Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Natural Melanogenesis Inhibitor, Antioxidant, and Collagen Biosynthesis Stimulator of Phytochemicals in Rice Bran and Husk Extracts from Purple Glutinous Rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Pieisu 1 CMU) for Cosmetic Application

Oryza sativa L. cv. Pieisu 1 CMU (PES1CMU) has a high anthocyanin content in the colored bran and high phenolic content in the husk. Biologically active compounds in plants are available as dietary supplements and cosmetics. To expand the utilization of natural resources, PES1CMU will be a natural remedy for skin hyperpigmentation and aging. Cell-free tyrosinase inhibition and scavenging assays were used to screen all extracts, including PES1CMU-rice bran oil (RBO), PES1CMU-defatted rice bran (DFRB), and PES1CMU-husk (H). PES1CMU extracts were first examined in IBMX-stimulated B16 cells and H2O2-induced fibroblasts. The results exhibited that PES1CMU-DFRB was the most effective inhibitor of mushroom tyrosinase, intracellular melanin production (fold change of 1.11 ± 0.01), and tyrosinase activity (fold change of 1.22 ± 0.10) in IBMX-stimulated B16 cells. Particularly, PES1CMU-DFRB showed a comparable whitening effect to the standard arbutin with no significant difference (p > 0.05). Moreover, PES1CMU-DFRB and PES1CMU-H demonstrated strong scavenging activities. After accelerated cell aging caused by H2O2 exposure in fibroblasts, the levels of malondialdehyde production in all PES1CMU-treated fibroblasts were comparable with those of standard l-ascorbic acid (p > 0.05). Besides, PES1CMU-DFRB and PES1CMU-H treatment significantly inhibited collagen degradation against MMP-2 compared to l-ascorbic acid-treated cells (p > 0.05). PES1CMU rice-processing wastes (DFRB and H) could become potential natural sources for dermatocosmetic constituents in skin anti-aging and whitening products.
High-resolution nonlinear ellipse rotation measurements for 3D microscopy

Nonlinear optical effects have been widely explored for microscopy due to the possibility of three-dimension (3D) image acquisition. Harmonic generation and nonlinear absorption, for instance, were used for this purpose. Each nonlinear effect has its own characteristic, complexity, type of contrast, advantage and disadvantage, etc. Recently, we developed a new simple and sensitive method for measuring nonlinear ellipse rotation (NER) using a dual-phase lock-in amplifier, which could be successfully applied for measuring local nonlinearity distribution on a sample and, consequently, the image acquisition. The NER is a particular refractive nonlinear effect which appears when strong elliptical polarized laser beam propagates along one nonlinear material. It is type of refractive Kerr nonlinearity similar to self-focalization responsible for the signal in the Z-scan technique. The self-focalization is one of the most important refractive effects, but it cannot be used for image acquisition. On the other hand, NER does. Furthermore, such refractive nonlinearities signal can be very strong and serves as a new contrast for nonlinear microscopy.
Proteomics Analysis of Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines from Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) consists of the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, caused by poorly understood mechanisms for which there is no cure. Some of the cellular perturbations associated with ALS can be detected in peripheral cells, including lymphocytes from blood. A related cell system that is very suitable for research consists of human lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), which are immortalized lymphocytes. LCLs that can be easily expanded in culture and can be maintained for long periods as stable cultures. We investigated, on a small set of LCLs, if a proteomics analysis using liquid chromatography followed by tandem mass spectrometry reveals proteins that are differentially present in ALS versus healthy controls. We found that individual proteins, the cellular and molecular pathways in which these proteins participate, are detected as differentially present in the ALS samples. Some of these proteins and pathways are already known to be perturbed in ALS, while others are new and present interest for further investigations. These observations suggest that a more detailed proteomics analysis of LCLs, using a larger number of samples, represents a promising approach for investigating ALS mechanisms and to search for therapeutic agents. Proteomics data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD040240.
Recent Developments in Chemical Derivatization of Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC): Pre-Treatments, Functionalization, and Applications

Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) is an isolated, colloidal crystalline portion of cellulose fibers, and it is a valuable alternative to non-renewable fossil-based materials. It is used for a large plethora of different fields, such as composites, food applications, pharmaceutical and medical developments, and cosmetic and material industries. The interest of MCC has also been driven by its economic value. In the last decade, particular attention has been driven to the functionalization of its hydroxyl groups to expand the field of applications of such biopolymer. Herein, we report and describe several pre-treatment methods that have been developed to increase the accessibility of MCC by breaking its dense structure allowing further functionalization. This review also collects the results that have appeared in the literature during the last two decades on the utilization of functionalized MCC as adsorbents (dyes, heavy metals, and carbon dioxide), flame retardants, reinforcing agents, energetic materials, such as azide- and azidodeoxy-modified, and nitrate-based cellulose and biomedical applications.
Trying to Understand the Complicated Taxonomy in Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae): Insights on Seeds Micromorphology

Amaranthus is a genus taxonomically complex because of its high morphological variability, which led to nomenclatural disorders, misapplication of names, and misidentifications. Floristic and taxonomic studies on this genus are still incomplete, and many questions remain open. Seed micromorphology has been shown to play an important role in the taxonomy of plants. Regarding Amaranthaceae and Amaranthus, investigations are rare, and they refer to one or a few species. With the primary aim to test if seed features are helpful in the taxonomy of Amaranthus, we here present a detailed SEM study on seed micromorphology in 25 Amaranthus taxa using morphometric methods. Seeds were collected from field surveys and herbarium specimens; 14 seed coat features (7 qualitative and 7 quantitative) were measured on 111 samples (up to 5 seeds per sample). The results obtained revealed that seeds micromorphology provides interesting new taxonomic data concerning some taxa (species and below ranks). In fact, we were able to distinguish a few seed types, including one or more taxa, i.e., blitum-type, crassipes-type, deflexus-type, tuberculatus-type, and viridis-type. On the other hand, seed features are not useful for other species, for example, those included in the deflexus-type (A. deflexus, A. vulgatissimus, A. cacciatoi, A. spinosus, A. dubius, and A. stadleyanus). A diagnostic key of the studied taxa is proposed. Subgenera cannot be distinguished using seed features, thus confirming the published molecular data. All these facts reveal, once again, the taxonomic complexity of the genus Amaranthus since, e.g., just a few seed types can be defined.
Illegal Harvesting within a Protected Area: Spatial Distribution of Activities, Social Drivers of Wild Meat Consumption, and Wildlife Conservation

Simple Summary Wild meat is a primary source of protein for many rural populations and its illegal harvest can threaten worldwide wildlife conservation efforts. Near tropical forests, wild meat can be an alternative to domestic meat consumption for different reasons (economy, access, culture, etc.). We aimed to understand drivers of illegal activities affecting wildlife in a hotspot of biodiversity (Sebitoli, Kibale National Park, Uganda) hosting threatened species (including chimpanzees) and bordered by agricultural landscapes with high human densities. Illegal activities were mapped, and individual interviews were conducted. We highlighted that being a young man coming from districts contiguous to Kibale National Park particularly raises the odds of consuming wild meat. This study might help to identify and recommend sustainable social and environmental alternatives to manage biodiversity. Abstract The African tropical forests host an inestimable number of resources, including food, medicine, vegetal and animal species. Among them, chimpanzees are threatened with extinction by human activities affecting their habitats, such as forest product harvesting, and/or more directly, snaring and trafficking. We aimed to better understand the spatial distribution of these illegal activities, and the reasons for setting snares and consuming wild meat in an agricultural landscape (subsistence farming and cash crops) densely populated near a protected area (Sebitoli, Northern part of Kibale National Park, Uganda). To carry out this study, we combined GPS records of illegal activities collected with group counts (in total, n = 339 tea workers, 678 villagers, and 1885 children) and individual interviews (n = 74 tea workers, 42 villagers, and 35 children). A quarter of illegal activities collected (n = 1661) targeted animal resources and about 60% were recorded in specific areas (southwest and northeast) of the Sebitoli chimpanzee home range. Wild meat consumption, which is illegal in Uganda, is a relatively common practice among participants (17.1% to 54.1% of respondents depending on actor types and census methods). However, consumers declared that they eat wild meat unfrequently (0.6 to 2.8 times per year). Being a young man coming from districts contiguous to Kibale National Park particularly raises the odds of consuming wild meat. Such an analysis contributes to the understanding of wild meat hunting among traditional rural and agricultural societies from East Africa.
Gaseous versus Stellar Velocity Dispersion in Emission-Line Galaxies

We compare the ionized gas velocity dispersion σgas with the stellar velocity dispersion σ in star-forming galaxies, composite galaxies, Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Regions (LINERs) and Seyfert 2s, compiled from a cross-identification of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Fourth Data Release (SDSS DR4) and Point Source Catalogue Redshift Survey (PSCz). We measure σgas from the FWHMs of emission lines (Hα, [NII]λλ6548, 6583 and [SII]λλ6716, 6731). A significant correlation between the gas and stellar velocity dispersion exists, despite substantial scatter. The mean value of the gas to stellar velocity dispersion ratio is close to unity. This suggests that gas velocity dispersion can substitute for the stellar velocity dispersion as a tracer of the gravitational potential well for all the four types of galaxies, but the involved uncertainties are different from type to type. We also studied gas/σ as a function of the redshift and the axial ratio to test the effects of aperture and galaxy inclination, and found that both effects are weak. Finally we checked the trend of gas/σ with the infrared luminosity and found no significant correlation.
2D Simulations of Short‐Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Xenon Excimer Lamp

Self‐consistent two‐dimensional (2D) simulations of short‐pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in pure xenon have been performed. It is shown that during short current pulse the traversal inhomogeneity of the plasma parameters can be important only at the end of the current pulse as an edge effect close to the side walls. During the current pulse, the gap voltage drops until the ionization wave reaches the cathode so the current in the cathode sheath is the displacement current. This means that almost all of the absorbed power is deposited into excitation of xenon atoms and not to the ion heating in the cathode sheath as in the traditional glow discharges. This fact is one of the reasons of high efficiency of short‐pulsed DBD. The developed model allows one to estimate the temporal position of the plasma‐sheath boundary. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The Role of Social Interaction in the Evolution of Learning

It is generally thought that cognition evolved to help us navigate complex environments. Social interactions make up one part of a complex environment, and some have argued that social settings are crucial to the evolution of cognition. This article uses the methods of evolutionary game theory to investigate the effect of social interaction on the evolution of cognition broadly construed as strategic learning or plasticity. I delineate the conditions under which social interaction alone, apart from any additional external environmental variation, can provide the selective pressure necessary for the initial evolution of learning. Furthermore, it is argued that in the context of social interactions we should notexpect traditional learners that ‘best-respond’ to dominate the population. Consequently, it may be important to consider non-traditional learners when modelling social evolution. 1 Introduction 2 The Model 3 Adapting to the Population 3.1 Learning an equlibrium 4 Adapting to Individuals 4.1 Learning a best response and non-traditional learners 5 Conclusion 1 Introduction 2 The Model 3 Adapting to the Population 3.1 Learning an equlibrium 3.1 Learning an equlibrium 4 Adapting to Individuals 4.1 Learning a best response and non-traditional learners 4.1 Learning a best response and non-traditional learners 5 Conclusion
Dynamic Characterization of Thermocouples under Double-Pulse Laser-Induced Thermal Excitation

This study investigated the dynamic characteristics of thermocouples by using double-pulse laser excitation for dynamic temperature calibration under extreme conditions. An experimental device was constructed for double-pulse laser calibration; the device uses a digital pulse delay trigger to precisely control the double-pulse laser to achieve sub-microsecond dual temperature excitation with adjustable time intervals. The time constants of thermocouples under single-pulse laser excitation and double-pulse laser excitation were evaluated. In addition, the variation trends of thermocouple time constants under different double-pulse laser time intervals were analyzed. The experimental results indicated that the time constant increases and then decreases with the decrease in the time interval of the double-pulse laser. A method for dynamic temperature calibration was established for the evaluation of the dynamic characteristics of temperature sensors.
Ionization of water molecules by ion beams. On the relevance of dynamic screening and the influence of the description of the initial state

Single ionization from water molecules by impact of protons, alpha particles and C6 + ions is studied. The post- and prior-versions of the continuum distorted wave-eikonal initial state (CDW-EIS) model within an independent electron approximation are employed to compute double differential cross sections. To avoid the complexity of using numerical molecular continuum states in the cross-section calculations, effective Coulombic continuum wavefunctions are employed. However, this may lead to the appearance of post–prior discrepancies and this fact is examined in detail. Moreover, the influence of the dynamic screening on this behaviour is studied. In addition, the contribution of different molecular orbitals to the angular spectrum is analysed for several ejection electron energies. Finally, the sensitivity of CDW-EIS calculations to the representation of the initial bound molecular orbitals is investigated.
Past and future of inverse problems

Inverse problems are those where a set of measured results is analyzed in order to get as much information as possible on a “model” which is proposed to represent a system in the real world. Exact inverse problems are related to most parts of mathematics. Applied inverse problems are the keys to other sciences. Hence the field, which is very wealthy, yields the best example of interdisciplinary research but it has nevertheless a strong individuality. The obtained results and explored directions of the 20th century are sketched in this review, with attempts to predict their evolution.
Gradient Span Analysis Method: Application to the Multipoint Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of a Turbine Cascade

This paper presents the application of the gradient span analysis (GSA) method to the multipoint optimization of the two-dimensional LS89 turbine distributor. The cost function (total pressure loss) and the constraint (mass flow rate) are computed from the resolution of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The penalty method is used to replace the constrained optimization problem with an unconstrained problem. The optimization process is steered by a gradient-based quasi-Newton algorithm. The gradient of the cost function with respect to design variables is obtained with the discrete adjoint method, which ensures an efficient computation time independent of the number of design variables. The GSA method gives a minimal set of operating conditions to insert into the weighted sum model to solve the multipoint optimization problem. The weights associated to these conditions are computed with the utopia point method. The single-point optimization at the nominal condition and the multipoint optimization over a wide range of conditions of the LS89 blade are compared. The comparison shows the strong advantages of the multipoint optimization with the GSA method and utopia-point weighting over the traditional single-point optimization.
What Motivates the Vaccination Rift Effect? Psycho-Linguistic Features of Responses to Calls to Get Vaccinated Differ by Source and Recipient Vaccination Status

Although vaccination provides substantial protection against COVID, many people reject the vaccine despite the opportunity to receive it. Recent research on potential causes of such vaccine hesitancy showed that those unvaccinated rejected calls to get vaccinated when they stemmed from a vaccinated source (i.e., a vaccination rift). To mend this vaccination rift, it is key to understand the underlying motivations and psychological processes. To this end, we used the voluntary free-text responses comprised of 49,259 words from the original Austrian large-scale data-set (N = 1170) to conduct in-depth psycho-linguistic analyses. These findings indicate that vaccinated message sources elicited longer responses using more words per sentence and simpler language writing more about things rather than themselves or addressing others directly. Contrary to common assumptions, expressed emotions or indicators of cognitive processing did not differ between message source conditions, but vaccinated sources led to more achievement-related expressions. Participant vaccination did not moderate the observed effects but had differential main effects on psycho-linguistic response parameters. We conclude that public vaccination campaigns need to take the vaccination status of the message source and other societal rifts into account to bolster recipients’ achievement.
Polygenic risk score prediction of multiple sclerosis in individuals of South Asian ancestry

Abstract Polygenic risk scores aggregate an individual’s burden of risk alleles to estimate the overall genetic risk for a specific trait or disease. Polygenic risk scores derived from genome-wide association studies of European populations perform poorly for other ancestral groups. Given the potential for future clinical utility, underperformance of polygenic risk scores in South Asian populations has the potential to reinforce health inequalities. To determine whether European-derived polygenic risk scores underperform at multiple sclerosis prediction in a South Asian-ancestry population compared with a European-ancestry cohort, we used data from two longitudinal genetic cohort studies: Genes & Health (2015–present), a study of ∼50 000 British–Bangladeshi and British–Pakistani individuals, and UK Biobank (2006–present), which is comprised of ∼500 000 predominantly White British individuals. We compared individuals with and without multiple sclerosis in both studies (Genes & Health: NCases = 42, NControl = 40 490; UK Biobank: NCases = 2091, NControl = 374 866). Polygenic risk scores were calculated using clumping and thresholding with risk allele effect sizes obtained from the largest multiple sclerosis genome-wide association study to date. Scores were calculated with and without the major histocompatibility complex region, the most influential locus in determining multiple sclerosis risk. Polygenic risk score prediction was evaluated using Nagelkerke’s pseudo-R2 metric adjusted for case ascertainment, age, sex and the first four genetic principal components. We found that, as expected, European-derived polygenic risk scores perform poorly in the Genes & Health cohort, explaining 1.1% (including the major histocompatibility complex) and 1.5% (excluding the major histocompatibility complex) of disease risk. In contrast, multiple sclerosis polygenic risk scores explained 4.8% (including the major histocompatibility complex) and 2.8% (excluding the major histocompatibility complex) of disease risk in European-ancestry UK Biobank participants. These findings suggest that polygenic risk score prediction of multiple sclerosis based on European genome-wide association study results is less accurate in a South Asian population. Genetic studies of ancestrally diverse populations are required to ensure that polygenic risk scores can be useful across ancestries.
One- and two-dimensional modeling of argon K-shell emission from gas-puff Z-pinch plasmas

In this paper, a theoretical model is described and demonstrated that serves as a useful tool for understanding K-shell radiating Z-pinch plasma behavior. Such understanding requires a self-consistent solution to the complete nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium kinetics and radiation transport in order to realistically model opacity effects and the high-temperature state of the plasma. For this purpose, we have incorporated into the MACH2 two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code [R. E. Peterkin et al., J. Comput. Phys. 140, 148 (1998)] an equation of state, called the tabular collisional radiative equilibrium (TCRE) model [J. W. Thornhill et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 3480 (2001)], that provides reasonable approximations to the plasma’s opacity state. MACH2 with TCRE is applied toward analyzing the multidimensional implosion behavior that occurred in Decade Quad (DQ) [D. Price et al., Proceedings of the 12th IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Monterey, CA, edited by C. Stallings and H. Kirbie (IEEE, New York, .
The Structure of Countably Generated Projective Modules Over Regular Rings

Abstract We prove that, for every regular ring R , there exists an isomorphism between the monoids of isomorphism classes of finitely generated projective right modules over the rings End R ( R (ω) R ) and RCFM( R ), where the latter denotes the ring of countably infinite row- and column-finite matrices over R . We use this result to give a precise description of the countably generated projective modules over simple regular rings and over regular rings satisfying s -comparability.
Relativistic many-body calculations of transition amplitudes for berylliumlike ions

Transition amplitudes for allowed transitions in Be-like ions are determined to second order within the framework of relativistic many-body perturbation theory. The calculations start with a ${V}^{(N\ensuremath{-}2)}$ Dirac-Fock potential and include correlation corrections systematically. Multiconfiguration reference states are employed to account for the valence-valence correlations within the valence shell and perturbation theory is applied to systematically improve upon the wave functions. The transition amplitudes obtained in different gauges are in close agreement. The theoretical transition amplitudes agree well with experiment for all ions except for the neutral Be atom.