Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The response of the scleractinian coral Turbinaria reniformis to thermal stress depends on the nitrogen status of the coral holobiont

SUMMARY The physiological response of the scleractinian coral Turbinaria reniformis to ammonium enrichment (3 μmol l−1) was examined at 26°C as well as during a 7 day increase in temperature to 31°C (thermal stress). At 26°C, ammonium supplementation had little effect on the coral physiology. It induced a decrease in symbiont density, compensated by an increase in chlorophyll content per symbiont cell. Organic carbon release was reduced, likely because of a better utilization of the photosynthesized carbon (i.e. incorporation into proteins, kept in the coral tissue). The δ15N signatures of the ammonium-enriched symbionts and host tissue were also significantly decreased, by 4 and 2‰, respectively, compared with the non-enriched conditions, suggesting a significant uptake of inorganic nitrogen by the holobiont. Under thermal stress, coral colonies that were not nitrogen enriched experienced a drastic decrease in photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments (chlorophyll a, β-carotene, diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin and peridinin), followed by a decrease in the rates of photosynthesis and calcification. Organic carbon release was not affected by this thermal stress. Conversely, nitrogen-enriched corals showed an increase in their pigment concentrations, and maintained rates of photosynthesis and calcification at ca. 60% and 100% of those measured under control conditions, respectively. However, these corals lost more organic carbon into the environment. Overall, these results indicate that inorganic nitrogen availability can be important to determining the resilience of some scleractinian coral species to thermal stress, and can have a function equivalent to that of heterotrophic feeding concerning the maintenance of coral metabolism under stress conditions.
Concerted Action of the FasL/Fas and Perforin/Granzyme A and B Pathways Is Mandatory for the Development of Early Viral Hepatitis but Not for Recovery from Viral Infection

ABSTRACT Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) play a major role in the recovery from primary viral infections and the accompanying tissue injuries. However, it is unclear to what extent the two main cytolytic pathways, perforin-granzyme A and B exocytosis and Fas ligand (FasL)-Fas interaction, contribute to these processes. Here we have employed mouse strains with either spontaneous mutations or targeted gene defects in one or more components of either of the two cytolytic pathways to analyze the molecular basis of viral clearance and induction of hepatitis during lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection. Our results reveal that viral clearance is solely dependent on perforin but that virus-induced liver damage only occurs when both the FasL/Fas and the perforin pathways, including granzymes A and B, are simultaneously activated. The finding that development of hepatitis but not viral clearance is dependent on the concomitant activation of FasL-Fas and perforin-granzymes may be helpful in designing novel strategies to prevent hepatic failures during viral infections.
Response to various amounts of Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract on ruminal metabolism in cattle.

The objective of this study was to determine whether Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract stimulated or inhibited ruminal fermentation when fed at higher than recommended doses (3 g/d). Four dietary treatments of A. oryzae fermentation extract were fed daily to six cows fitted with ruminal cannulas. For each of four periods, bromegrass hay (6% CP) with and without extract was fed for 28 d. Dacron bags containing bromegrass cell walls were ruminally incubated to determine ruminal fiber degradation. The A. oryzae fermentation extract did not affect degradation of cell walls, cellulose, or hemicellulose. Total ruminal anaerobic or cellulolytic bacteria were not different among treatments; neither were the proportions of cellulolytic species, Butyrivibrio sp. , Ruminococcus albus, or Ruminococcus flavefaciens. Ruminal ammonia was not different; however, total VFA were higher, and pH tended to be lower, when 27 g/d of A. oryzae fermentation extract was fed. The proportion of VFA was not different among treatments. The A. oryzae fermentation extract fed at nine times the recommended dosage did not produce any stimulatory effects, except for total VFA, and was not inhibitory or toxic to ruminal metabolism and forage fiber degradation.
The Mother or the Fetus? 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 Null Mice Provide Evidence for Direct Fetal Programming of Behavior by Endogenous Glucocorticoids

Low birth weight associates with increased susceptibility to adult cardiometabolic and affective disorders spawning the notion of fetal “programming. ” Prenatal exposure to excess glucocorticoids may be causal. In support, maternal stress or treatment during pregnancy with dexamethasone (which crosses the placenta) or inhibitors of fetoplacental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2), the physiological “barrier” to maternal glucocorticoids, reduces birth weight and programs permanent offspring hypertension, hyperglycemia, and anxiety behaviors. It remains uncertain whether such effects are mediated indirectly via altered maternal function or directly on the fetus and its placenta. To dissect this critical issue, we mated 11β-HSD2+/− mice such that each pregnant female produces +/+, +/−, and −/− offspring and compared them with offspring of homozygous wild-type and −/− matings. We show that 11β-HSD2−/− offspring of either +/− or −/− mothers have lower birth weight and exhibit greater anxiety than 11β-HSD2+/+ littermates. This provides clear evidence for the key role of fetoplacental 11β-HSD2 in prenatal glucocorticoid programming.
Comparison of human abdominal subcutaneous versus omental preadipocyte differentiation in primary culture.

Excess intra-abdominal fat is associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, yet little is known about what influences regional adipose tissue accumulation. Adipocytes arise from specialized fibroblast-like preadipocytes within the adipose tissue stromal-vascular compartment. The aim of our study was to determine if there are variations in preadipocyte differentiation between abdominal subcutaneous (SC) and omental (OM) preadipocytes. Abdominal SC and OM preadipocytes were isolated from adipose tissue obtained from 18 subjects (7 men, 11 women), undergoing elective abdominal surgery, by collagenase treatment and filtration/centrifugation. Preadipocytes were placed in culture and then differentiated for 3 weeks in a serum-free medium containing insulin, dexamethasone, isobutylmethylxanthine, and carbaprostacyclin. The cells were then harvested for measurement of cytosolic glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), a marker of terminal differentiation. Data are expressed as a differentiation index (DI), which was the log of the SC/OM ratio of GPDH values for each patient (calculated as 0 for an equivalent SC v OM responses). The mean DI for the group (n = 18) was 0.04, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of -0.11 to 0.20. The mean DI for men was 0.07 (95% CI, -0.06 to 0.19), and that for women was 0.03 (95% CI, -0.21 to 0.27). This indicates that SC versus OM preadipocyte differentiation responses were not significantly different from each other, either for the group as a whole or when divided by gender. Overall, 8 subjects had a DI favoring SC preadipocyte differentiation, compared to 11 subjects with a DI reflecting greater OM preadipocyte differentiation. There was no correlation of the DI with body mass index or age. Our results indicate that preadipocytes from the abdominal SC adipose tissue depot do not uniformly differentiate more than those from the OM depot.
The Evolution of the Serotonin‐Dopamine Antagonist Concept

&NA; Before the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia became established, a serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine) 5‐HT hypothesis was popular. This was based on the hallucinogenic properties of lysergic acid diethlyamide and abnormal serotonin levels in schizophrenics. Suggestions that serotonin might be involved in the cause of schizophrenia or could be a target for antipsychotic drug action began with the discovery that the antipsychotic agent clozapine is a potent serotonin 5‐HT2A antagonist, as well as being a dopamine D2 antagonist. This led to the formulation of the serotonin‐dopamine antagonist (SDA) concept for antipsychotics, with wider spectrums of activity and lower extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) liability. The principle of the SDAs is that the drug should be a potent serotonin 5‐HT2A antagonist, with slightly less potent dopamine D2 receptor‐blocking properties. The clinical experience with risperidone, the first member of the new class of antipsychotics, seems to offer the promise that the SDAs have significant advantages over both the conventional dopamine‐blocking neuroleptics and the atypical antipsychotic clozapine. Risperidone has efficacy against both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and has a low tendency to produce EPS. Only time will tell whether other SDAs will have the same advantages.
Rates and correlates of relapse following ED discharge for acute asthma: a Canadian 20-site prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND Acute asthma is a common ED presentation. In a prospective, multicenter cohort study, we determined the frequency and factors associated with asthma relapse following discharge from the ED. METHODS Adults aged 18 to 55 years who were treated for acute asthma and discharged from 20 Canadian EDs underwent a structured ED interview and a follow-up telephone interview 4 weeks later. Standardized antiinflammatory treatment was offered at discharge. Multivariable analyses were performed. RESULTS Of 807 enrolled patients, 58% were women, and the median age was 30 years. Relapse occurred in 144 patients (18%) within 4 weeks of ED discharge. Factors independently associated with relapse occurrence were female sex (women, 22% vs men, 12%; adjusted OR [aOR], 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.0); symptom duration of ≥ 24 h prior to ED visit (long duration, 19% vs short duration, 13%; aOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.3); ever using oral corticosteroids (ever use, 21% vs never use, 12%; aOR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1- 2.0); current use of an inhaled corticosteroid ([ICS]/long-acting β-agonist combination product (combination product, 25% vs ICS monotherapy,15%; aOR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-3.2); and owning a spacer device (owning one, 24% vs not owning one, 15%; aOR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3-1.9). CONCLUSIONS Despite receiving guideline-concordant antiinflammatory treatments at ED discharge, almost one in five patients relapsed within 4 weeks. Female sex, prolonged symptoms, treatment-related factors, and markers of prior asthma severity were significantly associated with relapse. These results may help physicians target more aggressive interventions for patients at high risk of relapse.
A Hybrid Approach for Big Data Outlier Detection from Electric Power SCADA System

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) databases have three main features that identify them as big data systems: volume, variety and velocity. SCADAs are extremely important for the safety and security operation of modern power system and provide essential online information about the power system state to system operators. A current research challenge is to efficiently process this big data, which involves real-time measurements of hundreds of thousands of heterogeneous electrical power system physical measurements. Among the foreseen automation tasks, outlier detection is one of the most important data mining techniques for power systems. However, like others data mining techniques, traditional outlier detection fails when dealing with problems in which the volume and dimensionality of data are as high as the ones observed in a SCADA. This work aims at circumventing these restrictions by presenting a methodology for dealing with SCADA big data that consists of a pre-processing algorithm and hybrid approach outlier detectors. The hybrid approach is assessed using real data from a Brazilian utility company. The results show that the proposed methodology is capable of identifying outliers correlated with important events that affect the system.
Cryptocurrency or usury? Crime and alternative money laundering techniques

The article presents a novel dynamic setting to compare old—usury—and new—cryptocurrency—money laundering techniques and uses it for calibration to shed light on their relative role as an effective device for the criminal organizations to clean their illegal revenues. The specialness of the usury contract depends on its role in laundering illegal revenues originating from criminal activities and it is independent from the interest rate level, while the cryptocurrency money laundering is associated with an initial coin offering tool. The calibration compares the leverage effect on the overall capital owned by the criminal organizations triggered by the two money laundering techniques.
Relationship between availability of WLB practices and financial results

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of work-life balance (WLB) practices on the financial results of Spanish accounting audit SMEs.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data from 148 Spanish accounting audit SMEs, a regression analysis was developed to estimate the direct effects of WLB practices on firms’ financial results (return on capital employed and return on assets). Firm age and size are considered as control variables.FindingsSenior managers should foster some WLB practices (time-reduction and flexible-work practices) so as to enhance SME audit firms’ financial results. Work-leave practices should be analyzed so as to promote some positive outcomes for firms, through internal reorganization or by reorienting employees to resorting to the most beneficial practices.Practical implicationsNot all WLB practices have positive effects on the business results of SMEs. Therefore, managers may try to reduce these negative effects or redirect employees to WLB practices that have more positive effects on their firms’ financial results. Strategic information is also provided to employees and public institutions about fostering WLB in SMEs.Social implicationsThe availability of WLB practices has been deemed fundamental not only for policy makers and society, but also for the organizational culture and for human resource management practices.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate the association between the availability of WLB initiatives in SMEs and firms’ financial results.
Infant's action skill dynamically modulates parental action demonstration in the dyadic interaction.

When interacting with infants, human adults modify their behaviours in an exaggerated manner. Previous studies have demonstrated that infant-directed modification affects the infant's behaviour. However, little is known about how infant-directed modification is elicited during infant-parent interaction. We investigated whether and how the infant's behaviour affects the mother's action during an interaction. We recorded three-dimensional information of cup movements while mothers demonstrated a cup-nesting task during interaction with their infants aged 11 to 13 months. Analyses revealed that spatial characteristics of the mother's task demonstration clearly changed depending on the infant's object manipulation. In particular, the variance in the distance that the cup was moved decreased after the infant's cup nesting and increased after the infant's task-irrelevant manipulation (e.g. cup banging). This pattern was not observed for mothers with 6- to 8-month-olds, who do not have the fine motor skill to perform the action. These results indicate that the infant's action skill dynamically affects the infant-directed action and suggest that the mother is sensitive to the infant's potential to learn a novel action. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://www.youtube. com/watch? v=VNS2IHwLIhg&feature=youtu.be.
Functional Electrical Therapy (FET): Clinical Trial in Chronic Hemiplegic Subjects

Results from a clinical evaluation of Functional Electrical Therapy (FET) in chronic hemiplegic subjects are presented. FET is an intensive exercise that integrates voluntary maximized manipulation and augmented grasping by electrical stimulation of forearm and hand muscles. A total of 16 chronic hemiplegic subjects participated in a six‐month long study. The subjects were divided into lower and higher functioning groups based on their capacity to voluntarily extend the wrist and fingers against gravity. Functional Electrical Therapy comprised 30‐min electrically assisted daily exercise of the paretic arm for three consecutive weeks. The outcome measures included Upper Extremity Function Test (UEFT), the Drawing Test (DT), and Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) of spasticity. The UEFT objectively measured the abilities to grasp and manipulate objects during typical daily activities. The DT measured the ability to coordinate shoulder and elbow joints. The MAS assessed the tone of the paretic arm muscles. The control group was formed from hemiplegic subjects that received FET in their acute phase of hemiplegia and were evaluated in our earlier study. The results showed that FET slightly increases the ability to reach and grasp, and decreases absolute mean spasticity of chronic hemiplegic subjects. The gains in UEFT and DT were measurable, yet not statistically significant. The trends of UEFT and DT scores during the therapy (three weeks) were steeper when compared with the trend during follow‐up (23 weeks). The changes of the trends during the study suggest that prolonged treatment could lead to bigger gains. We found standard deviations were increased towards the end of follow‐up suggesting individual differences in response to either the treatment or the disablement process.
Magnetic resonance imaging: fundamental safety issues.

SYNOPSIS Medical practitioners have a variety of imaging modalities at their disposal. The exquisite soft tissue delineation available with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has resulted in the rising utilization of this particular modality. Increasingly, physical therapists around the world are actively involved in not only referring patients with musculoskeletal conditions for MRI but also in the acquisition of MRI data in both the clinical and research arenas. The MRI process involves the use of a very strong static magnetic field, time-varying (gradient) fields, and radiofrequency energy. To ensure the well-being of patients, staff, and visitors, an understanding of the primary hazards of this environment and the rigorous safety procedures that must be followed is imperative to the clinician. This paper describes the basic components of an MRI system, discusses various MRI safety issues, and presents the screening procedure necessary prior to using MRI. Primary hazards associated with the imaging process are also reviewed. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2011;41(11):820-828. doi:10.2519/jospt.2011. 3906.
Myocilin Is a Modulator of Wnt Signaling

ABSTRACT It is well documented that mutations in the MYOCILIN gene may lead to juvenile- and adult-onset primary open-angle glaucoma. However, the functions of wild-type myocilin are still not well understood. To study the functions of human myocilin and its two proteolytic fragments, these proteins were expressed in HEK293 cells. Conditioned medium from myocilin-expressing cells, as well as purified myocilin, induced the formation of stress fibers in primary cultures of human trabecular meshwork or NIH 3T3 cells. Stress fiber-inducing activity of myocilin was blocked by antibodies against myocilin, as well as secreted inhibitors of Wnt signaling, secreted Frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1) or sFRP3, and β-catenin small interfering RNA. Interaction of myocilin with sFRP1, sFRP3, and several Frizzled receptors was confirmed by immunoprecipitation experiments and by binding of myocilin to the surface of cells expressing cysteine-rich domains of different Frizzled and sFRPs. Treatment of NIH 3T3 cells with myocilin and its fragments induced intracellular redistribution of β-catenin and its accumulation on the cellular membrane but did not induce nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. Overexpression of myocilin in the eye angle tissues of transgenic mice stimulated accumulation of β-catenin in these tissues. Myocilin and Wnt proteins may perform redundant functions in the mammalian eye, since myocilin modulates Wnt signaling by interacting with components of this signaling pathway.
Neutralization of small RNA viruses by antibodies and antiviral agents 1

The 3‐dimensional structures of a number of small animal RNA viruses are now known to near‐atomic resolution. All these viruses have similar structures and have, in all probability, diverged from a common ancestral virus able to infect a variety of organisms. The structures have elucidated the site of attachment to host cell receptors and the mode of protection of this site against host immune pressure. An internal hydrophobic pocket in rhinoviruses is the site for binding of antiviral drugs that inhibit uncoating and can inhibit attachment in some viruses. The pocket is probably a functional necessity, and thus is a suitable target for well‐designed antiviral agents in many viruses. — Rossmann, M. G. Neutralization of small RNA viruses by antibodies and antiviral agents. FASEB J. 3: 2335‐2343; 1989.
Who Intends to Play Exergames? the Flow-Theoretic Perspective

Exergames enable users to utilize computer applications to engage in exercise. The literature on exergames has revealed their effects on users’ physical indicators. However, insufficient research has examined the predictors of user intention to play exergames. We examine these predictors through an approach grounded in flow theory. Conducting a longitudinal study, we asked participants to play exergames for a total of 18 hours in 12 weeks. We find that a strong perceived challenge and its interaction with performance-approach goals are positively related to user intention to play exergames. We contribute to the literature by providing a novel predictor of user intention to play exergames that can be exploited to encourage the use of exergames. We also provide exergame providers with insights into designing exergames to induce users’ playing behaviour.
Radicalisation processes of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK): ideology and recruitment tactics

ABSTRACT This paper provides an overview of the Kurdistan Workers Party’s (PKK) ideological trinity, their recruitment tactics, radicalisation routes and sociological dynamics that are giving way to recruitment within Turkey. This paper argues the PKK is utilising five key recruitment tactics within Turkey and the Middle East, these being: 1) Family and kinship ties 2) Charismatic figures and local institutions 3) Marriage as a recruitment tool 4) Indoctrination camps and 5) Printed materials such as magazines, memoirs, novels and autobiographies. By utilising published interviews from organisational written and visual sources, this paper has analysed twenty interviews of current or former PKK members to identify their motivations, radicalisation processes and ways of recruitment to the organisation. This paper demonstrates the PKK is exploiting the social fabric of Turkeys Southeast by utilising Marxist, Kurdish nationalist, anti-governmental discourses for its modus operandi in addition to other sociological issues currently present.