Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Possibilities of long-term protection against blood-sucking insects and ticks.

Insecticidal and repellent properties and residual action of permethrin and deltamethrin and two commercial preparations Peripel 55 and Permanone were investigated under laboratory and field conditions. The tests were conducted on ticks, mosquitoes and houseflies. Permethrin in concentrations of 0.036-2.276 mg.m-2 caused 90-100% mortality and deltamethrin in concentrations of 0.012-0.75 mg.m-2 induced 78-100% mortality in ticks after 24 hrs exposure (Table 1). Good repellent properties of the preparation Peripel 55 were confirmed in experiments on mosquitoes Aedes aegypti (Table 2 and Fig. 1). Experiments confirmed good residual effects (Fig. 3 and 4) of the preparations tested. Peripel 55 retained 100% effectiveness up to 4 months and following two washings. The preparation Permanone exhibited 100% effectiveness for 1 month and a decrease in effectiveness to 52% after the first washing. In the period from June to September, the repellent properties of Permanone were observed in a group of 17 forestry women workers in a field trial. The index of repellency ranged from 57 to 80 (average 71) in June and July and from 40 to 100 (average 74) in August and September. The difference in the number of ticks that clung to the workers in the experimental group who had their clothes treated with the preparation tested was significant in comparison with the control group at p < 0.1, 0.05 and 0.01.
Saliva α-Synuclein and A High Extinction Coefficient Protein: A Novel Approach in Assessment Biomarkers of Parkinson's Disease

Background: The pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the appearance of intracytoplasmic inclusions known as Lewy bodies in which its principal component is α-synuclein. Aim: This study aimed to determine salivary α-synuclein and the extinction coefficient of the saliva protein as biomarkers of PD. Materials and Methods: This observational study was done in Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine in cooperation with Department of Oral Medicine, College of Dentistry at Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, Iraq from September 2013 to March 2014. A total number of 20 PD patients and 20 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Unstimulated saliva obtained from each participant obtained for determination of salivary flow rate, saliva protein and α-synuclein using enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Results: Total saliva protein and uncontaminated protein with nucleic acids are significantly higher in PD compared with healthy subjects. The mean extinction coefficient of that protein is 27.25 M.cm-1 which significantly (P < 0.001) less than corresponding value of healthy subjects (33.48 M.cm−1 ). Saliva α-synuclein level is significantly less in PD (65 ± 52.2 pg/ml) than healthy subjects (314.01 ± 435.9 pg/ml). Conclusions: We conclude that saliva α-synuclein serves as a biomarker for PD if its level compared with healthy subjects, and a specific protein with extinction coefficient 27.25 M.cm-1 is detected in saliva of Parkinson's patients.
Identification of Two SET Domain Proteins Required for Methylation of Lysine Residues in Yeast Ribosomal Protein Rpl42ab*

We show that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosomal protein Rpl42ab (the identical product of the RPL42A and RPL42B genes) is monomethylated at Lys-40 and Lys-55. The methylation of Lys-40 is dependent upon the Ybr030w gene product; the methylation of Lys-55 is dependent upon the Set7 gene product. Ybr030w and SET7 genes both encode SET domain containing proteins homologous to known protein lysine methyltransferases, suggesting that their products are the specific enzymes responsible for the monomethylation of the two sites in Rpl42ab. We thus designate Ybr030w as Rkm3 and Set7 as Rkm4. Yeast strains with deletions in both the Ybr030w and SET7 genes produce unmethylated Rpl42ab. A slow growth phenotype was seen for the SET7 deletion strain and the double knock-out when grown in low concentrations of the eukaryotic protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide. These results suggest that modification of Rpl42ab at Lys-55 can fine-tune its structure to avoid inhibition. An intact mass fragmentation approach (“top down mass spectrometry”) was used to quantitate the extent of methylation of Rpl42ab. In wild-type strains, it was found that 78% was monomethylated at both Lys-40 and Lys-55 and that 22% was a mixture of species with either Lys-40 or Lys-55 monomethylated. The top down approach was also used to reevaluate the methylation sites of Rpl12ab. We found that the yeast Rpl12ab protein is dimethylated at the N-terminal proline residue, trimethylated at Lys-3 by Rkm2, and monomethylated at Arg-66.
A double-blind, randomized comparative trial of amisulpride versus olanzapine for 6 months in the treatment of schizophrenia

Atypical antipsychotics offer advantages over earlier drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia, although few data exist on the relative merits of different atypical antipsychotics. A multicentre, double-blind, randomized trial was performed to compare amisulpride and olanzapine in the treatment of acute schizophrenia. Adult schizophrenic patients with dominant positive symptomatology received amisulpride (200–800 mg/day) or olanzapine (5–20 mg/day) for 6 months. The primary efficacy variable was change from baseline of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) score, assessed with a non-inferiority analysis. The evolution of positive and negative symptomatology, depression, social functioning and quality of life were assessed. Safety evaluation included adverse event reporting, neurological status and body weight. The improvement of BPRS score was 32.7% in the amisulpride group and 33.0% in the olanzapine group; thus, the efficacy of amisulpride was not inferior to that of olanzapine. All other secondary efficacy outcome variables evolved to a similar extent in both groups. Adverse event frequency was similar in both groups. Amenorrhoea was encountered only in the amisulpride group (6.2% of patients), whereas elevations of liver transaminases were more frequent in the olanzapine group (17% versus 3.7% of patients). The incidence and mean extent of clinically relevant weight gain were higher in the olanzapine group (35.1% and 3.9 kg) than in the amisulpride group (20.6% and 1.6 kg). The efficacy of amisulpride is not inferior to that of olanzapine in the treatment of acute schizophrenia. The side-effect profile of the two drugs differed.
Short‐ and Long‐Term Determinants of Cardiovascular Function and Therapy: Contributions of Circulating and Tissue Renin‐Angiotensin Systems

Cardiovascular function is regulated by short-term and long-term neurohormonal and autocrine-paracrine mechanisms that act synergistically or sequentially. Structural adaptive changes that occur progressively over time also contribute to the long-term outcome. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) can operate as both an endocrine and an autocrine-paracrine (tissue) system. The endocrine component is involved with acute circulatory homeostasis. whereas the tissue RAS, we believe, participates in the tonic regulation of cardiovascular function and structure. Angio- tensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors exert both acute and long-term effects on blood pressure. The acute response is influenced by the activity of the endocrine RAS. On the other hand, the chronic response to ACE inhibition is determined by both serum and tissue effects. The reversal of hypertensive cardiovascular structural changes as well as the enhancement of renal sodium excretion by ACE inhibitors are important mechanisms of their long-term antihypertensive action.
The Economics of Synthetic Rhino Horns

To examine the potential impact of synthetic horns to reduce rhino poaching, a formal model of the rhino horn market in which there exist firms with the capability to produce high quality synthetic horns is presented and studied. The analysis shows that whether the availability of synthetic horns would decrease the equilibrium supply of wild horns—and how much the reduction would be—depends on market structure—i.e., how competitive the synthetic horn production sector is—and on how substitutable the synthetic horns are for wild horns. The implications of these results for conservation policies are derived and discussed. Synthetic horn producers would benefit more by promoting their products as being superior to wild horns, but this could increase horn prices and lead to more rhino poaching. For conservation purposes, it may be beneficial to incentivize firms to produce inferior fakes—synthetic horns that are engineered to be undesirable in some respect but difficult for buyers to distinguish from wild horns. The analysis also shows that promoting competition in the production of synthetic horns in general is desirable from a conservation standpoint as synthetic horn producers may prefer to keep prices at a high enough level that could still encourage significant amount of poaching.
Hacking Public Service Media Funding: A Scenario for Rethinking the License Fee as a Form of Civic Crowdfunding

ABSTRACT The current article analyzes the difficulties faced by public service media in the current political, economic and multimedia context. It proceeds with an examination of the main financing methods used by public service media and of the most recent reforms at the European level. The last part of this article describes a potential “scenario” of reforming public service media license fee model through the dynamics of civic crowdfunding, allowing citizens to decide in which programs they may invest a (20%) quota. The scenario we have built is framed in the direction of a “digitally enabled collaborative economy” (Kostakis and Bauwens, 2014), where citizens can experiment with a form of participation in media that is no longer “content-related” but “structural” (Carpentier, 2011). In order to prove the value of this hypothesis, the model has been tested on 649 Italian citizens. This test demonstrated that, although 83% of the survey sample believe the current cost of the Italian license fee is too high, 70% of them would be willing to pay even more if they could be in control of a part of the license fee and decide where to invest it. Therefore, we have shown that our sample of Italian citizens and Internet users is favorably disposed toward forms of more structural participation in the decision-making processes of public service media and in the co-management of public service media budgets. The aim of the current article is to demonstrate the potential value of audience’ structural participation in reshaping the role of public service media in contemporary digital cultures and networked societies.
Differential regulation of bone and body composition in male mice with combined inactivation of androgen and estrogen receptor‐α

Osteoporosis and muscle frailty are important health problems in elderly men and may be partly related to biological androgen activity. This androgen action can be mediated directly through stimulation of the androgen receptor (AR) or indirectly through stimulation of estrogen receptor‐alpha (ERα) following aromatization of androgens into estrogens. To assess the differential action of AR and ERα pathways on bone and body composition, AR‐ERα double‐knockout mice were gener‐ated and characterized. AR disruption decreased trabec‐ular bone mass, whereas ERα disruption had no additional effect on the AR‐dependent trabecular bone loss. In contrast, combined AR and ERα inactivation additionally reduced cortical bone and muscle mass compared with either AR or ERα disruption alone. ERα inactivation—in the presence or absence of AR—increased fat mass. We demonstrate that AR activation is solely responsible for the development and maintenance of male trabecular bone mass. Both AR and ERα activation, however, are needed to optimize the acquisition of cortical bone and muscle mass. ERα activation alone is sufficient for the regulation of fat mass. Our findings clearly define the relative importance of AR and ERα signaling on trabecu‐lar and cortical bone mass as well as body composition in male mice. —Callewaert, F. , Venken, K. , Ophoff, J., De Gendt, K. , Torcasio, A. , van Lenthe, G. H. , Van Ooster‐wyck, H. , Boonen, S. , Bouillon, R. , Verhoeven, G. , Vanderschueren, D. Differential regulation of bone and body composition in male mice with combined inactivation of androgen and estrogen receptor‐α. FASEB J. 23, 232‐240 (2009)
A Novel Single-SiC-Switch-Based ZVZCS Tapped Boost Converter

A new single-active-switch-based zero voltage and zero current switching (ZVZCS) tapped boost converter is proposed. For the ZVZCS operation of the converter, three diodes and two capacitors were added to an ordinary tapped boost converter. When turned ON, the active switch is in zero current switching with the help of leakage inductance of a tapped inductor. When turned OFF, the energy of the leakage inductance is transferred to a snubber capacitor through a diode, which results in zero voltage switching of the active switch. Then the energy of the snubber capacitor is retrieved by a recovery capacitor connected to the tapped inductor. Different from most conventional soft switching converters that need at least two active switches, the proposed converter requires only one active switch such as JFET and MOSFET to guarantee ZVZCS operation for wide operating ranges of duty cycle, load current, and input voltage. The voltage stress of the active switch is always less than the load voltage, and soft switching turn-on and off is achieved without cumbersome current or voltage sensing, which could not be obtained from quasi-resonant converters that also have an active switch. Furthermore, the dc voltage gain of the proposed converter is quite robust against load change and is determined only by duty cycle like a canonical boost converter; hence, it can be even open-loop controlled. All the diodes are in ZVZCS as well, and all the components except an output diode have the voltage stress less than the load voltage. In this paper, the voltage stress of the output diode was selected to have two times the load voltage. A detailed analysis for the continuous conduction mode and the design procedures of the proposed converter is fully established, and experimentally verified for a 450-W prototype over the input voltage of 100-250 V, achieving 98.1% of maximum efficiency at the switching frequency of 100 kHz with a SiC JFET. Due to its versatile soft switching characteristics, the proposed scheme can be generally applied to high-frequency and high-efficiency dc-dc converters as well as power factor correctors.
Intraplaque hemorrhage and progression of coronary atheroma.

BACKGROUND Intraplaque hemorrhage is common in advanced coronary atherosclerotic lesions. The relation between hemorrhage and the vulnerability of plaque to disruption may involve the accumulation of free cholesterol from erythrocyte membranes. METHODS We stained multiple coronary lesions from 24 randomly selected patients who had died suddenly of coronary causes with an antibody against glycophorin A (a protein specific to erythrocytes that facilitates anion exchange) and Mallory's stain for iron (hemosiderin), markers of previous intraplaque hemorrhage. Coronary lesions were classified as lesions with pathologic intimal thickening, fibrous-cap atheromas with cores in an early or late stage of necrosis, or thin-cap fibrous atheromas (vulnerable plaques). The arterial response to plaque hemorrhage was further defined in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis. RESULTS Only traces of glycophorin A and iron were found in lesions with pathologic intimal thickening or fibrous-cap atheromas with cores in an early stage of necrosis. In contrast, fibroatheromas with cores in a late stage of necrosis or thin caps had a marked increase in glycophorin A in regions of cholesterol clefts surrounded by iron deposits. Larger amounts of both glycophorin A and iron were associated with larger necrotic cores and greater macrophage infiltration. Rabbit lesions with induced intramural hemorrhage consistently showed cholesterol crystals with erythrocyte fragments, foam cells, and iron deposits. In contrast, control lesions from the same animals had a marked reduction in macrophages and lipid content. CONCLUSIONS By contributing to the deposition of free cholesterol, macrophage infiltration, and enlargement of the necrotic core, the accumulation of erythrocyte membranes within an atherosclerotic plaque may represent a potent atherogenic stimulus. These factors may increase the risk of plaque destabilization.
Hyperpolarizing and depolarizing GABAA receptor-mediated dendritic inhibition in area CA1 of the rat hippocampus.

1. gamma-Aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor-mediated inhibition of pyramidal neuron dendrites was studied in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice preparation with the use of intracellular and extracellular recording and one-dimensional current source-density (CSD) analysis. 2. Electrical stimulation of Schaffer collateral/commissural fibers evoked monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and population EPSPs, which were followed by biphasic inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs). In the presence of the excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX) and D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV), stimulation in stratum radiatum evoked monosynaptic fast, GABAA and late, GABAB receptor-mediated IPSPs and fast and late positive field potentials recorded in s. radiatum. 3. Fast monosynaptic IPSPs and fast positive field potentials evoked in the presence of DNQX and APV were reversibly abolished by the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline methiodide (BMI; 30 microM) and were not changed by the GABAB receptor antagonist P-[3-aminopropyl]-P-diethoxymethylphosphinic acid (CGP 35,348; 0.1-1.0 mM). CGP 35,348 (0.1 mM) reversibly blocked late monosynaptic IPSPs and late positive field potentials. These results suggest that fast field potentials are GABAA receptor-mediated population IPSPs (GABAA, fast pIPSPs) and that late field potentials are GABAB receptor-mediated population IPSPs (GABAB, late pIPSPs). 4. Fast pIPSPs were reversibly abolished when the extracellular Cl- concentration [( Cl-]o) was reduced from 132 to 26 mM in parallel with a depolarizing shift in the reversal potential of fast IPSPs. Paired or repetitive stimulation in s. radiatum reversibly depressed fast pIPSPs and fast IPSPs. Paired-pulse depression of fast pIPSPs was reversibly antagonized by CGP 35,348 (0.4-0.8 mM). 5. Laminar analysis of s. radiatum-evoked fast pIPSPs and one-dimensional CSD analysis revealed active current sources in s. radiatum and passive current sinks in s. oriens and s. lacunosum moleculare. S. radiatum sources were abolished by pressure application of BMI in s. radiatum but not in s. oriens. Stimulation in s. oriens, s. pyramidale, or s. lacunosum moleculare evoked GABAA current sources horizontal to the stimulation site. Changes in the dendritic location of inhibitory current with changes in stimulus location paralleled changes in the distribution of excitatory current. 6. In the presence of 4-aminopyridine (50-100 microM), DNQX and APV long-lasting depolarizing GABAA receptor-mediated responses (LLDs) occurred spontaneously or could be evoked. Current sinks associated with s. radiatum-evoked LLDs were located in the same dendritic area as sources associated with hyperpolarizing fast IPSPs. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Electrical and pharmacological properties of mammalian neuroglial cells in tissue-culture

Neuroglial cells growing in short-term tissue-cultures of mammalian brain were impaled with microelectrodes under microscopic visual control. All the membrane potentials were internally negative with a mean value of - 31 mV. They were reversibly depolarized by raising the external potassium ion concentration in the presence of low, normal and high chloride concentrations. No effect on glial membrane potentials was obtained by applying acetylcholine, adrenaline, noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine, sodium glutamate or barium ions. The ‘response’ of these cells to extracellular stimulation through saline-filled glass micropipettes has been analysed. Its properties were similar to those reported by other workers, the mean amplitude being 8.0 mV and the mean half-time of repolarization 1.5 s. Typical stimulus parameters were a 3 ms cathodal current pulse of 40 μA intensity, delivered through a pipette of 10 μm tip diameter placed 10 μm away from the cell membrane. These stimuli had a powerful mechanical component (due to electro-osmosis and electrophoresis) which could cause visible mechanical damage to the cells. The ‘response’ could easily be obtained in HeLa cells and fibroblasts; it was not abolished by local anaesthetics or by sodium substitutes; and it could not be elicited by intracellular stimuli causing less than 200 mV displacement of membrane potential in either direction. On the other hand, the ‘response’ could readily be produced by purely mechanical percussion of the cell membrane, or by displacement of the membrane potential to a level sufficient to cause demonstrable dielectric breakdown (above 250 mV in either direction). The ‘response’ thus did not resemble regenerative responses in other excitable tissues, but did resemble closely the known effects of mechanical and of dielectric breakdown of cell membranes. The evidence showed that the ‘response’ in tissue-cultured cells was due largely to mechanical breakdown of the cell membrane. Since the membrane behaves passively, the term ‘response’ should be abandoned; the phenomenon is an artifact and has no neurophysiological significance. In the intact brain (where a similar ‘response’ has been reported by other workers), the mechanical pulse would be absent, and it is suggested that there the effect might be due to dielectric breakdown. The input resistance of glial cells ranged from 0.5 to 10.5 MΩ (mean = 4.2 MΩ). It was not feasible to estimate the specific membrane resistance.
Resin luting materials: Tissue response in dog's teeth

The aim of this study was to evaluate radiographically and histologically the pulpal and periapical response to self‐adhesive (Rely X™ Unicem) and self‐etching and self‐curing (Multilink®) resin‐based luting materials in deep cavities in dogs' teeth. Deep class V cavities (0.5‐mm–thick dentin) were prepared in 60 canine premolars and the following materials were applied on cavity floor: Groups I/V—RelyX™ Unicem; Groups II/VI—Multilink®; Groups III/VII—zinc phosphate cement (control) and; Groups IV/VIII—gutta‐percha (control). Cavities were restored with silver amalgam. Animals were euthanized after 10 days (groups I–IV) and 90 days (groups V–VIII). Tooth/bone blocks were radiographed and processed for histopathological evaluation of pulp and periapical tissue response to the materials. All materials presented similar histopathological features and radiographic findings at both periods. The pulp tissue was intact. The apical and periapical regions and periodontal ligament thickness were normal. No inflammatory cells, resorption of mineralized tissue (dentin, cementum, and alveolar bone) or bacteria were observed. The lamina dura was intact and no areas of periapical bone rarefaction or internal/external root resorption were observed radiographically. It can be concluded that Rely X™ Unicem and Multilink® caused no adverse tissue reactions and may be indicated for cementation of indirect restorations in deep dentin cavities without pulp exposure. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:1098–1103, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.