Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of clay filled poly (butylene terephthalate) nanocomposites prepared by solution blending

Kaolin clay/poly (butylene terephthalate) (clay/PBT) composites films were prepared by solution casting technique. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) study showed that clay particles were well dispersed and embedded within the PBT matrix. The TGA thermograms showed that the thermal stability of PBT matrix was slightly improved by the incorporation of clay into the polymer matrix. The polarized optical microscopy (POM) study presented that the size of spherulites of PBT was decreased by the incorporation of clay into matrix, which might be due to nucleation effect of kaolin clay. The tensile strength and modulii of PBT polymer matrix were also significantly improved by the addition of clay polymer matrix. The solvent uptake study showed that the uptake of various solvents by clay/PBT nanocomposite were lower than neat PBT.
Localized Intrathecal Delivery of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Conditioned Medium Improves Functional Recovery in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury

It was recently shown that the conditioned medium (CM) of mesenchymal stem cells can enhance viability of neural and glial cell populations. In the present study, we have investigated a cell-free approach via CM from rat bone marrow stromal cells (MScCM) applied intrathecally (IT) for spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery in adult rats. Functional in vitro test on dorsal root ganglion (DRG) primary cultures confirmed biological properties of collected MScCM for production of neurosphere-like structures and axon outgrowth. Afterwards, rats underwent SCI and were treated with IT delivery of MScCM or vehicle at postsurgical Days 1, 5, 9, and 13, and left to survive 10 weeks. Rats that received MScCM showed significantly higher motor function recovery, increase in spared spinal cord tissue, enhanced GAP-43 expression and attenuated inflammation in comparison with vehicle-treated rats. Spared tissue around the lesion site was infiltrated with GAP-43-labeled axons at four weeks that gradually decreased at 10 weeks. Finally, a cytokine array performed on spinal cord extracts after MScCM treatment revealed decreased levels of IL-2, IL-6 and TNFα when compared to vehicle group. In conclusion, our results suggest that molecular cocktail found in MScCM is favorable for final neuroregeneration after SCI.
The Ala54Thr polymorphism of the fatty acid-binding protein 2 gene is associated with a change in insulin sensitivity after a change in the type of dietary fat.

BACKGROUND Insulin resistance, a condition associated with type 2 diabetes, results from the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. OBJECTIVE We examined the influence of the intestinal fatty acid-binding protein 2 (FABP2) Ala54Thr polymorphism on insulin sensitivity. DESIGN Fifty-nine healthy young subjects (28 were Ala54/Ala54, 27 were Ala54/Thr54, and 4 were Thr54/Thr54) completed 3 diets, each of which lasted 4 wk. The first diet, which all subjects consumed, was a high-saturated fatty acid (SFA) diet (38% of energy as fat and 20% of energy as SFAs). The second and third diets were administered according to a randomized crossover design, and they consisted of a low-fat and high-carbohydrate diet (CHO diet; 28% of energy from fat and <10% of energy from SFAs) and a high-monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) diet (called the Mediterranean diet; 38% of energy from fat and 22% of energy from MUFAs). All food and drinks were prepared and provided in the research kitchen. We determined in vivo insulin resistance by using the insulin suppression test with somatostatin. RESULTS Steady state plasma glucose concentrations were significantly higher in Ala54Thr subjects after the SFA diet than after the CHO diet or the Mediterranean diet. The plasma free fatty acid concentrations in these subjects were significantly lower after the CHO and Mediterranean diets than after the SFA diet. However, no significant differences between the 3 diets were observed in the Ala54 allele homozygotes. CONCLUSION Insulin sensitivity decreased in subjects with the Thr54 allele of the FABP2 polymorphism when SFAs were replaced by MUFAs and carbohydrates.
Contrasting lengths of Pelargonium floral nectar tubes result from late differences in rate and duration of growth.

Background and Aims Much of morphological evolution in flowers has arisen from pollinator-mediated selection, often manifest as a match between the length of the pollinator's proboscis and the depth of tubular corollas or spurs. We investigate development, growth and homology of the unique nectar tube of Pelargonium, frequently described as 'a spur adnate to the pedicel'. Methods We focused on two species. The nectar tube of P. ionidiflorum is three times longer than that of P. odoratissimum. Light and scanning electron microscopy were carried out, and daily growth measurements were used to compare nectar tube development and vascular patterns. Key Results Nectar tubes in both species are initiated centripetally to the dorsal sepal in a space created by lateral displacement of two antepetalous stamens. The cavity deepens through subsequent intercalary growth of the receptacle that proceeds at the same rate in both species until tubes reach approx. 10 mm in length. Differences in final nectar tube lengths arise via an increase in the rate and duration of growth of the receptacle that begins just before anthesis (floral opening) and continues for several days past anthesis in P. ionidiflorum but does not occur in P. odoratissimum. Epidermal cells of the dorsal surface of the nectar tube in P. ionidiflorum are approx. 1.6 times longer than those in P. odoratissimum. Histological sections show no evidence that the nectar tube is a spur that became evolutionarily fused to the pedicel. Conclusions Nectar tubes in Pelargonium are localized cavities that form in the receptacle via intercalary growth. Differences in the rate and duration of growth just prior to and following anthesis underlie differences in final tube lengths. Because differences in cell lengths do not fully account for differences in nectar tube lengths, evolutionary diversification must involve changes in both cell cycle and cell expansion.
Analysis of Low Pass IIR Digital Filter Design

Digital Differentiator is a vital signal processing tool. It is found in many applications, from low frequency biomedical equipment to high frequency radars. New developing fields such as touch screen tablets and online signature verification also has digital differentiators as basic building block. A approach is proposed to design approximately linear phase infinite-impulse-response (IIR) digital filters in the pass band region. Low-pass IIR differentiator has been introduced in the paper. To design a low pass differentiator, we will design a differentiator in cascade with a appropriate low pass filter. The range and high-frequency suppression of the proposed low-pass differentiators are comparable to those obtained by higher order FIR low-pass differentiators. In addition, the differentiators exhibit almost linear phases in the pass band regions.
Decreased insulin-stimulated GLUT-4 translocation in glycogen-supercompensated muscles of exercised rats.

It was recently found that the effect of an exercise-induced increase in muscle GLUT-4 on insulin-stimulated glucose transport is masked by a decreased responsiveness to insulin in glycogen-supercompensated muscle. We evaluated the role of hexosamines in this decrease in insulin responsiveness and found that UDP- N-acetyl hexosamine concentrations were not higher in glycogen-supercompensated muscles than in control muscles with a low glycogen content. We determined whether the smaller increase in glucose transport is due to translocation of fewer GLUT-4 to the cell surface with the 2- N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluroethyl)-benzoyl-1,3-bis(d-mannose-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-[2-3H]BMPA) photolabeling technique. The insulin-induced increase in GLUT-4 at the cell surface was no greater in glycogen-supercompensated exercised muscle than in muscles of sedentary controls and only 50% as great as in exercised muscles with a low glycogen content. We conclude that the decreased insulin responsiveness of glucose transport in glycogen-supercompensated muscle is not due to increased accumulation of hexosamine biosynthetic pathway end products and that the smaller increase in glucose transport is mediated by translocation of fewer GLUT-4 to the cell surface.
Ferric citrate is half as effective as ferrous sulfate in meeting the iron requirement of juvenile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus x O. aureus.

Two growth experiments were conducted to estimate the minimum dietary iron requirement for juvenile hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus x O. aureus. Purified diets containing 0, 10, 30, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 400 mg Fe/kg from ferric citrate (Experiment 1) and 0, 10, 30, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg Fe/kg from ferrous sulfate (Experiment 2) were fed to tilapia (mean initial weight: 0.63 +/- 0.01 g, Experiment 1; 0.64 +/- 0.01 g, Experiment 2) for 8 wk. In Experiment 2, 150 mg Fe/kg from ferric citrate was also included for comparison. The rearing water contained 1.07 micro mol/L iron, and supplemental levels were confirmed by analysis. Each diet was fed to three replicate groups of fish. In Experiment 1, weight gain and feed efficiency (FE) were highest (P < 0.05) in fish fed the diet supplemented with 150 mg Fe/kg, followed by fish fed diets with 50, 100 and 200 mg Fe/kg and lowest in fish fed the unsupplemented control diet. Hepatic iron concentration was highest in fish fed diets supplemented with >150 mg Fe/kg, followed by fish fed the diet with 100 mg Fe/kg and lowest in fish fed diets with </=10 mg Fe/kg. Hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Hct) were higher in fish fed diets with >/=100 mg Fe/kg and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were higher in fish fed diets with >/=150 mg Fe/kg than in fish fed the diet without iron supplementation. In Experiment 2, weight gain was higher in fish fed the diet with 50 mg Fe/kg than in fish fed diets with 150, 200 and </=30 mg Fe/kg. FE was higher in fish fed diets with 50 and 100 mg Fe/kg and the ferric citrate comparison diet than in fish fed diets with </=10 mg Fe/kg. Hepatic iron concentration was higher in fish fed diets with >/=50 mg Fe/kg and the ferric citrate comparison diet than fish fed diets with </=30 mg Fe/kg. Hb, Hct, MCV and MCH were higher in fish fed diets with >/=50 mg Fe/kg than in fish fed the unsupplemented control diet. Analyses by polynomial regression of weight gain and by broken-line regression of hepatic iron and blood Hb concentrations indicated that the dietary iron requirement for tilapia is approximately 150-160 mg Fe/kg and 85 mg Fe/kg with ferric citrate and ferrous sulfate as the iron source, respectively; it also appears that ferric citrate was approximately 50% as effective as ferrous sulfate in meeting the iron requirement.
Two electrical potential–dependent steps are required for transport by the Escherichia coli Tat machinery

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway in Escherichia coli transports fully folded and assembled proteins across the energy-transducing periplasmic membrane. In chloroplasts, Tat transport requires energy input only from the proton motive force. To elucidate the mechanism and energetics of bacterial Tat protein transport, we developed an efficient in vitro transport assay using TatABC-enriched inverted membrane vesicles and the physiological precursor pre-SufI. We report transport efficiencies of 60–80% for nanomolar pre-SufI concentrations. Dissipation of the pH gradient does not reduce pre-SufI transport efficiency. Instead, pre-SufI transport requires at least two electrical potential (Δψ)–dependent steps that differ in both the duration and minimum magnitude of the required Δψ. The data are consistent with a model in which a substantial Δψ of short duration is required for an early transport step, and in which a small Δψ of long duration is necessary to drive a later transport step.
Association of Oxytocin with Glucose Intolerance and Inflammation Biomarkers in Metabolic Syndrome Patients with and without Prediabetes.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to explore the differences in OXT levels in metabolic syndrome (MetS) subjects, newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), and prediabetes subjects vs. MetS subjects without glucose intolerance (non-diabetic MetS). It was also intended to determine the relationship between plasma OXT levels and inflammatory markers in those subjects. METHODS Along with 45 lean and normoglycemic controls, a total of 190 MetS subjects (61 men, 129 women) were enrolled. Colorimetric enzymatic assays of the following components were performed: plasma OXT, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), macrophage chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), resistin, adiponectin, leptin, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), thrompospondin 1 (TSP-1), interleukin 10 (IL-10), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and glucagon. RESULTS hsCRP, PAI-1, resistin, leptin-to-adiponection-ratio (LAR), TNF-α, TSP-1, and MIF were significantly higher in both MetS groups (prediabetic and T2DM) than in MetS-only subjects. Leptin and MMP-9 were significantly higher in the MetS-T2DM group (but not in MetS-prediabetics) vs. MetS-only subjects. Conversely adiponectin, OXT, MCP-1, and IL-10 were significantly lower in both MetS groups (prediabetic and T2DM) than in MetS-only subjects. There was no marked discrepancy in either glucagon or IL-6 levels among the three MetS groups. In the entire MetS study population, OXT correlated substantially and proportionally with MCP-1, IL-10, and IL-6; it correlated negatively with HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), PAI-1, MMP-9, TNF-α, TSP-1, resistin, adiponectin, leptin, LAR, and MIF. No association could be observed between OXT and glucagon. CONCLUSIONS OXT may be a substantial surrogate predictive/prognostic tool and putative pharmacotherapeutic target in metabolic anomalies and related disorders.
Enzymatic retting of kudzu fibers

The enzymatic retting of kudzu fibers was performed with several commercial enzymes, and the effects on the retting were compared with respect to the smoothness of the surface of the fibers and the mechanical properties. The commercial enzymes were classified into two types, that is, cellulase and pectinase. For the cellulase type, enzymatic decomposition occurred almost topochemically because of the cooperation of cellulase with high activity, and then the retting was fully achieved, suppressing the damage to the intercellular matrix (middle lamella) by pectinase. For the pectinase type, decomposition predominately occurred in the middle lamella joining the adjacent fibrous cells. Therefore, the tensile properties of the retted fibers were lowered. In the retting of kudzu fibers, a topochemical process is promising for producing fibers with excellent luster that retain the tensile properties. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007
Total daily energy expenditure among middle-aged men and women: the OPEN Study.

BACKGROUND Few large doubly labeled water (DLW) studies have provided an objective measure of total energy expenditure (TEE) in free-living men and women. The committee that developed the 2002 Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) estimated energy requirements (EER) noted that DLW studies in adults aged 40 to 60 y were limited. OBJECTIVE We aimed to describe TEE and physical activity energy expenditure in middle-aged men and women by sex, age, menopausal status, and level of obesity, and to compare TEE to the DRI EER. DESIGN TEE was measured by the DLW method in 450 men and women aged 40-69 y from the Observing Protein and Energy Nutrition Study. Resting metabolic rate was estimated by use of the Mifflin equation. RESULTS Unadjusted TEE was lower in women than in men (591 kcal/d); however, when the analysis was adjusted for fat-free mass, women had significantly higher TEE than did men (182 kcal/d). This difference appeared to be due to higher physical activity levels in women (physical activity energy expenditure adjusted for FFM was 188 kcal/d greater in women than in men). Mean TEE was lowest in the seventh decade. TEE from DLW was highly correlated (r = 0.93) with EER from the DRI equations. CONCLUSION In this population, TEE was higher in women than in men when adjusted for FFM, apparently because of higher physical activity levels in women. There were no significant differences in TEE, FFM, or physical activity levels in women by menopausal status. TEE was inversely associated with age and increased linearly with body mass index. This study corroborates the use of the DRI equations for EER.
A defect in the inner kinetochore protein CENPT causes a new syndrome of severe growth failure

Primordial growth failure has been linked to defects in the biology of cell division and replication. The complex processes involved in microtubule spindle formation, organization and function have emerged as a dominant patho-mechanism in these conditions. The majority of reported disease genes encode for centrosome and centriole proteins, leaving kinetochore proteins by which the spindle apparatus interacts with the chromosomes largely unaccounted for. We report a novel disease gene encoding the constitutive inner kinetochore member CENPT, which is involved in kinetochore targeting and assembly, resulting in severe growth failure in two siblings of a consanguineous family. We herein present studies on the molecular and cellular mechanisms that explain how genetic mutations in this gene lead to primordial growth failure. In both, affected human cell lines and a zebrafish knock-down model of Cenpt, we observed aberrations in cell division with abnormal accumulation of micronuclei and of nuclei with increased DNA content arising from incomplete and/or irregular chromosomal segregation. Our studies underscore the critical importance of kinetochore function for overall body growth and provide new insight into the cellular mechanisms implicated in the spectrum of these severe growth disorders.
Role of human liver lipogenesis and reesterification in triglycerides secretion and in FFA reesterification.

To measure 1) the contribution of hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and plasma free fatty acid (FFA) reesterification to plasma triglyceride (TG) secretion, and 2) the role of oxidation and hepatic and extrahepatic reesterification in FFA utilization, five normal subjects drank deuterated water and were infused (postabsorptive state) with [1-13C]palmitate and [1,2,3-2H5]glycerol. Total lipid oxidation (Lox) was measured by indirect calorimetry. FFA oxidation (2.76 ± 0.65 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1) accounted for 45% of FFA turnover rate (Rt) (1.04 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1) and 91% of Lox; FFA reesterification was 3.27 ± 0.54 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1. Fractional and absolute TG Rt were 0.21 ± 0.02 h-1 and 0.11 ± 0.05 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1. DNL accounted for 3.9 ± 0.9% of TG secretion, and hepatic FFA reesterification accounted for 49.4 ± 5.7%; this last process represented a utilization of FFA of 0.16 ± 0.02 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1. We conclude that, in the postabsorptive state, 1) DNL and FFA reesterification account for only 50-55% of TG secretion, the remaining presumably being provided by stored lipids or lipoproteins taken up by liver, 2) most reesterification occurs in extrahepatic tissues, and 3) oxidation and reesterification each contribute about one-half to FFA utilization; FFA oxidation accounts for almost all Lox.
Gramian-Based Model Reduction for Data-Sparse Systems

Model reduction is a common task within the simulation, control, and optimization of complex dynamical systems. For instance, in control and optimization problems for instationary partial differential equations (PDEs), the associated large-scale linear systems resulting from a (semi-) discretization have to be solved repeatedly. Model reduction is a more and more accepted technique to attack these problems in reasonable time. Here, we investigate model reduction for parabolic PDEs based on balanced truncation (BT). The system theoretic properties of BT and the related method of singular perturbation approximation (SPA) provide desirable features for the reduced-order system. The major computational task in BT is the solution of large-scale Lyapunov or Stein equations, depending on whether the semidiscretized or fully discretized system is considered. Therefore, the method is often considered to be of limited use for really large-scale applications, i.e., problems that require $\gg1$ GByte of storage, so that memory access becomes an issue. Here, we develop effective implementations of BT and SPA by exploiting the structure of the underlying PDE problem. This is achieved by a data-sparse approximation of the (semi-)discretized differential operator using the hierarchical matrix format. Furthermore, we review how to integrate the corresponding formatted arithmetic in the sign function method for computing approximate solution factors of the Lyapunov equations and suggest an iterative scheme for solving Stein equations employing formatted arithmetic. These approaches are well suited for a class of practically relevant problems and allow the application of BT and SPA to systems coming from two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM) and boundary element method (BEM) discretizations. The resulting methods are most beneficial in the context of BEM discretizations for 3D problems where large-scale dense matrices define the (semi-)discretized control system. We also analyze the additional approximation error in the reduced-order model introduced by the hierarchical matrix approximation. The efficiency of the methods is demonstrated for linear, scalar convection-diffusion-reaction equations. The numerical results confirm that the model reduction/BT error and the hierarchical matrix approximation error can be balanced by choosing the tolerances and parameters involved appropriately.
Validation of a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire administered in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study: comparison of energy, protein, and macronutrient intakes estimated with the doubly labeled water, urinary nitrogen, and repeated 24-h dietary 

BACKGROUND The validation of dietary assessment instruments is critical in the evaluation of diet as a chronic disease risk factor. OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the validity of a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire by comparison with dietary recall, urinary nitrogen excretion, and total energy expenditure data. DESIGN Over a 1-y period, data from twelve 24-h dietary recalls, a food-frequency questionnaire, and four 24-h urine samples were obtained from 134 study participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study in Potsdam, Germany. In a substudy of 28 participants, total energy expenditure from doubly labeled water measurements was assessed. RESULTS Energy-adjusted, deattenuated correlation coefficients between the questionnaire and the recalls ranged from 0.54 for dietary fiber to 0.86 for alcohol. Cross-classification of quintiles of nutrient intakes from the questionnaire and recalls indicated severe misclassification to be <4%. Reported protein intake correlated with estimated protein excretion (r = 0.46). Energy intake and total energy expenditure were also significantly correlated (r = 0.48); however, all but one subject underreported their energy intake. The magnitude of underreporting varied considerably, by 22% on average, and increased slightly with increasing energy intake. A similar pattern of underreporting was observed when energy intakes from the 24-h dietary recalls were compared with total energy expenditure. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate an acceptable relative validity of the food-frequency questionnaire in this study population. Compared with measurements of total energy expenditure and protein excretion, however, only moderate agreement with both the food-frequency questionnaire and the 24-h dietary recalls was observed.