Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of baicalin-loaded liposomes

Baicalin (BA) is a major constituent of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, a medicinal herb. Previous pharmacokinetic studies of BA showed its low oral bioavailability. The aim of the present study was to develop a novel BA-loaded liposome (BA-LP) to enhance oral bioavailability. BA-LP, composed of BA, Tween® 80, Phospholipon® 90H, and citric acid at weight ratio of 96/50/96/50, respectively, was prepared by the effervescent dispersion technique and characterized in terms of morphology, size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and the in vitro release. Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution studies were carried out in rats after oral administration of BA-LP and a carboxymethyl cellulose suspension containing BA (BA-CMC) as a control. BA-LP exhibited a spherical shape by transmission electron microscopy observation. BA-LP had a mean particle size of 373±15.5 nm, zeta potential of −20.1±0.22 mV, and encapsulation efficiency of 82.7%±0.59%. The BA-LP showed a sustained-release behavior, and the in vitro drug-release kinetic model fit well with the Weibull distribution equation: lnln (1/(1−Q)) =0.609 lnt −1.230 (r=0.995). The oral bioavailability and the peak concentration of the BA-LP was threefold and 2.82-fold that of BA-CMC, respectively. The in vivo distribution results indicated that drug concentrations were significantly increased in the liver, kidney, and lung in the case of BA-LP, which were 5.59-fold, 2.33-fold, and 1.25-fold higher than those of BA-CMC, respectively. In conclusion, the study suggested that BA-LP might be a potential oral drug delivery system to improve bioavailability of BA.
Dependence of ${V}_{\text {TH}}$ Stability on Gate-Bias Under Reverse-Bias Stress in E-mode GaN MIS-FET

In this letter, we investigated the threshold voltage <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> stability under reverse-bias step-stress in the E-mode LPCVD-SiN<sub>x</sub>/PECVD-SiN<sub>x</sub>/GaN MIS-FET. Under the OFF-state reverse-bias stress with the same net gate-to-drain voltage (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {GD}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>), the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> shift shows an obvious dependence on the negative gate bias. With a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {GS}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 0 V, the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> shift is small and recoverable, while the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> shifts are substantially larger with more negative gate bias (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {GS}}=-20$ </tex-math></inline-formula> V). This larger <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> shifts caused by the negative <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {GS}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> can be explained with a hole-induced degradation model. An important indication revealed by this model is that negative gate bias should be well confined in high-power switching applications of GaN E-mode MIS-FET for a stable <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>.
Ancestral Gene Flow and Parallel Organellar Genome Capture Result in Extreme Phylogenomic Discord in a Lineage of Angiosperms

Abstract While hybridization has recently received a resurgence of attention from systematists and evolutionary biologists, there remains a dearth of case studies on ancient, diversified hybrid lineages—clades of organisms that originated through reticulation. Studies on these groups are valuable in that they would speak to the long‐term phylogenetic success of lineages following gene flow between species. We present a phylogenomic view of Heuchera, long known for frequent hybridization, incorporating all three independent genomes: targeted nuclear (˜400,000 bp), plastid (˜160,000 bp), and mitochondrial (˜470,000 bp) data. We analyze these data using multiple concatenation and coalescence strategies. The nuclear phylogeny is consistent with previous work and with morphology, confidently suggesting a monophyletic Heuchera. By contrast, analyses of both organellar genomes recover a grossly polyphyletic Heuchera,consisting of three primary clades with relationships extensively rearranged within these as well. A minority of nuclear loci also exhibit phylogenetic discord; yet these topologies remarkably never resemble the pattern of organellar loci and largely present low levels of discord inter alia. Two independent estimates of the coalescent branch length of the ancestor of Heuchera using nuclear data suggest rare or nonexistent incomplete lineage sorting with related clades, inconsistent with the observed gross polyphyly of organellar genomes (confirmed by simulation of gene trees under the coalescent). These observations, in combination with previous work, strongly suggest hybridization as the cause of this phylogenetic discord.
Trophic Activity of Human P2X7 Receptor Isoforms A and B in Osteosarcoma

The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is attracting increasing attention for its involvement in cancer. Several recent studies have shown a crucial role of P2X7R in tumour cell growth, angiogenesis and invasiveness. In this study, we investigated the role of the two known human P2X7R functional splice variants, the full length P2X7RA and the truncated P2X7RB, in osteosarcoma cell growth. Immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue array of human osteosarcomas showed that forty-four, of a total fifty-four tumours (81.4%), stained positive for both P2X7RA and B, thirty-one (57.4%) were positive using an anti-P2X7RA antibody, whereas fifteen of the total number (27.7%) expressed only P2X7RB. P2X7RB positive tumours showed increased cell density, at the expense of extracellular matrix. The human osteosarcoma cell line Te85, which lacks endogenous P2X7R expression, was stably transfected with either P2X7RA, P2X7RB, or both. Receptor expression was a powerful stimulus for cell growth, the most efficient growth-promoting isoform being P2X7RB alone. Growth stimulation was matched by increased Ca2+ mobilization and enhanced NFATc1 activity. Te85 P2X7RA+B cells presented pore formation as well as spontaneous extracellular ATP release. The ATP release was sustained in all clones by P2X7R agonist (BzATP) and reduced following P2X7R antagonist (A740003) application. BzATP also increased cell growth and activated NFATc1 levels. On the other hand cyclosporin A (CSA) affected both NFATc1 activation and cell growth, definitively linking P2X7R stimulation to NFATc1 and cell proliferation. All transfected clones also showed reduced RANK-L expression, and an overall decreased RANK-L/OPG ratio. Mineralization was increased in Te85 P2X7RA+B cells while it was significantly diminished in Te85 P2X7RB clones, in agreement with immunohistochemical results. In summary, our data show that the majority of human osteosarcomas express P2X7RA and B and suggest that expression of either isoform is differently coupled to cell growth or activity.
Dysregulation of energy metabolism in multiple sclerosis measured in vivo with diffusion-weighted spectroscopy

Objective: We employed diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DW-MRS), which allows to measure in vivo the diffusion properties of metabolites, to explore the functional neuro-axonal damage and the ongoing energetic dysregulation in multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Twenty-five patients with MS and 18 healthy controls (HC) underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DW-MRS. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of total N-acetyl-aspartate (tNAA) and creatine–phosphocreatine (tCr) were measured in the parietal normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and in the thalamic grey matter (TGM). Multiple regressions were used to compare metabolite ADCs between groups and to explore clinical correlations. Results: In patients compared with HCs, we found a reduction in ADC(tNAA) in the TGM, reflecting functional and structural neuro-axonal damage, and in ADC(tCr) in both NAWM and TGM, possibly reflecting a reduction in energy supply in neurons and glial cells. Metabolite ADCs did not correlate with tissue atrophy, lesional volume or metabolite concentrations, while in TGM metabolite ADCs correlated with clinical scores. Conclusion: DW-MRS showed a reduction in tCr diffusivity in the normal-appearing brain of patients with MS, which might reflect a state of ongoing energy dysregulation affecting neurons and/or glial cells. Reversing this energy dysregulation before neuro-axonal degeneration arises may become a key objective in future neuroprotective strategies.
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Growth: Role of Sex and Aneurysm Etiology

Background Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) outcomes are worse in women than men, although reasons for sex differences are unknown. Because faster TAA growth is a risk factor for acute aortic syndromes, we sought to determine the role of sex and aneurysm etiology on TAA growth. Methods and Results Eighty‐two consecutive unoperated subjects with TAA who had serial aneurysm measurements were recruited. In multivariable linear regression the association of female sex with aneurysm growth rate was assessed after adjustment for potential confounders. We also tested the interaction term sex×aneurysm etiology in the prediction of TAA growth. Seventy‐four percent of subjects were men; mean±SD age was 62.4±11.9 years in men and 67.7±10.7 years in women (P=0.06). Forty‐seven (57%) subjects had degenerative TAAs, and the remainder had heritable TAAs. Absolute baseline aneurysm size and follow‐up time were not different between men and women. Aneurysm growth rate was 1.19±1.15 mm/y in women and 0.59±0.66 mm/y in men (P=0.02). Female sex remained significantly associated with greater aneurysm growth in multivariable analyses (β±SE: 0.35±0.12, P=0.005). In addition, female sex was associated with faster TAA growth only among those with degenerative TAA (β±SE: 0.33±0.08, P=0.0002) and not among those with heritable TAA (P=0.79), with a significant sex×etiology interaction (P=0.001). Conclusions TAA growth rates are greater in women than men, and this difference is specific to women with degenerative TAAs. Our findings may explain sex differences in TAA outcomes and provide a foundation for future investigations of this topic.
Ocean acidification affects iron speciation during a coastal seawater mesocosm experiment

Abstract. Rising atmospheric CO2 is acidifying the surface ocean, a process which is expected to greatly influence the chemistry and biology of the future ocean. Following the development of iron-replete phytoplankton blooms in a coastal mesocosm experiment at 350, 700, and 1050 μatm pCO2, we observed significant increases in dissolved iron concentrations, Fe(II) concentrations, and Fe(II) half-life times during and after the peak of blooms in response to CO2 enrichment and concomitant lowering of pH, suggesting increased iron bioavailability. If applicable to the open ocean this may provide a negative feedback mechanism to the rising atmospheric CO2 by stimulating marine primary production.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Plaque Morphology, Burden, and Distribution in Patients With Symptomatic Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis

Background and Purpose— Intracranial atherosclerosis is a major cause of ischemic stroke worldwide. Intracranial vessel wall imaging is an upcoming field of interest to assess intracranial atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated total intracranial plaque burden in patients with symptomatic middle cerebral artery stenosis, assessed plaque morphological features, and compared features of symptomatic and asymptomatic lesions using a 3T vessel wall sequence. Methods— Nineteen consecutive Chinese patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (mean age: 67 years; 7 females) with a middle cerebral artery stenosis were scanned at 3T magnetic resonance imaging; the protocol included a time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography and the T1-weighted volumetric isotropically reconstructed turbo spin echo acquisition sequence before and after (83%) contrast administration. Chi-square tests were used to assess associations between different plaque features. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results— Vessel wall lesions were identified in 18 patients (95%), totaling 57 lesions in 494 segments (12% of segments). Lesions were located primarily in the anterior circulation (82%). Eccentric lesions were associated with a focal thickening pattern and concentric lesions with a diffuse thickening pattern (P<0.001). When differentiating between asymptomatic and symptomatic lesions, an association (P<0.05) was found between eccentricity and asymptomatic lesions, but not for enhancement or a specific thickening pattern. Symptomatic lesions did not have any specific morphological features. Conclusions— Our results lead to a 2-fold conclusion: (1) The classification system of both thickening pattern and distribution of the lesion can be simplified by using distribution pattern only and (2) differentiation between symptomatic and asymptomatic atherosclerotic lesions was possible using intracranial vessel wall imaging.
Developing food sensory test system with preference test (Hedonic and Hedonic quality) wheat bread case study

Bread is a food source of carbohydrates that are often consumed by the community. Various types of bread were produced to meet consumer's curiosity, one of which is wheat bread. Manufacturers must be able to produce quality wheat bread and liked by consumers. Increasing the quality of bread will certainly have an impact on sales to be generated. One of the efforts in improving the quality of wheat bread is by doing the Hedonic test and Hedonic Quality test. This study aims to develop a system capable of providing an assessment of wheat bread. This study develops machine learning system with supervised learning algorithm, then using the results of the initial Organoleptic test as Knowledge-Based (KB). This test involved detection, recognition, discrimination, scaling and ability to express likes or dislikes (hedonic quality), using expert judgment. Hedonic quality is used as a variable for assessing wheat bread products with 4 variables, which include flavor, taste, appearance, and texture. While the hedonic test using two classes: likes or dislikes. This KB used as Naive Bayes Classifier algorithm initial knowledge, The test results using 10 fold shown average accuracy 98.8%, while the final goal of the development of this system will create a system capable of providing an assessment of a wheat bread product.
Low-Complexity Signal Detection for Generalized Spatial Modulation

Generalized spatial modulation (GSM), in which only part of the transmit antennas are activated in each time slot, was recently proposed as a trade-off between spatial modulation (SM) and vertical Bell laboratories space-time (V-BLAST). Although the maximum likelihood (ML) detector is able to achieve the optimal performance, its exhaustive search leads to intractable computational complexity. In this letter, an efficient signal detection algorithm, termed ordered block minimum mean-squared error (OB-MMSE), is proposed for achieving near-ML performance with low complexity. On one hand, an ordering algorithm is proposed to sort the possible transmit antenna combinations (TACs). On the other hand, the possible signal vector for each ordered TAC is detected by block-MMSE equalization. Simulation results show that the proposed OB-MMSE detector provides similar performance to ML with near 80% reduction in complexity.
Epidemiological diagnosis of occupational fatigue in a fly-in fly-out operation of the mineral industry.

OBJECTIVE A prospective epidemiological study was conducted at a fly-in-fly-out mining operation in Australia to assess the dynamics of occupational fatigue and its potential risk factors. METHODS Performance and perceived fatigue were measured at the start/finish of each 12-h shift throughout the 28-day roster (10 days day shift work on-site, 5 days rest off-site, 8 days night shift work on-site and 5 days rest off-site) using the Mackworth Clock Vigilance test and the Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory, respectively. Additionally, major predisposing/reinforcing factors of fatigue were measured including a detailed sleep diary (length/quality of sleep, wake patterns), a diary on alcohol consumption and a general health/fitness questionnaire. RESULTS Of 55 production staff at the site 52 (95%) participated in the study. Significantly increased occupational fatigue was observed at concerning levels at the finish of night shifts 1-3 and from day shift 8 onwards. At the measured level, total hours of sleep (average 6.8 h per night) and number of standard drinks (average 1.5) were not significantly correlated with fatigue measurements. CONCLUSIONS A disturbed diurnal rhythm at the beginning of night shift and a roster of more than eight consecutive days were identified as the primary contributing factors to occupational fatigue in this setting. The observed magnitude of effects suggests adverse implications for safety as the effects on performance were beyond what would be expected at blood alcohol concentrations of 0.05%. The results of this study have been used to generate highly specific strategies to reduce fatigue in the workplace.
2MTF – IV. A bulk flow measurement of the local Universe

Using the 2MASS near-infrared photometry and high-signal-to-noise HI 21-cm data from the Arecibo, Green Bank, Nancay, and Parkes telescopes, we calculate the redshift-independent distances and peculiar velocities of 2018 bright inclined spiral galaxies over the whole sky. This project is part of the 2MASS Tully-Fisher survey (2MTF), aiming to map the galaxy peculiar velocity field within 100 h−1 Mpc, with an all-sky coverage apart from Galactic latitudes |b|<5◦. A χ2 minimization method was adopted to analyse the Tully–Fisher peculiar velocity field in J, H, and K bands, using a Gaussian filter. We combine information from the three wavebands, to provide bulk flow measurements of 310.9 ± 33.9 , 280.8 ± 25.0, and 292.3 ± 27.8 km s−1 at depths of 20, 30, and 40 h−1 Mpc, respectively. Each of these bulk flow vectors points in a direction similar to those found by previous measurements. At each of the three depths, the bulk flow magnitude is consistent with predictions made by the cold dark matter (CDM) model at the 1σ level. The maximum likelihood and minimum variance method were also used to analyse the 2MTF samples, giving similar results.
The Involvement of Endogenous Neural Oscillations in the Processing of Rhythmic Input: More Than a Regular Repetition of Evoked Neural Responses

It is undisputed that presenting a rhythmic stimulus leads to a measurable brain response that follows the rhythmic structure of this stimulus. What is still debated, however, is the question whether this brain response exclusively reflects a regular repetition of evoked responses, or whether it also includes entrained oscillatory activity. Here we systematically present evidence in favor of an involvement of entrained neural oscillations in the processing of rhythmic input while critically pointing out which questions still need to be addressed before this evidence could be considered conclusive. In this context, we also explicitly discuss the potential functional role of such entrained oscillations, suggesting that these stimulus-aligned oscillations reflect, and serve as, predictive processes, an idea often only implicitly assumed in the literature.
Risk Factors for Nosocomial Infection and Mortality in Burn Patients: 10 Years of Experience at a University Hospital

To evaluate the risk factors for nosocomial infection (NI) and mortality in a university hospital, 10-year data of burn patients were assessed retrospectively. The study was conducted at Erciyes University’s Burn Center during 2000 and 2009. The records of 1190 patients were obtained. Overall, 131 (11%) patients had 206 NIs with an incidence density of 14.7 infections/1000 patient days. Burn wound infection (n = 109, 53%) was the most common NI. High (%TBSA burned) and late excision were found to be the most significant risk factors for the development of NI. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequent causative microorganism. However, the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has increased in recent years with a prevalence of 47% in 2009. The carbapenem resistance of P. aeruginosa has decreased in recent years, whereas that of A. baumannii increased and it had a prevalence of 94% in the last year. Conversely, the most important risk factors for mortality were advanced age, high %TBSA and having an underlying disease. Prevention of NI is an important issue in burn units to reduce mortality rates. Early excision and wound closure are important therapeutic approaches for the prevention of burn wound infection.
TNF-α inhibits asbestos-induced cytotoxicity via a NF-κB-dependent pathway, a possible mechanism for asbestos-induced oncogenesis

Asbestos is the main cause of human malignant mesothelioma (MM). In vivo, macrophages phagocytize asbestos and, in response, release TNF-α and other cytokines that contribute to carcinogenesis through unknown mechanisms. In vitro, asbestos does not induce transformation of primary human mesothelial cells (HM); instead, asbestos is very cytotoxic to HM, causing extensive cell death. This finding raised an apparent paradox: How can asbestos cause MM if HM exposed to asbestos die? We found that asbestos induced the secretion of TNF-α and the expression of TNF-α receptor I in HM. Treatment of HM with TNF-α significantly reduced asbestos cytotoxicity. Through numerous technical approaches, including chemical inhibitors and small interfering RNA strategies, we demonstrate that, in HM, TNF-α activates NF-κB and that NF-κB activation leads to HM survival and resistance to the cytotoxic effects of asbestos. Our data show a critical role for TNF-α and NF-κB signaling in mediating HM responses to asbestos. TNF-α signaling through NF-κB-dependent mechanisms increases the percent of HM that survives asbestos exposure, thus increasing the pool of asbestos-damaged HM that are susceptible to malignant transformation. Cytogenetics supported this hypothesis, showing only rare, aberrant metaphases in HM exposed to asbestos and an increased mitotic rate with fewer irregular metaphases in HM exposed to both TNF-α and asbestos. Our findings provide a mechanistic rationale for the paradoxical inability of asbestos to transform HM in vitro, elucidate and underscore the role of TNF-α in asbestos pathogenesis in humans, and identify potential molecular targets for anti-MM prevention and therapy.