Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced econazole penetration into human nail by 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane.

This study determines the enhancing effects of 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane on the penetration of econazole, an antifungal drug, into the deeper layers of the human nail where fungal infection resides. Aliquots (10 microL) of Econail lacquer formulation containing 0.45 mg of [(14)C]-econazole with 18% 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane (test group) or without 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane (control group) were applied twice daily for 14 days to human nails that had been washed with ethanol before each morning's application. The hydration of the nail sample was well controlled to simulate normal physiological conditions. After 14 days of dosing, the inner ventral section of the nail plate was assayed for absorbed drug content, using a micrometer-controlled drilling and nail powder removal system. The mass balance values of [(14)C]-econazole in this study were 90.8 and 96.4% for the test and control groups, respectively. The weight-normalized econazole content in the ventral/intermediate nail plate center in the test group was 6-fold greater than that in the control (p = 0.008). The total econazole absorbed into the supporting bed cotton ball in the test group was nearly 200-fold greater than that in the control group (p = 0.008) over the 14-day period. The amount of econazole after dosing in the inner part of the human nail (potential diseased area) was 11.1 +/- 2.6 (SD) microg/mg of nail powder with 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane in the lacquer and 1.78 +/- 0.32 microg/mg without 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane (p = 0.008). The surface nail contained more econazole (p = 0.004), that is, nonabsorbed drug, where 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane was not part of the dosing solution. Econazole in the support bed under the nail (the total absorbed dose) was 47.5 +/- 22.0 mg in the lacquer with 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane and 0.2 +/- 0.1 mg in the lacquer without 2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane (p = 0.008). Moreover the concentration in the deep nail layer in the test group is 14,000 times higher than minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) believed necessary to inhibit the growth of infecting fungi (Dermatophytes species). In a subsequent study, [(14)C]-dioxolane did not penetrate the nail well. Therefore, the mechanism of enhancement of econazole penetration is at the formulation/nail interface.
Micro grid energy management based on two-stage robust optimization

With the augmented penetration of renewable energy, such as solar power and wind power, the electricity grids could be destabilizing due to the intermittent nature of renewable sources. In order to ensure power system reliability, robust optimization method is introduced to the energy schedule of micro grid system. This work presented a two-stage robust optimization method to calculate a numerical case of micro grid, with the uncertainty budget to control the conservativeness, and the value of uncertainty budget varies with the weather and time The column-and-constraint generation (C & CG) method is performed to solve the model using practical data sets. The analysis result of the numerical experiment shows that the method can solve the model quickly and effectively, that makes the system operation more reliable.
Association of AXIN2 with Non-syndromic Oral Clefts in Multiple Populations

We have previously shown the association of AXIN2 with oral clefts in a US population. Here, we expanded our study to explore the association of 11 AXIN2 markers in 682 cleft families from multiple populations. Alleles for each AXIN2 marker were tested for transmission distortion with clefts by means of the Family-based Association Test. We observed an association with SNP rs7224837 and all clefts in the combined populations (p = 0.001), and with SNP rs3923086 and cleft lip and palate in Asian populations (p = 0.004). We confirmed our association findings in an additional 528 cleft families from the United States (p < 0.009). We tested for gene-gene interaction between AXIN2 and additional cleft susceptibility loci. We assessed and detected Axin2 mRNA and protein expression during murine palatogenesis. In addition, we also observed co-localization of Axin2 with Irf6 proteins, particularly in the epithelium. Our results continue to support a role for AXIN2 in the etiology of human clefting. Additional studies should be performed to improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms linking AXIN2 to oral clefts.
Expression of MAGE genes in primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma

Human genes MAGE‐1 and MAGE‐3 code for antigens that are recognized on melanoma cells by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes. These antigens may constitute useful targets for specific anti‐tumor immunization of cancer patients, since genes MAGE‐1 and MAGE‐3 are expressed in a number of tumors of different histological types, but are not expressed in normal adult tissues other than testis. This also applies to genes MAGE‐2 and MAGE‐4, which are closely related to MAGE‐1 and MAGE‐2. We have analyzed the expression of these 4 MAGE genes in cutaneous melanoma. Sixteen of 100 primary tumors vs. 69 (48%) of 145 metastases from individual patients expressed MAGE‐1. Similar differences in the frequency of gene expression between primary and metastatic tumor samples were observed for MAGE‐2, MAGE‐2, and MAGE‐4.MAGE expression in primary tumors was correlated with tumor thickness: there was a significantly increased frequency in the expression of MAGE‐1, ‐2 and ‐3 in tumors of greater thickness. Benign and dysplastic nevi, as well as in situ melanomas, did not express any of the 4 MAGE genes.
Tumor and Stem Cell Biology TNF-a Promotes c-REL / D Np 63 a Interaction and TAp 73 Dissociation from Key Genes That Mediate Growth Arrest and Apoptosis in Head and Neck Cancer

Inflammation-induced activation of proto-oncogenic NF-kB/REL and dysfunction of tumor suppressor TP53/ p63/p73 family transcription factors are key events in cancer progression. How inflammatory signaling coordinates dysregulation of these two transcription factor families during oncogenesis remains incompletely understood. Here, we observed that oncoprotein c-REL and tumor suppressor TAp73 are coexpressed and complex with DNp63a in the nucleus of a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines with mutant (mt)TP53. TNF-a, a proinflammatory cytokine, promoted c-REL nuclear translocation, c-REL/ DNp63a interaction, and dissociation of TAp73 from DNp63a and the nucleus to the cytoplasm, whereas c-REL siRNA knockdown attenuated this effect. Overexpression of c-REL or a c-REL kB-site DNA-binding mutant enhanced protein interaction with DNp63a and TAp73 dissociation, implicating c-REL/DNp63a-specific interactions in these effects. We discovered that TNF-a or genetic alteration of c-REL expression inversely modulates DNp63a/TAp73 interactions on distinct p63 DNA-binding sites, including those for key growth arrest and apoptotic genes p21WAF1, NOXA, and PUMA. Functionally, c-REL repressed these genes and the antiproliferative effects of TNF-a or TAp73. Conversely, c-REL siRNA depletion enhanced TAp73 promoter interaction and expression of genes mediating growth arrest and apoptosis. Similar to TNF-a–treated HNSCC lines, human HNSCC tumors and hyperplastic squamous epithelia of transgenic mice overexpressing DNp63a that exhibit inflammation also show increased nuclear c-REL/DNp63a and cytoplasmic TAp73 localization. These findings unveil a novel and reversible dynamic mechanism whereby proinflammatory cytokine TNF-a–induced c-REL/ DNp63a interactions inactivate tumor suppressor TAp73 function, promoting TNF-a resistance and cell survival in cancers with mtTP53. Cancer Res; 71(21); 1–11. 2011 AACR.
Designing and exploring study field recommender system for prospective students

Lately, the number of Study Programs (SPs) in higher education has increased notably and became more closely related to each other. This leaves prospective students to find their desired SP within a wide range of available SPs. Ultimately some of the students end up with an ambiguous variety to choose from. In this study, we developed a Study Field Recommender System for Prospective Students (SFRecSysPS). The system uses school results, students' school/home activities and academic itinerary interests as inputs to recommend an appropriate study field. To achieve this, the inputs into SFRecSysPS system were entered in the form of questionnaires which were later analysed and computed. A total of 210 prospective students from four High Schools in a Tshwane area (South Africa) were randomly given unstructured questionnaires to complete. Our system yielded 96% successful recommendations and 4% yielded no recommendations.
Biological characterization of Trichinella isolates from various host species and geographical regions.

Forty isolates of Trichinella collected from 5 continents were compared for 7 biological characters: newborn larvae produced per female worm cultured in vitro at the seventh, eighth, and ninth day postinfection, host muscle nurse cell development time, reproductive capacity index in rats and chickens, and resistance of muscle larvae to freezing. The isolates also were compared by analyses of an environmental character of the location from which they were isolated: the isotherms for January and July. By factorial analysis of correspondence of the biological and environmental data, the 40 isolates were grouped into 8 gene pools (T1-T8). The environmental temperature-related distribution was more evident for the sylvatic isolates (T2, T3, T5, T6, T7, T8), than for T1, which was isolated from domestic pigs, and for T4, a bird-adapted, nonencapsulating genetic type. The 8 biological groups correlated closely with the 8 gene pools previously identified on the basis of allozyme analysis. These results support the concept that the genus Trichinella is composed of at least 5 distinct gene pools or sibling species: Trichinella spiralis sensu stricto (T1), Trichinella nativa (T2), Trichinella sp. (T3), Trichinella pseudospiralis (T4), and Trichinella nelsoni (T7), and 3 other groups of uncertain taxonomic status (i.e., T5, T6, and T8).
The method of fatigue live estimation of the surgical cement

The bone cements are continually the most often used biomaterials for endoprostheses of joints in orthopedia and traumatology. Surgical cement, being a polymer composition, in a model approach represents a classical example of a viscoelastic substance. The physicochemical and mechanical properties of such material change with time [16]. The phenomenon of cement degradation during the person’s movement takes place under the action of cyclic changes of loads of high values. Therefore, they can be defined with high probability as fatigue in the range of a small number of cycles. Bearing this mind, the authors have made an evaluation of cement behaviour in an artificial hip joint, applying the low-cycle fatigue testing method [5-8]. As a criterion of fatigue live estimation of the surgical cement it has proposed the limiting strain values in the cyclic creep process.
Fast Object Tracking Employing Labelled Particle Filter for Thermal Infrared Imager

More and more network cameras are now working over distributed networks, offering the capability of remote intelligent video surveillance. In this paper, we bring forward an original particle filter tracking algorithm named labelled particle filter which describes each image patch with a binary label. Based on the imaging theory of thermography, moving objects, such as pedestrians and automobiles, usually have higher intensities compared with the background in a gray-level pseudocolor mode. Thus an image patch can be classified into two categories according to its intensity distribution, and we can use a one-bit binary label, positive or negative, to describe the attribute of image patch. Therefore, the candidate target template is established only if the label of candidate target matches the label of reference target, and the computational complexity is reduced consequently. Experiments are conducted to show that the proposed algorithm can handle real-time object tracking with less time cost while maintaining high tracking accuracy.
Resistance to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in human CD4+ lymphocyte-derived cell lines conferred by using retroviral vectors expressing an HIV-1 RNA-specific ribozyme

Toward gene therapy for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infections in AIDS, Moloney murine leukemia virus-derived retroviral vectors were engineered to allow constitutive and tat-inducible expression of an HIV-1 5' leader sequence-specific ribozyme (Rz1). These vectors were used to infect the human CD4+ lymphocyte-derived MT4 cell line. The stable MT4 transformants expressing an HIV-1 RNA-specific ribozyme, under the control of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (tk) promoter, were found to be somewhat resistant to HIV-1 infection as virus production was delayed. In cells allowing ribozyme expression under control of the simian virus 40 or cytomegalovirus promoter, the rate of HIV-1 multiplication was slightly decreased, and virus production was delayed by about 14 days. The highest level of resistance to HIV-1 infection was observed in MT4 cells transformed with a vector containing a fusion tk-TAR (trans activation-responsive) promoter to allow ribozyme expression in a constitutive and tat-inducible manner; no HIV-1 production was observed 22 days after infection of these cells. These results indicate that retroviral vectors expressing HIV-1 RNA-specific ribozymes can be used to confer resistance to HIV-1 infection.
In vivo lung morphometry with accelerated hyperpolarized 3He diffusion MRI: A preliminary study

Parallel imaging can be used to reduce imaging time and to increase the spatial coverage in hyperpolarized gas magnetic resonance imaging of the lung. In this proof‐of‐concept study, we investigate the effects of parallel imaging on the morphometric measurement of lung microstructure using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging with hyperpolarized 3He.
Maternal Hypoxia as a Model for Intrauterine Growth Retardation: Effects on Insulin-Like Growth Factors and Their Binding Proteins

ABSTRACT: Evidence suggests that IGF and their binding proteins play a role in fetal growth, but more knowledge concerning their regulation is essential. We examined the expression of IGF and their binding proteins in experimental intrauterine growth-retarded (lUGR) rat fetuses of hypoxic dams (13–14% oxygen, d 14–21 of gestation). The mean body weight of the fetuses (d 21 of gestation, n = 72) of the six hypoxic dams was 24% lower (p < 0.0001) than the mean weight of the fetuses of six control dams (n = 82). Wet liver weights demonstrated a 20% decrease (p < 0.0001) and placentas a 10% decrease (p < 0.01) compared with control fetuses. The mean serum concentrations of immunoreactive IGF-I in both groups were low but did not differ significantly. The mean serum concentrations of immunoreactive IGF-II, however, were higher in IUGR fetuses. As assessed by Northern blot analysis, there was a 4-fold increase in insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) mRNA expression in the livers of the IUGR fetuses compared with controls. IGFBP-2 mRNA expression was 6-fold increased in IUGR fetal livers. No difference was found in IGFBP-4 mRNA. An increase in IGFBP-1, −2, and −4 concentrations could be seen by Western ligand blotting in the serum of growth-retarded fetuses compared with control fetuses. This finding was verified by immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies, which demonstrated increases in IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2. Our results validate the use of maternal hypoxia as an experimental model of intrauterine growth retardation and indicate that increased IGFBP-1 and −2 expression may be of importance in the etiology of fetal growth retardation caused by maternal hypoxia.
TOR signaling in mammals

Central to the pathways that induce cell growth in mammals is the murine target of rapamycin (mTOR), a multi-domain, 298 kDa, evolutionarily-conserved Ser/Thr kinase that is inhibited by the drug rapamycin ([Schmelzle and Hall, 2000][1]). mTOR exerts its effects by phosphorylating eukaryotic
The Interrater Reliability of Subjective Assessments of the Babinski Reflex

ABSTRACT The Babinski reflex is a clinical diagnostic tool; however, the interrater reliability of this tool is currently greatly contested. A comparison between rater groups with objective measurements of the Babinski reflex was therefore conducted. Fifteen recorded Babinski reflexes were assessed by 12 neurologists and 12 medical students as being either pathological or nonpathological. Kinematic and electromyographic variables were collected and used to assess which aspects of the Babinski reflex predict classification. Substantial interrater agreement within the neurologist and student groups (κ = .72 and .67, respectively) was shown; however, there were some differing aspects between what neurologists and students used to assess the reflex as determined by objective kinematic measurements.
Adaptive feedback linearization for an uncertain nonlinear system using support vector regression

This paper explores an adaptive feedback linearization for an uncertain nonlinear system using support vector regression (SVR). SVR, which assures global solution by quadratic programming (QP) problem, is used to learn the nominal dynamics of the input-output feedback-linearized system. Then, an adaptation algorithm of the offline-trained SVR is proposed for eliminating the offline-training error and uncertainties in the control process. In addition, the derivation of the adaptive rule considers the controller singularity problem by utilizing the affine property of the nonlinear system and the concept of the virtual control. Uniformly ultimately bound property of the overall system is analyzed by the Lyapunov stability theory. Simulations using a longitudinal dynamics of the F-16 model validate the performance of the proposed approach.
Broad-Scale Metabolic Perturbations in Hyperglycemic Mothers during Pregnancy Running title : Metabolomics of hyperglycemic pregnancy

Objective: To characterize metabolites across the range of maternal glucose by comparing metabolomic profiles of mothers with high and low fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Research Design and Methods: We compared fasting serum from an oral glucose-tolerance test at ~28 weeks’ gestation from 67 Northern European ancestry mothers from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study with high (>90 percentile) FPG to 50 mothers with low (<10 percentile) FPG but comparable BMI. Metabolic data from biochemical analyses of conventional clinical metabolites, targeted mass-spectrometry (MS)-based measurement of amino acids, and non-targeted gas chromatography/MS were subjected to permetabolite analyses and collective pathway analyses using Unipathway annotation. Results: High FPG mothers had a metabolic profile consistent with insulin resistance including higher triglycerides, 3-hydroxybutyrate, and amino acids including alanine, proline and branched chain amino acids (false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted p<0.05). Lower 1,5-anhydroglucitol in high FPG mothers suggested recent hyperglycemic excursions (FDR-adjusted p<0.05). Pathway analyses indicated differences in amino acid degradation pathways for the two groups (FDRadjusted p<0.05), consistent with population-based findings in non-pregnant populations. Exploratory analyses with newborn outcomes indicated positive associations for maternal triglycerides with neonatal sum of skinfolds and cord C-peptide and a negative association between maternal glycine and cord C-peptide (p<0.05). Conclusions: Metabolomics reveals perturbations in metabolism of major macronutrients and amino acid degradation pathways in high vs. low FPG mothers. Page 2 of 35 Diabetes Care
Social inequalities in adolescent depression: The role of parental social support and optimism

Aims: Interpersonal theory suggests relationships between socio-economic status (SES) and adolescent psychopathology mediated by negative parenting. This study examines the role of perceived parental social support and optimism in understanding adolescents’ depression and self-rated health among a sample of Hungarian youth. Methods: Using a self-administered questionnaire, data (N = 881) were collected from high-school students (14–20 years old) in Szeged, Hungary (a regional centre in the southeastern region, near to the Serbian border, with a population of 170,000 inhabitants). To analyse the overall structure of the relationship between objective/subjective SES, parental support, optimism and health outcomes (depression, self-perceived health), structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed. Results: Findings suggest the following: (1) SES variables generate social inequalities in adolescent depression through parental social support, particularly maternal support; and (2) parents provide youths with different levels of social support that in turn may strengthen or weaken optimism during the socialization process. Conclusions: In addressing depression prevention and treatment, we may want to take into account socio-economic differences in social networks and levels of optimism, which may influence youths’ psychosocial adjustment and development of psychopathology.
Automatic inference of stationary fields: a generalization of java's final fields

Java programmers can document that the relationship between two objects is unchanging by declaring the field that encodes that relationship to be final. This information can be used in program understanding and detection of errors in new code additions. Unfortunately, few fields in programs are actually declared final. Programs often contain fields that could be final, but are not declared so. Moreover, the definition of final has restrictions on initializationthat limit its applicability. We introduce stationary fields as a generalization of final. A field in a program is stationary if, for every object that contains it, all writes to the field occur before all the reads. Unlike the definition of final fields, there can be multiple writes during initialization, and initialization can span multiple methods. We have developed an efficient algorithm for inferring which fields are stationary in a program, based on the observation that many fields acquire their value very close to object creation. We presume that an object's initialization phase has concluded when its reference is saved in some heap object. We perform precise analysis only regarding recently created objects. Applying our algorithm to real-world Java programs demonstrates that stationary fields are more common than final fields: 44-59% vs. 11-17% respectively in our benchmarks. These surprising results have several significant implications. First, substantial portions of Java programs appear to be written in a functional style. Second, initialization of these fields occurs very close to object creation, when very good alias information is available. These results open the door for more accurate and efficient pointer alias analysis.