Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation and characterization of silybin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) are a new generation of lipid nanoparticles, which are produced by controlled mixing of solid lipids with spatially incompatible liquid lipids leading to special nanostructures with improved drug incorporation and release properties. In this study, silybin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers with various liquid lipid content were successfully prepared by the method of emulsion evaporation at a high temperature and solidification at a low temperature. The size and morphology of nanoparticles were significantly influenced by the liquid lipid content. As the liquid lipid content increased to 20 wt%, the obtained particles showed distinguished smaller size. Compared with solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), NLC presented improved drug loading capacity which increased with increasing the liquid lipid content. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the incorporation of liquid lipids could interfere with the crystallization of solid lipids. The drug in vitro release behavior from NLC displayed a biphasic drug release pattern with burst release at the initial stage and prolonged release afterwards, and the successful controlled release rate can be achieved by controlling the liquid lipid content.
Isoquinolinesulphonamide Derivatives Inhibit Transcriptional Elongation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 RNA in a Promyelocytic Model of Latency

Using the OM-10.1 promyelocytic model of inducible human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, we tested a panel of known protein kinase inhibitors for an ability to block tumour necrosis factor-α-induced HIV-1 expression. Among the compounds tested, the broad-spectrum protein kinase inhibitor H-7 uniquely blocked HIV-1 expression at the level of viral transcription, but did not inhibit nuclear factor κB activation or function. In structure—activity analysis this inhibitory activity of H-7 on HIV-1 expression corresponded with the known structural requirements for the interaction of H-7 with the ATP-binding region of protein kinase C, suggesting that it was indeed related to the kinase inhibitory properties of H-7. The mechanism of H-7 transcriptional inhibition did not involve chromatin remodelling at the HIV-1 long terminal repeat promoter, as shown by nuc-1 disruption, and appeared to involve HIV-1 RNA elongation but not initiation. Therefore, H-7 and related isoquinoline-sulphonamide analogues are most likely inhibiting a kinase target essential for HIV-1 transcriptional elongation whose identity may provide new therapeutic targets for intervention.
Isolation and Characterization of Neural Stem Cells from the Adult Human Olfactory Bulb

We have recently isolated stem cells deriving from the olfactory bulbs of adult patients undergoing particularly invasive neurosurgery. After improving our experimental conditions, we have now obtained neural stem cells according to clonal analysis. The cells can be expanded, established in continuous cell lines and differentiated into the three classical neuronal phenotypes (neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes). Also, after exposition to leukemia inhibitory factor, we are able to improve the number of neurons, an ideal biological source for transplantation in various neurodegenerative disorders.
Isolation of dynein heavy chain cDNAs from trout testis which predict an extensive carboxyl‐terminal alpha‐helical coiled‐coil domain.

A Mg2+‐dependent ATPase activity has been purified from trout sperm axonemes which has properties characteristic of a dynein ATPase. A polyclonal antiserum prepared against the dynein heavy chains has been used to isolate dynein heavy chain (DYHC) cDNAs from a trout testis lambda gt11 cDNA expression library. beta‐galactosidase fusion proteins produced in lambda gt11 by these trout cDNAs cross‐reacted with a heterologous anti‐sea urchin dynein antiserum. Northern blot analyses demonstrated that the RNA transcripts detected have sizes (7.5 ‐ 12 kb) consistent with those expected for the dynein heavy chains. All the DYHC cDNAs encode portions of a highly unusual DNA coding sequence comprised of 21 bp direct repeats. The predicted open reading frame of this repeat is Ile/Leu‐His‐Val‐Ile‐Gln‐Tyr‐Ser and is characteristic of an extensive alpha‐helical coiled‐coil domain. The presence of an in‐frame translation termination codon indicates that this domain is located at the carboxyl‐terminus of the DYHC. Southern blot analyses demonstrated a low, if not single, copy number for this gene and conservation of this domain in other vertebrates. DYHC transcripts reach their highest level in testis, but are also abundant in brain tissue.
Lineage‐committed osteoclast precursors circulate in blood and settle down into bone

Osteoclasts are derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage, but little is known about osteoclast precursors in circulation. We previously showed that cell cycle–arrested quiescent osteoclast precursors (QOPs) were detected along bone surfaces as direct osteoclast precursors. Here we show that receptor activator of NF‐κB (RANK)‐positive cells isolated from bone marrow and peripheral blood possess characteristics of QOPs in mice. RANK‐positive cells expressed c‐Fms (receptors of macrophage colony‐stimulating factor) at various levels, but scarcely expressed other monocyte/granulocyte markers. RANK‐positive cells failed to exert phagocytic and proliferating activities, and differentiated into osteoclasts but not into dendritic cells. To identify circulating QOPs, collagen disks containing bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP disks) were implanted into mice, which were administered bromodeoxyuridine daily. Most nuclei of osteoclasts detected in BMP‐2–induced ectopic bone were bromodeoxyuridine‐negative. RANK‐positive cells in peripheral blood proliferated more slowly and had a much longer lifespan than F4/80 (a macrophage marker)‐positive macrophages. When BMP disks and control disks were implanted in RANK ligand‐deficient mice, RANK‐positive cells were observed in the BMP disks but not in the controls. F4/80‐positive cells were distributed in both disks. Administration of FYT720, a sphingosine 1‐phosphate agonist, promoted the egress of RANK‐positive cells from hematopoietic tissues into bloodstream. These results suggest that lineage‐determined QOPs circulate in the blood and settle in the bone. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Microbiological Aspects of Table Olives

Table olives are the most important fermented vegetables because of their worldwide economic importance. The three main techniques for table olive production used in Italy concern 82% green olives, 16% black olives and 2% processed at the cherry ripened stage (UNAPROL, 2008). There are three main trade preparations of table olives: Spanish-style olives, Californian-style olives and naturally black or turning colour olives (GarridoFernandez et al., 1997). The Spanish processing method includes treatment with sodium hydroxide solution, washing, brining, fermentation and packaging. The Greek-style method is milder and includes washing, natural fermentation in brine, air-oxidation for colour improvement, and packing. The Californian method includes lye treatment, washing, ironsalt treatment and air-oxidation, canning and heat treatment. This last method includes a final sterilization, so it is usually considered as a more safe production. Besides these most prominent preparations, there are many other traditional table olive elaboration recipes that are less known in the international market (Panagou et al., 2003) but very relevant at local market level, where they are frequently sold in in glass jars or plastic pouches.
A New Approach to Monitoring Exercise Training

The ability to monitor training is critical to the process of quantitating training periodization plans. To date, no method has proven successful in monitoring training during multiple types of exercise. High-intensity exercise training is particularly difficult to quantitate. In this study we evaluate the ability of the session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method to quantitate training during non-steady state and prolonged exercise compared with an objective standard based on heart rate (HR). In a 2-part design, subjects performed steady state and interval cycle exercise or practiced basketball. Exercise bouts were quantitated using both the session RPE method and an objective HR method. During cycle exercise, the relationship between the exercise score derived using the session RPE method and the HR method was highly consistent, although the absolute score was significantly greater with the session RPE method. During basketball, there was a consistent relationship between the 2 methods of monitoring exercise, although the absolute score was also significantly greater with the session RPE method. Despite using different subjects in the 2 parts of the study, the regression relationships between the session RPE method and the HR method were nearly overlapping, suggesting the broad applicability of this method. We conclude that the session RPE method is a valid method of quantitating exercise training during a wide variety of types of exercise. As such, this technique may hold promise as a mode and intensity-independent method of quantitating exercise training and may provide a tool to allow the quantitative evaluation of training periodization plans.
Characterization of cell lines developed from the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata (hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

SummaryFour continuous cell lines were established from the embryos of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata (Say), an economically important insect vector of bacterial pathogens of grape, almond citrus, oleander, and other agricultural and ornamental plantings. The cell lines were designated GWSS-Z10, GWSS-Z15, GWSS-G3, and GWSS-LH. The GWSS-Z10, GWSS-Z15, and GWSS-G3 lines were cultured in Ex-Cell 401 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), whereas the GWSS-LH line was cultured in LH medium supplemented with 20% FBS. The cell lines were characterized in terms of their morphology, growth, protein composition, and polymerase chain reactionamplification patterns of their chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid. The population doubling times of GWSS-Z10, GWSS-Z15, GWSS-G3, and GWSS-LH were 46.2, 90.9, 100.3 and 60.2 h, respectively. These lines should be useful for the study of insect-pathogenic viruses of leafhoppers, aphids, treehoppers, and other related insects as well as plant-pathogenic viruses that are transmitted by these insects.
Cell Wall Hydrolases Affect Germination, Vegetative Growth, and Sporulation in Streptomyces coelicolor

ABSTRACT Peptidoglycan is a major cell wall constituent of gram-positive bacteria. It is a dynamic macromolecule that is actively remodeled to enable cell growth and differentiation through a tightly choreographed interplay of hydrolytic and biosynthetic enzyme activities. The filamentous bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor has a complex life cycle that likely requires considerable cell wall remodeling to enable both extension of vegetative hyphae and formation of differentiated cell types. In silico analysis of the S. coelicolor genome enabled identification of 56 candidate cell wall hydrolase genes. We found that seven of these genes shared a highly conserved 5′ untranslated region and were expressed during both vegetative growth and sporulation; four of these genes were selected for more extensive biochemical and biological characterization. The proteins encoded by these genes, termed RpfA, SwlA, SwlB, and SwlC, were confirmed to be hydrolytic enzymes, as they could efficiently cleave S. coelicolor cell walls. Phenotypic analyses revealed that these enzymes are important throughout development; deletion of each hydrolase gene resulted in a mutant strain that was heat sensitive, defective in spore formation, and either altered in vegetative growth or delayed in spore germination. Our results indicate that these enzymes play key roles at multiple stages in the growth and development of S. coelicolor, highlighting both the lack of redundancy in hydrolase activity and the importance of cell wall remodeling in the S. coelicolor life cycle.
Rural Households’ Access to Basic Amenities in India: Deprivation and Socio-economic Exclusions

Access to basic amenities such as drinking water, sanitation, electricity and drainage is imperative for a decent quality of life. The need for these basic amenities has been universally recognised and has been a major plank in the formulation of several policies and programmes in India. While rural households in India have witnessed a gradual improvement in the access to basic amenities in proportional terms, they continue to face high levels of deprivation. Adding to such a grim scenario are appalling socio-economic disparities and exclusions that have been highlighted in this article using data from the Census of India, 2001 and 2011, and the National Sample Survey (NSS) Housing Conditions Round unit records data, 1993 and 2008/09. Determinants of households having access to basic amenities have been estimated using an econometric exercise and the contribution of caste-based factors of the gap in accessing basic amenities among various social groups has been estimated using the decomposition technique on household-level information and NSS unit record data 2008/09. Households belonging to the weaker sections of society, such as, the poor, wage labourers, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, have been found to be the most deprived, neglected and excluded. The findings of this article call for immediate action towards providing adequate basic amenities with inclusive and group-specific provisions with a focus on socio-spatial situatedness of households in rural India so as to enhance the overall quality of life and well-being.
What caused the early millennium slowdown

Between the first quarter of 1994 and the second quarter of 2000 (1994Q1-2000Q2), industrialised world (aggregate of 17 countries) real GDP grew at an average annual rate of 3.1 percent. This was even 3.9 percent for the US. At the same time, annual inflation was historically very low: on average less than 2 percent. Activity weakened at the end of 2000 and industrialised countries experienced negative growth by the end of 2001. In the paper, we analyse the underlying sources of this slowdown and the preceding expansion.
Common errors in data analysis: the apparent error rate of classification rules

Synopsis Classification and diagnosis are concepts of fundamental importance in medicine. Yet all too frequently in published papers the only measure of performance of a classification rule is the optimistic apparent error rate. This is defined, some real examples are given illustrating how poor it is as an estimate of true future performance, and alternative measures are suggested.
Advances in the genetics of progressive myoclonus epilepsy.

The genetic progressive myoclonus epilepsies (PMEs) are clinically characterized by the triad of stimulus sensitive myoclonus (segmental lightning like muscular jerks), epilepsy (grand mal and absences) and progressive neurologic deterioration (dementia, ataxia, and various neurologic signs depending on the cause). Etiologically heterogenous, PMEs are rare and mostly autosomal recessive disorders, with the exception of autosomal dominant dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with ragged red fibers (MERRF). In the last five years, specific mutations have been defined in Lafora disease (gene for laforin or dual specificity phosphatase in 6q24), Unverricht-Lundborg disease (cystatin B in 21q22.3), Jansky-Bielschowsky ceroid lipofuscinoses (CLN2 gene for tripeptidyl peptidase 1 in 11q15), Finnish variant of late infantile ceroid lipofuscinoses (CLN5 gene in 13q21-32 encodes 407 amino acids with two transmembrane helices of unknown function), juvenile ceroid lipofuscinoses or Batten disease (CLN3 gene in 16p encodes 438 amino acid protein of unknown function), a subtype of Batten disease and infantile ceroid lipofuscinoses of the Haltia-Santavuori type (both are caused by mutations in palmitoyl-protein thiosterase gene at 1p32), dentadorubropallidoluysian atrophy (CAG repeats in a gene in 12p13.31) and the mitochondrial syndrome MERRF (tRNA Lys mutation in mitochondrial DNA). In this review, we cover mainly these rapid advances.
Low-mass dark matter search using ionization signals in XENON100

We perform a low-mass dark matter search using an exposure of 30 kg$\times$yr with the XENON100 detector. By dropping the requirement of a scintillation signal and using only the ionization signal to determine the interaction energy, we lowered the energy threshold for detection to 0.7 keV for nuclear recoils. No dark matter detection can be claimed because a complete background model cannot be constructed without a primary scintillation signal. Instead, we compute an upper limit on the WIMP-nucleon scattering cross section under the assumption that every event passing our selection criteria could be a signal event. Using an energy interval from 0.7 keV to 9.1 keV, we derive a limit on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross section that excludes WIMPs with a mass of 6 GeV/$c^2$ above $1.2 \times 10^{-41}$ cm$^2$ at 90\% confidence level.
Inferring Genetic Variation and Demographic History of Michelia yunnanensis Franch. (Magnoliaceae) from Chloroplast DNA Sequences and Microsatellite Markers

Michelia yunnanensis Franch. , is a traditional ornamental, aromatic, and medicinal shrub that endemic to Yunnan Province in southwest China. Although the species has a large distribution pattern and is abundant in Yunnan Province, the populations are dramatically declining because of overexploitation and habitat destruction. Studies on the genetic variation and demography of endemic species are necessary to develop effective conservation and management strategies. To generate such knowledge, we used 3 pairs of universal cpDNA markers and 10 pairs of microsatellite markers to assess the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and demographic history of 7 M. yunnanensis populations. We calculated a total of 88 alleles for 10 polymorphic loci and 10 haplotypes for a combined 2,089 bp of cpDNA. M. yunnanensis populations showed high genetic diversity (Ho = 0.551 for nuclear markers and Hd = 0.471 for cpDNA markers) and low genetic differentiation (FST = 0.058). Geographical structure was not found among M. yunnanensis populations. Genetic distance and geographic distance were not correlated (P > 0.05), which indicated that geographic isolation is not the primary cause of the low genetic differentiation of M. yunnanensis. Additionally, M. yunnanensis populations contracted ~20,000–30,000 years ago, and no recent expansion occurred in current populations. Results indicated that the high genetic diversity of the species and within its populations holds promise for effective genetic resource management and sustainable utilization. Thus, we suggest that the conservation and management of M. yunnanensis should address exotic overexploitation and habitat destruction.
Analysis of truncated 2d periodic structures

A multiport admittance/impedance matrix for the truncated 2D periodic structure is derived via expansion of node voltages and currents in terms of Floquet's waves. It is shown that for uniaxial propagation, the structure comprised of a finite number of columns/rows is identical to multicoupled lines with properly defined parameters. The 3times3 unit cell array fed at different sides is analyzed using the developed formulation. The results are then verified with a rigorous Sonnet simulation, thereby confirming the validity of the presented approach
Repair of Atrioventricular Canal With Double-Outlet Right Ventricle, Transposition, or Truncus Arteriosus

Atrioventricular canal and conotruncal anomalies are a heterogeneous group of lesions presenting unique challenges for surgical repair. These are the establishment of unobstructed pathways from left ventricle (LV) to aorta and from right ventricle (RV) to pulmonary artery, closure of the inlet ventricular septal defect (VSD) and atrial septal defect (ASD) ostium primum, and the avoidance of significant left and right atrioventricular valve (AV) regurgitation. Repair of complete atrioventricular canal (CAVC) with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) has been most commonly achieved, either using a single-patch or a 2-patch technique. In patients with CAVC with double-outlet right ventricle (DORV) with subaortic VSD extension, the 2-patch repair is not unlike that of CAVC with TOF. However, biventricular repair is most challenging in patients with CAVC and complete origin of the aorta from the RV, as in CAVC with DORV and noncommitted VSD and those with CAVC with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and LVOTO. The technique of VSD translocation allows anatomic biventricular repair for these particularly challenging patients. The arterial switch operation with CAVC repair can be used for patients with CAVC with DORV with subpulmonary VSD extension and CAVC with TGA without left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Biventricular repair is achievable in most patients with balanced complete atrioventricular canal and conotruncal anomaly. The extreme heterogeneity of CAVC with conotruncal anomalies requires a highly individual approach that is tailored to the specific constellation of lesions in each patient.
Rural-urban fertility differentials: 1975.

Data was drawn primarily from the Pakistan Fertility Survey (PFS) conducted on a sample basis for the entire country in 1975 in an effort to investigate and identify any rural-urban differentials in fertility and to try to explain them in terms of socioeconomic and demographic factors. The Survey included a national random sample of 4949 ever-married women, aged 15-49 (1886 in urban areas and 3063 in rural areas). The measurement of current fertility showed that the total marital fertility rate was slightly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The age-specific marital fertility rates of younger urban women are higher than those of rural women, meaning that even if they eventually have equal or fewer children than their rural counterparts, urban women are reproducing quite rapidly at younger ages. 1 possible explanation for this is the relatively shorter length of breastfeeding observed among urban women as compared to rural women. The age-specific marital fertility rates also seem to drop off more rapidly at later ages in urban areas. This may be related to the relatively higher use of efficient contraception at ages 29-39 observed in urban women. Urban women may be reproducing at a higher rate in the younger age groups, but they may also be resorting more frequently to contraceptive use in later years in an effort to curtail family size. The mean parity reported by 40-44 year-olds is 6.9 for both urban and rural women. Rural women showed evidence of having a higher incidence of child mortality and infant mortality, and this may have slightly increased the differential between "effective" completed family sizes (number of living children) in urban and rural areas.