Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
β‐benzene hexachloride induces apoptosis of rat sertoli cells through generation of reactive oxygen species and activation of JNKs and FasL

β‐benzene hexachloride (β‐BHC), the major metabolite of benzene‐hexachloride (BHC), is a weak estrogen‐like chemical. It is a known persistent organic pollutant and male reproductive toxicant. However, the mechanism by which β‐BHC exposure causes male reproductive toxicity remains unknown. In the present study, rat Sertoli cells were used to investigate the molecular mechanism involved in β‐BHC‐induced toxicity in male reproductive system. The results indicated that β‐BHC exposure at over 30 μM showed the induction of apoptotic cell death. β‐BHC could induce elevation in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, increase in the leakage rate of LDH and MDA level, and decrease in SOD activity. In addition, there was an increase in the cellular levels of phospho‐JNKs and FasL in the β‐BHC‐induced apoptosis; and a significant reduction of procaspase‐3 and ‐8 was observed over 30‐μM β‐BHC treatment. The translocation of NF‐κB enhanced with the increase of concentration of β‐BHC. Furthermore, NAC administration, a scavenger of ROS, reversed β‐BHC‐induced apoptosis effects via inhibition of JNKs activation, FasL expression, and NF‐κB translocation. These results lead us to speculate that ROS generation may play a critical role in the initiation of β‐BHC‐induced apoptosis by activation of the JNKs, translocation of NF‐κB, expression of FasL, and further activation of caspase cascade. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 26: 124–135, 2011.
Information System Development Patterns and Web Interface Design

Among tools that are used in software development process that allows one to obtain high quality products, there are located several types of patterns, which are applied in different stages of the life cycle. In this work, patterns are used in order to represent solutions to frequent problems that are presented to users when they use the interface of an application, in particular, a Web application. These solutions come from user interface design guidelines that have been defined product of interface expert designers’ experiences, usability tests, studies of human factors that intervene in the interaction between users and computer, etc. Consequently, they are successful solutions that serve as base to build user interface design patterns; these patterns are available for the construction of user interfaces.
Cloning and functional characterization of the pig (Sus scrofa) organic anion transporting polypeptide 1a2

Abstract 1. Organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) are a family of transporter proteins that have been extensively recognized as key determinants of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of various drugs. Human OATP1A2 has been demonstrated to transport wide spectrum of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Study on OATP1A2 orthologues of other species, however, is still limited. 2. Here, we described the cloning and functional characterization of a member of the OATP/Oatp family member obtained from pig (Sus scrofa) liver. Sequence analysis suggested that it has a high homology with human OATP1A2 and bovine Oatp1a2. Prototypic substrates estrone-3-sulfate (E-3-S) and taurocholic acid were transported by the protein. The transport of these two substrates is pH-dependent, with lower pH showing higher uptake function. Kinetic study showed the transport of these two substrates have a Km of 42.5 ± 12.1 and 33.1 ± 8.7 µM, respectively. Pig Slco1a2 has the highest expression level in the liver, and to a less extend in the brain and small intestine. 3. In conclusion, an OATP member was cloned from pig liver. Sequence analysis and phylogenic study revealed it as an orthologue of human OATP1A2. Its kinetic characteristic for prototypic substrates and organ distribution are similar with that of OATP1A2.
Tacrolimus Inhibits NF-κB Activation in Peripheral Human T Cells

The calcineurin inhibitor, tacrolimus (TAC), inhibits the protein phosphatase activity of calcineurin, leading to suppression of the nuclear translocation of NFAT and inhibition of T cell activation. Apart from NFAT also the transcription factor NF-κB plays a key functional role in T cell activation. Therefore, blockade of the NF-κB activation cascade by immunosuppressive drugs prevents immune activation. Here we studied whether TAC blocks NF-κB activation in peripheral human T cells. After anti-CD3/CD28-activation of T cells from healthy volunteers, NF-κB (p65) phosphorylation was measured by flow cytometry in CD3+ T cells, CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells in the absence and presence of TAC 10 ng/mL, sotrastaurin 500 nM (positive control) and mycophenolic acid 10 µg/mL (negative control; n = 6). NF-κB transcriptional activity was measured by ELISA and intracellular TNFα protein, a downstream target, was measured by flow cytometry to assess the functional consequences of NF-κB blockade. Anti-CD3/28-activation induced NF-κB phosphorylation in CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells by 34% (mean), 38% and 30% resp. (p<0.01). Sotrastaurin inhibited NF-κB activation in the respective T cell subsets by 93%, 95% and 86% (p<0.01 vs. no drug), while mycophenolic acid did not affect this activation pathway. Surprisingly, TAC also inhibited NF-κB phosphorylation, by 55% (p<0.01) in CD3+ T cells, by 56% (p<0.01) in CD4+ T cells and by 51% in CD8+ T cells (p<0.01). In addition, TAC suppressed NF-κB DNA binding capacity by 55% (p<0.05) in CD3+ T cells and TNFα protein expression was inhibited in CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells by 76%, 71% and 93% resp. (p<0.01 vs. no drug), confirming impaired NF-κB signaling. This study shows the suppressive effect of TAC on NF-κB signaling in peripheral human T cell subsets, measured at three specific positions in the NF-κB activation cascade.
Linking GPS Telemetry Surveys and Scat Analyses Helps Explain Variability in Black Bear Foraging Strategies

Studying diet is fundamental to animal ecology and scat analysis, a widespread approach, is considered a reliable dietary proxy. Nonetheless, this method has weaknesses such as non-random sampling of habitats and individuals, inaccurate evaluation of excretion date, and lack of assessment of inter-individual dietary variability. We coupled GPS telemetry and scat analyses of black bears Ursus americanus Pallas to relate diet to individual characteristics and habitat use patterns while foraging. We captured 20 black bears (6 males and 14 females) and fitted them with GPS/Argos collars. We then surveyed GPS locations shortly after individual bear visits and collected 139 feces in 71 different locations. Fecal content (relative dry matter biomass of ingested items) was subsequently linked to individual characteristics (sex, age, reproductive status) and to habitats visited during foraging bouts using Brownian bridges based on GPS locations prior to feces excretion. At the population level, diet composition was similar to what was previously described in studies on black bears. However, our individual-based method allowed us to highlight different intra-population patterns, showing that sex and female reproductive status had significant influence on individual diet. For example, in the same habitats, females with cubs did not use the same food sources as lone bears. Linking fecal content (i.e., food sources) to habitat previously visited by different individuals, we demonstrated a potential differential use of similar habitats dependent on individual characteristics. Females with cubs-of-the-year tended to use old forest clearcuts (6–20 years old) to feed on bunchberry, whereas females with yearling foraged for blueberry and lone bears for ants. Coupling GPS telemetry and scat analyses allows for efficient detection of inter-individual or inter-group variations in foraging strategies and of linkages between previous habitat use and food consumption, even for cryptic species. This approach could have interesting ecological implications, such as supporting the identification of habitats types abundant in important food sources for endangered species targeted by conservation measures or for management actions for depredating animals.
Process of recognizing tachistoscopically presented words.

A model for the recognition of tachistoscopically presented words is developed. The model is a "sophisticated guessing" model which takes explicit account of the geometry of the characters which make up the words or letter strings. Explicit attempts are made to account for word frequency effects, effects due to letter transition probabilities, and effects due to physical similarity of character strings to one another. A word recognition experiment using the set of three-letter words is reported, and the model is used to make quantitative predictions of these results as well as to give a qualitative account for a number of results in the literature. Finally, it is shown that under certain simplifying assumptions this sophisticated guessing model is isomorphic with the "criterion bias" model as developed in 1967 by Broadbent. The process whereby words are recognized has long fascinated experimental psy-Several related findings have commanded the most attention. For example, more letters per unit time may be apprehended when a word is presented than when a string of unrelated letters is presented (Huey, 1908). A letter string formed by taking a word and either deleting or replacing one or two letters is often clearly perceived as that word (Pillsbury, 1897). Other things being equal, words which occur frequently in the language are more easily perceived than those which occur less frequently (Goldia-The more the statistics of letter strings approximate those of words, the better the perception of the letter strings (cf. Miller, Bruner, & Postman , 1954). The more predictable a word is within a sentence, the more easily it is Most explanations of these phenomena suggest that they all result from the fact that the subject combines internally provided information about language with externally provided information from the sensory system (cf. Morton, 1969, 1970). By this argument, words are easier to see than nonwords because we can apply our knowledge of the vocabulary of the language. Knowledge of relative frequencies of words in the language allows us to read high-frequency words more readily. Knowledge of syntactic and semantic relations allows us to read words more easily in the context of 99
Tourism and Sustainable Development: Lessons from Recent World Bank Experience

In recent years, the role of tourism has become more recognized in the context of the sustainable use of natural resources and the sector’s potential contribution to the country’s economic growth. The central objective of this paper is three-fold: (a) to present a review of how the tourism element was treated in World Bank projects between fiscal years 1992 and 2003; (b) to provide an overview of the sustainable development implications of tourism-related projects in the given time frame; and (c) to provide a critical analysis of the evaluation of tourism within Bank projects and policy actions. The Bank has supported thousands of projects but only a small number had a tourism component. For example, only 94 of the 193 evaluated GEF-related projects have a tourism dimension; but only 8 of the total have highlighted and measured the benefits that can be derived from tourism. This paper points out that the operating environment of tourism should be covered more in Bank projects and that the expected benefits from tourism must be carefully assessed.
A First Implementation of the DMOS Garbage Collector

The DMOS, (Distributed Mature Object Space [Hudson et al. 1997]), garbage collection algorithm represents a step forward in distributed garbage collection. The algorithm possesses many properties which are desirable and/or essential for a distributed garbage collection mechanism. These properties are: safety, completeness, incremental, asynchronous, decentralization and non-disruptiveness. To assess the effectiveness of the DMOS algorithm we have produced an initial implementation. The implementation consists of a memory manager and a mutator. The mutator may be either a simulator or execution engine of some form. The paper first outlines the system model. Then some of the data representation decisions are explained. The memory layout and management mechanisms are detailed. Then some of the policy issues that arise in an implementation of DMOS are discussed, and the concerns arising from the implementation are covered. Finally some future work is outlined.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF OPIATE ADDICTION

In the years 1994 to 2001 (since the last edition of this book went to press), innumerable and important advances have been made in our understanding of the molecular and cellular neurobiology, as well as pathophysiology, of opiate addiction. Clearly, the greatest advances have come about ultimately because of the first successful cloning of a specific opiate receptor, the receptor, achieved in late 1992 by two groups working independently, using expression cloning in a cell line that is known to express the -opioid receptor (1,2). The reports of the groups of Evans and colleagues from Los Angeles and Kieffer and colleagues from Strasbourg, France, followed by the cloning of and -opioid receptors of rodents and in humans by Yu, Uhl, and others, opened new doors for both animal and basic clinical research studies, as well as human molecular genetics studies (1–5). Other notable technologic advances have been made recently and are continuing to be made. Possibly the most dramatic of these, from which we will undoubtedly see novel and unexpected findings over the next few years, is the development of microarray technology, to determine the changes in levels of gene expression of literally thousands of genes simultaneously (although not yet with the sensitivity required to detect changes in mRNA levels reflecting gene expression of many neuropeptides and most neuroreceptors), and also even newer microarray technology for identification and screening for human polymorphisms, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (6,7). By using these new findings and technologies, as well as by building on earlier and current best techniques, profound advances have been made in each of three areas, of which only a few may be covered briefly herein. Many of these varied advances have been collated and placed in perspectives of our earlier knowledge in several
Experiential canalization of behavioral development: results

In exploring the possible experiential canalization of development, it was found that the mallard duck embryo's contact call plays a canalizing role in species-specific perceptual development. When mallard ducklings were prevented from hearing the contact call, they were susceptible to developinga preference for an extraspecific maternal call over the mallard maternal call. Exposure to the contact call prevented the ducklings from developing a preference for the extraspecific maternal call. Thus, normally occurring experience, in concert with genetic and other activities, can canalize behavioral development. Canalizing influences account for developmental stability, so that what we think of as normal or typical for a species repeats itself generation after generation. In order for evolution to occur, through genetic mutation or otherwise, the canalizing influences associated with normal development must be overcome. Canalization is thus a conservative feature of development that prevents evolution from occurring in a ready fashion. My preced ing article (Gottlieb, 199 la)established the theoretical framework for examining the possibility that normally occurring experience can canalize behavioral development. The present article presents empirical evidence for the experiential canalization of species-specific maternal attachment. The present hypothesis is that normally occurring experience helps to achieve species-specific development by making the developing organism unresponsive to extraspecific influences. For example, if the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) embryo is devocalized, the usually highly selective response to the mallard maternal call is weakened: After hatching, the duckling is as responsive to a chicken (Galfus gallus) maternal call as to a mallard maternal call in a simultaneous-choice test (Gottlieb, 1978). Exposing otherwise devocalized embryos to a recording of mallard embryo contact vocalizations causes them to show the usual preference for the mallard call versus the chicken call in the postnatal test (Gottlieb, 1985). Exposure to other types of sibling vocalizations in embryo, or exposure to the contact call after hatching, is ineffective, so the kind of experience and the timing of the experience are highly specific. If the experiential canalization hypothesis is correct, embryonic devocalization should make the mallard embryo and hatchling more susceptible to exposure to an extraspecific maternal call, assuming that the contact vocalization is acting as a canalizing or buffering experience. With the necessary control groups, five experimental conditions are necessary to test the canalization hypothesis, as indicated in Table 1. In Table 1, X indicates the predicted preference and X—-X indicates prediction of no preference. The two most critical
Refining the DNA barcode for land plants

The goal of DNA barcoding is conceptually simple: Find one or a few regions of DNA that will distinguish among the majority of the world's species, and sequence these from diverse sample sets to produce a large-scale reference library of life on earth (1). This approach can then be used as a tool for species identification and to help in the discovery of new species (2). Since the first DNA barcoding study in 2003 (1), the “animal barcode,” a portion of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase 1, has proved remarkably effective at discriminating among species in diverse groups such as birds, fishes, and insects. In contrast, finding a robust and effective barcode for plants has been more difficult. In 2009, a large consortium of researchers, the “Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) Plant Working Group,” proposed portions of two coding regions from the plastid (chloroplast) genome—rbcL and matK—as a “core barcode” for plants, to be supplemented with additional regions as required (3). This recommendation was accepted by the international Consortium for the Barcode of Life, but with the important qualifier that further sequencing of additional markers should be undertaken during a “trial period” (4). This trial period was driven by concerns that routine use of a third (or even a fourth) marker may be necessary to obtain adequate discriminatory power and to guard against sequencing failure for one of the markers (matK can be difficult to amplify and sequence). In PNAS, the China Plant Barcode of Life (BOL) Group provides an impressive dataset tackling this question (5) and assesses the potential benefits of supplementing the core barcode for land plants.
Plasma Ouabain-Like Factor During Acute and Chronic Changes in Sodium Balance in Essential Hypertension

Abstract—An ouabain-like factor has been implicated repeatedly in salt-sensitive hypertension as a natriuretic agent. However, the response of plasma ouabain-like factor to acute and chronic variation of body sodium is unclear. We studied 138 patients with essential hypertension who underwent an acute volume expansion/contraction maneuver (2 days) and 20 patients who entered a blind randomized crossover design involving chronically controlled sodium intake and depletion (170 to 70 mmol/d; 2 weeks each period). In both studies, plasma levels of ouabain-like factor were higher during sodium depletion (acute: 338.8±17.4 and 402.7±22.8 pmol/L for baseline and low sodium, respectively, P <0.01; chronic: 320.4±32.0 versus 481.0±48.1 pmol/L, P =0.01). No significant change in plasma ouabain-like factor was observed after a 2-hour saline infusion (333.4±23.9 pmol/L) or controlled sodium (402.1±34.9 pmol/L). When patients were divided into salt-sensitive or salt-resistant groups, no differences in plasma ouabain-like factor were observed in the 2 groups at baseline or in response to the 2 protocols: salt resistant (n=69, 340.1±25.9 pmol/L) versus salt sensitive (n=69, 337.4±23.6 pmol/L) and chronic salt resistant (n=11, 336.0±53.2) versus salt sensitive (n=9, 301.1±331.4 pmol/L). However, circulating ouabain-like factor was increased by sodium depletion in both groups. These results demonstrate that circulating ouabain-like factor is raised specifically by maneuvers that promote the loss of body sodium. Acute expansion of body fluids with isotonic saline is not a stimulus to plasma ouabain-like factor. Moreover, basal levels of plasma ouabain-like factor do not differ among patients with salt-sensitive or salt-resistant hypertension. Taken together, these new results suggest that ouabain-like factor is involved in the adaptation of humans to sodium depletion and argue against the hypothesis that ouabain-like factor is a natriuretic hormone.
Demonstration of a Defect in the Formation of Adenosine 3′, 5′-Monophosphate in Vasopressin-resistant Diabetes Insipidus

Extract: Previous studies had indicated that the effects of vasopressin to increase the permeability of collecting ducts to water and to produce a concentrated urine are mediated through adenosine 3′, 5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP). An investigation was performed to determine whether the lack of response to vasopressin in nephrogenic diabetes insipidus could result from an abnormality in the formation of cyclic AMP. The influence of vasopressin was compared in four water-loaded normal subjects, one patient with vasopressin deficiency, and three patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Serum and urine osmolality, inulin clearance, and cyclic AMP in urine were determined while 5% dextrose and water was infused at a constant rate before, during, and after administration of vasopressin for 1 hr. Vasopressin given intravenously for 1 hr significantly increased the mean rate of excretion of cyclic AMP in urine from a range of from 1.7 to 3.1 nmol/min before treatment to a range of from 4.7 to 8.9 nmol/min after treatment in the normal subjects and the patient with vasopressin deficiency. There were associated mean increases in urine osmolality from a range of from 39 to 119 mOsm/kg to a range of from 568 to 996 mOsm/kg. In contrast, mean cyclic AMP in urine varied from 0.7 to 1.5 nmol/min and mean urine osmolality varied from 47 to 68 mOsm/kg in the patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and did not change after vasopressin. The findings are interpreted to mean that there is a defect in the adenylate cyclase system in nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. It is not known whether there is an abnormality of the receptor, the enzyme, or both or if there is an associated abnormality of the renal tubules to respond to cyclic AMP.Speculation: The results show that patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus do not increase levels of cyclic AMP in urine or concentrate their urine in response to vasopressin. It is proposed that there is a defect in the adenylate cyclase system in these patients which accounts for their lack of response to antidiuretic hormone.