Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Periodontitis activates the nlrp3 inflammasome in serum and saliva.

BACKGROUND Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing protein-3 (NLRP3) complex inflammasome has potentially been shown to play an important role in the development of periodontitis and diabetes. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between serum and salivary NLRP3 concentrations in patients with periodontitis and type-II diabetes mellitus (DM) and to evaluate whether this association was influenced by potential confounders. METHODS For the present study, a cohort of healthy controls (n = 32), and patients with periodontitis (n = 34), type-II DM (n = 33), and a combination of periodontitis + type-II DM (n = 34) were enrolled. Patients were characterized on the basis of their periodontal status and analyzed for demographic characteristics, serum mediators, and for serum and salivary concentrations of NLRP3. A uni- and multivariate model was established to analyze whether periodontitis, type-II DM, and CRP influenced serum and salivary NLRP3 concentrations. RESULTS In comparison to type-II DM patients and healthy controls, patients with periodontitis (serum, p = 0.003; saliva p = 0.012) and periodontitis + type-II DM (serum, p = 0.028; saliva, p = 0.003) had elevated serum and salivary NLRP3 concentrations. The multivariate regression model showed that periodontitis (p = 0.029) and HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.012) were significant predictors of serum NLRP3 concentrations while periodontitis (p = 0.036) and CRP (p = 0.012) were significant predictors of salivary NLRP3. CONCLUSION The results of the present study showed that periodontitis and periodontitis + type-II DM patients had higher serum and salivary NLRP3 concentrations in comparison to healthy controls and patients with type-II DM. Periodontitis was demonstrated to be a significant predictor of both serum and salivary NLRP3 concentrations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
OxDNA.org: a public webserver for coarse-grained simulations of DNA and RNA nanostructures

Abstract OxDNA and oxRNA are popular coarse-grained models used by the DNA/RNA nanotechnology community to prototype, analyze and rationalize designed DNA and RNA nanostructures. Here, we present oxDNA.org, a graphical web interface for running, visualizing and analyzing oxDNA and oxRNA molecular dynamics simulations on a GPU-enabled high performance computing server. OxDNA.org automatically generates simulation files, including a multi-step relaxation protocol for structures exported in non-physical states from DNA/RNA design tools. Once the simulation is complete, oxDNA.org provides an interactive visualization and analysis interface using the browser-based visualizer oxView to facilitate the understanding of simulation results for a user’s specific structure. This online tool significantly lowers the entry barrier of integrating simulations in the nanostructure design pipeline for users who are not experts in the technical aspects of molecular simulation. The webserver is freely available at oxdna.org.
Effect of Bi4Zr3O12 on the properties of (KxNa1-x)NbO3 based ceramics

KNN-based ceramics modified with small amounts of Bi4Zr3O12 (BiZ) has been synthesized using high-throughput experimentation (HTE). The results from X-ray diffraction show that for samples with base composition (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN), the phase present changes from orthorhombic to pseudo-cubic with more than 0.2 mol% BiZ addition; for samples with base composition (K0.48Na0.48Li0.04)(Nb0.9Ta0.1)O3 (KNNLT), the phase present changes from a mixture of orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetry to pseudo-cubic with more than 0.4 mol % while for samples with base composition (K0.48Na0.48Li0.04)(Nb0.86Ta0.1Sb0.04)O3 (KNNLST), the phase present is tetragonal with < 0.3 mol% BiZ addition and transforms to pseudo-cubic with more dopant addition. The microstructures of the samples show that addition of BiZ decreases the average grain size and increases the volume of pores at the grain boundaries. The values of dielectric constant for KNN and KNNLT compositions increase slightly with BiZ addition while that for KNNLST decreases gradually with BiZ addition. The dielectric loss values are between 0.02 and 0.04 for KNNLT and KNNLST compositions while they are ˜ 0.05 for KNN samples. The resistivity values increases with BiZ addition and values in the range of 1010 ω
Improving Delivery Behaviors During Exposure Therapy: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Training Trial with Community Therapists

ABSTRACT This study tested whether a new training tool, the Exposure Guide (EG), improved in-session therapist behaviors that have been associated with youth outcomes in prior clinical trials of exposure therapy. Sixteen therapists in practice settings treated 46 youths with an anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Therapists were randomly assigned to receive “gold-standard” exposure therapy training with weekly consultation (GS) or “gold-standard” training with weekly consultation plus the EG (EG). The primary outcome was therapist behavior during in-session exposures, observed using a validated coding system. Secondary outcomes included training feasibility/acceptability and observer-rated patient fear habituation; we also explored independent evaluator-rated clinical outcome. As hypothesized, therapists used similarly high rates of exposure with patients in both groups, but those in the EG condition used more fear-increasing behaviors and fewer fear-decreasing behaviors compared with those in the GS condition. Attendance data and therapist feedback support EG feasibility and acceptability. Patients treated by EG-trained therapists showed increased rates of in-session habituation. Descriptive clinical outcome data showed a slightly higher treatment response rate in the EG group (66.7% EG, 58.8% GS) that was more pronounced among patients completing a posttreatment assessment (83.3% EG, 60.0% GS). Results confirm the effectiveness of EG training for improving therapist delivery behaviors. Future studies will be needed to determine whether EG training can improve rates of patient treatment response via improved delivery behaviors. Public Health Significance: This study shows that the Exposure Guide, a therapist training tool, improves therapist delivery of exposure.
Thermoelastic non-linear flutter oscillations of rectangular plate

Abstract In this paper the stability of a rectangular plate in a supersonic flow in the presence of a temperature field, inhomogeneous across the thickness, is investigated. The temperature field inhomogeneity across the thickness leads to the buckling of the plate, and this buckled state is considered as the initial unperturbed state. Governing equations and boundary conditions are obtained for the unperturbed and perturbed states. The corresponding linear analysis leads to the stability conditions of unperturbed state of the thermal-fluid-elastic structure system. The stability boundary is determined as function of the flow speed, the middle surface temperature, and the temperature gradient normal to the plane. It is shown that the temperature field and the flow speed have interdependencies and regulate the stability process. It is also shown that the temperature field significantly affects the critical flutter speed. The nonlinear stability is also investigated, both cubic geometrical non-linearity and aerodynamic non-linearity of both quadratic and cubic types are considered. Compared with the case without thermal field, this study shows for the first time the existence of new types of “amplitude-frequency” limit cycles.
Cellular senescence inhibits renal regeneration after injury in mice, with senolytic treatment promoting repair

Senescent renal epithelia promote fibrosis and functional loss after injury, whereas depletion improves regeneration in aged or irradiated kidneys. Removing senescent cells restarts renal regeneration Senescent cells are metabolically active, permanently growth-arrested cells associated with aging and age-related illnesses. Mylonas et al. studied whether senescent cells contribute to the reduced regeneration seen in aged and injured kidneys and whether depletion of these cells using the compound ABT-263 improved kidney function and repair after injury. They found that ABT-263 targeted senescent proximal tubular epithelial cells, and in aged mouse models of acute kidney injury, treatment resulted in improved functional recovery and reduced fibrosis. Experiments using irradiation to induce cellular senescence in young mice showed similar results after acute kidney injury. Senescent cells therefore represent a potential target to protect the kidneys. The ability of the kidney to regenerate successfully after injury is lost with advancing age, chronic kidney disease, and after irradiation. The factors responsible for this reduced regenerative capacity remain incompletely understood, with increasing interest in a potential role for cellular senescence in determining outcomes after injury. Here, we demonstrated correlations between senescent cell load and functional loss in human aging and chronic kidney diseases including radiation nephropathy. We dissected the causative role of senescence in the augmented fibrosis occurring after injury in aged and irradiated murine kidneys. In vitro studies on human proximal tubular epithelial cells and in vivo mouse studies demonstrated that senescent renal epithelial cells produced multiple components of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype including transforming growth factor β1, induced fibrosis, and inhibited tubular proliferative capacity after injury. Treatment of aged and irradiated mice with the B cell lymphoma 2/w/xL inhibitor ABT-263 reduced senescent cell numbers and restored a regenerative phenotype in the kidneys with increased tubular proliferation, improved function, and reduced fibrosis after subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury. Senescent cells are key determinants of renal regenerative capacity in mice and represent emerging treatment targets to protect aging and vulnerable kidneys in man.
Gene therapy restores dopamine transporter expression and ameliorates pathology in iPSC and mouse models of infantile parkinsonism

Viral vectors restore dopamine transporter function and ameliorate neuropathology in iPSC-derived neurons and a mouse model of infantile parkinsonism. Delivering a transporter Dopamine transporter deficiency syndrome (DTDS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by biallelic loss-of-function mutations in SLC6A3, the gene encoding the dopamine transporter (DAT). There is no effective treatment for this disease and the pathophysiology is still unclear; patients develop infantile parkinsonism that often leads to premature death. Here, Ng et al. developed a gene therapy for DTDS using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and a mouse model. Delivery of human SLC6A3 improved DAT activity and reduced neurodegeneration in vitro in iPSC-derived neurons. In vivo, injection of SLC6A3 in the midbrain of adult DTDS mice using an adeno-associated virus vector had therapeutic effects, suggesting that the approach might be effective in patients. Most inherited neurodegenerative disorders are incurable, and often only palliative treatment is available. Precision medicine has great potential to address this unmet clinical need. We explored this paradigm in dopamine transporter deficiency syndrome (DTDS), caused by biallelic loss-of-function mutations in SLC6A3, encoding the dopamine transporter (DAT). Patients present with early infantile hyperkinesia, severe progressive childhood parkinsonism, and raised cerebrospinal fluid dopamine metabolites. The absence of effective treatments and relentless disease course frequently leads to death in childhood. Using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), we generated a midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neuron model of DTDS that exhibited marked impairment of DAT activity, apoptotic neurodegeneration associated with TNFα-mediated inflammation, and dopamine toxicity. Partial restoration of DAT activity by the pharmacochaperone pifithrin-μ was mutation-specific. In contrast, lentiviral gene transfer of wild-type human SLC6A3 complementary DNA restored DAT activity and prevented neurodegeneration in all patient-derived mDA lines. To progress toward clinical translation, we used the knockout mouse model of DTDS that recapitulates human disease, exhibiting parkinsonism features, including tremor, bradykinesia, and premature death. Neonatal intracerebroventricular injection of human SLC6A3 using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector provided neuronal expression of human DAT, which ameliorated motor phenotype, life span, and neuronal survival in the substantia nigra and striatum, although off-target neurotoxic effects were seen at higher dosage. These were avoided with stereotactic delivery of AAV2.SLC6A3 gene therapy targeted to the midbrain of adult knockout mice, which rescued both motor phenotype and neurodegeneration, suggesting that targeted AAV gene therapy might be effective for patients with DTDS.
Effect of pH and Contact Time on the Adsorption of Pb(II) by Kapok Wood (Ceiba pentandra) Sawdust Based Biosorbent

With rapid industrial development, the water pollution due to industrial wastewater discharge also increases. Wastewater containing heavy metals such as Lead (Pb(II)) has been one of the serious global issues. It is because lead has a high level of toxicity and very harmful to the environment as well as human body even at low level of concentration. One of the emerging methods for removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution is called biosorption. It is adsorption process using biomass-based adsorbent or can be called biosorbent. One of biomass material that can be used for the biosorbent for removal of Pb(II) is Kapok wood sawdust. In this study, biosorbent based Kapok sawdust has been successfully prepared. The effects of pH and contact time on the adsorption performance of the biosorbent have been studied. The adsorption tests were carried out with variations in pH 4, 5, 6, and 7 and with variations in contact time of 30, 60, and 90 minutes. The amout of Pb(II) adsorbed was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The adsorption test results showed that the equilibrium contact time required for the biosorbent to absorb Pb(II) was 60 minutes, while the pH optimum was achieved at pH = 7. Furthermore, from the adsorption test results, it has also been concluded that the optimum adsorption capacity (qe) 4.83 mg/g and removal percentage (96.6%) was achieved by Adsorbent A (i.e. Kapok sawdust biosorbent activated with 0.2 M HNO3).
Evaluation of antioxidant activity, total phenolics and phytochemical content of selected varieties of karonda fruits (Carissa carandas)

Karonda (Carissa carandas L.) is a hardy, drought tolerant, low maintenance shrub, whose berries under-utilized but have potential to be promoted in the wastelands of India, and thus be of succour to farmers. The fruits are astringent due to high pectin content and therefore popular only as preserves. In this study the total phenol, flavonoid and anthocyanin contents and their individual components in three promising table collections of karonda: variety Konkan Bold, and promising collections CHES K-II/7 and CHES K-V/8 compared, and correlated with the antioxidant activity as determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and Ferric reducing antioxidantpotential. The results indicated that these karonda collections are moderately good sources of phenols, flavonols and anthocyanins, the amounts of phenols and flavonoids correlated positively with the antioxidant activity. The phytochemical profile of individual components of the phenolic acids, revealed high concentrations of vanillic, protocatechuic, t-cinnamic, ferulic, chlorogenic, 2,4-dihydroxy benzoic, syringic and salicylic acids; flavonoids rutin,myricetin and umbelliferone; and glucosides of the anthocyanins cyanidin and pelargonidin. Further, CHES K-V/8 and CHES K-II/7 in addition to having favourable horticultural traits was superior to Konkan Bold, and may be recommended for release as varieties with health promoting polyphenols and antioxidant activity.
Desiccation Induced Shrinkage of Compacted Lateritic Soil Treated via Enzymatic Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Technique

Exploring the biological process to enhance the engineering properties of soil have received enormous recognition in recent years. Enzymatic induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) is one of the bio-inspired methods of utilizing free urease to precipitates calcite from urea and calcium ions for bettering the geotechnical properties of poor soils. In this research, the EICP technique was used to improve the volumetric shrinkage strain of compacted soil liner. In this work, the residual soil was treated with various concentrations of cementations ranging from 0.25 to 1.0 M, and the soil was subjected to Atterberg limit tests, compaction test using British standard light (BSL) and reduced British standard light (RBSL) and desiccation drying volumetric shrinkage strain test. The study's findings revealed a remarkable improvement in the liquid limit and plasticity index of the treated residual soils compared to natural soil. It was also found that the volumetric shrinkage strain of the treated soil reduces progressively from 5.24% of natural to 1.49% at 1.0 M cementation solution when the soils were prepared at 0% OMC and BSL compaction effort. Based on the consideration of permissible VSS of less than 4%, the best treatment was obtained at 1.0 M for both BSL and RBSL prepared samples. Similarly, the best compaction plane is found in the treated with 1.0 M cementation solution.
Effect of Palm Oil Fuel Ash on the Strength and Ammonium By-Product Removal of Biocemented Sandy Soil

Enzyme induced calcite precipitation (EICP) or biocementation has rapidly evolved in the last decade as an environmentally friendly ground improvement technique. In EICP, plant-derived urease enzyme is used to trigger the hydrolysis of urea in the presence of calcium ions to produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitate within the soil matrix. Despite the advancement in soil improvement technology via biocementation, there are still concerns about the fate of the ammonium produced as one of the by-products. Therefore, this study performed an experimental investigation to ascertain that using palm oil fuel ash (POFA) might reduce the amount of ammonia produced as a result of biocementation. The soil was mixed with POFA at different percentages (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5%) by dry weight of the soil. The effectiveness of the treatment process was evaluated by conducting the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and the ammonium removal efficiency. Results show that the strength and ammonium removal efficiency of the biocemented soil decreased and increased, respectively, with an increase in the percentage of POFA. The highest UCS of 161 kPa was obtained at 3% POFA content, while the lowest concentration of ammonium of 0.71 mg/L was at 5% POFA content.
Study of Phase Purity of Eu2-xCexCuO4 Synthesized by Solid State Method without Annealing Process

The samples of Eu2-xCexCuO4 (ECCO) with x = 0.10, 0.13, 0.17 and 0.20 have been synthesized by the solid reaction method without annealing process [1,2]. Each sample is covered by CuO powder to prevent excess oxygen entering the sample during heating process. The purpose of this research is to study the crystal structure and the level of phase purity in ECCO samples in the wide ranges of doping concentration of ECCO. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization showed that the main peaks of T' tetragonal structure were observed in all samples. From the XRD analysis, it was found that the level of phase purity of ECCO was 100 % for x = 0.10, 100 % for x = 0.13, 79.5. % for x = 0.17, and 79.1 % for x = 0.20, respectively. For the lattice constant, it is found that both a and c-axis did not change significantly as the concentration increased. These results show that the synthesis method with CuO covering has succeeded in synthesizing materials with high phase purity although the constants do not change significantly when the concentration increased. However, there are some impurity phases found in high concentration of x that is probably due to the existence of excess oxygen, which was not fully absorbed by CuO Covering.
Optimizations of the Sintering Temperature to Reduce the Nd3RuO7 Phase and Investigations of their Effect on the Magnetic Properties in Nd2Ru2O7

One of the pyrochlore systems, Nd2Ru2O7, shows unique magnetic properties and can be a candidate of the electrocatalyst material for industrial applications. This system shows magnetic anomalies around 1.8 K, 21 K, and 146 K. The anomaly at 21 K is suggested to be coming from the impurity component of Nd3RuO7 and is still debatable. To investigate the effects of impurities on the magnetic properties of this sample, we synthesized some samples (labelled as Sample-I and II) using the solid-state reaction method with different heat treatment conditions and measured the magnetic susceptibility. We found that low sintering temperatures generated impurity phases of raw materials and Nd3RuO7. We also confirmed that those impurity phases were able to be reduced by optimizing heat treatment conditions. The optimum temperature for the sintering process should not be higher than 1000°C. The higher sintering temperatures yield more Nd3RuO7 impurity phases. Magnetic susceptibility measurements showed that samples with Nd3RuO7 impurity phases exhibited a peak around 21 K in the zero field-cooled condition accompanied by a broad peak around 12 K in the field-cooled condition indicating the appearance of Nd3RuO7.
The Effect of pH and Monomer Concentration on Polyaniline Thin Films Grown Using Electrodeposition

Polyaniline (PANI) thin films were successfully prepared from an aqueous electrolyte bath containing aniline and sulphuric acid (H2SO4) using electrodeposition method. The present study demonstrates that the properties of PANI thin film depends on the variation of pH and aniline concentration in prepared precursor. The optical and structural of PANI thin films were characterized using UV-Visible spectrometer (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction spectrometer (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectrometer (FTIR) and Raman spectrometer. PANI layer grown at pH 2.00 displayed green colour layer which denoted as emeraldine base (half oxidized state of PANI) while at pH 3.80 the colour of PANI layer was yellow representing the leucoemeraldine base (fully reduced state of PANI). Result obtained from FTIR confirmed the footprint of PANI and Raman spectrometer confirmed the half oxidized emeraldine base of PANI. Optical analysis using UV-Vis demonstrated the smallest energy band gap, Eg of PANI is 3.54 eV for sample with 0.50 M aniline concentration and pH 2.00. The trend shows that the bandgap of PANI is increased as the pH increased from 2.00 to 3.80. XRD result showed that all the deposited PANI layers were amorphous. Full characterization of this material is providing some information on PANI behavior due to pH and concentration in the prepared precursor.