Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Chitosan for Preparation of Arbutin Nanoparticles as Skin Whitening

The arbutin loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by ionotropic gelation technique. Variations in chitosan concentration, pH of chitosan solution, volume ratios of chitosan/tripolyphosphate and weight ratios of arbutin/chitosan were systematically examined for their effect on the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles which were characterized by the zeta sizer and transmission electron microscope (TEM). These nanoparticles presented high arbutin loading efficiency. The entrapment efficiency increased with increasing arbutin/chitosan weight ratios. This study demonstrated that complexation between chitosan and TPP forms stable cationic nanoparticles for subsequent arbutin loading. Key word : Arbutin, Chitosan nanoparticle, Ionotropic gelation
THE REMARKABLE MOLECULAR CONTENT OF THE RED SPIDER NEBULA (NGC 6537)

Millimeter and sub-millimeter molecular-line observations of planetary nebula (PN) NGC 6537 (Red Spider) have been carried out using the Sub-Millimeter Telescope and the 12 m antenna of the Arizona Radio Observatory in the frequency range 86–692 GHz. CN, HCN, HNC, CCH, CS, SO, H2CO, HCO+ and N2H+, along with the J = 3 → 2 and 6 → 5 lines of CO and those of several isotopologues, were detected toward the Red Spider, estimated to be ∼1600 yr old. This extremely high excitation PN evidently fosters a rich molecular environment. The presence of CS and SO suggest that sulfur may be sequestered in molecular form in such nebulae. A radiative transfer analysis of the CO and CS spectra indicate a kinetic temperature of TK ∼ 60–80 K and gas densities of n(H2) ∼ 1–8 × 105 cm−3 in NGC 6537. Column densities of the molecules in the nebula and their fractional abundances relative to H2 ranged from Ntot ∼ 1016 cm−2 and f ∼ 10−4 for CO, to ∼7 × 1011 cm−2 and f ∼ 8 × 10−9 for the least abundant species, N2H+. For SO and CS, Ntot ∼ 2 × 1012 cm−2 and 1013 cm−2, respectively, with f ∼ 10−7 and 2 × 10−8. It was also found that HCN/HNC ≈ 2. A low 12C/13C ratio of ∼4 was measured, indicative of hot-bottom burning. These results, coupled with past observations, suggest that molecular abundances in PNe are governed principally by the physical and chemical properties of the individual object and its progenitor star, rather than nebular age.
Transcriptional response to hepatitis C virus infection and interferon‐alpha treatment in the human liver

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is widely used to investigate host–virus interactions. Cellular responses to HCV infection have been extensively studied in vitro. However, in human liver, interferon (IFN)‐stimulated gene expression can mask direct transcriptional responses to infection. To better characterize the direct effects of HCV infection in vivo, we analyze the transcriptomes of HCV‐infected patients lacking an activated endogenous IFN system. We show that expression changes observed in these patients predominantly reflect immune cell infiltrates rather than cell‐intrinsic pathways. We also investigate the transcriptomes of patients with endogenous IFN activation, which paradoxically cannot eradicate viral infection. We find that most IFN‐stimulated genes are induced by both recombinant IFN therapy and the endogenous IFN system, but with lower induction levels in the latter, indicating that the innate immune response in chronic hepatitis C is too weak to clear the virus. We show that coding and non‐coding transcripts have different expression dynamics following IFN treatment. Several microRNA primary transcripts, including that of miR‐122, are significantly down‐regulated in response to IFN treatment, suggesting a new mechanism for IFN‐induced expression fine‐tuning.
Systematic review: the global incidence and prevalence of peptic ulcer disease

Background Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is most commonly associated with Helicobacter pylori infection and the use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The management of H. pylori infection has improved radically in recent years; however, the prescription of ASA and NSAIDs has increased over the same period.
NEW APPROACHES TO WOOD QUALITY ASSESSMENT

XIV ABBREVIATIONS XVI CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Corewood 4 1.2 Defining corewood 5 1.3 Characteristic features of corewood 6 1.4 Compression wood 8 1.5 Variation in wood properties among trees 11 1.6 Factors affecting stiffness and stability 11 1.7 Hardwood eucalyptus 12 1.8 Tools to characterize wood properties 13 1.9 Selection age 15 1.10 Thesis aims and thesis structure 17 CHAPTER 2. AMBERLEY TRIALS 17 2.
A DYNAMIC NEWSBOY MODEL FOR OPTIMAL RESERVE MANAGEMENT IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS

This paper examines a dynamic version of the newsboy problem in which a decision maker must maintain service capacity from several sources to attempt to meet uncertain demand for a perishable good, subject to the cost of providing sufficient capacity, and penalties for not meeting demand. A complete characterization of the optimal outcome is obtained when normalized demand is modeled as Brownian motion. The centralized optimal solution is a function of variability in demand, production variables, and the cost of insufficient capacity. The results presented in this paper form a foundation for research on decentralized markets. In a companion paper it is shown that market prices show extreme volatility in the efficient decentralized market outcome.
Photoluminescence of ZnO Grown by Eclipse Pulsed Laser deposition

ZnO thin films and nanostructures were grown by eclipse pulsed laser deposition (EPLD) for the first time. On bare sapphire held at 600 ◦C, a complex nanostructured surface was formed when ablating a metallic Zn target in an oxygen ambient. Nanorods grown by a vapor-solid mechanism clumped together in well separated, micron-sized regions. Nanoscale pyramids with 6 fold symmetry formed between the nanorod clumps by vapor-liquid-solid growth. Strong photoluminescence (PL) was observed from the EPLD grown samples, an order of magnitude stronger than PLD grown nanorods formed under similar growth conditions. Low temperature PL was dominated by the I7 exciton, which still has an unknown origin. Excitation intensity dependence of I7 was drastically different than the rest of the nearby excitonic features, behavior which has not been previously reported for bound excitons in ZnO. I7 also showed large, seemingly random variations in intensity across the surface of each sample compared to the other nearby recombinations, suggesting a structural connection. Introduction of a buffer layer had a profound effect on the morphology and PL from EPLD grown ZnO from a metallic Zn target. Pt has a high melting temperature, which helped suppress the vapor-liquid-solid nanostructure growth resulting in thin-film formation. For standard PLD, the ZnO film showed large grains separated by cracks on the surface. Due to the reduced growth rate in the EPLD geometry, the ZnO layer had a high density of nanoscale pores, reminiscent of the porous Pt buffer layer. Strong PL emission, which was dominated by I7, was observed from the ZnO/Pt/Al2O3 which showed unusual blue/violet emission when the EPLD geometry was used for growth. Thin ZnO buffer layers deposited at reduced temperature also had a profound effect on EPLD grown ZnO, resulting in a random array of nanorods with alignment which was dependent on the growth temperature of the buffer layer. Buffer layers offer another dimension in the control over epitaxial structures and show large potential for EPLD growth of ZnO. Pb was the dominant impurity in the Zn targets used for EPLD growth, hinting at a Pb-related origin for the I7 peak. To explore this idea, hydrothermally grown bulk ZnO was ion-implanted with Pb and then annealed in oxygen at 600 ◦C to repair damage to the crystal. PL emission intensity was substantially reduced in the Pb-implanted ZnO but the line widths were preserved. No evidence of an I7 feature was seen for Pb concentrations of up to 0.10%, three orders of magnitude higher than the expected level in the EPLD grown ZnO. However, this does not rule out a Pb-related complex as the origin of I7 since Pb has complicated interations with the impurities and native defects in ZnO. Instead of I7, other sharp excitonic features were observed near the band edge. A bound exciton with a localization energy of 12.4± 0.2 meV was observed in the Pb-implanted samples and was attributed to neutral interstitial Pb donors. Pb-implantation produced a clear PL signature which is unique enough to unambiguously detect
Primary Pediatric Keratoplasty: Indications and Outcomes

Purpose: To evaluate patient characteristics, indications, and outcomes of pediatric keratoplasty, and to identify variables that may help predict poor surgical outcomes. Methods: The authors performed a retrospective chart review of penetrating keratoplasty performed in children 14 years and younger between 1991 and 2006. Primary keratoplasty data were used in the statistical analysis for graft survival. Results: A total of 106 penetrating keratoplasties were performed in 47 patients during the study interval. Sixty procedures were primary grafts, and the remaining were regrafts. Median follow-up was 4.4 years. The surgical indications included congenital opacities in 37 eyes (61.6%), acquired nontraumatic opacities in 13 eyes (21.7%), and acquired traumatic opacities in 10 eyes (16.7%). Overall graft survival at 1 year was 54%. There was no statistically significant difference in 1 year graft survival among the surgical indication categories (congenital opacities 54%, acquired nontraumatic 53%, acquired traumatic 48%, P = 0.8). Graft survival at 1 year was similar among the different age groups (48% for patients younger than 6 months, 67% for patients 6 months to 5 years, 51% for patients older than 5 years, P = 0.78). Patients with Peters' anomaly had similar graft survival rates to patients with other congenital opacities (67% vs 48% survival at 1 year, P = 0.78) Patients with pretransplant and/or posttransplant glaucoma had worse 1-year graft survival compared with patients without preoperative glaucoma (glaucoma 32% vs no glaucoma 70%, P = 0.02) Pretransplant and/or posttransplant glaucoma was the only independent predictor of worse graft survival in a multivariate analysis (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Pediatric penetrating keratoplasty has a fair overall prognosis for graft survival of approximately 50% at 1 year. Prekeratoplasty and/or postkeratoplasty glaucoma is associated with poorer long-term graft survival.
Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment

Aims We investigated whether sprint interval training (SIT) was a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve insulin sensitivity and other indices of cardiometabolic health to the same extent as traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). SIT involved 1 minute of intense exercise within a 10-minute time commitment, whereas MICT involved 50 minutes of continuous exercise per session. Methods Sedentary men (27±8y; BMI = 26±6kg/m2) performed three weekly sessions of SIT (n = 9) or MICT (n = 10) for 12 weeks or served as non-training controls (n = 6). SIT involved 3x20-second ‘all-out’ cycle sprints (~500W) interspersed with 2 minutes of cycling at 50W, whereas MICT involved 45 minutes of continuous cycling at ~70% maximal heart rate (~110W). Both protocols involved a 2-minute warm-up and 3-minute cool-down at 50W. Results Peak oxygen uptake increased after training by 19% in both groups (SIT: 32±7 to 38±8; MICT: 34±6 to 40±8ml/kg/min; p<0.001 for both). Insulin sensitivity index (CSI), determined by intravenous glucose tolerance tests performed before and 72 hours after training, increased similarly after SIT (4.9±2.5 to 7.5±4.7, p = 0.002) and MICT (5.0±3.3 to 6.7±5.0 x 10−4 min-1 [μU/mL]-1, p = 0.013) (p<0.05). Skeletal muscle mitochondrial content also increased similarly after SIT and MICT, as primarily reflected by the maximal activity of citrate synthase (CS; P<0.001). The corresponding changes in the control group were small for VO2peak (p = 0.99), CSI (p = 0.63) and CS (p = 0.97). Conclusions Twelve weeks of brief intense interval exercise improved indices of cardiometabolic health to the same extent as traditional endurance training in sedentary men, despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and time commitment.
Looking back

“We have for two years past been making use of the electric light, and our experience with it makes its use on a larger scale very desirable. Its safety, steadiness, agreeableness to the eye, its economy, and last, but not least — its educating power, have been fully demonstrated here, and I hope that we may secure the means necessary for a permanent use of the system. The cost, as nearly as we can now estimate, will be reduced by special terms, to $6000. ”
Nuclear-Localized Plastid DNA Fragments in Protozoa, Metazoa and Fungi

We analyzed nuclear-localized plastid-like DNA (nupDNA) fragments in protozoa, metazoa and fungi. Most eukaryotes that do not have plastids contain 40-5000 bp nupDNAs in their nuclear genomes. These nupDNA fragments are mainly derived from repeated regions of plastids and distribute through the whole genomes. A majority of nupDNA fragments is located on coding regions with very important functions. Similar to plastids, these nupDNAs most possibly originate from cyanobacteria. Analysis of them suggests that through millions of years of universal endosymbiosis and gene transfer they may have occurred in ancient protists before divergence of plants and animals/fungi, and some transferred fragments have been reserved till now even in modern mammals.
Characterization of pABVA01, a Plasmid Encoding the OXA-24 Carbapenemase from Italian Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii

ABSTRACT Two epidemiologically unrelated carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were investigated as representatives of the first Italian isolates producing the OXA-24 carbapenemase. Both isolates were of European clonal lineage II and carried an identical OXA-24-encoding plasmid, named pABVA01. Comparative analysis revealed that in pABVA01, blaOXA-24 was part of a DNA module flanked by conserved inverted repeats homologous to XerC/XerD binding sites, which in other Acinetobacter plasmids flank different DNA modules, suggesting mobilization by a novel site-specific recombination mechanism.
Stable isotope labeling confirms mixotrophic nature of streamer biofilm communities at alkaline hot springs

Streamer biofilm communities (SBC) are often observed within chemosynthetic zones of Yellowstone hot spring outflow channels, where temperatures exceed those conducive to photosynthesis. Nearest the hydrothermal source (75–88°C) SBC comprise thermophilic Archaea and Bacteria, often mixed communities including Desulfurococcales and uncultured Crenarchaeota, as well as Aquificae and Thermus, each carrying diagnostic membrane lipid biomarkers. We tested the hypothesis that SBC can alternate their metabolism between autotrophy and heterotrophy depending on substrate availability. Feeding experiments were performed at two alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park: Octopus Spring and “Bison Pool,” using various 13C-labeled substrates (bicarbonate, formate, acetate, and glucose) to determine the relative uptake of these different carbon sources. Highest 13C uptake, at both sites, was from acetate into almost all bacterial fatty acids, particularly into methyl-branched C15, C17 and C19 fatty acids that are diagnostic for Thermus/Meiothermus, and some Firmicutes as well as into universally common C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids. 13C-glucose showed a similar, but a 10–30 times lower uptake across most fatty acids. 13C-bicarbonate uptake, signifying the presence of autotrophic communities was only significant at “Bison Pool” and was observed predominantly in non-specific saturated C16, C18, C20, and C22 fatty acids. Incorporation of 13C-formate occurred only at very low rates at “Bison Pool” and was almost undetectable at Octopus Spring, suggesting that formate is not an important carbon source for SBC. 13C-uptake into archaeal lipids occurred predominantly with 13C-acetate, suggesting also that archaeal communities at both springs have primarily heterotrophic carbon assimilation pathways. We hypothesize that these communities are energy-limited and predominantly nurtured by input of exogenous organic material, with only a small fraction being sustained by autotrophic growth.
Attachment and Biofilm Formation by Salmonella in Food Processing Environments

During the last decades, it has become increasingly clear that bacteria, including foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella enterica, grow predominantly as biofilms in most of their natural habitats, rather than in planktonic mode. A biofilm can be broadly defined as a microbially derived sessile community characterized by cells that are irreversibly attached to a substratum or interface or to each other, are embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that they have produced, and exhibit an altered phenotype with respect to growth rate and gene transcription (Donlan & Costerton, 2002; Kuchma & O’Toole, 2000; Lazazzera, 2005; Shemesh et al., 2007). Interestingly, it has been observed that the resistance of biofilm cells to antimicrobials is significantly increased compared with what is normally seen with the same cells being planktonic (Gilbert et al., 2002; Mah & O’Toole, 2001). Thus, it is believed that biofilm formation enhances the capacity of pathogenic Salmonella bacteria to survive stresses that are commonly encountered both within food processing, as well as during host infection. In food industry, biofilms may create a persistent source of product contamination, leading to serious hygienic problems and also economic losses due to food spoilage (Brooks & Flint, 2008; Carpentier & Cerf, 1993; Ganesh Kumar & Anand, 1998; Lindsay & von Holy, 2006; Zottola & Sasahara, 1994). Improperly cleaned surfaces promote soil build-up, and, in the presence of water, contribute to the development of bacterial biofilms which may contain pathogenic microorganisms, such as Salmonella. Cross contamination occurs when cells detach from biofilm structure once food passes over contaminated surfaces or through aerosols originating from contaminated equipment. Till now, there is only limited information on the presence of Salmonella in biofilms in real food processing environments. However, numerous studies have shown that Salmonella can easily attach to various food-contact surfaces (such as stainless steel, plastic and cement) and form biofilms under laboratory conditions (Chia et al., 2009; Giaouris et al., 2005; Giaouris & Nychas, 2006; Hood & Zottola, 1997a,b; Marin et al., 2009; Oliveira et al., 2006; Rodrigues et al., 2011; Vestby et al., 2009a,b). The natural environments that most bacteria inhabit are typically complex and dynamic. Unfortunately, this complexity is not fully appreciated when growing microorganisms in monocultures under laboratory conditions. Thus, in real environments, biofilm communities
A contextual approach to the assessment of social skills: Identifying meaningful behaviors for social competence

An exploratory study was conducted which assessed behaviors that characterize social competence in the second and fifth grades. A contextual approach was used to gather information from second- and fifth-grade children and their parents and teachers regarding the behaviors they perceived to be important for getting along well with peers. Data were gathered from children through structured interviews with the researcher. Parents and teachers provided information through open-ended paper-pencil surveys. Qualitative methodology was used to analyze the data in this study. Specifically, a three-stage coding process derived from grounded theory was utilized (A. Strauss & J. Corbin, 1998). Triangulation, a technique common to qualitative research whereby multiple sources are used to verify themes identified from data, also was used throughout the coding process to enhance standards of rigor (J.W. Creswell, 1998). Results indicated substantial overlap among the types of behaviors reported by children, parents, and teachers in both grades. Likewise, a number of noteworthy similarities and differences were found among second- and fifth-grade sources. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for social skills assessment and intervention. Limitations and directions for future research also are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 173–187, 2005.
Constraint Programming Techniques for Optimal Instruction Scheduling

Modern processors have multiple pipelined functional units and can issue more than one instruction per clock cycle. This puts great pressure on the instruction scheduling phase in a compiler to expose maximum instruction level parallelism. Basic blocks and superblocks are commonly used regions of code in a program for instruction scheduling. Instruction scheduling coupled with register allocation is also a well studied problem to produce better machine code. Scheduling basic blocks and superblocks optimally with or with out register allocation is NP-complete, and is done sub-optimally in production compilers using heuristic approaches. In this thesis, I present a constraint programming approach to the superblock and basic block instruction scheduling problems for both idealized and realistic architectures. Basic block scheduling with register allocation with no spilling allowed is also considered. My models for both basic block and superblock scheduling are optimal and fast enough to be incorporated into production compilers. I experimentally evaluated my optimal schedulers on the SPEC 2000 integer and floating point benchmarks. On this benchmark suite, the optimal schedulers were very robust and scaled to the largest basic blocks and superblocks. Depending on the architectural model, between 99.991% to 99.999% of all basic blocks and superblocks were solved to optimality. The schedulers were able to routinely solve the largest blocks, including blocks with up to 2600 instructions. My results compare favorably to the best previous optimal approaches, which are based on integer programming and enumeration. My approach for basic block scheduling without allowing spilling was good enough to solve 97.496% of all basic blocks in the SPEC 2000 benchmark. The approach was able to solve basic blocks as large as 50 instructions for both idealized and realistic architectures within reasonable time limits. Again, my results compare favorably to recent work on optimal integrated code generation, which is based on integer programming.
Anal Melanoma

Anal melanoma is rare and aggressive malignancy. Patients commonly present with advanced, even metastatic disease. Unlike cutaneous melanoma, anal melanoma has no known risk factors. Surgical excision remains the cornerstone of therapy. There are no long-term survivors of stage II or III disease; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment remain crucial. There are no trials definitively proving abdominal perineal resection (APR) or wide local excision (WLE) to yield superior long-term survival. APR may offer a higher rate of local control, whereas WLE offers a much less morbid operation. Adjuvant chemotherapy, interferon, and radiation may offer some benefit.