Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internet Use by the Socially Fearful: Addiction or Therapy?

The Internet has often been argued to have adverse psychological consequences, such as depression or anxiety symptoms, among "over-users. " The present study offers an alternative understanding, suggesting the Internet may be used as a forum for expanding social networks and consequently enhancing the chance of meaningful relationships, self-confidence, social abilities, and social support. An online sample of 188 people was recruited over the Internet, while paper and pencil tests were administered to an offline sample group of 27 undergraduate university students, who were regular Internet users. Subjects completed the Zung Depression Scale (ZDS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire? Revised Short Scale (EPQ-R Short), Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) scale, Internet Use Questionnaire (IUQ), and an Internet Effects Questionnaire (IEQ). Results suggested that there was no relationship between time spent online and depression, anxiety, or social fearfulness. Those who primarily used the Internet for online chat believed that the Internet is psychologically beneficial to them, but also believed that frequent Internet users are lonely and that the Internet can be addictive. It is argued that "chat" users who are socially fearful may be using the Internet as a form of low-risk social approach and an opportunity to rehearse social behavior and communication skills, which, may help them improve interaction with offline, face-to-face, social environments.
Mitochondrial DNA analysis of sympatric morphotypes of bottlenose dolphins (genus: Tursiops) in Chinese waters

The classification within the bottlenose dolphin (genus Tursiops) is controversial. Although many morphological variants exist, most authors have concluded that the genus is composed of a single species, Tursiops truncatus (Montagu 1821). Two distinct morphotypes of bottlenose dolphins, which have been referred to as T. truncatus and T. aduncus, exist in sympatry in Chinese waters. Comparisons of a 386‐bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (n = 47) indicated that the two sympatric morphotypes were genetically distinct, with seven fixed site differences and a sequence divergence of approximately 4.4%. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood, neighbour‐joining and maximum parsimony approaches showed that the truncatus‐type dolphins from Chinese waters were more closely related to Atlantic Ocean truncatus‐type than to the sympatric aduncus‐type dolphins. The Atlantic truncatus‐type dolphins also shared the same diagnostic sites that separated Chinese truncatus‐type from aduncus‐type dolphins. The molecular data agreed completely with the morphological classifications of the specimens. This congruence is strong evidence that the sympatric morphotypes in Chinese waters are reproductively isolated and comprise two distinct species. These findings have important implications for the conservation of bottlenose dolphins in Chinese waters.
Functional analysis of a polymorphism in the promoter region of the IL‐12/23p40 gene

Background Human IL‐12B gene on chromosome 5q31 encodes the common p40 subunit of IL‐12 and IL‐23. IL‐12 is known to play critical roles in the generation of T‐helper type 1 (TH1) cells, whereas IL‐23 is involved in maintenance and/or population expansion of TH17 cells. Although several reports suggested an association between a polymorphism (−6415CTCTAA/GC) in IL‐12B and asthma, the molecular mechanism how this polymorphism is involved in allergic inflammation is still unclear.
Generating Subtitles Automatically Using Audio Extraction and Speech Recognition

In present scenario, video plays a vital role to help people understand and comprehend the information for example the songs, movies or the video lectures or any other multimedia data relevant to the user. Hence, here it becomes important to make videos available to the people having auditory problems and even more for the people to remove the gaps of their native language. This can be best done by the use of subtitles of the video. However, downloading subtitles of any video from the internet is a monotonous process. Consequently, to generate subtitles automatically through the software itself and without the use of internet is a valid subject of research. Hence, this research paper resolves the above issue through three distinct modules namely Audio Extraction which converts an input file of any format supported by MPEG standards to . wav format. Here 24% reduction rate has been achieved in the size of the song after the extraction. Then Speech Recognition of the extracted . wav file is implemented and finally, Subtitle Generation in which a . txt/. srt file is generated which is synchronized with the input file.
Effect of eugenol on lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy: behavioral, histological, and molecular changes

Objective(s): Epilepsy establishment gives rise to biochemical and morphological changes in the hippocampus. Oxidative stress, morphological changes, and mossy fiber sprouting (MFS) in the hippocampus underpin the epilepsy establishment. Eugenol is the main component of the essential oil extracted from cloves with the potential to modulate neuronal excitability. Therefore, we investigated the effect of eugenol on convulsive behavior, oxidative stress, and histological changes of the hippocampus in lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats weighing 220–250 g were divided into 4 groups; Control, Pilocarpine, Eugenol-Pilocarpine, and Eugenol. Oxidative stress markers were assayed by a biochemical method. Nissl and Timm staining were used to show neuronal survival and MFS, respectively. Behavioral convulsions were evaluated using the modified Racine scale. Results: Eugenol decreased seizure stage and duration as well as mortality. Neuronal numbers were preserved by eugenol treatment in epileptic animals, while eugenol alone reduced the number by itself in all hippocampal sub-regions including DG, CA3, and CA1. Furthermore, eugenol alone increased MDA, GPx and SOD markers, while it increased MDA not only in combined treatment with pilocarpine but also in pilocarpine-treated animals. In contrast to MFS enhancement in naïve animals, eugenol partially reversed the MFS enhancement induced by pilocarpine. Conclusion: Eugenol could prevent behavioral convulsions and show neuroprotective effects through increasing neuronal survival probably by decreasing MFS and increasing the GPx antioxidant marker.
Role of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and honey syrup on aluminum-induced hepatotoxicity.

OBJECTIVE To study the biochemical and molecular hepatotoxicity induced by aluminium chloride (AlCl3) and the protective role of saffron and honey against such toxicity. METHODS This study was performed in the Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between July and August 2009. Two mice strains, BALB/c and C57BL/6 (20 animals from each strain), were used and randomly divided into 4 groups: control group; AlCl3 group; AlCl3+saffron group; and AlCl3+honey group. Changes in liver biochemical markers such as gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin and lipid peroxidation levels were estimated. Induced and suppressed mRNA in the liver homogenate was scanned followed by up- and down- regulated genes were isolated, cloned, and sequenced. RESULTS There was a significant increase in the cholesterol levels, triglycerides, GGT, ALT, AST, ALP, lipid peroxidation, and presence of hyperglycemia in the AlCl3 group compared to the control. However, treating those animals exposed to AlCl3 by saffron and honey improved the disrupted liver biochemical markers and alleviated the increase of lipid peroxidation. Seven down-regulated genes (3 BALB/c and 4 C57BL/6) and 5 up-regulated genes (2 BALB/c and 3 C57BL/6) were observed. Aa2-245 gene was observed as being up-regulated in AlCl3+ saffron and AlCl3+honey groups in the BALB/c strain. CONCLUSION The use of saffron and honey minimized the toxic effect of AlCl3 in the liver by alleviating its disruptive effect on the biochemical and molecular levels.
P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 Negatively Regulates T-Cell Immune Responses1

Cell surface sialomucins often act as antiadhesive molecules by virtue of their extended structure and negative charge. CD43 is one such sialomucin, expressed on most leukocytes. P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is another sialomucin expressed by leukocytes. It serves as a major selectin ligand, but no antiadhesive role for it has been described. In this study, we showed that PSGL-1-deficient T cells, like CD43-deficient T cells, exhibited increased adhesion and proliferation compared with wild-type cells. The loss of both PSGL-1 and CD43 led to a further increase in T cell adhesion and proliferation. The reexpression of full-length PSGL-1 or CD43 in double-deficient CD4+ T cells reversed their increased adhesion and proliferation phenotype. Using chimeric constructs of human CD8 and either PSGL-1 or CD43, we demonstrated that the intracellular domain of PSGL-1 or CD43 is required for suppressing proliferation but not adhesion. Furthermore, in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease induced by the adoptive transfer of naive T cells into RAG-deficient hosts, a PSGL-1 deficiency exacerbated the development of inflammation. These results reveal a novel regulatory role for PSGL-1 in T cell adhesion and proliferation and suggest that PSGL-1 negatively regulates T cell immune responses in vivo.
Novel cancer stem cell targets during epithelial to mesenchymal transition in PTEN-deficient trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer

Continued use of trastuzumab in PTEN-deficient HER2+ breast cancer induces the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), transforms HER2+ to triple negative breast cancer, and expands breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Using cancer cell lines with two distinct states, epithelial and mesenchymal, we identified novel targets during EMT in PTEN-deficient trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer. Differential gene expression and distinct responses to a small molecule in BT474 (HER2+ trastuzumab-sensitive) and the PTEN-deficient trastuzumab-resistant derivative (BT474-PTEN-LTT) provided the selection tools to identify targets during EMT. siRNA knockdown and small molecule inhibition confirmed MEOX1 as one of the critical molecular targets to regulate both BCSCs and mesenchymal-like cell proliferation. MEOX1 was associated with poor survival, lymph node metastasis, and stage of breast cancer patients. These findings suggest that MEOX1 is a clinically relevant novel target in BCSCs and mesenchymal-like cancer cells in PTEN-deficient trastuzumab resistant breast cancer and may serve as target for future drug development.
Quantitative Determination of Lattice Fluoride Effects on the Solubility and Crystallinity of Carbonated Apatites with Incorporated Fluoride

The purpose of this study was to evaluate quantitatively the effects of fluoride on the solubility and crystallinity of carbonated apatites (CAPs) after its incorporation into the crystal lattice using the metastable equilibrium solubility (MES) distribution method. Fluoride-incorporated CAPs (F-CAPs) of two different carbonate levels (3 and 5%) and fluoride contents from 0 to 20,000 µg/g were synthesized. X-ray diffraction experiments and Rietveld analysis were conducted to obtain crystallite microstrain and unit cell parameters. Acetate buffer MES solution media were prepared at two solution fluoride concentrations (0.2 and 2.0 mg/l) and at two pHs (5.0 and 5.7). The unit cell a-axis values of the F-CAPs were found to decrease as the fluoride content increased, consistent with the fluoride being incorporated into the crystal lattice. The fluoride concentrations in the MES solution media were high enough to provide a ‘swamping’ effect such that the fluoride released from the F-CAPs during dissolution was minimal in changing the solution fluoride concentration. Employing the MES distribution superposition method, it was shown that the surface complex possessing the fluorapatite (FAP) stoichiometry [Ca10(PO4)6F2] accounted for the MES distribution behavior of all experiments. In addition, the mean pIFAP [the value of –log(aCa10aPO46aF2) calculated from the ionic activity product based on FAP stoichiometry of the MES dissolution media in which 50% of the F-CAPs had dissolved] correlated well with the crystallite microstrain parameters of the F-CAPs. The incorporated fluoride in the F-CAPs showed only modest effects on F-CAP crystallinity and solubility.
Performance of Vanadium Oxide on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Titanium Electrode for Supercapacitor Application

Composite electrodes based on vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coated with vanadium oxide (V2O5) have used in supercapacitors. The vanadium (V) oxide (V2O5) cathodically deposited on titanium collector in vanadium oxide solution. The novel supercapacitor performed by V2O5/MWCNTs/Ti electrode in 1.0 M HCl aqueous solution can reach a specific capacitance of 713.3 F/g at 10 mV/s, which is larger than that of MWCNTs/Ti. To characterize the V2O5/MWCNTs/Ti composite electrode, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge method were executed, and the morphology of the composite electrode was examined by scanning electron microscope. This nanocomposite electrode greatly enhanced the utilization efficiency of supercapacitor electrode material, low material cost and provided both high capacitance and power density.
Automatic State Reaching for Debugging Reactive Programs

Reactive systems are made of programs that permanently interact with their environment. Debuggers generally provide support for data and state inspection, given a sequence of inputs. But, because the reactive programs and their environments are interdependent, a very useful feature is to be able to go the other way around; namely, given a state, obtain a sequence of inputs that leads to that state. This problem is equivalent to the general verification of safety properties, which is notoriously undecidable in presence of numeric variables. However, a lot of progress has been done in recent years through the development of model checking and abstract-interpretation-based techniques.In this article, we take advantage of those recent advances to implement a fully automatic state reaching capability inside a debugger of reactive programs. To achieve that, we connect a debugger, a verification tool, and a testing tool. One of the key contributions of our proposal is the proper handling of numeric variables.
Ezrin contains cytoskeleton and membrane binding domains accounting for its proposed role as a membrane-cytoskeletal linker

Ezrin, a widespread protein present in actin-containing cell-surface structures, is a substrate of some protein tyrosine kinases. Based on its primary and secondary structure similarities with talin and band 4.1 it has been suggested that this protein could play a role in linking the cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane (Gould, K.L., A. Bretscher, F.S. Esch, and T. Hunter. 1989. EMBO (Eur. Mol. Biol. Organ.), J. 8:4133-4142; Turunen, O. , R. Winqvist, R. Pakkanen, K. -H. Grzeschik, T. Wahlstrom, and A. Vaheri. 1989. J. Biol. Chem. 264:16727- 16732). To test this hypothesis, we transiently expressed the complete human ezrin cDNA, or truncated cDNAs encoding the amino- and carboxy- terminal domains of the protein, in CV-1 cells. Protein epitope tagging was used to unambiguously determine the subcellular distribution of the protein encoded by the transfected cDNA. We show that this protein is concentrated underneath the dorsal plasma membrane in all actin- containing structures and is partially detergent insoluble. The amino- terminal domain displays the same localization but is readily extractable by nonionic detergent. The carboxy-terminal domain colocalizes with microvillar actin filaments as well as with stress fibers and remains associated with actin filaments after detergent extraction, and with disorganized actin structures after cytochalasin D treatment. Our results clearly demonstrate that ezrin interacts with membrane-associated components via its amino-terminal domain, and with the cytoskeleton via its carboxy-terminal domain. The amino-terminal domain could include the main determinant that restricts the entire protein to the cortical cytoskeleton in contact with the dorsal plasma membrane and its specialized microdomains such as microvilli, microspikes and lamellipodia.
Tele-operators' judgments of their ability to drive through apertures

It has been suggested that operators should base decisions to enter apertures on their ability to control the robot, rather than its static dimensions. Doing so, however, assumes that operators know whether they can drive a robot through the aperture. The present study tested that assumption. Results indicated that judgments about control of the robot were not accurate. In contrast, judgments of static dimensions were accurate. Thus, operators will require support if they must base decisions to enter apertures on their ability to control that robot.
Wake-up receivers for wireless sensor networks: benefits and challenges

For successful data delivery, the destination nodes should be listening to the medium to receive data when the sender node starts data communication. To achieve this synchronization, there are different rendezvous schemes, among which the most energy-efficient is utilizing wakeup receivers. Current hardware technologies of wake-up receivers enable us to evaluate them as a promising solution for wireless sensor networks. In this article the benefits achieved with wake-up receivers are investigated along with the challenges observed. In addition, an overview of state-of-the-art hardware and networking protocol proposals is presented. As wake-up receivers offer new opportunities, new potential application areas are also presented and discussed.
Short-term and medium-term clinical outcomes of quinolone-resistant Campylobacter infection.

BACKGROUND Campylobacter species is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Quinolone resistance has emerged as an increasing problem among persons with Campylobacter infection over the past decade, but the clinical consequences are unclear. METHODS A case-comparison study of patients infected with ciprofloxacin-resistant or ciprofloxacin-susceptible Campylobacter species was conducted in Wales during the period 2003-2004. Campylobacter isolates were classified as resistant or susceptible to ciprofloxacin on the basis of standardized disk diffusion methods. Participants were interviewed by telephone at the time of illness, 3 months later, and 6 months later to compare disease severity, duration of illness, and medium-term clinical outcomes. RESULTS There was no difference between 145 persons with ciprofloxacin-resistant infection and 411 with ciprofloxacin-susceptible infection with regard to the severity or duration of acute illness. Mean duration of diarrhea was similar in patients with ciprofloxacin-resistant versus ciprofloxacin-susceptible infection (8.2 vs. 8.6 days; P = .57) and did not alter significantly after adjustment for potential covariates, including age, underlying disease, foreign travel, use of antidiarrheal medication, and use of antimicrobials in a multiple linear regression model. There was no difference between case patients and comparison patients in the frequency of reported symptoms or in general practitioner consultation rates at either the 3-month or the 6-month follow-up interview. CONCLUSIONS In this study, there was no evidence of more-severe or prolonged illness in participants with quinolone-resistant Campylobacter infection, nor was there evidence of any adverse medium-term consequences. This suggests that the clinical significance of quinolone resistance in Campylobacter infection may have been overestimated.
Dance of Live Adult Filarial Worms Is a Reliable Sign of Scrotal Filarial Infection

Objective. To determine the value of the filarial dance sign as a diagnostic sign of scrotal filarial infection and to recognize unsuspected scrotal filariasis by this sign. Methods. Eight symptomatic patients in whom the filarial dance sign was shown on high‐resolution ultrasonography were studied, investigated, and followed after treatment with diethylcarbamazine citrate. Two patients underwent fine‐needle aspiration. Results. Multiple foci (nests) of motile (live) filarial worms were observed in most patients. Fine‐needle aspiration of the dilated lymphatic vessels in 2 patients confirmed the presence of microfilariae. Five of 8 patients had a favorable response to treatment with diethylcarbamazine citrate. Conclusions. High‐resolution ultrasonography is a useful technique for diagnosing scrotal filariasis in symptomatic patients and is very useful in the follow‐up period for assessing the response of worms to treatment.
Phylogenomics of DNA topoisomerases: their origin and putative roles in the emergence of modern organisms

Topoisomerases are essential enzymes that solve topological problems arising from the double-helical structure of DNA. As a consequence, one should have naively expected to find homologous topoisomerases in all cellular organisms, dating back to their last common ancestor. However, as observed for other enzymes working with DNA, this is not the case. Phylogenomics analyses indicate that different sets of topoisomerases were present in the most recent common ancestors of each of the three cellular domains of life (some of them being common to two or three domains), whereas other topoisomerases families or subfamilies were acquired in a particular domain, or even a particular lineage, by horizontal gene transfers. Interestingly, two groups of viruses encode topoisomerases that are only distantly related to their cellular counterparts. To explain these observations, we suggest that topoisomerases originated in an ancestral virosphere, and that various subfamilies were later on transferred independently to different ancient cellular lineages. We also proposed that topoisomerases have played a critical role in the origin of modern genomes and in the emergence of the three cellular domains.
A general approach to high-yield biosynthesis of chimeric RNAs bearing various types of functional small RNAs for broad applications

RNA research and therapy relies primarily on synthetic RNAs. We employed recombinant RNA technology toward large-scale production of pre-miRNA agents in bacteria, but found the majority of target RNAs were not or negligibly expressed. We thus developed a novel strategy to achieve consistent high-yield biosynthesis of chimeric RNAs carrying various small RNAs (e.g. miRNAs, siRNAs and RNA aptamers), which was based upon an optimal noncoding RNA scaffold (OnRS) derived from tRNA fusion pre-miR-34a (tRNA/mir-34a). Multi-milligrams of chimeric RNAs (e.g. OnRS/miR-124, OnRS/GFP-siRNA, OnRS/Neg (scrambled RNA) and OnRS/MGA (malachite green aptamer)) were readily obtained from 1 l bacterial culture. Deep sequencing analyses revealed that mature miR-124 and target GFP-siRNA were selectively released from chimeric RNAs in human cells. Consequently, OnRS/miR-124 was active in suppressing miR-124 target gene expression and controlling cellular processes, and OnRS/GFP-siRNA was effective in knocking down GFP mRNA levels and fluorescent intensity in ES-2/GFP cells and GFP-transgenic mice. Furthermore, the OnRS/MGA sensor offered a specific strong fluorescence upon binding MG, which was utilized as label-free substrate to accurately determine serum RNase activities in pancreatic cancer patients. These results demonstrate that OnRS-based bioengineering is a common, robust and versatile strategy to assemble various types of small RNAs for broad applications.