Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Resident Empowerment on Intention to Participate in Financing: The Roles of Personal Economic Benefit and Negative Impacts of Tourism

ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to investigate residents’ intention of participating in financing for tourism by exploring sub-dimensions of resident empowerment, perceived personal economic benefit, and perceived negative impacts of tourism in their community. Based on this study, theoretical and empirical evidence of the relations among the six constructs are presented. Using structural equation modeling with the sample of residents from a rural tourist site, the results indicate that psychological empowerment has significant direct impacts on intention of participating in financing for tourism. Social and psychological empowerment has significant direct impacts on perceived personal economic benefit. Sub-dimensions of resident empowerment are negatively related to perceived negative impacts. Perceived personal economic benefit and perceived negative impacts are positively/negatively related to intention of participating in financing for tourism respectively. Finally, theoretical and practical implications, and limitations of this research are analyzed within the rural tourist site.
Blockade of β‐adrenoceptors restores the GRK2‐mediated adrenal α2‐adrenoceptor–catecholamine production axis in heart failure

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) hyperactivity is characteristic of chronic heart failure (HF) and significantly worsens prognosis. The success of β‐adrenoceptor antagonist (β‐blockers) therapy in HF is primarily attributed to protection of the heart from the noxious effects of augmented catecholamine levels. β‐Blockers have been shown to reduce SNS hyperactivity in HF, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not understood. The GPCR kinase‐2 (GRK2)–α2adrenoceptor–catecholamine production axis is up‐regulated in the adrenal medulla during HF causing α2‐adrenoceptor dysfunction and elevated catecholamine levels. Here, we sought to investigate if β‐blocker treatment in HF could lower SNS activation by directly altering adrenal GRK2 levels.
Automated detection, extraction and counting of acne lesions for automatic evaluation and tracking of acne severity

Acne Vulgaris is the most common skin disease and affects 85% of population at some point in life, typically in adolescence. Objective evaluation of acne severity is necessary to asses the efficacy of medical treatment procedures. Traditionally acne evaluation is done by dermatologists manually counting the number of acne lesions through visual inspection or scanning acquired images of the patient's skin. This method is time consuming and requires excessive effort by the physician. In this paper a prototype application for automatic acne detection, lesion counting and reporting through the processing of distance picture taken by mobile devices is developed. The pipeline of the application is composed of body part detection, skin segmentation, heat-mapping, acne extraction and blob detection. Body part detection is accomplished using different Haar-Cascade classifiers; frontal face, right profile, left profile and torso are discriminated. Skin segmentation has been performed using an ensemble of random forest models trained on a augmented version of the FSD dataset. The set of features was engineered combining colour, texture, spatial, shape and unsupervised descriptors and selected by a feature importance step. The a∗ channel of the CIELab colour space was used for enhance the visual contrast between inflamed zones and healthy skin. Finally acne extraction and blob detection were accomplished through Adaptive Thresholding and Laplacian of Gaussian filtering. Reports are generated containing number, position and ray size of the detected spots.
Phosphorylation of cyclic AMP‐response element–binding protein (CREB) is influenced by melatonin treatment in pancreatic rat insulinoma β‐cells (INS‐1)

Abstract: The pineal hormone melatonin exerts its influence on the insulin secretion of pancreatic islets by a variety of signalling pathways. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the impact of melatonin on the phosphorylated transcription factor cAMP‐response element–binding protein (pCREB). In pancreatic rat insulinoma β‐cells (INS‐1), pCREB immunofluorescence intensities in cell nuclei using digitised confocal image analysis were measured to semi‐quantify differences in the pCREB immunoreactivity (pCREB‐ir) caused by different treatments. Increasing concentrations of forskolin or 3‐isobutyl‐1‐methylxanthine (IBMX) resulted in a dose‐dependent rise of the mean fluorescence intensity in pCREB‐ir nuclear staining. Concomitant melatonin application significantly decreased pCREB‐ir in INS‐1 cells after 30‐min, 1‐hr and 3‐hr treatment. The melatonin receptor antagonists luzindole and 4‐phenyl‐2‐propionamidotetraline (4P‐PDOT) completely abolished the pCREB phosphorylation–decreasing effect of melatonin, indicating that both melatonin receptor isoforms (MT1 and MT2) are involved. In a transfected INS‐1 cell line expressing the human MT2 receptor, melatonin caused the greatest reduction in pCREB after IBMX treatment compared with nontransfected INS‐1 cells, indicating a crucial influence of melatonin receptor density on pCREB regulation. Furthermore, the downregulation of pCREB by melatonin is concomitantly associated with a statistically significant downregulation of Camk2d transcript levels, as measured after 3 hr. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that the phosphorylation level of CREB is modulated in pancreatic β‐cells by melatonin. Mediated via CREB, melatonin regulates the expression of genes that play an important functional role in the regulation of β‐cell signalling pathways.
Meta-analysis of amygdala volumes in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE The neurophysiological basis of bipolar disorder in youths remains poorly understood. Neurofunctional and neuropathologic studies have implicated the amygdala as a primary brain structure involved in the regulation of emotion. Because one of the cardinal features of bipolar disorder is mood dysregulation, structural and functional amygdala abnormalities identified with neuroimaging may serve as useful disease and treatment response biomarker. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis summarizing the literature examining amygdala size obtained from magnetic resonance imaging in bipolar youths and adults. METHOD A literature search using the National Institutes of Health's PubMed was conducted to identify published peer-reviewed neuroimaging studies of amygdala size in children, adolescents, and adults with bipolar disorder. Eleven studies that met inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. RESULTS Smaller amygdala volumes were found in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder compared with the control children and adolescents (standardized mean difference -0.74; 95% confidence interval -1.36 to -0.15). Amygdala volumes in bipolar adults were not significantly different from the control adults (standardized mean difference 0.20; 95% confidence interval -0.31 to 0.73). CONCLUSIONS The results of this meta-analysis suggest that structural amygdala abnormalities are present in bipolar youths but that these structural differences do not seem to be present in bipolar adults. Future studies examining whether structural, functional, and neurochemical amygdala differences between bipolar and control youths may be useful as age-specific biomarkers of illness and treatment response are needed.
Sirtuin-dependent reversible lysine acetylation of glutamine synthetases reveals an autofeedback loop in nitrogen metabolism

Significance Nitrogen availability influences morphogenesis, antibiotic production, and virulence/pathogenicity in actinomycetes. This work provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying nitrogen metabolism regulation. Glutamine synthetases (GlnA) were acetylated by the acetyltransferase AcuA, which was regulated by the nitrogen regulator GlnR. Acetylation inactivated GlnA4 (GSII). Acetylated GSI-β (GlnA1) exhibited a remarkable ability to directly interact with GlnR and enhance GlnR–DNA binding, thereby modulating target gene transcription in response to nitrogen availability. The results indicated that GSI-β plays a central and essential role in nitrogen metabolism through not only controlling glutamine synthesis but also serving as the nitrogen signal for GlnR activation. These findings substantively extend our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying nitrogen metabolism in actinobacteria, which include antibiotic-producing actinomycetes and pathogenic mycobacteria. In cells of all domains of life, reversible lysine acetylation modulates the function of proteins involved in central cellular processes such as metabolism. In this study, we demonstrate that the nitrogen regulator GlnR of the actinomycete Saccharopolyspora erythraea directly regulates transcription of the acuA gene (SACE_5148), which encodes a Gcn5-type lysine acetyltransferase. We found that AcuA acetylates two glutamine synthetases (GlnA1 and GlnA4) and that this lysine acetylation inactivated GlnA4 (GSII) but had no significant effect on GlnA1 (GSI-β) activity under the conditions tested. Instead, acetylation of GlnA1 led to a gain-of-function that modulated its interaction with the GlnR regulator and enhanced GlnR–DNA binding. It was observed that this regulatory function of acetylated GSI-β enzymes is highly conserved across actinomycetes. In turn, GlnR controls the catalytic and regulatory activities (intracellular acetylation levels) of glutamine synthetases at the transcriptional and posttranslational levels, indicating an autofeedback loop that regulates nitrogen metabolism in response to environmental change. Thus, this GlnR-mediated acetylation pathway provides a signaling cascade that acts from nutrient sensing to acetylation of proteins to feedback regulation. This work presents significant new insights at the molecular level into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of protein acetylation and nitrogen metabolism in actinomycetes.
Epidemiology of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United States, 1979-1990: analysis of national mortality data.

The trends and current incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was examined by using a unique and potentially high sensitive source for case ascertainment. We analyzed death certificate information for 1979-1990 from US multiple-cause-of-death mortality data, compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We evaluated death certificate data for US residents for whom CJD was listed as one of the multiple causes of death on the death certificate (046.1) from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (9th revision). Age-adjusted and age-specific CJD death rates by gender, race, and region were calculated to measure the disease incidence because of the rapidly fatal course of the disease for most patients with CJD. We identified 2,614 deaths with CJD listed on the death certificates. The average annual age-adjusted mortality rate was 0.9 deaths per million persons (range 0.8-1.1). The mean age at death was 67 years. CJD-related deaths were uncommon among persons younger than 50 years of age (4.3% of all deaths). The highest average annual mortality rate was for those persons aged 70-74 years (5.9 deaths per million persons). A slight majority (53.0%) of the deaths was in females, but the age-adjusted mortality rate was 1.2 times higher for males. Most deaths (94.8%) were in whites; the mortality rate for blacks was only 40% of that for whites. The age-adjusted CJD mortality rate in the United States is similar to published estimates of the crude incidence of CJD worldwide. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
FISH scoring on paraffin sections versus single-cell suspension for chromophobe renal carcinoma and renal oncocytoma.

BACKGROUND Sectioning of the nuclei on tissue sections may give an overestimate of monosomy, a feature diagnostic of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma versus renal oncocytoma. The aim of the study was to assess whether or not nuclear sectioning may distort the results obtained from interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) comparing the data obtained from analysis of isolated nuclei derived from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections with histological sections from the adjacent sections from the same tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Five chromophobe renal cell carcinomas and five renal oncocytomas were recruited. Sections of 5 μm and 30 μm were cut for FISH to investigate chromosomes 1, 2, 6 10 and 17. RESULTS FISH of isolated nuclei from renal oncocytomas showed a mean increase of 3.0% for nuclei with two signals when compared to tissue sections. For chromosomes 2, 6, 10 and 17, isolated nuclei showed a mean increase of 4.9% of fluorescent signals over nuclei from tissue sections. FISH analysis of isolated nuclei from chromophobe renal cell carcinoma showed a similar counts. CONCLUSION When a tumor section exhibits a borderline percentage of nuclei with single signals around the cut-off level on tissue sections, the test should be repeated on isolated nuclei to confirm chromosomal loss, diagnostic of chromophobe renal carcinoma.
Effect of proanthocyanidin treatment on the bonding effectiveness of adhesive restorations in pulp chamber.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the effect of proanthocyanidin (PA) treatment of the pulp chamber dentin after NaOCl and EDTA irrigation on the microleakage and interfacial morphology of adhesive restorations. STUDY DESIGN Pulp chambers of 66 extracted permanent molars were exposed. In half of the samples, pulp chamber dentin was bonded with Clearfil S3 after irrigation with normal saline (Group1a); 1% NaOCl and 17% EDTA (Group1b) or 1% NaOCl, 17% EDTA and 30% PA (Group1c) and in other half samples, pulp chamber dentin was bonded with Futurabond NR after irrigation with normal saline (Group 2a); 1% NaOCl and 17% EDTA (Group 2b) or 1% NaOCl, 17% EDTA and 30% PA (Group 2c). After adhesive procedures, Filtek Z 250 restorations were placed in the pulp chambers. Microleakage assessment was done in ten samples from each group and scanning electron microscopic examination was done in one sample from each group. Statistical analysis was done using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests at a significance level of P<0.05. RESULTS Both the adhesives showed extensive microleakage. NaOCl and EDTA irrigation had no significant effect on the microleakage of both the adhesives. PA treatment of the pulp chamber dentin after NaOCl and EDTA irrigation significantly reduced microleakage in both the adhesives. CONCLUSION It was concluded that 1 minute application of 30% proanthocyanidin solution in the pulp chamber after NaOCl and EDTA irrigation improved the subsequent bonding of self-etch adhesives to pulp chamber dentin.
Hepatoprotective action of an oleanolic acid‐enriched extract of Ligustrum lucidum fruits is mediated through an enhancement on hepatic glutathione regeneration capacity in mice

The fruits of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. (FLL) were fractionated into petroleum ether (FLL‐Pe), chloroform (FLL‐Ch), butanol (FLL‐Bu) and aqueous (FLL‐Aq) fractions, of which FLL‐Ch and FLL‐Bu were found to be enriched with oleanolic acid (OLA). The in vivo antioxidant activities of various FLL fractions and OLA were assessed by examining the effect on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)‐induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Pretreatment of animals with various FLL fractions could protect against CCl4‐induced hepatotoxicity to a varying degree, with OLA‐enriched FLL‐Bu and FLL‐Ch being more potent. However, a mortality rate of 60% was observed in the FLL‐Ch pretreated and CCl4‐intoxicated mice. OLA pretreatment also produced a dose‐dependent protection against CCl4 hepatotoxicity. The hepatoprotection afforded by FLL‐Bu or OLA pretreatment was associated with an enhancement of hepaticglutathione regeneration capacity (GRC). In contrast, the inability of FLL‐Aq pretreatment to enhance hepatic GRC resulted in a failure to prevent CCl4‐induced hepatic injury. The results suggest that the hepatoprotective action afforded by OLA‐enriched FLL‐Bu or OLA pretreatment may be mainly mediated by the enhancement of hepatic GRC, particularly under conditions of CCl4‐induced oxidative stress. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An indigenously designed apparatus for measuring orthodontic force.

AIM An indigenous apparatus is designed to measure the orthodontic force delivered from elastomeric chains and compare this force with values obtained from the Instron universal testing machine. MATERIAL AND METHODS An indigenously designed apparatus is developed to evaluate forces delivered by various orthodontic auxiliaries. The apparatus consists of a flat steel platform, movable arm, and a mounted screw gauge arm. Orthodontic brackets can be attached to these arms. An electric circuit is connected, to the movable arm, which will estimate the forces exerted between brackets with elastomeric chain. The circuit is connected to the signal conditioner which will display the reading. Elastomeric chain with four links is attached to the arms. The movable arm is adjusted to create orthodontic forces and calibrated on the digital displayer. Twenty Elastomeric chains are used and forces are calibrated with the indigenously designed apparatus. The values of the force is compared with the forces calibrated with Instron universal testing machine to compare the efficacy of the indigenous apparatus. RESULTS The force values obtained from activation of elastomeric chain segments, in the Instron universal testing machine and the indigenous apparatus were in the range of 100 to 150 grams, initially at 1mm activation then, took a steep rise to 300 to 350 grams at 5mm activation and then, had a gradual increase for the remaining 5mm activation, reaching 400 to 450 grams. CONCLUSION The Indigenous apparatus can be considered efficient in measuring tensile force generated by orthodontic auxiliaries.
Transcranial brain sonography findings in two main variants of progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) can occur with two main clinical presentations, classified as classical Richardson's syndrome (PSP‐RS) and as PSP‐parkinsonism (PSP‐P), the most common atypical PSP variant. The differential diagnosis between them is challenging. Therefore, we studied different ultrasound markers by transcranial sonography in individuals with PSP‐RS and PSP‐P, to test their value in the diagnostic work up of these patients.
Nanostructure Manipulation Device for Transmission Electron Microscopy: Application to Titania Nanoparticle Chain Aggregates

Experimental difficulties in studying nanostructures stem from their small size, which limits the use of traditional techniques for measuring their physical properties. We have developed a nanostructure manipulation device to apply tension to chain aggregates mounted in a transmission electron microscope. A 1-mm-long slit was cut in the center of a lead–tin alloy disc, measuring 3 mm in diameter and 200 μm in thickness. The disc was heated to about 140°C before it was pressed between two quartz slides. The disc was then thinned by mechanical dimpling and ion milling until holes developed around the slit. The edges of the slit were 0.2 to 3 μm in thickness while the gap between them was up to a few microns. This disc was bonded to the two plates of a cartridge. The slit could be widened or narrowed at controlled speeds of 0.5 to 300 nm/s. The system was tested using titania (TiO2) nanoparticle chain aggregates (NCA) deposited across the slit. The ends of the NCA remained attached to the edges of the slit, which was widened at about 0.7 nm/s. In this way, the NCA was stretched up to 176% of its initial length before breaking.
Intrauterine growth restriction predicts lower lung function at school age in children born very preterm

Objective Children born preterm have lower lung function compared with term-born children. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may predispose individuals to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The purpose of this observational study was to investigate the role of IUGR as predictor of lung function at school age in children born very preterm. We further studied the difference in lung function between term-born and preterm-born children with distinct morbidities. Design Preterm-born children and age-matched and sex-matched term-born comparison groups (88 of each) were studied at the mean age of 11 years. Spirometry and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) were recorded. All preterm-born subjects with IUGR (n=23), defined as birth weight less than −2 SD, were compared with preterm-born subjects without IUGR (n=65). Results In the preterm-born children exposed to IUGR, the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was 5.7 (95% CI −10.2 to −1.3) and DLCO 9.2 percentage points lower (95% CI −15.7 to −2.7) than in the preterm-born children with appropriate in utero growth (expressed as percentage of predicted values). The effect of IUGR in decreasing FEV1 and DLCO remained significant after adjustment for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Further study indicated that after adjustment with IUGR and BPD, prematurity explained reduction in FEV1 but not in DLCO. Conclusions In children born very preterm, IUGR is an independent risk factor for a lower lung function in school age. We propose that IUGR and BPD are the major early factors predisposing the children born very preterm to lower lung function.
Comparative bioequivalence study of rifampicin and isoniazid combinations in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE To assess the bioavailability of rifampicin (RMP) in three brands of combination formulations of anti-tuberculosis drugs. DESIGN A three-way double-blind, cross-over bioavailability study of RMP and isoniazid (INH), consisting of a comparison of a two-drug combination of tablets of RMP and INH each separately (reference brand R) and a tablet of RMP + INH (brand N), and a capsule of RMP + INH (brand L) was carried out in 12 healthy male volunteers. Coded plasma samples were analysed for levels of RMP as well as INH and acetylisoniazid (ACINH) by two high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. RESULTS The mean values of RMP in brand N (Cmax 6.49+/-0.52 microg/mL, Tmax 2.33+/-0.18 h, AUC(0-24h) 39.83+/-3.44 microg/mL.h) were comparable with those obtained with brand R (Cmax 5.22+/-0.59 microg/mL, Tmax 2.50+/-0.12 h, AUC(0-24h) 33.33+/-3.47 microg/mL.h). The mean values of RMP in brand L (Cmax 3.05+/-0.52 microg/ mL, Tmax 3.79+/-0.57 h and AUC(0-24h) 21.78+/-3.67 microg/ mL.h) were significantly different from those in brand R. Nevertheless, all of the pharmacokinetic parameters obtained for INH and ACINH in all three brands were comparable. CONCLUSION Using brand R as a comparison, brand N was bioequivalent and brand L was not bioequivalent.