightly integrated into host‐microbiota ecosystem. Microbiota of human semen has been studied so far mostly in case of infertility or prostatitis. We aimed to reveal possible impact of sexual debut on seminal microbiota in healthy young men. The study group included 68 young healthy men, of them 12 men without sexual experience, 11 men with single lifetime sexual partner and 45 men with multiple lifetime sexual partners. Basic semen parameters were similar for all subgroups, and no correlation between sexual experience and WBC counts in semen was found. A man could harbour one to nine different bacteria in his semen; the total concentration of bacteria ranged from 2.3 to 7.3 log10 CFU/mL of semen. Lower total bacterial concentration and lower bacterial diversity was observed in men without sexual experience than in sexually experienced men (p < 0.05), with significant positive correlation between these two parameters (r = 0.54; p < 0.0001). In conclusion, the sexual debut is associated with the enrichment of seminal microbiota but not with the influx of WBC or changes in basic seminal parameters.
Learning About an Infrequent Event: Evidence from Flood Insurance Take-Up in the US

This paper examines the learning process that economic agents use to update their expectation of an uncertain and infrequently observed event. The standard Bayesian updating model is restrictive in that it reflects the strong neo-classical assumption that economic agents efficiently incorporate new information with all available information when updating beliefs. I consider the case of flooding and estimate the effect of first-hand experience on flood insurance take-up. I compile a new nation-wide panel dataset of large regional floods and flood insurance policies in the US. First, I show that flood insurance take-up in flooded communities increases by 9% after a flood and then steadily declines, fully dissipating after 9 years. Floods do not affect take-up in geographically neighboring non-flooded communities unless these communities are in the same media market. The take-up rate in non-flooded communities that share a media market with a flooded community is one-third as large as in flooded communities. I interpret this evidence using the standard Beta-Bernoulli Bayesian learning model and a Beta-Bernoulli model that includes a forgetting/first-hand experience parameter. I find that the standard Bayesian model can not explain both the spike in insurance in the year of a flood and the decay rate of this effect on insurance take-up in the years after the flood. I conclude that the evidence is most consistent with a Bayesian model augmented with a forgetting/first-hand experience parameter. ∗I would like to especially thank my advisors David Card, Stefano DellaVigna, and Enrico Moretti, as well as Mariana Carrera, Michael Greenstone, Brad Howells, Pat Kline, Vikram Maheshri, Owen Ozier, Philippe Wingender, and UC Berkeley Labor Seminar, UC Berkeley ARE Environmental Seminar, and UC Berkeley Psychology and Economics, University of California Energy Institute, and MIT Public Finance Lunch Seminar participants, for their many helpful comments on this project. I am grateful for the financial support provided by EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellowship. All errors are my own. †Please direct correspondence to justing@econ.berkeley. edu.
Temperature fluctuations during development reduce male fitness and may limit adaptive potential in tropical rainforest Drosophila

Understanding the potential for organisms to tolerate thermal stress through physiological or evolutionary responses is crucial given rapid climate change. Although climate models predict increases in both temperature mean and variance, such tolerances are typically assessed under constant conditions. We tested the effects of temperature variability during development on male fitness in the rainforest fly Drosophila birchii, by simulating thermal variation typical of the warm and cool margins of its elevational distribution, and estimated heritabilities and genetic correlations of fitness traits. Reproductive success was reduced for males reared in warm (mean 24 °C) fluctuating (±3 °C) vs. constant conditions but not in cool fluctuating conditions (mean 17 °C), although fluctuations reduced body size at both temperatures. Male reproductive success under warm fluctuating conditions was similar to that at constant 27 °C, indicating that briefly exceeding critical thermal limits has similar fitness costs to continuously stressful conditions. There was substantial heritable variation in all traits. However, reproductive success traits showed no genetic correlation between treatments reflecting temperature variation at elevational extremes, which may constrain evolutionary responses at these ecological margins. Our data suggest that even small increases in temperature variability will threaten tropical ectotherms living close to their upper thermal limits, both through direct effects on fitness and by limiting their adaptive potential.
Kicking Performance in Young U9 to U20 Soccer Players: Assessment of Velocity and Accuracy Simultaneously

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the kicking performance of young soccer players in the U9 to U20 age groups. Method: Three hundred and sixty-six Brazilian players were evaluated on an official pitch using three-dimensional kinematics to measure (300 Hz) ball velocity (Vball), foot velocity (Vfoot), Vball/Vfoot ratio, last stride length, and distance between the support foot and the ball. Simultaneously, a two-dimensional procedure was also conducted to compute (60 Hz) the mean radial error, bivariate variable error, and accuracy. Possible age-related differences were assessed through one-way analysis of variance and magnitude-based inferences. Results: Ball velocity increased by 103% (p < .001, η2 = .39) from the U11 age group (48.54 ± 8.31 km/hr) to the U20 age group (98.74 ± 16.35 km/hr). Foot velocity presented a 59% increase (p < .001, η2 = .32) from the U11 age group (49.08 ± 5.16 km/hr) to U20 (78.24 ± 9.49 km/hr). This finding was due to improvement in the quality of foot–ball impact (Vball/Vfoot ratio) from U11 (0.99 ± 0.13 a.u.) to U20 (1.26 ± 0.11 a.u.; p < .001, η2 = .25). Parameters such as mean radial error and accuracy appeared to be impaired during the growth spurt (U13–U15). Last stride length was correlated, low to moderately high, with Vball in all age groups (r = .36–.79). Conclusions: In summary, we concluded that simple biomechanical parameters of kicking performance presented distinct development. These results suggest that different training strategies specific for each age group could be applied. We provide predictive equations to aid coaches in the long-term monitoring process to develop the kick in soccer or search for talented young players.
Towards a Cost-Benefit-Analysis of Data-Driven Business Models

The emergence of data-driven business models calls for their systematic design and evaluation. In this paper, we focus on a first step towards a Cost-Benefit-Analysis of data-driven business models. Within data-driven business models, data act as enabler for the development of innovative services. However, to justify internal funding of new services, an assessment of the financial impact for the service at hand is often required. We approach this by identifying drivers of cost and benefit based on the Service Business Model Canvases of twenty cases. Based on the results, all drivers and their associated models for quantification were consolidated into a single meta-model. With this, we provide a basis for the economic assessment of service ideas and their refinement during the design process.
Serious Psychological Distress and Smoking During Pregnancy in the United States: 2008–2014

Introduction The current study examined the relationship between acute (past 30 day) and recent (past year but not past 30 day) serious psychological distress (SPD) and smoking during pregnancy among women in the United States overall, stratified by demographic characteristics, and described the change in the prevalence of prenatal smoking among women with and without SPD, from 2008 to 2014. Methods Data were drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual cross-sectional study of US persons aged 12 and over. SPD and smoking in the past 30 days among pregnant women, aged 18 and older, were examined using logistic regression models. Heterogeneity in this association by demographic characteristics, trends over time, and level of cigarette consumption was also examined. Results Prenatal smoking was common. Almost 40% of pregnant women with acute SPD reported smoking, 23% of pregnant women with recent SPD smoked, and 11.7% of pregnant women without recent SPD smoked. No significant change was found in the prevalence of prenatal smoking from 2008 to 2014 in any of these groups. Robust relationships were found between acute (OR = 5.05 [3.64-6.99]) and recent SPD (OR = 2.37 [1.74-3.24]) and smoking; these findings remained after adjusting for demographics. Conclusions SPD and smoking during pregnancy are strongly associated; this relationship is present across all sociodemographic groups and the prevalence of smoking in pregnancy has remained relatively unchanged over the past decade both in the presence and absence of SPD. Implications SPD and smoking in pregnancy are robustly linked; the prevalence of smoking in pregnancy is extremely high in women with SPD. Screening women with mental health problems for prenatal smoking, as well as screening pregnant smokers for mental health problems, seems warranted and may assist more women in seeking and utilizing treatment options. Efforts to reduce the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy might specifically target women with SPD, where the potential for impact is substantial.
Synthesis of nano WC/Co for tools and dies

Materials for cutting tools and dies must have high hardness, high toughness, and high wear/erosion resistance. Tungsten carbide (WC) has been well known for its exceptional hardness and wear/erosion resistance. However, its low toughness causes brittle fracture. Addition of ductile metals, such as cobalt, can improve its toughness. To obtain the optimum results, WC has to be evenly distributed in a continuous cobalt matrix, which has been a technical challenge at high WC contents (94--97wt%). It is also well established that toughness of ceramic materials can be increased remarkably, without sacrificing hardness, by reducing the grain size. Significant improvement of microhardness has been observed in nano-sized composites over micron-sized materials. In the current investigation, nano-sized WC particles, synthesized by carburizing tungstic acid powders, are first coated with Co compound individually and uniformly by a solution precipitation process. The coated WC powders are then processed in H{sub 2} to obtain individually Co coated nano particles, which are subsequently consolidated by various techniques emphasizing short ({approximately} minutes) exposure times at high temperature. This paper will present some of their experiences and will also highlight some of the basic problems associated with synthesis and consolidation of nano particles.
RhoA inhibits apoptosis and increases proliferation of cultured SPCA1 lung cancer cells

The Rho kinase pathway has previously been reported to possess a close relationship with the growth, migration and invasion of lung cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of this pathway on lung cancer cells are still elusive. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) on the proliferation and apoptosis of SPCA1 lung carcinoma cells. Stable SPCA1 lung cancer cell lines, in which RhoA expression was silenced by small interfering RNA, were isolated following Geneticin screening. Inhibition of RhoA expression significantly decreased the proliferation of SPCA1 lung cancer cells, whereas apoptosis was significantly increased (P<0.01) as determined by the MTS tetrazolium assay and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. At the molecular level, knockdown of RhoA resulted in the significant activation of caspase-3 (P<0.01), and a significant reduction in the levels of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription (phospho-STAT3; P<0.01), as determined by western blotting. The results suggested that RhoA knockdown prevents cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in SPCA1 lung cancer cells. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms responsible for these effects may include the activation of caspase-3 and the reduction of phospho-STAT3 levels.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Immunomodulation in Allogeneic Heterotopic Heart-Lung Transplantation

Mesenchymal stem cells are able to differentiate in various cell lineages and they have shown immunomodulatory properties in vitro, altering the cytokine secretion profile of T helper, T effector and dendritic cells and stimulating natural killer cells towards an anti-inflammatory and tolerant phenotype. In vivo they prolong skin allograft survival and may decrease graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplants. In this work we studied the effects of mesenchymal stem cell treatment in an allogeneic heterotopic heart-lung transplant model. The following experimental groups were formed: A) Control B) Immunosuppressive therapy (Cyclosporine A) C) Mesenchymal stem-cell intravenous infusion D) Mesenchymal stem-cell infusion plus immunosuppressive treatment. The infusion of mesenchymal stem cells improved the mean graft survival up to 14.5±3.7 days with respect to the control group (3±0.6 days). Treatment with Cyclosporine A plus mesenchymal stem cells (group D) produced a mean survival time of 18.25±4.9 days, and was not significantly different to the results for group B (21.75±3.5 days). Furthermore, in the immunosuppressive treatment and the mesenchymal stem cell treatment, histological analysis revealed a reduction in the grade of rejection in heart and lung grafts. This decrease was most significant in group D. In conclusion, mesenchymal stem cells alone or in combination with Cyclosporine A were able to prolong graft survival time. These data suggest that, in vivo, mesenchymal stem cells retain their ability, already shown in vitro, to suppress lymphocyte activation and proliferation.
The impact of mast years on seedling recruitment following canopy thinning and deer fencing in contrasting northeastern U.S. coastal forests1

Abstract This five-year study (2007–2011) investigated the impacts of canopy thinning, deer fencing, acorn production, and deer density on tree seedling recruitment in contrasting Quercus-Carya forests to explore the fate of mast and non-mast seedlings in different understory environments. It was conducted at the Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island near the eastern end of Long Island, NY where tree regeneration in mature forests is very sparse due to extremely high deer (Odocoilus virginianus) populations. Forest thinning increased seedling density (mainly Q. alba L., C. glabra (Mill.) Sweet, Acer rubrum L. and Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch) in both fenced and unfenced plots for the duration of the study. Fenced plots had higher total seedling density and taller white Q. alba seedlings than the unfenced plots. Four Quercus plus one Carya species had at least one mast year between 2007 and 2010 and generally during different years with variable impacts on seedling establishment. Acorn/nut production for all species was lowest in the fall of 2011 following nearly two years of drought. Quercus alba seedling density increased dramatically following a 2007 mast year, but had no further increase after a 2010 mast year. Deer density estimates ranged from 82–129 per km2 in 2007 to 2010, but dropped to 29 per km2 in 2011 associated with very low mast production. There was 100% removal of 260 exposed Q. velutina Lam acorns placed in both deer fenced and unfenced areas throughout the preserve, suggesting an important role of small mammals or birds. The results of this study suggest that mast year, canopy thinning and deer fencing, either individually or in concert, played a positive but variable role by increasing Quercus and Carya seedling establishment and sustainability.
Metformin-induced anticancer activities: recent insights

Abstract Metformin is a widely used antidiabetic drug, and there is evidence among diabetic patients that metformin is a chemopreventive agent against multiple cancers. There is also evidence in human studies that metformin is a cancer chemotherapeutic agent, and several clinical trials that use metformin alone or in combination with other drugs are ongoing. In vivo and in vitro cancer cell culture studies demonstrate that metformin induces both AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent genes/pathways that result in inhibition of cancer cell growth and migration and induction of apoptosis. The effects of metformin in cancer cells resemble the patterns observed after treatment with drugs that downregulate specificity protein 1 (Sp1), Sp3 and Sp4 or by knockdown of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 by RNA interference. Studies in pancreatic cancer cells clearly demonstrate that metformin decreases expression of Sp1, Sp3, Sp4 and pro-oncogenic Sp-regulated genes, demonstrating that one of the underlying mechanisms of action of metformin as an anticancer agent involves targeting of Sp transcription factors. These observations are consistent with metformin-mediated effects on genes/pathways in many other tumor types.
cis-Encoded Small RNAs, a Conserved Mechanism for Repression of Polysaccharide Utilization in Bacteroides

ABSTRACT Bacteroides is a major component of the human gut microbiota which has a broad impact on the development and physiology of its host and a potential role in a wide range of disease syndromes. The predominance of this genus is due in large part to expansion of paralogous gene clusters, termed polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs), dedicated to the uptake and catabolism of host-derived and dietary polysaccharides. The nutritive value and availability of polysaccharides in the gut vary greatly; thus, their utilization is hierarchical and strictly controlled. A typical PUL includes regulatory genes that induce PUL expression in response to the presence of specific glycan substrates. However, the existence of additional regulatory mechanisms has been predicted to explain phenomena such as hierarchical control and catabolite repression. In this report, a previously unknown layer of regulatory control was discovered in Bacteroides fragilis. Exploratory transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis revealed the presence of cis-encoded antisense small RNAs (sRNAs) associated with 15 (30%) of the B. fragilis PULs. A model system using the Don (degradation of N-glycans) PUL showed that the donS sRNA negatively regulated Don expression at the transcriptional level, resulting in a decrease in N-glycan utilization. Additional studies performed with other Bacteroides species indicated that this regulatory mechanism is highly conserved and, interestingly, that the regulated PULs appear to be closely linked to the utilization of host-derived glycans rather than dietary plant polysaccharides. The findings described here demonstrate a global control mechanism underlying known PUL regulatory circuits and provide insight into regulation of Bacteroides physiology. IMPORTANCE The human gut is colonized by a dense microbiota which is essential to the health and normal development of the host. A key to gut homeostasis is the preservation of a stable, diverse microbiota. Bacteroides is a dominant genus in the gut, and the ability of Bacteroides species to efficiently compete for a wide range of glycan energy sources is a crucial advantage for colonization. Glycan utilization is mediated by a large number of polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) which are regulated by substrate induction. In this report, a novel family of antisense sRNAs is described whose members repress gene expression in a distinct subset of PULs. This repression downregulates PUL expression in the presence of energy sources that are more readily utilized such as glucose, thereby allowing efficient glycan utilization.
Localization and delocalization for heavy tailed band matrices

We consider some random band matrices with band-width $N^\mu$ whose entries are independent random variables with distribution tail in $x^{-\alpha}$. We consider the largest eigenvalues and the associated eigenvectors and prove the following phase transition. On the one hand, when $\alpha 2(1+\mu^{-1})$, the largest eigenvalues have order $N^{\mu/2}$ and most eigenvectors of the matrix are delocalized, i.e. approximately uniformly distributed on their $N$ coordinates.
Review article: the gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease—avenues for microbial management

The concept of an altered collective gut microbiota rather than identification of a single culprit is possibly the most significant development in inflammatory bowel disease research. We have entered the “omics” era, which now allows us to undertake large‐scale/high‐throughput microbiota analysis which may well define how we approach diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the future, with a strong steer towards personalised therapeutics.