Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insulin Receptor Substrate 2 (IRS2): a role in Hepatic Stellate Cells

Insulin resistance (IR) is a feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus and, in many cases, IR in liver is associated with reduced expression of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins, specifically IRS1 and IRS-2. Recent studies have revealed a close relationship between IR and the progression of chronic liver diseases, such as liver dysfunction, fibrosis and cirrhosis. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are central to the pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis and are thought to contribute to liver repair and fibrogenesis. These cells are the principal producers of the connective tissue in a fibrotic liver, but they are also responsible for directing epithelial repair by expression of paracrine factors, including fibroblast growth factor 7. Quiescent HSCs are activated by injury; they migrate to the location of damage, transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts and participate in the resolution of fibrosis by undergoing apoptosis or reverting back to a quiescent phenotype. However, the molecular events that regulate the HSC injury cycle are not completely understood and, for this reason, the aim of this project was to evaluate how changes in insulin sensitivity affected them. This was studied by overexpressing IRS2 in human HSC-derived-LX2 cells. Irs2 functions as an intracellular scaffold that couples the insulin/IGF-1 receptors to signalling effector molecules. Cell signalling analysis was performed by Western blot, whilst immunofluorescence, MTT assays and RT-PCR analysis were used to characterize stable cell lines with the aim to quantify survival, proliferation and phenotypic changes that could help to understand how insulin signalling affects HSCs. Results showed that mouse Irs2 overexpression increased insulin sensitivity of LX2 cells, and this lead into a reduced survival of cells. Therefore, conclusions suggested that fibrogenic reversion could be promoted by improving insulin sensitivity.
Comparison and acceptabilty of gluten-free yeast breads made with quinoa flour

ii LIST OF TABLES . vi LIST OF FIGURES . vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 Celiac disease . 1 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 4 Gluten forming proteins . 4 Diagnosis of celiac disease . 5 Nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease . 6 Other reasons to follow a GF diet . 7 Federal agencies role in GF foods . 8 GF foods on the market . 9 Wheat . 11 Wheat kernel . 11 Wheat carbohydrates. 13 Wheat proteins . 14 Wheat enzymes . 15 Wheat lipids . 16 Wheat vitamins and minerals . 17 Quinoa . 18 Quinoa seed. 19 Quinoa carbohydrates . 20 Quinoa protein . 21 Quinoa enzymes . 21 Quinoa lipids . 22 Quinoa vitamins and minerals . 22 Additional ingredients used in gluten-free baking . 24 Rice . 24 Roles of different starches and flours . 25 Egg and milk proteins: . 28 High altitude GF baking . 29
Simple, Rapid, and Sensitive Determination of Thiols by Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

Abstract Thiol compounds are important for protecting cells from oxidative stress. One common method of quantifying thiols is liquid chromatographic separation with fluorescence detection of their derivatives. The pH and the concentration of tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride in the reaction medium were shown to have significant effects on the fluorescence intensity of five thiol compounds: cysteine, glutathione, and three phytochelatins. The optimal pH range for derivatization, as indicated by the maximum fluorescence intensities, was 7.75–8.0 for all of the evaluated thiols. The thiol derivative fluorescence increased and then decreased with the tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride concentration. In particular, the fluorescence intensities of all of the derivatives decreased by 96.5–99.9% when tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride levels were increased from 0.1 to 1 mmol L−1. We attributed these changes to preferential interactions between tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride and the thiol-specific fluorophore, monobromobimane. We describe herein a method, based on our optimized solution pH and tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride concentration, that is rapid (12 min) and boasts excellent recovery (91.3–102%), sensitivity (limit of detections, 17.8–75.2 pmol L−1) and precision (relative standard deviation values ≤1.03%) for the quantification of these thiol compounds in microalgal samples.
Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity of Egg White Hydrolysates and Their Application on Color Stability of Pork Meat Slices

In this study, we assessed the antioxidant efficacy of four different size distributions of Egg White (EW) hydrolysates and evaluated their potential as natural antioxidants for meat preservation. Water solubility and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of EW hydrolysates were measured. Hydrolysis contributed to the increase of ORAC values of EW hydrolysates in comparison with native egg white. Based on this result, we investigated the effects of EW hydrolysates on color stability of pork slices. Pork slices were individually soaked in four EW hydrolysates solutions at 10% (w/w) protein concentration. After storage at 4°C for 24 h, objective measurements of the color of pork slices were performed using a colorimeter, the content of metmyoblobin before and after soak was also determined. Small size EW hydrolysate S showed a good ORAC value (389 µmol TE/g) and an excellent water solubility, inhibited color change (ΔE = 2.8) in treated pork slices, the lowest metmyoglobin proportion was also found in the meat treated by this small size EW hydrolysate S. Moreover, it was demonstrated that EW hydrolysates were generally better than the Control (only with water) in improving color stability during storage time. These results indicate that EW hydrolysates are promising sources of biological antioxidants and can potentially be used as preservatives in meat products.
A Development Strategy for Structural Health Monitoring Applications

Permanently installed structural health monitoring (SHM) systems are now a viable alternative to traditional periodic inspection (nondestructive testing (NDT)). However, their industrial use is limited, and this article reviews the steps required in developing practical SHM systems. The transducers used in SHM are fixed in location, whereas in NDT, they are generally scanned. The aim is to reach similar performance with high temporal frequency, low spatial frequency SHM data to that achievable with conventional high spatial frequency, and low temporal frequency NDT inspections. It is shown that this can be done via change tracking algorithms such as the generalized likelihood ratio (GLR), but this depends on the input data being normally distributed, which can only be achieved if signal changes due to variations in the operating conditions are satisfactorily compensated; there has been much recent progress on this topic, and this is reviewed. Since SHM systems can generate large volumes of data, it is essential to convert the data to actionable information, and this step must be addressed in the SHM system design. It is also essential to validate the performance of installed SHM systems, and a methodology analogous to the model-assisted probability of detection (POD) (MAPOD) scheme used in NDT has been proposed. This uses measurements obtained from the SHM system installed on a typical undamaged structure to capture signal changes due to environmental and other effects and to superpose the signal due to damage growth obtained from finite element predictions. There is a substantial research agenda to support the wider adoption of SHM, and this is discussed in this study.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF MILK PROTEIN GELS ACIDS BY OPTICAL MICROSCOPY

bibiana_riquelme@yahoo.com. ar En este trabajo se evaluó el efecto en la formación y en la estructuración de geles proteicos inducidos por distintas relaciones de GDL mediante el análisis digital de imágenes obtenidas en un microscopio óptico invertido. Se determinó el diámetro medio de los poros formados durante el proceso de gelificación y se graficó en función de la concentración de GDL, ajustándose con una función asintótica. Palabras Claves: GDL (glucono­delta­lactona), CN (caseínas bovinas), MC (micelas de caseína) This study evaluated the effect on the formation and structure of protein gels induced by different relations of GDL through digital analysis of images obtained in an inverted light microscope. We determined the average diameter of the pores formed during the gelation process and is plotted as a function of the concentration of GDL, in line with an asymptotic
Super rapid removal of copper, cadmium and lead ions from water by NTA-silica gel

Copper (Cu2+), cadmium (Cd2+) and lead ions (Pb2+) are toxic to human beings and other organisms. In this study, a silica gel material modified with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA-silica gel) was sensibly designed and prepared via a simple amidation procedure for the removal of Cu2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ from water. The NTA-silica gels showed rapid removal performances for the three metal ions (Pb2+ (<2 min), Cu2+ and Cd2+ (<20 min)) with relatively high adsorption capacities (63.5, 53.14 and 76.22 mg g−1 for Cu2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+, respectively). At the same concentration of 20 mg L−1, the removal efficiencies of the three metals by the adsorbent ranged from 96% to 99%. The Freundlich and Langmuir models were utilized to fit the adsorption isotherms. The adsorption kinetics for the three metal ions was pseudo-second-order kinetics. The removal performance of the NTA-silica gels increased in a wide pH range (2–9) and maintained in the presence of competitive metal ions (Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Al3+) with different concentrations. In addition, the NTA-silica gels were easily regenerated (washed with 1% HNO3) and reused for 5 cycles with high adsorption capacity. This study indicates that the NTA-silica gel is a reusable adsorbent for the rapid, convenient, and efficient removal of Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ from contaminated aquatic environments.
Achieving Energy-Efficient Uplink URLLC With MIMO-Aided Grant-Free Access

The optimal design of the energy-efficient multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) aided uplink ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) system is an important but unsolved problem. For such a system, we propose a novel absorbing-Markov-chain-based analysis framework to shed light on the puzzling relationship between the delay and reliability, as well as to quantify the system energy efficiency. We derive the transition probabilities of the absorbing Markov chain considering the Rayleigh fading, the channel estimation error, the zero-forcing multi-user-detection (ZF-MUD), the grant-free access, the ACK-enabled retransmissions within the delay bound and the interactions among these technical ingredients. Then, the delay-constrained reliability and the system energy efficiency are derived based on the absorbing Markov chain formulated. Finally, we study the optimal number of user equipments (UEs) and the optimal number of receiving antennas that maximize the system energy efficiency, while satisfying the reliability and latency requirements of URLLC simultaneously. Simulation results demonstrate the accuracy of our theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of massive MIMO in supporting large-scale URLLC systems.
Role of PGE-2 and Other Inflammatory Mediators in Skin Aging and Their Inhibition by Topical Natural Anti-Inflammatories

Human skin aging is due to two types of aging processes, “intrinsic” (chronological) aging and “extrinsic” (external factor mediated) aging. While inflammatory events, triggered mainly by sun exposure, but also by pollutants, smoking and stress, are the principle cause of rapid extrinsic aging, inflammation also plays a key role in intrinsic aging. Inflammatory events in the skin lead to a reduction in collagen gene activity but an increase in activity of the genes for matrix metalloproteinases. Inflammation also alters proliferation rates of cells in all skin layers, causes thinning of the epidermis, a flattening of the dermo-epidermal junction, an increase in irregular pigment production, and, finally, an increased incidence of skin cancer. While a large number of inflammatory mediators, including IL-1, TNF-alpha and PGE-2, are responsible for many of these damaging effects, this review will focus primarily on the role of PGE-2 in aging. Levels of this hormone-like mediator increase quickly when skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), causing changes in genes needed for normal skin structure and function. Further, PGE-2 levels in the skin gradually increase with age, regardless of whether or not the skin is protected from UVR, and this smoldering inflammation causes continuous damage to the dermal matrix. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, PGE-2 is strongly linked to skin cancer. This review will focus on: (1) the role of inflammation, and particularly the role of PGE-2, in accelerating skin aging, and (2) current research on natural compounds that inhibit PGE-2 production and how these can be developed into topical products to retard or even reverse the aging process, and to prevent skin cancer.
Microbial Inoculation to High Moisture Plant By-Product Silage: A Review

Use of microbial inoculants during silage making have drawn interest to silage producers including those who are feeding their livestock on silage produced from by-products (e.g. pulps). Many farmers in the developing countries rely on agro-industrial by-products to feed their livestock, which is limited by the high moisture content of the by-products. This review pertains to issues related to silage production from high moisture plant by-products (e.g. pulps or pomaces), challenges involved in the ensiling of these resources, the use of additives (e.g. microbial additives), and growth performance of the animals that are fed silage from these resources. This information will be helpful to better understand the key roles of silage production from these resources.
Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO-ZrO2 Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic Degradation and Mineralization of Phenol

ZnO-ZrO2 nanocomposites using zinc (II) acetylacetonate and different ZnO contents (13, 25, 50, and 75% mol) were synthesized through sol-gel method. The synthesis process was strongly related to nanocomposite properties especially on their structural composition. The obtained ZnO-ZrO2 nanomaterials presented tetragonal crystalline structure for zirconia whereas hexagonal one was formed in ZnO. Raman spectroscopy and XRD patterns confirmed the formation of tetragonal zirconia whereas inhibition of monoclinic structure was observed. Addition of ZnO affected the pore size distribution of the composite, and the measured specific surface areas were from 10 m2/g (for pure ZnO) to 46 m2/g (pristine ZrO2). Eg values of ZrO2 were modified by ZnO addition, since calculated values using Kubelka-Munk’s function varied from 4.73 to 3.76 eV. The morphology and size of the nanomaterials investigated by electron microscopy showed formation of nanorods for ZnO with sizes ranging from 50 nm to 300 nm while zirconia was formed by smaller particles (less than 50 nm). The main advantage of using the nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of phenol was the mineralization degree, since 75ZnO-ZrO2 nanocomposite surpassed mineralization reached by pure ZnO and also inhibited formation of undesirable intermediates.
Variations in Plasma Electrolytes and Thirst Perception During the Menstrual Cycle

Introduction: Electrolyte-dependent water retention associated with hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle may alter the normal reference intervals of plasma electrolytes with important effects on central nervous system, cardiovascular and renal functions. Hence, we sought to determine and compare plasma electrolytes (sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, chloride and urea) concentrations and thirst perception during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Methods: Blood samples obtained from the anti-cubital veins of 40 healthy females (18 – 25 years, 27 - 33 days menstrual cycle) on the 2nd (early follicular/menstrual, n = 10), 8th (late follicular, n = 10), 14th (ovulatory, n = 10) and 22nd (luteal, n = 10) day of the menstrual cycle were analysed for plasma electrolytes concentrations by photoelectric flame photometry. Thirst perception (TP) ratings were also obtained at the time of sample collection using the Visual Analogue Scale. Results: Plasma [Na + ] ( P = 0.003) and [Cl - ] ( P = 0.02) were highest during ovulation while the late follicular and luteal phases had the least [Na + ] and [Cl - ] respectively. Plasma [K + ], [HCO 3 - ], and [urea] did not differ significantly in relation to the phase of menstrual cycle. In addition, TP increased in a phase-dependent non-significant manner until after ovulation. Conclusion: Plasma concentrations of sodium and chloride are increased during ovulation. This may be attributed to oestrogen-related salt retention, whereas the lower sodium and chloride concentrations observed in the luteal phase (compared to ovulation especially) could be due to the natriuretic action of progesterone.
Selective Laser Melting of Ti6Al4V-2%Hydroxyapatite Composites: Manufacturing Behavior and Microstructure Evolution

In this work, selective laser melting of Ti6Al4V (Ti64) and 2 wt. % hydroxyapatite (HA) composites was performed with the purpose of osseointegration enhancement and biological fixation between implants and bone tissue. The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with (EDX) and (EBSD) systems, microhardness, nanoindentation, and tensile testing. The results showed that the Ti64-2%HA composite components exhibited complicated manufacturing behavior, which could be correlated with the decomposition of HA. The microstructure was found to mainly consist of α Ti with a small amount of HA distributed along grain boundaries. Furthermore, the interaction between Ti64 and HA leading to the formation of Ti3P, TixO, P, and CaTiO3 phases, resulted in poor tensile properties, as compared to pure Ti64 components. Conversely, the tensile properties of SLM Ti64-2%HA composite components were significantly higher than human bone reported previously in the literature.
Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Reepithelialisation in Wound Healing: A review of Comparison

Skin wound healing is a complex physiological event, involving many cellular and molecular components. The event of wound healing is the coordinated overlap of a number of distinct phases, namely haemostasis, inflammatory, proliferative and remodelling. The molecular events surrounding wound healing, particularly the reepithelialisation, has been reported to be similar to the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this review, the mechanism between epithelialisation and EMT were compared. Both are characterised by the loss of epithelial integrity and increased motility. In terms of the signalling kinases, Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) has been reported to be involved in both reepithelialisation and EMT. At the transcriptional level, SLUG transcription factor has been reported to be important for both reepithelialisation and EMT. Extracellular matrix proteins that have been associated with both events are collagen and laminin. Lastly, both events required the interplay between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and its inhibitor. As a conclusion, both reepithelialisation and EMT shares similar signaling cascade and transcriptional regulation to exhibit decreased epithelial traits and increased motility in keratinocytes.
Modifications to the behavior of a circular hydraulic jump in the presence of a soluble surfactant

The circular hydraulic jump in the presence of a soluble surfactant can display unexpected static ripple features in the inner super-critical flow region. These ripples are likely capillary surface waves pushed inward from the region of the hydraulic jump by surface tension gradient Marangoni stresses, therefore able to exist in a region thought to be without surface features. The additional surface drag requires modifications to the Watson theory of circular hydraulic jumps in order to predict jump location and inner ripple radius. We have developed a first order correction to the theory that qualitatively explains the surfactant concentration on the location of the jump and the inner ripple ring; the theory shows reasonable agreement with experiment.
Advancement of Non-Newtonian Fluid with Hybrid Nanoparticles in a Convective Channel and Prabhakar’s Fractional Derivative—Analytical Solution

The present paper deals with the advancement of non-Newtonian fluid containing some nanoparticles between two parallel plates. A novel fractional operator is used to model memory effects, and analytical solutions are obtained for temperature and velocity fields by the method of Laplace transform. Moreover, a parametric study is elaborated to show the impact of flow parameters and presented in graphical form. As a result, dual solutions are predicted for increasing values of fractional parameters for short and long times. Furthermore, by increasing nanoparticle concentration, the temperature can be raised along with decreasing velocity. A fractional approach can provide new insight for the analytical solutions which makes the interpretation of the results easier and enable the way of testing possible approximate solutions.
EFFECT OF ACID TYPE AND PARTICLE SIZE ON THE YIELD AND PURITY OF APPLE (MALUS DOMESTICA ‘FĂLTICENI’) POMACE PECTIN

This work proposes the use of Malus domestica ‘Fălticeni’ pomace, resulted from the processing of apples into juice in the geographical area of Fălticeni, Suceava (Romania), as a source for pectin extraction. Pectin was extracted from this plant source by using two extractants - hydrochloric acid and citric acid, separately at pH 2, solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:20, temperature of 90°C, and extraction time of 120 min. Together with acid type, another variable that was varied was the particle size: 200-300 µm, 125-200 µm, and <125 µm. To study the influence of acid type and particle size, pectin was characterized in terms of yield and purity, expressed as uronic acid content. The results showed that acid type and particle size had significant effects on the pectin yield and its uronic acid content. A strong influence of acid type on the extraction yield was recorded by particle sizes of 200-300 µm and 125-200 µm, respectively. Regarding the uronic acid content, it was observed that particle sizes of 200-300 µm determined a good purity of the extracted pectin, independent of acid type, while for particle sizes of 125-200 µm and <125 µm, the uronic acid content of pectin was strongly affected by the acid used. The highest pectin yield (21.24%) and uronic acid content (93.90 g/100g) were obtained for citric acid extraction and particle sizes between 125 and 200 µm.
A minimal model for nematic cell ordering in tissue

Recent advances mean that samples of artificial tissue can now be grown. Hence there is a need for theoretical understanding of these tissues commensurate with the size of experimental systems. We present a minimal model for predicting cell orientations and modification of tissue shape resulting from the active forces in cells. The extracellular matrix (ECM), a biopolymer network found between cells, is represented by an elastic network. Cells in the model induce tension in this network according to their symmetries. This in turn influences nearby cells leading to nematic order and change of tissue shape. Simulated annealing solutions of the model show close agreement with experimental results for artificial neural tissue. Thus, the subtle interplay between forces generated by cells and the ECM that leads to the ordering of tissues is reproduced. Applications of the model are discussed.