Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanocellulose reinforced chitosan composite films as affected by nanofiller loading and plasticizer content.

UNLABELLED Chitosan is a biopolymer obtained by N-deacetylation of chitin, produced from shellfish waste, which may be employed to elaborate edible films or coatings to enhance shelf life of food products. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of nanofiller (cellulose nanofibers, CNF) and plasticizer (glycerol) on tensile properties (tensile strength-TS, elongation at break-EB, and Young's modulus-YM), water vapor permeability (WVP), and glass transition temperature (T(g)) of chitosan edible films, and to establish a formulation to optimize their properties. The experiment was conducted according to a central composite design, with 2 variables: CNF (0 to 20 g/100 g) and glycerol (0 to 30 g/100 g) concentrations in the film (on a dry basis), which was produced by the so-called casting technique. Most responses (except by EB) were favored by high CNF concentrations and low glycerol contents. The optimization was based on maximizing TS, YM, and T(g), and decreasing WVP, while maintaining a minimum acceptable EB of 10%. The optimum conditions were defined as: glycerol concentration, 18 g/100 g; and CNF concentration, 15 g/100 g. AFM imaging of films suggested good dispersion of the CNF and good CNF-matrix interactions, which explains the good performance of the nanocomposite films. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Chitosan is a biodegradable polymer which may be used to elaborate edible films or coatings to enhance shelf life of foods. This study demonstrates how cellulose nanofibers (CNF) can improve the mechanical and water vapor barrier properties of chitosan films. A nanocomposite film with 15% CNF and plasticized with 18% glycerol was comparable to some synthetic polymers in terms of strength and stiffness, but with poorer elongation and water vapor barrier, indicating that they can be used for applications that do not require high flexibility and/or water vapor barrier. The more important advantage of such films when compared to synthetic polymer films is their environmentally friendly properties.
Motor unit number estimates in the tibialis anterior muscle of young, old, and very old men

The rate of motor unit (MU) loss and its influence on the progression of sarcopenia is not well understood. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to estimate and compare numbers of MUs in the tibialis anterior (TA) of young men (∼25 years) and two groups of older men (∼65 years and ≥80 years). Decomposition‐enhanced spike‐triggered averaging was used to collect surface and intramuscular electromyographic signals during isometric dorsiflexions at 25% of maximum voluntary contraction. The mean surface‐MU potential size was divided into the maximum M wave to calculate the motor unit number estimate (MUNE). The MUNE was significantly reduced in the old (91) compared to young (150) men, and further reduced in the very old men (59). Despite the smaller MUNE at age 65, strength was not reduced until beyond 80 years. This suggests that age‐related MU loss in the TA does not limit function until a critical threshold is reached. Muscle Nerve, 2005
Nuclear Diacylglycerol Produced by Phosphoinositide-specific Phospholipase C Is Responsible for Nuclear Translocation of Protein Kinase C-α*

It is well established that an independent inositide cycle is present within the nucleus, where it is involved in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation. Previous results have shown that when Swiss 3T3 cells are treated with insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) a rapid and sustained increase in mass of diacylglycerol (DAG) occurs within the nuclei, accompanied by a decrease in the levels of both phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. However, it is unclear whether or not other lipids could contribute to this prolonged rise in DAG levels. We now report that the IGF-I-dependent increase in nuclear DAG production can be inhibited by the specific phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C inhibitor 1-O-octadeyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine or by neomycin sulfate but not by the purported phosphatidylcholine-phospholipase C specific inhibitor D609 or by inhibitors of phospholipase D-mediated DAG generation. Treatment of cells with 1-O-octadeyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine or neomycin sulfate inhibited translocation of protein kinase C-α to the nucleus. Moreover, exposure of cells to 1-O-octadeyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, but not to D609, dramatically reduced the number of cells entering S-phase upon stimulation with IGF-I. These results suggest that the only phospholipase responsible for generation of nuclear DAG after IGF-I stimulation of 3T3 cells is PI-PLC. When this activity is inhibited, neither DAG rise is seen nor PKC-α translocation to the nucleus occurs. Furthermore, this PI-PLC activity appears to be essential for the G0/G1to S-phase transition.
Modulation of Jejunal Contractions by Extract of Carica papaya L. Seeds

Carica papaya L. (papaya) seed preparations are used in traditional medicine to expel intestinal worms in human and ruminants. In the present study, an ethanol extract of papaya seeds (EEPS; 0.1–6.4 mg/mL) caused concentration‐dependent inhibition of jejunal contractions in contrast to corresponding concentrations of DMSO (solvent control). The inhibitory effect of EEPS on jejunal contractions was significantly irreversible. Previous studies have indicated that benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) is the main bioactive compound responsible for the anthelmintic activity of papaya seeds. In the present study, standard BITC (0.01–0.64 mmol/L) also caused significant irreversible inhibition of jejunal contractions. Recovery of jejunal contractions after BITC‐induced inhibition was weaker than recovery after EEPS‐induced inhibition (BITC versus EEPS: 19 ± 7% vs 38 ± 13%). Cryosections of the jejunum showed marked morphological damage of the segments treated with BITC in contrast to DMSO‐treated segments. EEPS‐induced jejunal damage was, however, less marked. These results indicate that papaya seed extract and BITC, its principal bioactive constituent are capable of weakening the contractile capability of rabbit isolated jejunum. It is thus envisaged that at the toxic level that will be needed to kill and expel intestinal worms in vivo, BITC may also cause impairment of intestinal functions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hand shape identification using palmprint alignment based on intrinsic local affine-invariant fiducial points

Palmprint is the mostly popular biometrics used in security system. However, it is difficult to acquire the palmprint features with the common problems of pose, lighting, orientation, gesture etc. of palmprint image. So, these problems have the effect to reduce the level of confidence in personal authentication. In this paper, we proposed a new hand shape identification using palmprint alignment without guidance pegs algorithm for improving the level of confidence in palmprint identification system. The palmprint alignment based on a set of fiducial points which are intrinsic, local and preserved under affine transformation. The fiducial points are relative affine invariant to affine transformations, they allow for alignment where position of the palm relative to camera orientation can be arbitrary set. Moreover, before palmprint alignment process, the web camera which was used to capture the palmprint image was calibrated by Camera Calibration Toolbox developed by Jean-Yves Bouguet. The performance of the identification algorithm was tested in 2 types: intra-class identification and inter-class identification. The intra-class identification has the most of distance map error was started from 1.4 pixels to 4.5 pixels and the inter-class identification has 18 percent equal error rate.
Evaluation and cultural adaptation of a German version of the AIMS2-SF questionnaire (German AIMS2-SF).

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to examine the validity of a translated and culturally adapted version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2, Short Form (AIMS2-SF) in patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) in primary care. METHODS A structured procedure was used for the translation and cultural adaptation of the AIMS2-SF into German. The questionnaire was administered to 220 primary care patients with OA of the knee or hip. Test-retest reliability was tested in 35 randomly selected patients, who received the questionnaire a second time after 1 week. The physical scale of the original AIMS2-SF was divided into an 'upper body limitations' scale and a 'lower body limitations' scale. RESULTS With values ranging from 0.52 to 0.97 for Pearson's r, item-scale correlations were reasonably good. The discriminative power of separate scales was also good, reflected in low values for correlation between different scales, indicating little redundancy. Only two items (13 and 15) referring to the symptom scale showed item-scale correlation of r = 0.72 and r = 0.67, respectively with the lower body limitation scale. The assessment of internal consistency reliability also revealed satisfactory values: Cronbach's alpha was > or =0.83 for all scales, except for the social interaction scale (0.66). The test-retest reliability, estimated as the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), exceeded 0.85 except for the affect scale (0.72). Substantial floor effects occurred in the upper limb scale (33.8%). Principal factor analysis confirmed the postulated three-factor structure with physical, physiological and social dimensions, explaining 49.8, 14.1 and 6.4% of the variation, respectively. The assessment of external validity revealed satisfactory correlations with the corresponding WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthrosis Index) scales. As expected, correlations with radiological grading were moderate to low. The correlation with the physician's assessment was high in the scales that were dominated by physical factors, but rather low in the areas of health, which were found to be dominated by psychological or social factors. CONCLUSION The German AIMS2-SF is a reliable and valid instrument to assess the quality of life in primary care patients suffering from OA. When addressing the different impacts of OA, the physical scale should be divided into an upper body scale and a lower body scale. The floor and ceiling effects revealed are in accordance with the disease characteristics of the study sample and do not limit the significance of the questionnaire.
Unusual Causes of Stiffness in Two Hockey Players

PurposeTo describe two cases of competitive hockey players whose performance was impaired by generalized painless muscle stiffness. They were each found to have a separate type of myotonia. Case summaryThe first hockey player experienced stiffness only when initiating activity after a period of inactivity. He had a family history of muscle stiffness, grip myotonia clinically, and electrophysiologic findings of myotonic discharges. He had myotonia congenita. The stiffness in the second case was episodic and occurred during bouts of intense physical activity. The legs, arms, and neck were affected. Myotonia fluctuans was the probable diagnosis. Both cases responded well to mexiletine. DiscussionThe etiology, classification, and clinical presentation of myotonia are discussed. RelevanceBecause of the musculoskeletal nature of our practice, sport medicine clinicians should be aware of myotonic disorders so they can be recognized and appropriately treated.
Chemopreventive effect of different ratios of fish oil and corn oil on prognostic markers, DNA damage and cell cycle in colon carcinogenesis

Fish oil (FO) rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have a protective role in autoimmune disorders, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer, whereas corn oil (CO) rich in n-6 PUFAs has a proinflammatory and procarcinogenic effect. A balanced n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio in diet rather than absolute intake of either may be responsible for decreasing cancer incidence. This study was designed to evaluate the chemopreventive effect of different ratios of FO and CO on prognostic markers, DNA damage, and cell cycle distribution in colon carcinogenesis. Male Wistar rats were divided into control, N,N′-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH) treated, FO+CO(1 : 1)+DMH, and FO+CO(2.5 : 1)+DMH. All the groups, except control, received a weekly injection of DMH for 4 weeks. The animals were given modified AIN-76A diets and killed either 48 h later (initiation phase) or kept for 16 weeks (postinitiation phase). The animals treated with DMH in both the phases showed an increase in multiple plaque lesions, total sialic acid, lipid associated sialic acid, DNA damage and cell proliferation. However, levels of p53 in the postinitiation and cyclin D1 in both the phases were significantly elevated. FO+CO(2.5 : 1)+DMH treatment in both the phases led to a decrease in multiple plaque lesions, DNA damage, total sialic acid, lipid associated sialic acid as compared with the DMH treated group. There was a G1 arrest with a decrease in p53 and cyclin D1 levels in FO+CO(2.5 : 1) in both the phases whereas treatment with FO+CO(1 : 1)+DMH led to same results in the postinitiation phase only. This study suggests that FO+CO(2.5 : 1) is more effective in chemoprevention of experimental colon carcinogenesis.
Swine Leukocyte Antigen-DQ Expression and Its Regulation by Interferon-Gamma at the Maternal-Fetal Interface in Pigs1

ABSTRACT Successful pregnancy requires an appropriate intrauterine immune response to the conceptus, which is a semiallograft within the uterus. We reported that swine leukocyte antigen-DQA (SLA-DQA), a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II gene, is expressed in the uterine endometrium at the time of conceptus implantation in pigs. Because MHC molecules play critical roles in the immune system, SLA-DQ was hypothesized to be involved in immune regulation during pregnancy. Therefore, we examined expression of SLA-DQ in uterine endometrial tissues obtained during the estrous cycle and pregnancy. SLA-DQA and SLA-DQB mRNAs were detected as 1.3-kb and 1.2-kb bands, respectively. Real-time RT-PCR analysis indicated that SLA-DQA and SLA-DQB mRNA expression was affected by day and pregnancy status, with the highest expression on Day 15 of pregnancy. SLA-DQ was localized primarily to subepithelial stromal cells and endothelial cells of the uterus. Using endometrial explant cultures from Day 12 of the estrous cycle, we determined that expression of SLA-DQA and SLA-DQB mRNAs increased in response to interferon-gamma (IFNG), which is produced by pig conceptus trophectoderm between Days 14 and 18 of pregnancy. The abundance of SLA-DQ protein was less in endometria from gilts with conceptuses resulting from somatic cell nuclear transfer compared with endometria from gilts with conceptuses resulting from natural mating. These results support our hypothesis that SLA-DQ is expressed in response to IFNG from the conceptus, and likely regulates immune response at the maternal-fetal interface to support the maintenance of pregnancy in pigs.
An anti‐ganglioside antibody‐secreting hybridoma induces neuropathy in mice

Immune responses against gangliosides are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of some variants of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS). For example, IgG antibodies against GM1, GD1a, and related gangliosides are frequently present in patients with post‐Campylobacter acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) variant of GBS, and immunization of rabbits with GM1 has produced a model of AMAN. However, the role of anti‐ganglioside antibodies in GBS continues to be debated because of lack of a passive transfer model. We recently have raised several monoclonal IgG anti‐ganglioside antibodies. We passively transfer these antibodies by intraperitoneal hybridoma implantation and by systemic administration of purified anti‐ganglioside antibodies in mice. Approximately half the animals implanted with an intraperitoneal clone of anti‐ganglioside antibody‐secreting hybridoma developed a patchy, predominantly axonal neuropathy affecting a small proportion of nerve fibers. In contrast to hybridoma implantation, passive transfer with systemically administered anti‐ganglioside antibodies did not cause nerve fiber degeneration despite high titre circulating antibodies. Blood–nerve barrier studies indicate that animals implanted with hybridoma had leaky blood–nerve barrier compared to mice that received systemically administered anti‐ganglioside antibodies. Our findings suggest that in addition to circulating antibodies, factors such as antibody accessibility and nerve fiber resistance to antibody‐mediated injury play a role in the development of neuropathy. Ann Neurol 2004;56:228–239
Protograph based quasi-cyclic LDPC coding for ultra-high density magnetic recording channels

Bit-patterned media recording (BPMR), heat (or microwave) assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) and shingled writing (SW)/two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) have been primed to further increase the areal density of magnetic recording beyond 1Tb/in2. However, with the reduction of the track pitch, inter-track interference (ITI) becomes a major impairment for these magnetic recording systems. ITI combined with the conventional (down-track) inter-symbol interference (ISI) forms a two-dimensional (2D) interference that severely degrades the performance of data detection in these systems.
Feedback controls and G2 checkpoints: Fission yeast as a model system

Dependency relationships within the cell cycle allow cells to arrest the cycle reversibly in response to agents or conditions that interfere with specific aspects of its normal progression. In addition, overlapping pathways exist which also arrest the cell cycle in response to DNA damage. Collectively, these control mechanisms have become known as checkpoints. Analysis of checkpoints is facilitated by the fact that dependency relationships within the cell cycle, such as the dependency of mitosis on the completion of DNA synthesis, and the DNA damage checkpoint can be separated genetically. In fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the dependency of mitosis on prior completion of DNA synthesis is mediated through tyrosine‐15 phosphorylation of the ubiquitous mitotic regulator p34cdc2. In contrast, the arrest of mitosis caused by DNA damage acts through a separate mechanism that appears to be independent of tyrosine‐15 phosphorylation. Despite these distinct interactions with the mitotic machinery, the majority of fission yeast mutants that are deficient in mitotic arrest after DNA damage are also unable to respond to inhibition of DNA synthesis. In this essay we survey the current knowledge concerning feedback controls and checkpoints within fission yeast and relate this to information derived from other systems.
Plant Phenotypic Plasticity Belowground: A Phylogenetic Perspective on Root Foraging Trade‐Offs

Many plants proliferate roots in nutrient patches, presumably increasing nutrient uptake and plant fitness. Nutrient heterogeneity has been hypothesized to maintain community diversity because of a trade‐off between the spatial extent over which plants forage (foraging scale) and their ability to proliferate roots precisely in nutrient patches (foraging precision). Empirical support for this hypothesis has been mixed, and some authors have suggested that interspecific differences in relative growth rate may be confounded with measurements of foraging precision. We collected previously published data from numerous studies of root foraging ability (foraging precision, scale, response to heterogeneity, and relative growth rate) and phylogenetic relationships for >100 plant species to test these hypotheses using comparative methods. Root foraging precision was phylogenetically and taxonomically conserved. Using ahistorical and phylogenetically independent contrast correlations, we found no evidence of a root foraging scale‐precision trade‐off, mixed support for a relative growth rate‐precision relationship, and no support for the widespread assumption that foraging precision increases the benefit gained from growth in heterogeneous soil. Our understanding of the impacts of plant foraging precision and soil heterogeneity on plants and communities is less advanced than commonly believed, and we suggest several areas in which further research is needed.
Groove Gap Waveguide in 3-D Printed Technology for Low Loss, Weight, and Cost Distribution Networks

This paper presents the design and fabrication of low loss, weight, and cost prototypes in groove gap waveguide technology at Ka-band, manufactured with a metallized 3-D printing technique. A wide analysis of loss mechanisms and printing imperfections has been conducted, as well as the effect of temperature on structural deformations. Metallized 3-D printed and CNC machined prototypes have been compared and characterized with simulations and measurements at a band from 28 to 30 GHz. The average measured losses for metallized plastic prototypes are 1.4 dB/m.
Method as a Service(MaaS) cloud computing solution for usability and interoperability of methods

Methods are said to building blocks of Method Engineering(ME) which could be loaded into method repository to fabricate into a newly composed method. Situational Method Engineering (SME) could said to be a direction of ME which covers development of method reconstruction from existing methods for customized situation of a project. Many available SME approaches concentrate on design and constructional part; however, availability and usability of those methods is still overlooked by the researchers. A key issue found was, usability and availability of methods were limited to providers and developers only, which lead to limitation of the usability and inter-operability of method components. To overcome this issue in this study, the main concentration has been drawn upon the usability, availability, and inter-operability of methods. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for implementing Method as a Service (MaaS) have been developed in this study. Case study of Airline Reservation System. customized methods and services were identified, created from scratch and then sliced into fragments which lead to services to deploy MaaS on Window Azure Cloud. The result of the study showed that by identifying, developing and deployment of Methods as a Service on cloud increases the accessibility, usability and inter-operability of methods. It makes easy for everyone to access the available methods of any project.
Non‐parametric estimators of a monotonic dose–response curve and bootstrap confidence intervals

In this paper we consider study designs which include a placebo and an active control group as well as several dose groups of a new drug. A monotonically increasing dose–response function is assumed, and the objective is to estimate a dose with equivalent response to the active control group, including a confidence interval for this dose. We present different non‐parametric methods to estimate the monotonic dose–response curve. These are derived from the isotonic regression estimator, a non‐negative least squares estimator, and a bias adjusted non‐negative least squares estimator using linear interpolation. The different confidence intervals are based upon an approach described by Korn, and upon two different bootstrap approaches. One of these bootstrap approaches is standard, and the second ensures that resampling is done from empiric distributions which comply with the order restrictions imposed. In our simulations we did not find any differences between the two bootstrap methods, and both clearly outperform Korn's confidence intervals. The non‐negative least squares estimator yields biased results for moderate sample sizes. The bias adjustment for this estimator works well, even for small and moderate sample sizes, and surprisingly outperforms the isotonic regression method in certain situations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.