Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Antidiabetic Potential Of Jatropha tanjorensis Leaves

In Southwest Nigeria, infusion of Jatropha tanjorensisi leaves is taken orally for the treatment of diabetic symptoms. The hypoglycemic effect of EtOH/H 2 O (1:1) leaf extract was evaluated in fasted and glucose-loaded rats at the doses of 1 and 2g/kg in-vivo, while three fractions of the extract were assessed for their anti-diabetic potentials in-vitro to stimulate the release of insulin secretion from INS–1 cells. Only 2 g/kg of the extract possesses significant glucose lowering activity in glucose-loaded rats while the insulin secretion ability in-vitro was limited to the ethylacetate fraction. Key words: Anti-hyperglycaemic, Hypoglycaemic effects; INS-1 cells; Jatropha tanjorensisi . Nig. J. Nat. Prod. and Med. Vol.8 2004: 55-58
Matched Spectral-Null Code with Run-Length Limitation for Optical Recording Channels

High track-density recording and multi-layer recording have been investigated for large capacity optical recording discs. In this case, the recorded data will be reproduced under the low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) condition due to crosstalk from the adjacent tracks or the other layers, and robust data detection will be required. In this paper, a novel Matched Spectral-Null (MSN) code providing the property of Run-Length Limitation (RLL) was described considering the optical recording channels. Trellis Coded Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (TCPRML) employing the MSN code with RLL was also proposed for the data detection method enhancing the minimum Euclidian distance. The detection performance was estimated through the simulation model, which emulates the optical recording channels based on the Blu-ray Disc (BD) specification.
The Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation Program on Quality of Life in Cancer Outpatients: An Exploratory Study

Objective. Numerous studies have investigated the efficacy of mindfulness meditation (MM) in managing quality of life (QoL) in cancer populations, yet only a few have studied the Asian population. The aim of this exploratory study is to evaluate the effect of a MM program on the QoL outcomes in Taiwanese cancer outpatients. Methods. Patients with various cancer diagnoses were enrolled and assigned to the MM group and usual care (UC) group. The meditation intervention consisted of 3 sessions held monthly. The outcomes of the whole intervention were measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. Results. A total of 35 participants in the MM group and 34 in the UC group completed the study. The results showed that the postintervention scores were significantly higher than the preintervention scores in the MM group. In the UC group, there was no significant difference between preintervention and postintervention scores, except for the lower environment domain scores. There was no significant difference between the follow-up scores and postintervention scores in the MM group, indicating that improvement can be maintained for 3 months after completing the MM course. Conclusions. The present study provides preliminary outcomes of the effects on the QoL in Taiwanese cancer patients. The results suggest that MM may serve as an effective mind–body intervention for cancer patients to improve their QoL, and the benefits can persist over a 3-month follow-up period. This occurred in a diverse cancer population with various cancer diagnoses, strengthening the possibility of general use.
Highly Selective Transport of Alkali Metal Ions by Nano-channels of Polyelectrolyte Threaded MIL-53 Metal Organic Framework.

Conventional ion-exchange polymeric membranes have limited selectivity due to their non-uniform and unstable structures. The rigid, regular, high porosity of metal organic framework (MOF) generally provides MOF membrane with ion exclusion/sieving effect but lack of electrostatic screening. Here we report for the first time a non-biological highly selective MOF membrane with particles of polyelectrolyte threaded in the nanochannel of metal organic framework (polyelectrolyte~MOF) and its selective transport of alkali metal cations. Poly(sodium vinyl sulfonated-co-acrylic acid)~MIL-53(Al) is prepared on anodic aluminium oxide substrate via steps of MOF MIL-53(Al) growth followed by in-situ polymerization. The poly(VS-co-AA)~MIL-53(Al) membrane demonstrates highly specific selectivity in transport of alkali metal cations. Rate of ion transport correlates inversely with the hydrated diameter of the ion reaching a low limiting rate near 0.7 nm hydrated diameter. Charge exclusion is demonstrated with blockage of anion transport under a concentration gradient. The highly uniform porous nanostructure of MOF and ionic function of polyelectrolyte offers the MOF membrane with synergistic selectivity based on exclusion forces of the framework and Coulomb forces from fixed charges of polyelectrolytes in nanochannels.
Phobalysin, a Small β-Pore-Forming Toxin of Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae

ABSTRACT Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae, an important pathogen of marine animals, may also cause septicemia or hyperaggressive necrotizing fasciitis in humans. We previously showed that hemolysin genes are critical for virulence of this organism in mice and fish. In the present study, we characterized the hlyA gene product, a putative small β-pore-forming toxin, and termed it phobalysin P (PhlyP), for “photobacterial lysin encoded on a plasmid. ” PhlyP formed stable oligomers and small membrane pores, causing efflux of K+, with no significant leakage of lactate dehydrogenase but entry of vital dyes. The latter feature distinguished PhlyP from the related Vibrio cholerae cytolysin. Attack by PhlyP provoked a loss of cellular ATP, attenuated translation, and caused profound morphological changes in epithelial cells. In coculture experiments with epithelial cells, Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae led to rapid hemolysin-dependent membrane permeabilization. Unexpectedly, hemolysins also promoted the association of P. damselae subsp. damselae with epithelial cells. The collective observations of this study suggest that membrane-damaging toxins commonly enhance bacterial adherence.
Information technology supporting diabetes self-care: a pilot study

AbstractAlthough diabetes is a lifelong, incurable disease, people can live a full and normal life, provided that they receive appropriate and well-planned care. The care of people with diabetes should be organised as flexibly as possible to suit individual lifestyles.Information technology has become a useful tool to support functional patient–professional relationships and improve care balance. The Self-Care System software tool set by ProWellness is one such tool. Users can enter blood glucose data by using a computer, modem and mobile phone and diabetes nurses can monitor the situation from their own computer and, if necessary, give instructions by sending a SMS (text) message to the patient’s mobile phone.This pilot study investigated whether the Self-Care System application supports people with diabetes and can be used as a diabetes education method. The study was carried out in the municipal consortium for healthcare of Siilinjarvi and Maaninka. Nine individuals with diabetes and three diabetes nur.
Real-Time Assembly of Viruslike Nucleocapsids Elucidated at the Single-Particle Level

While the structure of a multitude of viral particles has been resolved to atomistic detail, their assembly pathways remain largely elusive. Key unresolved issues are particle nucleation, particle growth, and the mode of genome compaction. These issues are difficult to address in bulk approaches and are effectively only accessible by the real-time tracking of assembly dynamics of individual particles. This we do here by studying the assembly into rod-shaped viruslike particles (VLPs) of artificial capsid polypeptides. Using fluorescence optical tweezers, we establish that small oligomers perform one-dimensional diffusion along the DNA. Larger oligomers are immobile and nucleate VLP growth. A multiplexed acoustic force spectroscopy approach reveals that DNA is compacted in regular steps, suggesting packaging via helical wrapping into a nucleocapsid. By reporting how real-time assembly tracking elucidates viral nucleation and growth principles, our work opens the door to a fundamental understanding of the complex assembly pathways of both VLPs and naturally evolved viruses.
End-to-End Throughput Analysis of Multihop Wireless Networks with Network Coding

Network coding is expected to improve throughput performance of multihop wireless networks. However, the throughput performance is significantly affected by the coding overhead at intermediate nodes. In this paper, we consider the trade-off between the throughput and coding overhead. Focusing on an intermediate node of a three-node chain topology, we model it as a single-server queueing system with two buffers. The per-flow throughput is analyzed with a continuous-time Markov chain, and the analysis is validated by simulation. Numerical results show that the analytical results agree fairly well with simulation when the offered loads of the flows are the same. It is also shown that a long processing time for coding causes a significant reduction in throughput.
Plasmonic nanopores for single-molecule detection and manipulation: towards sequencing applications.

Solid-state nanopore-based sensors are promising platforms for next-generation sequencing technologies, featuring label-free single-molecule sensitivity, rapid detection, and low-cost manufacturing. In recent years, solid-state nanopores have been explored due to their miscellaneous fabrication methods and their use in a wide range of sensing applications. In this review, we highlight a novel family of solid-state nanopores which have recently appeared, namely plasmonic nanopores. The use of plasmonic nanopores to engineer electromagnetic fields around a nanopore sensor allows for enhanced optical spectroscopies, local control over temperature, thermophoresis of molecules and ions to/from the sensor, and trapping of entities. This Mini-Review offers a comprehensive understanding of the current state-of-the-art plasmonic nanopores for single-molecule detection and biomolecular sequencing applications, and discusses the latest advances and future perspectives on plasmonic nanopore-based technologies.
Host and Pathogen Copper-Transporting P-Type ATPases Function Antagonistically during Salmonella Infection

ABSTRACT Copper is an essential yet potentially toxic trace element that is required by all aerobic organisms. A key regulator of copper homeostasis in mammalian cells is the copper-transporting P-type ATPase ATP7A, which mediates copper transport from the cytoplasm into the secretory pathway, as well as copper export across the plasma membrane. Previous studies have shown that ATP7A-dependent copper transport is required for killing phagocytosed Escherichia coli in a cultured macrophage cell line. In this investigation, we expanded on these studies by generating Atp7aLysMcre mice, in which the Atp7a gene was specifically deleted in cells of the myeloid lineage, including macrophages. Primary macrophages isolated from Atp7aLysMcre mice exhibit decreased copper transport into phagosomal compartments and a reduced ability to kill Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium compared to that of macrophages isolated from wild-type mice. The Atp7aLysMcre mice were also more susceptible to systemic infection by S. Typhimurium than wild-type mice. Deletion of the S. Typhimurium copper exporters, CopA and GolT, was found to decrease infection in wild-type mice but not in the Atp7aLysMcre mice. These studies suggest that ATP7A-dependent copper transport into the phagosome mediates host defense against S. Typhimurium, which is counteracted by copper export from the bacteria via CopA and GolT. These findings reveal unique and opposing functions for copper transporters of the host and pathogen during infection.
Video Quality Prediction Model for H.264 Video over UMTS Networks and Their Application in Mobile Video Streaming

Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile communication systems that supports wireless wideband multimedia applications. The objective of this paper is to present a new model for non-intrusive prediction of H.264 encoded video quality over UMTS networks and to illustrate their application to video quality monitoring and adaptation in mobile wireless streaming services. First, we present an efficient regression model for predicting video quality non-intrusively for all content types. The model is predicted from a combination of a set of objective parameters in the application and physical layer in terms of the Mean opinion Score (MOS). The application layer parameters considered are the content type, sender bitrate and frame rate and the physical layer parameters are the block error rate modeled with 2-state Markov model for a mean burst length of 1.75. The performance of the proposed metric is evaluated with unseen dataset with good prediction accuracy. Second, we illustrate the application of the model in mobile streaming services by presenting a new Sender Bitrate (SBR) adaptation scheme at pre-encoding stage that is Quality of Experience (QoE) driven. The scheme was tested and evaluated in the NS2 based UMTS simulation network. Extensive simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptation scheme in terms of the MOS and especially at the UMTS network bottleneck access where perceived video quality is most affected. The proposed scheme was responsive to available network bandwidth and congestion and adapted the SBR accordingly maintaining acceptable quality in terms of the MOS. The proposed scheme has applications in network planning and content provisioning for network/service providers.
Characterization of vasomotor responses in different vascular territories of C57BL/6J mice

The mouse is a quickly reproducing, inexpensive animal and often used for transgenic approaches. Due to its small size, only the aorta is frequently taken to assess vascular function. However, atherosclerosis is a generalized disease and becomes symptomatic when the perfusion of specific organs is impaired. We have therefore compared the thoracic and abdominal aorta with carotid, femoral, mesenteric, renal and coronary arteries to see whether aortic vasomotion can indeed serve as a surrogate for other, organ-specific vascular territories. Arterial segments of male C57BL/6J mice were dissected and mounted on a myograph for isometric force measurement. Vasoconstriction was determined in response to depolarization by potassium chloride (KCl), which was not different with or without an α-adrenoceptor antagonist. Vascular responses were determined in response to receptor activation by the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (±inhibition of nitric oxide synthase; ±α- and β-adrenoceptor antagonists) and the platelet-derived mediator serotonin (±inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis; ±5-hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonist). Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation was determined in response to carbachol and nitroprusside after norepinephrine-induced pre-constriction (±β-adrenoceptor antagonist). Vasoconstriction in response to KCl, norepinephrine and serotonin differed in magnitude between thoracic and abdominal aorta and between aorta and the other arterial segments. Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation differed also in magnitude between the arterial segments. Thus, the murine aorta is not a general surrogate to assess vascular function of organ-specific vascular territories.
A Natural Visible and Infrared Facial Expression Database for Expression Recognition and Emotion Inference

To date, most facial expression analysis has been based on visible and posed expression databases. Visible images, however, are easily affected by illumination variations, while posed expressions differ in appearance and timing from natural ones. In this paper, we propose and establish a natural visible and infrared facial expression database, which contains both spontaneous and posed expressions of more than 100 subjects, recorded simultaneously by a visible and an infrared thermal camera, with illumination provided from three different directions. The posed database includes the apex expressional images with and without glasses. As an elementary assessment of the usability of our spontaneous database for expression recognition and emotion inference, we conduct visible facial expression recognition using four typical methods, including the eigenface approach [principle component analysis (PCA)], the fisherface approach [PCA + linear discriminant analysis (LDA)], the Active Appearance Model (AAM), and the AAM-based + LDA. We also use PCA and PCA+LDA to recognize expressions from infrared thermal images. In addition, we analyze the relationship between facial temperature and emotion through statistical analysis. Our database is available for research purposes.
The Failure of Immune Response Evasion by Linear Plasmid 28-1-Deficient Borrelia burgdorferi Is Attributable to Persistent Expression of an Outer Surface Protein

ABSTRACT Infectivity and persistence by Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, rely stringently on regulatory events. Among these is the downregulation of lipoprotein antigen expression, exemplified by outer surface protein C (OspC), at the advent of specific immunity in the mammalian host. B. burgdorferi spirochetes that lack the linear plasmid 28-1 (lp28-1) succumb to the host's immune response. We thus explored the notion that these two phenomena were related—that lp28-1− organisms fail to downregulate ospC and thus are cleared following the appearance of anti-OspC antibody in the murine host. The lp-28-1− isolate and a wild-type (wt) isolate bearing the complete set of plasmids were grown in dialysis membrane chambers that were implanted into rat peritoneal cavities. Analysis of mRNA and protein from these cultures showed that OspC expression levels by lp28-1− organisms are abnormally high in vivo. A time course analysis of ospC expression in tissues following infection indicates also that temporal diminution of the dominant antigen OspC is impaired in lp28-1− spirochetes. Finally, passive transfer of monoclonal OspC-specific antibody into SCID mice 8 days postinfection cleared lp28-1− spirochetes, yet the wt organisms persisted in a majority of animals. These findings indicate that incomplete repression of OspC by lp28-1− organisms renders them susceptible to immune-mediated clearance. The lp28-1 plasmid must harbor one or more genes involved in OspC downregulation.
Human urinary bladder regeneration through tissue engineering – An analysis of 131 clinical cases

Replacement of urinary bladder tissue with functional equivalents remains one of the most challenging problems of reconstructive urology over the last several decades. The gold standard treatment for urinary diversion after radical cystectomy is the ileal conduit or neobladder; however, this technique is associated with numerous complications including electrolyte imbalances, mucus production, and the potential for malignant transformation. Tissue engineering techniques provide the impetus to construct functional bladder substitutes de novo. Within this review, we have thoroughly perused the literature utilizing PubMed in order to identify clinical studies involving bladder reconstruction utilizing tissue engineering methodologies. The idea of urinary bladder regeneration through tissue engineering dates back to the 1950s. Many natural and synthetic biomaterials such as plastic mold, gelatin sponge, Japanese paper, preserved dog bladder, lyophilized human dura, bovine pericardium, small intestinal submucosa, bladder acellular matrix, or composite of collagen and polyglycolic acid were used for urinary bladder regeneration with a wide range of outcomes. Recent progress in the tissue engineering field suggest that in vitro engineered bladder wall substitutes may have expanded clinical applicability in near future but preclinical investigations on large animal models with defective bladders are necessary to optimize the methods of bladder reconstruction by tissue engineering in humans.
Genistein supplementation increases bone turnover but does not prevent alcohol-induced bone loss in male mice

Chronic alcohol consumption results in bone loss through increased bone resorption and decreased bone formation. These effects can be reversed by estradiol (E2) supplementation. Soy diets are suggested to have protective effects on bone loss in men and women, as a result of the presence of soy protein-associated phytoestrogens such as genistein (GEN). In this study, male mice were pair-fed (PF), a control diet, an ethanol (EtOH) diet, or EtOH diet supplemented with 250 mg/kg of GEN for 8 weeks to test if GEN protects against bone loss associated with chronic drinking. Interestingly, alcohol consumption reduced cortical area and thickness and trabecular bone volume in both EtOH and EtOH/GEN groups when compared to the corresponding PF and PF/GEN controls, P < 0.05. However, in the trabecular bone compartment, we observed a significant increase in overall trabecular bone density in the PF/GEN group compared to the PF controls. Bone loss in the EtOH-treated mice was associated with the inhibition of osteoblastogenesis as indicated by decreased alkaline phosphatase staining in ex vivo bone marrow cultures, P < 0.05. GEN supplementation improved osteoblastogenesis in the EtOH/GEN cultures compared to the EtOH group, P < 0.05. Vertebral expression of bone-formation markers, osteocalcin, and runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) was also significantly up-regulated in the PF/GEN and EtOH/GEN groups compared to the PF and EtOH-treated groups. GEN supplementation also increased the expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand (RANKL) in the PF/GEN, an increase that persisted in the EtOH/GEN-treated animals (P < 0.05), and increased basal hydrogen peroxide production and RANKL mRNA expression in primary bone marrow cultures in vitro, P < 0.05. These findings suggest that GEN supplementation increases the overall bone remodeling and, in the context of chronic alcohol consumption, does not protect against the oxidative stress-associated EtOH-mediated bone resorption.
Pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae Protein D Conjugate Vaccine Induces Antibodies That Inhibit Glycerophosphodiester Phosphodiesterase Activity of Protein D

ABSTRACT Haemophilus influenzae outer membrane protein D (PD) is a glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GlpQ) activity-possessing virulence factor and a promising vaccine antigen, providing 35.3% efficacy against acute otitis media caused by nontypeable H. influenzae (NTHI) when it was used as a carrier protein in a novel pneumococcal PD conjugate (Pnc-PD) vaccine. To study if PD-induced protection against NTHI could be due to antibodies that inhibit or neutralize its enzymatic activity, a GlpQ enzyme inhibition assay was developed, and serum samples collected from Finnish infants before and after Pnc-PD vaccination were analyzed for enzyme inhibition and anti-PD immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody concentration. Before vaccination at age 2 months, the majority (84%) of infants (n = 69) had no detectable anti-PD IgG antibodies, and all were enzyme inhibition assay negative (inhibition index, <20). At age 13 to 16 months, all infants receiving three or four doses of Pnc-PD had detectable anti-PD IgG antibodies and 36% (8/22 infants) of the infants receiving three doses and 26% (6/23 infants) of the infants receiving four doses of Pnc-PD were inhibition assay positive (inhibition index, ≥20). No significant rise in anti-PD IgG antibodies or enzyme inhibition among control vaccinees (n = 24) receiving three doses of hepatitis B vaccine was detected. A modest correlation (rs, ∼0.66) between anti-PD IgG concentration and enzyme inhibition was detected; however, their kinetics were clearly different. These data suggest that measurement of antibody responses that inhibit PD's enzymatic activity could be a useful tool for assessing Pnc-PD vaccine-induced protective immunity against NTHI.