Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technical basis for narcotic chemicals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon criteria. I. Water and tissue

A method is presented for developing water quality criteria (WQC) for type I narcotic chemicals in general and PAHs in particular. The criteria can be applied to any individual or mixture of narcotic chemicals using only the chemical's octanol‐water partition coefficient KOW. It is derived from a database of LC50s comprising 156 chemicals and 33 species, including fish, amphibians, arthropods, mollusks, polychaetes, coelenterates, and protozoans. A target lipid model is proposed that accounts for variations in toxicity due to differing species sensitivities and chemical differences. The model is based on the idea that a target lipid is the site of action in the organism. Further, it is assumed that target lipid has the same lipid‐octanol linear free energy relationship for all species. This implies that the slope of the log(LC50)–log(KOW) relationship is the same for all species. However, individual species may have varying target lipid body burdens that cause toxicity. The target lipid LC50 body burdens derived from concentration data in the water only are compared to measured total lipid LC50 body burdens for five species. They are essentially equal, indicating that the target lipid concentration is equal to the total extracted lipid concentration. The precise relationship between partitioning in target lipid and octanol is established. The species‐specific body burdens are used to determine the WQC final acute value, i.e., the 95‐percentile level of protection. An acute‐to‐chronic ratio is used to compute the body burden corresponding to the WQC final chronic value, which is the procedure used to derive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water quality criteria. The criteria are expressed either as dissolved concentrations in the water column or as tissue concentrations.
Statin use and reduced cancer-related mortality.

BACKGROUND A reduction in the availability of cholesterol may limit the cellular proliferation required for cancer growth and metastasis. We tested the hypothesis that statin use begun before a cancer diagnosis is associated with reduced cancer-related mortality. METHODS We assessed mortality among patients from the entire Danish population who had received a diagnosis of cancer between 1995 and 2007, with follow-up until December 31, 2009. Among patients 40 years of age or older, 18,721 had used statins regularly before the cancer diagnosis and 277,204 had never used statins. RESULTS Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for statin users, as compared with patients who had never used statins, were 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 0.87) for death from any cause and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.82 to 0.87) for death from cancer. Adjusted hazard ratios for death from any cause according to the defined daily statin dose (the assumed average maintenance dose per day) were 0.82 (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.85) for a dose of 0.01 to 0.75 defined daily dose per day, 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.89) for 0.76 to 1.50 defined daily dose per day, and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.91) for higher than 1.50 defined daily dose per day; the corresponding hazard ratios for death from cancer were 0.83 (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.86), 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.91), and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.92). The reduced cancer-related mortality among statin users as compared with those who had never used statins was observed for each of 13 cancer types. CONCLUSIONS Statin use in patients with cancer is associated with reduced cancer-related mortality. This suggests a need for trials of statins in patients with cancer.
Keeping Mammalian Mutation Load in Check: Regulation of the Activity of Error-Prone DNA Polymerases by p53 and p21

To overcome DNA lesions that block replication the cell employs translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) polymerases, a group of low fidelity DNA polymerases that have the capacity to bypass a wide range of DNA lesions. This TLS process is also termed error-prone repair, due to its inherent mutagenic nature. We have recently shown that the tumor suppressor p53 and the cell cycle inhibitor p21 are global regulators of TLS. When these proteins are missing or non-functional, TLS gets out of control: its extent increases to very high levels, and its fidelity decreases, causing an overall increase in mutation load. This may be explained by the loss of selectivity in the bypass of specific DNA lesions by their cognate specialized polymerases, such that lesion bypass continues to a maximum, regardless of the price paid in increased mutations. The p53 and p21 proteins are also required for efficient UV light-induced monoubiquitination of PCNA, which is consistent with a model in which this modification of PCNA is necessary but not sufficient for the normal activity of TLS. This regulation suggests that TLS evolved in mammals as a system that balances gain in survival with a tolerable mutational cost, and that disturbing this balance causes a potentially harmful increase in mutations, which might play a role in carcinogenesis.
A Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment for Salmonella in Pigs for the European Union

A farm‐to‐consumption quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA) for Salmonella in pigs in the European Union has been developed for the European Food Safety Authority. The primary aim of the QMRA was to assess the impact of hypothetical reductions of slaughter‐pig prevalence and the impact of control measures on the risk of human Salmonella infection. A key consideration during the QMRA development was the characterization of variability between E.U. Member States (MSs), and therefore a generic MS model was developed that accounts for differences in pig production, slaughterhouse practices, and consumption patterns. To demonstrate the parameterization of the model, four case study MSs were selected that illustrate the variability in production of pork meat and products across MSs. For the case study MSs the average probability of illness was estimated to be between 1 in 100,000 and 1 in 10 million servings given consumption of one of the three product types considered (pork cuts, minced meat, and fermented ready‐to‐eat sausages). Further analyses of the farm‐to‐consumption QMRA suggest that the vast majority of human risk derives from infected pigs with a high concentration of Salmonella in their feces (≥104 CFU/g). Therefore, it is concluded that interventions should be focused on either decreasing the level of Salmonella in the feces of infected pigs, the introduction of a control step at the abattoir to reduce the transfer of feces to the exterior of the pig, or a control step to reduce the level of Salmonella on the carcass post‐evisceration.
Acute Pharmacodynamic Effects of Glucocorticoids: Cardiac Output and Related Hemodynamic Changes in Normal Subjects and Patients in Shock

Cardiac output and intravascular pressure were measured before and after large doses of glucocorticosteroids administered intravenously to nine normal subjects and nine patients in shock. Glucocorticoids caused a sustained increase in cardiac output and a decrease in calculated peripheral resistance. No changes in mean arterial and venous pressures were observed. Possible mechanisms underlying these pharmacologic effects and their implications for the treatment of shock are discussed.
Measurement of Intracranial Aneurysms from 3 D Rotational Angiography : Improvement of Accuracy by Gradient Edge Detection

Manual volume measurement of intracranial aneurysms from 3D rotational angiography varies on different threshold settings and, therefore, is operator-dependent. We developed and validated a method based on automatic gradient edge detection that is independent on threshold settings and provides an accurate and reproducible volume measurement. This method was compared with manual volume calculation in 13 aneurysm phantoms, and the results were significantly more accurate.
Direct measurements of methane emissions from grazing and feedlot cattle.

Methane (CH4) emissions from animals represent a significant contribution to anthropogenically produced radiatively active trace gases. Global and national CH4 budgets currently use predictive models based on emission data from laboratory experiments to estimate the magnitude of the animal source. This paper presents a method for measuring CH4 from animals under undisturbed field conditions and examines the performance of common models used to simulate field conditions. A micrometeorological mass difference technique was developed to measure CH4 production by cattle in pasture and feedlot conditions. Measurements were made continuously under field conditions, semiautomatically for several days, and the technique was virtually nonintrusive. The method permits a relatively large number of cattle to be sampled. Limitations include light winds (less than approximately 2 m/s), rapid wind direction changes, and high-precision CH4 gas concentration measurement. Methane production showed a marked periodicity, with greater emissions during periods of rumination as opposed to grazing. When the cattle were grazed on pasture, they produced . 23 kg CH4 x animal(-1) x d(-1), which corresponded to the conversion of 7.7 to 8.4% of gross energy into CH4. When the same cattle were fed a highly digestible, high-grain diet, they produced . 07 kg CH4 x animal(-1) x d(-1), corresponding to a conversion of only 1.9 to 2.2% of the feed energy to CH4. These measurements clearly document higher CH4 production (about four times) for cattle receiving low-quality, high-fiber diets than for cattle fed high-grain diets. The mass difference method provides a useful tool for "undisturbed" measurements on the influence of feedstuffs and nutritional management practices on CH4 production from animals and for developing improved management practice for enhanced environmental quality.
Improvement of Particle Swarm Optimization for High-Dimensional Space

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a population-based search methodology inspired by social behavior observed in nature, such as flocks of birds and schools of fish. In many studies, PSO has been successful in a variety of optimization problems. The purpose of this paper is to improve performance of the PSO algorithm in case of high-dimensional problems. We propose a novel PSO model, the rotated particle swarm (RPS), which is introduced the coordinate conversion. The numerical simulation results show the RPS is effective in optimizing high-dimensional functions
Glucocorticoids Inhibit Developmental Stage-specific Osteoblast Cell Cycle

Unique cell cycle control is instituted in confluent osteoblast cultures, driving growth to high density. The postconfluent dividing cells share features with cells that normally exit the cell cycle; p27 kip1 is increased, p21 waf1/cip1 is decreased, free E2F DNA binding activity is reduced, and E2F4 is primarily nuclear. E2F4-p130 becomes the predominant E2F-pocket complex formed on E2F sites, but, unlike the complex that typifies resting cells, cyclin A and CDK2 are also present. Administration of dexamethasone at this, but not earlier stages, results in reduction of cyclin A and CDK2 levels with a parallel decrease in the associated kinase activity, dissociation of cyclin A-CDK2 from the E2F4-p130 complexes, and inhibition of G1/S transition. The glucocorticoid-mediated cell cycle attenuation is also accompanied by, but not attributable to, increased p27 kip1 and decreased p21 waf1/cip1 levels. The attenuation of osteoblast growth to high density by dexamethasone is associated with severe impairment of mineralized extracellular matrix formation, unless treatment commences in cultures that have already grown to high density. Both the antimitotic and the antiphenotypic effects are reversible, and both are antagonized by RU486. Thus, glucocorticoids induce premature attenuation of the osteoblast cell cycle, possibly contributing to the osteoporosis induced by these drugs in vivo.
Notice of RetractionResearch on the roller bearing fault diagnosis based on Morphological Wavelet and LSSVM algorithm

In response to the roller bearing fault, the method of fault recognition of rolling bearings based on Morphological Wavelet and Least Squares Support Vector Machine was presented. Morphological Wavelet was applied to signal preprocessing, energy feature method to signal extraction. And then, we carry out the recognition of fault types using Least Square Support Vector Machine algorithm. After testing and simulation, the results showed that the fault diagnosis method based on Morphological Wavelet and Least Square Support Vector Machine can diagnose typical faults of the roller bearing effectively.
Self-Presentation in Online Personals

This study investigates self-disclosure in the novel context of online dating relationships. Using a national random sample of Match.com members (N = 349), the authors tested a model of relational goals, self-disclosure, and perceived success in online dating. The authors’ findings provide support for social penetration theory and the social information processing and hyperpersonal perspectives as well as highlight the positive effect of anticipated future face-to-face interaction on online self-disclosure. The authors find that perceived online dating success is predicted by four dimensions of self-disclosure (honesty, amount, intent, and valence), although honesty has a negative effect. Furthermore, online dating experience is a strong predictor of perceived success in online dating. Additionally, the authors identify predictors of strategic success versus self-presentation success. This research extends existing theory on computer-mediated communication, self-disclosure, and relational success to the increasingly important arena of mixed-mode relationships, in which participants move from mediated to face-to-face communication.
Evolução da planície costeira das Praias do Sul e do Leste – Ilha Grande/RJ: implicações sobre a presença humana pre-histórica e contribuições para a reconstrução paleoambiental holocênica

A area de estudo deste trabalho possui ambientes lagunares bem preservados e sitios arqueologicos com idade de 3.000 anos AP. Dados altimetricos e analises de imagens aereas permitiram a identificacao de duas barreiras arenosas. Considerando a variacao holocenica do nivel relativo do mar, concluiu-se que a barreira interna possui idade pleistocenica. A externa, que inclui as praias atuais, formou-se durante a transgressao holocenica. Antigas desembocaduras fluvio-lagunares holocenicas apresentam-se nos extremos ocidental da Praia do Sul e oriental da Praia do Leste. O estabelecimento de um sitio arqueologico na barreira holocenica pode estar relacionado a antiga desembocadura na Praia do Leste. Neste caso, e possivel que este sitio seja mais antigo do que o sitio do Ilhote, o qual pode ter sido ocupado somente a partir de 3.000 anos AP porque o nivel do mar em rebaixamento teria facilitado o acesso. A sedimentacao das lagoas tem sido investigada e apresentam-se resultados preliminares da analise de duas sondagens a percussao realizadas na Lagoa do Sul. A base do testemunho LS01 foi datada por 14C em 2.477 – 2.138 anos cal AP, a 116 cm, e do testemunho LS02, em 5.309 – 4.986 anos cal AP, a 136 cm. Os sedimentos lagunares sao formados por lama orgânica de origem mista a terrestre, com camadas ricas em conchas e lentes arenosas de quartzo, interpretadas como resultado de episodios de enxurradas tipicas da regiao, com alta pluviosidade. A sedimentacao e a razao C:N indicam estabilidade ambiental com clima umido nos ultimos ~5.000 anos AP. Entre 1.394 – 1.174 e 795 – 481 anos cal AP ocorreu o intervalo mais umido, com: (i) deposicao concentrada de conchas e (ii) maior aporte de terrigenos. Maior quantidade de lentes arenosas foi depositada a partir de 3.066 – 2.647 anos cal AP, sugerindo maior frequencia de chuvas intensas desde entao.
Growth and Tissue Elemental Composition Response of Butterhead Lettuce (Lactuca sativa, cv. Flandria) to Hydroponic and Aquaponic Conditions

The primary objective of this research was to compare lettuce performance under conventional hydroponics at pH 5.8 (referred to as H5), hydroponics at pH 7.0 (referred to as H7), and recirculated aquaponic water at pH 7.0 (referred to as A7). Aquaponic nutrients were supplied by continuously recirculating water between a fish rearing system (recirculating aquaculture system or RAS) and the lettuce growing system (with the sole addition being chelated iron). This paper builds upon our previous research where we found that H7 produced 26% less shoot fresh weight (FW) growth than H5 and an 18% reduction in dry weight (DW). In this research, we also evaluated the inorganic hydroponics nutrient solution at pH 7.0 (H7) to provide continuity between experiments and to isolate the pH effect. The A7 plant biomass responses were not different from H5 in all biomass response categories. H7 was different from H5 in shoot FW, DW, and DW/FW, as well as root FW and DW. H7 was different from the A7 in shoot FW, DW/FW, and root DW. There were no tissue elemental differences between H5 and H7 except Cu. The Ca and Na contents differed between H5 and A7, while the microelements Mn, Mo, and Zn differed. Generally, the elemental tissue differences between treatments were proportional to the differences for the same elements in the nutrient solutions. Aquaponic systems are often viewed to be more complicated and more risky because two complex systems are being joined (hydroponics plus RAS). However, the aquaponics system proved to be surprisingly simple to manage in daily operations. Our data suggested that the aquaponics system (A7), which was operated at a higher pH 7.0, was able to offset any negative biomass and elemental effects that occurred in the inorganic hydroponic pH 7.0 treatment (H7) from its increased pH and less optimized nutrient solution elemental concentrations.
Dengue-1 Virus Clade Replacement in Thailand Associated with Enhanced Mosquito Transmission

ABSTRACT Dengue viruses (DENV) are characterized by extensive genetic diversity and can be organized in multiple, genetically distinct lineages that arise and die out on a regular basis in regions where dengue is endemic. A fundamental question for understanding DENV evolution is the relative extent to which stochastic processes (genetic drift) and natural selection acting on fitness differences among lineages contribute to lineage diversity and turnover. Here, we used a set of recently collected and archived low-passage DENV-1 isolates from Thailand to examine the role of mosquito vector-virus interactions in DENV evolution. By comparing the ability of 23 viruses isolated on different dates between 1985 and 2009 to be transmitted by a present-day Aedes aegypti population from Thailand, we found that a major clade replacement event in the mid-1990s was associated with virus isolates exhibiting increased titers in the vector's hemocoel, which is predicted to result in a higher probability of transmission. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that selection for enhanced transmission by mosquitoes is a possible mechanism underlying major DENV clade replacement events. There was significant variation in transmission potential among isolates within each clade, indicating that in addition to vector-driven selection, other evolutionary forces act to maintain viral genetic diversity. We conclude that occasional adaptive processes involving the mosquito vector can drive major DENV lineage replacement events.
Neuroimaging of Rapidly Progressive Dementias, Part 1: Neurodegenerative Etiologies

SUMMARY: Most dementias begin insidiously, developing slowly and generally occurring in the elderly age group. The so-called rapidly progressive dementias constitute a different, diverse collection of conditions, many of which are reversible or treatable. For this reason, prompt identification and assessment of acute and subacute forms of dementia are critical to effective treatment. Numerous other entities within this category of presenile rapid-onset dementias are untreatable such as the prion-related diseases. Neuroimaging aids in the diagnosis and evaluation of many of these rapidly progressive dementias, which include myriad conditions ranging from variations of more common neurodegenerative dementias, such as Alzheimer disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia; infectious-related dementias such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome dementia; autoimmune and malignancy-related conditions; to toxic and metabolic forms of encephalopathy. This first of a 2-part review will specifically address the ability of MR imaging and ancillary neuroimaging strategies to support the diagnostic evaluation of rapidly progressive dementias due to neurodegenerative causes.
Comparative evaluation of shear bond strength of two self-etching adhesives (sixth and seventh generation) on dentin of primary and permanent teeth: an in vitro study.

AIM The present study was undertaken to compare and evaluate shear bond strength of two self-etching adhesives (sixth and seventh generation) on dentin of primary and permanent teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS Flat dentin surface of 64 human anterior teeth (32 primary and 32 permanent) divided into four groups of 16 each. Groups A and C were treated with Contax (sixth generation), while groups B and D were treated with Clearfil S3 (seventh generation). A teflon mold was used to build the composite (Filtek Z-350) cylinders on the dentinal surface of all the specimens. Shear bond strength was tested for all the specimens with an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA for multiple group comparison, followed by student's unpaired 't' test for group-wise comparison. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in shear bond strength among the study groups except that primary teeth bonded with Contax exhibited significantly lesser shear bond strength than permanent teeth bonded with Clearfil S3. CONCLUSION This study revealed that Clearfil S3 could be of greater advantage in pediatric dentistry than Contax because of its fewer steps and better shear bond strength in dentin of both primary and permanent teeth.
Genome-Wide Analysis of Cellular Response to Bacterial Genotoxin CdtB in Yeast

ABSTRACT The cytolethal distending toxins (CDTs) are secreted virulence proteins produced by several bacterial pathogens, and the subunit CdtB has the ability to create DNA lesions, primarily DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) in vitro, and cause cell cycle arrest, cellular distension, and cell death in both mammalian and yeast cells. To elucidate the components of the mechanisms underlying the response to CdtB-induced DNA lesions, a CdtB expression plasmid was transformed into a series of diploid yeast strains harboring deletions in 4,708 nonessential genes. A total of 4,706 of these clones were successfully transformed, which we have now designated as a systematic transformation array (STA), and were subsequently screened. We identified 61 sensitive strains from the STA whose deleted genes can be categorized into a number of groups, including DNA metabolism, chromosome segregation, vesicular traffic, RNA catabolism, protein translation, morphogenesis, and nuclear transport, as well as one unknown open reading frame. However, only 28 of these strains were found to be sensitive to HO endonuclease, which is known to create a DNA double-strand break (DSB), suggesting that CdtB-induced DNA lesion is not similar to the direct DSB. Amazingly, CdtB expression elicits severe growth defects in haploid yeast cells, but only marginal defects in diploid yeast cells. The presence and absence of genes known to be involved in DNA repair in these genome-wide data reveal that CdtB-induced DNA damage is specifically repaired well in the diploid by homologous recombination but not by other repair mechanisms. Our present results provide insights into how CdtB pathogenesis is linked to eukaryotic cellular functions.