Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin C Acutely Affects Brain Perfusion and Mastication-Induced Perfusion Asymmetry in the Principal Trigeminal Nucleus

Prolonged mastication may induce an asymmetric modification of the local perfusion of the trigeminal principal nucleus. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible influence of vitamin C (vit. C) on such effect. Four groups of healthy volunteers underwent arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) to evaluate the local perfusion of the trigeminal nuclei after a vit. C-enriched lunch or a control lunch. Two ASL-MRI scans were acquired, respectively, before and after a 1 h-long masticating exercise or a 1 h long resting period. The results showed (i) an increased global perfusion of the brain in the vit. C-enriched lunch groups, (ii) an increased local perfusion of the right principal trigeminal nucleus (Vp) due to mastication, and (iii) a reduction of the rightward asymmetry of the Vp perfusion, due to mastication, after the vit C-enriched meal compared to the control meal. These results confirmed a long-lasting effect of prolonged mastication on Vp perfusion and also suggest a possible effect of vit. C on cerebral vascular tone regulation. Moreover, the data strongly draw attention on the side-to-side relation in Vp perfusion as a possible physiological parameter to be considered to understand the origin of pathological conditions like migraine.
Critical Roles of PIWIL1 in Human Tumors: Expression, Functions, Mechanisms, and Potential Clinical Implications

P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA molecules that are 24–31 nucleotides in length. PiRNAs are thought to bind to PIWI proteins (PIWL1-4, a subfamily of Argonaute proteins), forming piRNA/PIWI complexes that influence gene expression at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels. However, it has been recently reported that the interaction of PIWI proteins with piRNAs does not encompass the entire function of PIWI proteins in human tumor cells. PIWIL1 (also called HIWI) is specifically expressed in the testis but not in other normal tissues. In tumor tissues, PIWIL1 is frequently overexpressed in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues. Its high expression is closely correlated with adverse clinicopathological features and shorter patient survival. Upregulation of PIWIL1 drastically induces tumor cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, cancer stem-like properties, tumorigenesis, metastasis and chemoresistance, probably via piRNA-independent mechanisms. In this article, we summarize the current existing literature on PIWIL1 in human tumors, including its expression, biological functions and regulatory mechanisms, providing new insights into how the dysregulation of PIWIL1 contributes to tumor initiation, development and chemoresistance through diverse signaling pathways. We also discuss the most recent findings on the potential clinical applications of PIWIL1 in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Increased sCD163 and sCD14 Plasmatic Levels and Depletion of Peripheral Blood Pro-Inflammatory Monocytes, Myeloid and Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Patients With Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia

Background Emerging evidence argues that monocytes, circulating innate immune cells, are principal players in COVID-19 pneumonia. The study aimed to investigate the role of soluble (s)CD163 and sCD14 plasmatic levels in predicting disease severity and characterize peripheral blood monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs), in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (COVID-19 subjects). Methods On admission, in COVID-19 subjects sCD163 and sCD14 plasmatic levels, and peripheral blood monocyte and DC subsets were compared to healthy donors (HDs). According to clinical outcome, COVID-19 subjects were divided into ARDS and non-ARDS groups. Results Compared to HDs, COVID-19 subjects showed higher sCD163 (p<0.0001) and sCD14 (p<0.0001) plasmatic levels. We observed higher sCD163 plasmatic levels in the ARDS group compared to the non-ARDS one (p=0.002). The cut-off for sCD163 plasmatic level greater than 2032 ng/ml was predictive of disease severity (AUC: 0.6786, p=0.0022; sensitivity 56.7% [CI: 44.1–68.4] specificity 73.8% [CI: 58.9–84.7]). Positive correlation between plasmatic levels of sCD163, LDH and IL-6 and between plasmatic levels of sCD14, D-dimer and ferritin were found. Compared to HDs, COVID-19 subjects showed lower percentages of non-classical (p=0.0012) and intermediate monocytes (p=0.0447), slanDCs (p<0.0001), myeloid DCs (mDCs, p<0.0001), and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs, p=0.0014). Compared to the non-ARDS group, the ARDS group showed lower percentages of non-classical monocytes (p=0.0006), mDCs (p=0.0346), and pDCs (p=0.0492). Conclusions The increase in sCD163 and sCD14 plasmatic levels, observed on hospital admission in COVID-19 subjects, especially in those who developed ARDS, and the correlations of these monocyte/macrophage activation markers with typical inflammatory markers of COVID-19 pneumonia, underline their potential use to assess the risk of progression of the disease. In an early stage of the disease, the assessment of sCD163 plasmatic levels could have clinical utility in predicting the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia.
Microbiome or Infections: Amyloid-Containing Biofilms as a Trigger for Complex Human Diseases

The human microbiota is the community of microorganisms that live upon or within their human host. The microbiota consists of various microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea; the gut microbiota is comprised mostly of bacteria. Many bacterial species within the gut microbiome grow as biofilms, which are multicellular communities embedded in an extracellular matrix. Studies have shown that the relative abundances of bacterial species, and therefore biofilms and bacterial byproducts, change during progression of a variety of human diseases including gastrointestinal, autoimmune, neurodegenerative, and cancer. Studies have shown the location and proximity of the biofilms within the gastrointestinal tract might impact disease outcome. Gram-negative enteric bacteria secrete the amyloid curli, which makes up as much as 85% of the extracellular matrix of enteric biofilms. Curli mediates cell-cell attachment and attachment to various surfaces including extracellular matrix components such as fibronectin and laminin. Structurally, curli is strikingly similar to pathological and immunomodulatory human amyloids such as amyloid-β, which has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, α-synuclein, which is involved in Parkinson's disease, and serum amyloid A, which is secreted during the acute phase of inflammation. The immune system recognizes both bacterial amyloid curli and human amyloids utilizing the same receptors, so curli also induces inflammation. Moreover, recent work indicates that curli can participate in the self-assembly process of pathological human amyloids. Curli is found within biofilms of commensal enteric bacteria as well as invasive pathogens; therefore, evidence suggests that curli contributes to complex human diseases. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on how bacterial biofilms containing curli participate in the pathological and immunological processes in gastrointestinal diseases, systemic autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Involvement of Parvalbumin-Positive Neurons in the Development of Hyperalgesia in a Mouse Model of Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) presents as chronic systemic pain, which might be ascribed to central sensitization, in which pain information processing is amplified in the central nervous system. Since patients with FM display elevated gamma oscillations in the pain matrix and parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons play a critical role in induction of gamma oscillations, we hypothesized that changes in PV-positive neurons are involved in hyperalgesia in fibromyalgia. In the present study, to investigate a role of PV-positive neurons in neuropathic pain, mice received reserpine administration for 3 consecutive days as an animal model of FM (RES group), while control mice received vehicle injections in the same way (VEH group). The mice were subjected to hot-plate and forced swim tests, and immuno-stained PV-positive neurons were counted in the pain matrix. We investigated relationships between PV-positive neuron density in the pain matrix and pain avoidance behaviors. The results indicated that the mice in the RES group showed transient bodyweight loss and longer immobility time in the forced swim test than the mice in the VEH group. In the hot-plate test, the RES group showed shorter response latencies and a larger number of jumps in response to nociceptive thermal stimulus than the VEH group. Histological examination indicated an increase in the density of PV-positive neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in the RES group. Furthermore, response latencies to the hot-plate were significantly and negatively correlated with the density of PV-positive neurons in the S1. These results suggest a critical role for PV-positive neurons in the S1 to develop hyperalgesia in FM.
The Cervical Cancer Research Network (Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup) roadmap to expand research in low- and middle-income countries

Cervical cancer is a global health problem which disproportionally affects women in low- and middle- income countries. The World Health Organization recently launched its global strategy to eliminate this disease in the next two decades. For those women diagnosed today with cervical cancer better strategies are needed to improve outcome and reduce treatment-related morbidity. Clinical trials are critical to shaping future treatment, and much has been achieved already. However, such opportunities are limited in low resource settings, and the Cervical Cancer Research Network is dedicated to expanding access to new technologies in surgery, radiation, and medical oncology. In this article we review the status of the trials portfolio and outline future objectives, including the launch of a number of research grants for aspiring or established researchers in low- and middle-income settings
Title: Plasma Amino Acids Metabolomics’ Profile Important for Glucose Management in Jordanian people with Type 2 Diabetes Running title: Amino acids in type 2 diabetes

Background: The disturbances in plasma free amino acid metabolome in diabetes mellitus was studied before but not in Jordanian population. This study aimed to assess the association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and amino acid metabolome in a representative group of people from Jordan. Methods: Blood samples from 124 people with T2D and 67 age-, genderand BMImatched healthy controls were collected and assayed for glucose and HbA1c. Twenty one amino acids belonging to different categories (essential, non-essential, semiessential, and metabolic indicators) were evaluated in both groups using amino acids analyser. Results: Plasma free amino acids concentrations of total amino acids, total essential amino acids, total non-essential amino acids, and total semi-essential amino acids were not different in T2D compared to healthy controls. However, plasma concentrations of four essential amino acids (Leucine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan) were increased in the presence of T2D (Leucine, p<0.01, Lysine, p<0.001, Phenylalanine, p<0.01, Tryptophan, p<0.05). Conversely, amongst the nonessential amino acids, Alanine and Serine were reduced in type 2 diabetes (Alanine, p<0.01, Serine, p<0.001), whereas, Aspartate and Glutamate were increased in T2D compared to healthy control plasma (Aspartate, p<0.001, Glutamate, p<0.01) . A semiessential amino acid, Cystine, was also increased in T2D compared to healthy controls (p<0.01). Citrulline, a metabolic indicator amino acid, demonstrated lower plasma concentration in T2Dcompared to healthy controls (p<0.01). Conclusion: Several amino acids from different categories are dysregulated in T2D, which could be used as a therapeutic target to improve T2D management and its complications.
VISCOSITY EVALUATION FOR NMR WELL LOGGING OF LIVE HEAVY OILS

Well log NMR T2 measurements of bitumen appear to be significantly longer than the laboratory results. This is likely due to the dissolved gas in bitumen. The T2 distribution depends on oil viscosity and dissolved gas saturation, which may vary throughout the field. Therefore, a method to determine the solution gas and the in-situ viscosity from NMR logs would be very useful in heavy oil and bitumen reservoir development. The viscosity and laboratory NMR measurements were made on the recombined live bitumen sample and the Brookfield oil (synthetic oil, 100% Poly-Alpha-Olefin) as a function of dissolved gas concentrations. The effects of three major reservoir gases (CH4, CO2, C2H6) on the viscosity and T2 response of these two heavy oils at different saturation pressures were investigated. The measured T2 of live heavy oil is significantly larger than the T2 of dead oil, even at the lowest pressure level in this work (~ 100 psia). The live oil T2 is found to have a linear correlation with both saturation pressure and gas concentration on semi-log scale for all three gases. Our calculations show that, at same saturation pressure, CO2 generally has the largest solubility among the three gases especially at the lower pressures, while CH4 appears to be the least soluble. However, considering the efficiency of these three gases on changing the oil T2, the effect of C2H6 or CH4 on the T2 change are close to each other, while CO2 has a much less significant impact for the same amount of dissolved gas (in moles). The investigations on live oil viscosity show that, regardless of the gas type used for saturation, the live oil T2 correlates with viscosity/temperature ratio on loglog scale. More importantly, the changes of T2 and viscosity/temperature ratio caused by solution gas follows the same trend of those caused by temperature variations on the dead oil. This conclusion holds for both bitumen and the synthetic Brookfield oil. This interesting finding on the relationship between the oil T2 and its corresponding viscosity/temperature ratio creates a way for in-situ viscosity evaluation of heavy oil through NMR well logging.
ANALYTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ROMAN PLASTERS OF THE ‘DOMUS FARINI’ IN MODENA*

The paper refers to the analytical characterization of Roman painted plasters dating back to the second century ad. The following techniques were used: optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM–EDS), micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies (µ-Raman and FT–IR), X-ray diffraction (XRPD), colorimetry and thermal analyses (TG/DTA). The investigation analysed the chemical composition and structure of the plasters, the chemical composition of the pigment layers, the use of binders and any chemical alteration of pigments as well as deterioration of the samples. Stratigraphic analysis of plasters allowed identification of their individual components, which proved helpful in finding out more about the mural painting technique employed.
Kinetic and Equilibrium Study for the Fluoride Adsorption using Pyrophyllite

Batch adsorption study was carried out to remove excess fluoride from water using pyrophyllite. Result showed that adsorption of fluoride was rapid in first 20 min and thereafter increased slowly to reach the equilibrium in about 2 hrs. About 85% removal efficiency was obtained within 2 hrs at an adsorbent dose of 4 g/L for initial fluoride concentration of 10 mg/L. Maximum fluoride adsorption takes place at pH 4.9. Thermodynamic parameters such as Gibb's free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°), and entropy (ΔS°) changes were determined for the adsorption process. Negative ΔH° value signified that the adsorption process was exothermic in nature. From the kinetic study it was found that fluoride adsorption by pyrophyllite followed pseudo-second-order kinetics with an average rate constant of 0.92 g/mg · min. Intraparticle diffusion model was studied to determine the rate limiting step of the adsorption process. The system followed the Langmuir isotherm with maximum adsorption capacity of 2.2 mg/g of fluoride.
Configuration interaction calculations for two‐electron atoms in a spherical box

We report calculations of the ground state (1S) correlation energy for the two electron systems He, Li+, and Be2+ when they are compressed in a spherical box with infinite potential barriers. The calculations were performed using a 41 term configuration interaction expansion generated by a 6s4p4d orbital basis. It is found that although there is an increase in the correlation energy when the sphere radius becomes smaller, this increase is extremely small with respect to the change in total energy. This fact is discussed within the context of the z−1 expansion for the energy. We also discuss the similarity between the compression process induced on an atom by increasing its nuclear charge and by the process employed in this work.
Use of Fermented Black Beans Combined with Rice To Develop a Nutritious Weaning Food

Common beans are an important source of energy and nutrients, but have significant amounts of antinutritional factors and a limited digestibility. A nutritious weaning food was developed by combining fermented black beans and rice. Raw beans were coarsely ground, soaked, cooked, fermented with Rhizopus oligosporus for 15, 20, or 25 h, and then homogenized to obtain a supernatant and a precipitate. Raw, cooked, and fermented beans, and the precipitates were chemically characterized and the data statistically analyzed to choose an optimum fermentation time to develop the weaning food product. Ash and mineral contents of the beans decreased after soaking and in the precipitates. Cooking improved protein digestibility and decreased the levels of lectin and trypsin inhibitor. The oligosaccharide content of beans fermented 25 h was lower than in the other treatments. The weaning food product (27% 25 h fermented beans, dry weight/73% cooked rice, dry weight) had an in vitro protein digestibility of 86% and a ver.
Estimation of geometric and mechanical properties of seeds of Polish cultivars and lines representing selected species of pulse crops

A b s t r a c t. The attempt was made at estimation of mechanical loads on seeds, taking into account their geometric properties. Material chosen for the study comprised 24 Polish cultivars and lines of pulse crops representing four species of lupine, sowing and edible pea, vetch, lentil, and grasspea. The initial material for the experiments were air-dry seeds obtained directly from breeders from Polish plant breeding centres. This ensured high level of genetic purity as well as high homogeneity of seed batches. The first stage of the study included determinations of moisture and mass of 1 000 seeds, as well as their geometric parameters, followed by static loading tests. Moisture content of the seeds did not exceed 10%, and mass of 1 000 seeds determined at that moisture level was from 2.02 g for vetch cv. Alba to 31.7 g for white lupine cv. Boros. Among the four lupine cultivars the smallest seeds were characteristic of Andean lupine. Apart from the obvious cultivar-related differences among the various seeds in terms of the mass of 1 000 seeds, the study revealed a high degree of differentiation in the resistance of the seeds to static loading. The observed differences concerned not only inter-variety differences, but also intra-variety differences related with the varied genetic origin of the cultivars and lines as a result of using various parent materials in the breeding process. K e y w o r d s: pulse crops, seed geometry, static loading of seeds, cultivars, lines
Mean absorption coefficients of air plasmas

Mean absorption coefficients of air (both Planck and Rosseland mean) have been computed for different splitting procedures of the whole frequency interval (1013 – 6×1015 s−1) and various temperatures (1 000 – 30 000 K). Results have been compared and discussed to find the optimal values of mean absorption coefficients for the multigroup method of solution of the equation of radiation transfer.
Geometries and segregation properties of platinum–palladium nanoalloy clusters

A detailed study is made of Pt, Pd and Pt–Pd bimetallic clusters, (PtPd)M, with up to 56 atoms, modelled by the many-body Gupta potential. A Genetic Algorithm is used to find the lowest energy structures for each nuclearity and composition. A variety of structure types (icosahedral, decahedral, fcc close-packed and disordered) are observed for Pt clusters. The Pd clusters have similar geometries to those of Pt, though more icosahedral clusters and fewer disordered structures are found than for Pt. Global minima are generally more difficult to find for the bimetallic Pt–Pd clusters, due to the presence of homotops (structures with identical geometries but with different arrangements of the Pt and Pd atoms) as well as geometrical isomers. The structures found for the bimetallic clusters are different to those of either of the pure element clusters, with more decahedral structures and fewer icosahedra. Segregation is observed in the Pt–Pd clusters, with most having Pt-rich cores and Pd-rich surfaces. This is explained in terms of the lower surface energy of Pd and the higher cohesive energy of Pt. Doping of Pt atoms into Pd clusters (and vice versa) is found to lead to significant changes in cluster geometry. The effect of varying the Pt–Pd parameters of the Gupta potential on the geometrical structures and atomic segregation in Pt–Pd clusters is investigated and the parameters obtained by averaging the Pt–Pt and Pd–Pd parameters are found to give best agreement with experiment. Our results are generally in good agreement with previous experimental and theoretical studies of Pt, Pd and Pt–Pd clusters and related alloy systems.
Removal of SO2 over Modified Activated Carbon in Fixed Bed Reactor: II.Effect of Process Variables on the Characteristics of Mass Transfer Zone

Adsorption of sulfur dioxide (SO2) onto NiO supported activated carbon (Ni/AC)in fixed bed reactor under different operating conditions was studied. Using 7Ni/AC catalyst, the effect of two process variables: namely gas flow rate(80 ≤ Q ≤ 290l/h equivalent to superficial gas velocity 263 ≤ Vg ≤ 955 cm/min) and bed height(4 ≤ H ≤ 8)cm on the desulfurization activity and the characteristics of mass transfer zone(MTZ) were investigated. Breakthrough curves for SO2 under various adsorption conditions were obtained and some characteristic parameters such as breakthrough time ( τ0.05), exhaustion time(τ0.95)and length of mass transfer zone (LMTZ) were derived from these breakthrough curves. The experimental results revealed that on increasing gas rate for all bed heights two regions are developed.