Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Histopathological evaluation of caffeine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles in efficient treatment of cellulite

Abstract Context: Cellulite refers to dimpled appearance of the skin, usually located in the thighs and buttocks regions of most adult women. Objective: The aim of this study was to formulate topically used caffeine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) for the treatment of cellulite. Methods: SLNs were prepared by hot homogenization technique using Precirol® as lipid phase. The physical characterization and stability studies of SLNs as well as in vitro skin permeation and histological studies in rat skin were conducted. Results: The mean particle size, encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency percentages for optimized SLN formulation were 94 nm, 86 and 28%, respectively. In vitro drug release demonstrated that caffeine-loaded SLN incorporated into carbopol made hydrogel (caffeine-SLN-hydrogel) exhibited a sustained drug release compared to the caffeine hydrogel over 24 h. Caffeine-loaded SLNs showed a good stability during 12 months of storage at room temperature. The DSC and XRD results showed that caffeine was dispersed in SLN in an amorphous state. In vitro permeation studies illustrated higher drug accumulation in the skin with caffeine-SLN-hydrogel compared to caffeine hydrogel. The flux value of caffeine through rat skin in caffeine-SLN-hydrogel was 3.3 times less than caffeine hydrogel, representing lower systemic absorption. In contrast with caffeine hydrogel, the histological studies showed the complete lysis of adipocytes by administration of caffeine-SLN-hydrogel in the deeper skin layers. Conclusion: Results of this study indicated that SLNs are promising carrier for improvement of caffeine efficiency in the treatment of cellulite following topical application on the skin.
Characterization of four superoxide dismutase genes from a filamentous cyanobacterium

By using an oligonucleotide probe constructed from a conserved region of amino acids located in the carboxyl-terminal end of superoxide dismutase (SOD) proteins, four SOD genes were cloned from the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485. One of these genes, designated sodB, encoded an FeSOD enzyme, while the remaining three genes, designated sodA1, sodA2, and sodA3, encoded MnSOD enzymes. To investigate the expression of these four genes, total cellular RNA was isolated from P. boryanum UTEX 485 cells grown under various conditions and RNA gel blot analysis was carried out. Results indicated that sodB and sodA1 were constitutively expressed, although sodB expression was partially repressed in cells grown under conditions of iron stress. sodA2 transcripts, which were not detectable in control cells, accumulated to high levels in cells treated with methyl viologen or in cells grown under conditions of iron or nitrogen stress. However, under microaerobic conditions, iron and nitrogen stress failed to induce sodA2, indicating that multiple factors affect the regulation of sodA2. While discrete transcripts were not detected for sodA3, hybridization was observed under a number of conditions, including those which increased the accumulation of sodA2 transcripts. Additionally, there were high levels of the sodA3 transcript detected in a P. boryanum UTEX 485 mutant strain resistant to methyl viologen treatment.
Leukotriene B 4 w-Hydroxylase in Human Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes Partial Purification and Identification as a Cytochrome P-450

Humanpolymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) not only synthesize and respond to leukotriene B4 (LTB4), but also catabolize this mediator of inflammation rapidly and specifically by w-oxidation. To characterize the enzyme(s) responsible for w-oxidation of LTB4, human PMNwere disrupted by sonication and subjected to differential centrifugation to yield membrane, granule, and cytosol fractions (identified by biochemical markers). LTB4 w-hydroxylase activity was concentrated (together with NADPH cytochrome c reductase activity) only in the membrane fraction (specific activity increased 10-fold as compared to whole sonicates, 41% recovery). Negligible activity was detected in granule or cytosol fractions. LTB4 w-hydroxylase activity in isolated PMNmembranes was linear with respect to duration of incubation and protein concentration, was maximal at pH 7.4, had a K, for LTB4 of 0.6 MM, and was dependent on oxygen and on reduced pyridine nucleotides (apparent K. for NADPH= 0.5 AM; apparent K, for NADH= 223 MM). The LTB4 w-hydroxylase was inhibited significantly by carbon monoxide, ferricytochrome c, SKF-525A, and Triton X-100, but was not affected by a-naphthoflavone, azide, cyanide, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. Finally, isolated PMNmembranes exhibited a carbon monoxide difference spectrum with a peak at 452 nm. Thus, we have partially purified the LTB. w-hydroxylase in human PMN and identified the enzyme as a membrane-associated, NADPHdependent cytochrome P450.
Early Salt Stress Effects on the Changes in Chemical Composition in Leaves of Ice Plant and Arabidopsis. A Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Study1

A technique based on Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry was developed to detect the corresponding changes in chemical composition associated with the rapid changes in sodium and water content in 200 mm NaCl-stressed halophyte ice plants (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum). The changes in glycophyte Arabidopsis stressed with 50 mm NaCl were also examined for comparison. The obtained IR spectra were further processed by deconvolution and curve fitting to examine the chemical nature of the responding sources in the leaves. Using three stages of ice plant leaves, absorption bands corresponding to carbohydrates, cell wall pectin, and proteins were identified, with distinct IR spectra representing each developmental stage. Within 48 h of mild salt stress, the absorption band intensities in the fingerprint region increased continuously in both plants, suggesting that the carbon assimilation was not affected at the early stage of stress. The intensities of ester and amide I absorption bands decreased slightly in Arabidopsis but increased in ice plant, suggesting that the cell expansion and protein synthesis ceased in Arabidopsis but continued in ice plant. In both plants, the shift in amide I absorption band was observed hourly after salt stress, indicating a rapid conformational change of cellular proteins. Analyses of the ratio between major and minor amide I absorption band revealed that ice plant was able to maintain a higher-ordered form of proteins under stress. Furthermore, the changes in protein conformation showed a positive correlation to the leaf sodium contents in ice plant, but not in Arabidopsis.
The Effect of Detectable HIV Viral Load among HIV-Infected Children during Antiretroviral Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study

The RNA viral load of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is initially used to determine the status of the HIV infection. The goal of therapy following treatment failure is to achieve and maintain virologic suppression. A detectable viral load may relate to the progression of HIV infection. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January 2013 to December 2014 at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, Thailand. The aim was to determine the prevalence of detectable HIV viral load (dVL) and analyze the factors associated with post-dVL conditions that occur independently of a switch to a new antiretroviral agent. The prevalence of dVL was 27% (27 of 101). The mean ages of dVL and non-dVL children were 12.0 and 12.3 years, respectively. Age, sex, body mass index for age z-scores, previous tuberculosis disease history and parental tuberculosis history of both groups were not significantly different (p > 0.05). The prevalence of poor adherence (<95%), influenza-like illness (ILI) and opportunistic infections were higher in dVL than non-dVL children (p < 0.05). The mean nadir CD4 cell count during the study was lower in dVL than non-dVL children (646 compared to 867, respectively; p < 0.05). Other factors were not significant (all p > 0.05). In multivariable analysis, dVL was significantly associated with ILI (odds ratio (OR) = 9.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3–69.4), adherence (OR = 0.195, 95% CI = 0.047–0.811) and nadir CD4 during the study (OR = 1.102, 95% CI = 1.100–1.305). The prevalence of dVL was 27% with this dVL among HIV-infected children found to be associated with ILI, poor adherence and lower nadir CD4 during the study.
Changing the Appearance of Real-World Objects By Modifying Their Surroundings

We present an approach to alter the perceived appearance of physical objects by controlling their surrounding space. Many real-world objects cannot easily be equipped with displays or actuators in order to change their shape. While common approaches such as projection mapping enable changing the appearance of objects without modifying them, certain surface properties (e.g. highly reflective or transparent surfaces) can make employing these techniques difficult. In this work, we present a conceptual design exploration on how the appearance of an object can be changed by solely altering the space around it, rather than the object itself. In a proof-of-concept implementation, we place objects onto a tabletop display and track them together with users to display perspective-corrected 3D graphics for augmentation. This enables controlling properties such as the perceived size, color, or shape of objects. We characterize the design space of our approach and demonstrate potential applications. For example, we change the contour of a wallet to notify users when their bank account is debited. We envision our approach to gain in importance with increasing ubiquity of display surfaces.
Pre-Emptive Perception

How can an action to a target be selected without yet knowing what it is? Pre-emptive perception (PEP) is a framework which orders neuronal mechanisms in association with voluntary actions before an action is started and until it is completed. It is assumed that PEP serves the purpose of perception, but a conscious, perceptual identification of the goal is not obligatorily completed during the time period of PEP itself. The concept of PEP is that the brain pre-emptively optimizes an action plan to maximize eventual perception, even before being sure what the goal is. Experimental studies of voluntary saccadic eye movements are considered as prototypic activity within the framework of PEP. The core concept of pre-emption is that a particular saccade is selected while a large number of other possible actions are deselected. Pre-emptive computations include mechanisms associated with internal context and reward. Neurophysiological studies which show anatomically and functionally separate cortical and some subcortical neuronal groups in computing saccades are summarized. There is a potential relationship of PEP as a neurobiological framework and some philosophical concepts. Terms for processes between planning and action, such as intention, anticipation, and attention, are often incongruent in everyday language and in epistemology. It is proposed here that a scrutiny of these terms can be rigorously approached by temporal subdivision of PEP and conversely, clear definitions of these terms can lead to organized experimental designs of cognitive neurobiology. The temporal subdivision of PEP allows a critique of The Will in the definition of Schopenhauer and distinguishes it from the ‘free will’.
Recurrent disease following liver transplantation for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis

Recurrence of the original disease following liver transplantation is not uncommon and can lead to graft failure. There are limited data on recurrent fatty liver disease following liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of recurrent fatty liver disease in patients with biopsy‐proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, its effect on survival, and whether there are any predictive factors for recurrence. We analyzed patients undergoing liver transplantation for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis from 1997 to 2008 at a single center. Patients undergoing transplantation for cholestatic disease, alcohol, hepatitis C, or cryptogenic cirrhosis were controls. Ninety‐eight patients underwent transplantation for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis. Recurrent fatty liver disease was seen in 70%, 25% had recurrent nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and 18% had stage II/IV or greater fibrosis at a mean of 18 months. No patients with recurrent nonalcoholic steatohepatitis developed graft failure or required retransplantation at a follow‐up of 3 years. No recipient or donor factors were associated with disease recurrence, although patients with recurrent nonalcoholic steatohepatitis had a higher incidence of diabetes, weight gain, and dyslipidemia at the time of diagnosis of recurrence. One‐third of patients with recurrent nonalcoholic steatohepatitis had normal liver enzymes at the time of diagnosis post‐transplantation. In conclusion, recurrent fatty liver disease is common following liver transplantation for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis but does not lead to early allograft failure. Recurrent nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can occur despite normal liver enzymes, and features of metabolic syndrome are associated with disease recurrence. Liver Transpl 15:1843–1851, 2009. © 2009 AASLD.
Combined Technologies in Analysis of Overlapping Cells

Time-lapse microscopy imaging serves as an important method to measure the cycle progression of individual cells in a large population. The lacking of automatic systems that can deal with large volume of time-lapse optical microscopy imaging is a bottleneck of modern bio-imaging research. In this paper we present an effective computerized method for overlapping cell nuclei detection in time-lapse image sequences. We design a two-stage detection scheme for such cells in each image of the image sequence. Features of the skeleton and the contour of the cell model are extracted in the two stages, and overlapped cells are detected by the similarity of the features with the training samples. Experimental results shows the proposed method is very effective and the work shows great assistance for the cell nuclei segmentation afterward.
Recognition of viral hemagglutinins by NKp44 but not by NKp30

Natural killer (NK) cells destroy virus‐infected and tumor cells without prior antigen stimulation. The NK cell cytotoxicity is regulated in large part by the expression of NK cell receptors that are able to bind major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I glycoproteins. NK cells also express lysis triggering receptors specific for non‐MHC ligands, including NKp30, NKp44, NKp46 and CD16. However, the nature of their ligands, recognized on target cells, is undefined. We have recently shown that the NKp46 protein, but not the CD16 protein, recognizes the hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus (IV) and the hemagglutinin‐neuraminidase (HN) of Sendai virus (SV), and that the recognition of HA from IV requires the sialylation of NKp46 oligosaccharides. We have also demonstrated that binding of NKp46 to HA of IV is required for lysis of cells expressing the corresponding glycoproteins by a substantial subset of NK clones. Here we show that NKp44, but not NKp30, can also recognize the HA of both IV and SV and that the recognition of IV HA requires the sialylation of the NKp44 receptor in a similar way to that of NKp46. SV infection of 721.221 cells expressing MHC class I proteinsresulted in the abrogation of the inhibition by NK clones expressing high levels of NKp44. In addition, the binding of NKp44 to HA improves the ability of some NK clones to lyse IV infected cells.
Peripheral type benzodiazepine receptors.

Benzodiazepines are usually regarded as rather selective in their actions upon the central nervous system. They are effective anticonvulsants, antianxiety drugs, and hypnotics. Peripheral actions of these drugs in patients, such as alterations in gonadal and adrenal hormone secretion, have been regarded as secondary to influences on the central nervous system. For instance, limbic and hypothalamic effects altering pituitary secretion might indirectly in­ fluence endocrine glands. The first studies of benzodiazepine receptors used eHldiazepam (1). Bind­ ing sites with nanomolar affinity were identified in central nervous tissue membranes. The relative affinities of benzodiazepines for these sites paral­ leled their antianxiety and anticonvulsant actions. This "central" ben­ zodiazepine receptor has been purified, its cDNA cloned, and functional receptors have been expressed in frog oocytes (2). The central benzodiazepine receptor is a macromolecular complex that includes a binding site for the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, fitting with evidence that benzodiazepines exert their eNS effects by facilitating the synaptic effects of GABA. The macromolecular GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex also includes recognition sites for barbiturates and possibly even ethanol. In initial studies of 3H-diazcpam binding, peripheral tissues were examined as controls, since one would not anticipate antianxiety receptors in peripheral tissues. Surprisingly, high densities of 3H-diazepam binding sites were observed in a variety of peripheral tissues with similar nanomolar affinity for diazepam as the central receptors (I). However, an exploration of numerous
A Novel Methodology for the Demagnetization Analysis of Surface Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors

A surface permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM) using ferrite magnet represents small air gaps and high stack lengths relatively. Thus, it has small edge effects on the performance of the motor, and a 2-D finite-element analysis (FEA) method is largely used to design it. In the case of the demagnetization analysis in the SPMSM, however, it is difficult to neglect fringing effects in air gaps, because the permeability of the permanent magnet is the same as air and the direction of the armature reaction is opposite to the magnetization direction. Therefore, the accuracy of the 2-D FEA is significantly degraded. In this paper, the edge effect of SPMSM on the demagnetization analysis is analyzed. For achieving it, the opposing magnetic field that contributes to the demagnetization is analyzed by two different elements, such as permanent magnet and armature reaction. In addition, a simplification model of the yz plane that can consider the edge effect is proposed to increase the accuracy of the conventional 2-D FEA, which is analyzed on the xy plane, and correction factors are also induced. Finally, its validity is verified by applying the proposed method to the conventional motors.
Expression and secretion of gro/MGSA by stimulated human endothelial cells.

Melanoma growth stimulatory activity factor (MGSA) is a polypeptide which was initially isolated from Hs294 human melanoma cells. Its sequence is identical to the deduced amino acid sequence of the human gro cDNA, isolated from a human tumor cell line. MGSA stimulates the proliferation of malignant melanoma cells, but its function for normal cells has not been defined. Here we report that human umbilical vein endothelial cells are capable of synthesizing and secreting MGSA. The expression and secretion of MGSA are strongly induced by factors often involved in inflammation such as IL‐1, TNF, LPS and thrombin. The induction of MGSA mRNA is dose and time dependent and is independent of new protein synthesis. This stimulation could be mimicked by TPA, suggesting that the action could be mediated through activation of protein kinase C. Furthermore, addition of MGSA to the endothelial cell cultures induces gro/MGSA gene expression, implying that an autocrine mechanism exists. Our data suggest that the protein encoded by gro/MGSA mRNA may play a role in inflammation and exert its effects on endothelial cells in an autocrine fashion.
On Structural Health Monitoring Using Tensor Analysis and Support Vector Machine with Artificial Negative Data

Structural health monitoring is a condition-based technology to monitor infrastructure using sensing systems. Since we usually only have data associated with the healthy state of a structure, one-class approaches are more practical. However, tuning the parameters for one-class techniques (like one-class Support Vector Machines) still remains a relatively open and difficult problem. Moreover, in structural health monitoring, data are usually multi-way, highly redundant and correlated, which a matrix-based two-way approach cannot capture all these relationships and correlations together. Tensor analysis allows us to analyse the multi-way vibration data at the same time. In our approach, we propose the use of tensor learning and support vector machines with artificial negative data generated by density estimation techniques for damage detection, localization and estimation in a one-class manner. The artificial negative data can help tuning SVM parameters and calibrating probabilistic outputs, which is not possible to do with one-class SVM. The proposed method shows promising results using data from laboratory-based structures and also with data collected from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of the most iconic structures in Australia. The method works better than the one-class approach and the approach without using tensor analysis.
The Origin and Role of Trust in Local Policy Elites’ Perceptions of High‐Voltage Power Line Installations in the State of Arkansas

The debate over an installation of high‐voltage power lines (HVPLs) has been intense, particularly in northwest Arkansas. Detractors claim that the installation will negatively affect both the natural environment and the local economy, which contains a large tourism component. By contrast, those in favor of installing HVPLs claim that the installation is necessary in order to reliably support the increasing demand for electric power. Using original data collected from a recent statewide Internet survey of 420 local policy elites in Arkansas, this article focuses on two key aspects. First, we examine how local policy elites’ perceptions of risks versus benefits of HVPL installation in their communities are influenced by their levels of trust toward information provided by various sources (e.g., energy industry, environmental groups, and government). Second, we utilize cultural theory to explain how the cultural worldviews of policy elites––specifically, egalitarianism, individualism, hierarchism, and fatalism––shape these levels of trust and HVPL benefit‐risk perceptions, while controlling for other factors claimed by previous literature, including levels of knowledge on energy‐related issues and demographic characteristics. In general, our analysis indicates that policy elites’ value‐oriented formation of HVPL benefit‐risk perceptions is partially due to the influence cultural values have on trust in information sources. We conclude this article by discussing broader implications for the origin and role of trust in policy elites’ decisions throughout the policy‐making process.