Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Composition and potential anticancer activities of essential oils obtained from myrrh and frankincense

The present study aimed to investigate the composition and potential anticancer activities of essential oils obtained from two species, myrrh and frankincense, by hydrodistillation. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), 76 and 99 components were identified in the myrrh and frankincense essential oils, respectively, with the most abundant components, 2-Cyclohexen-1-one, 4-ethynyl-4-hydroxy-3,5,5-trimethyl- and n-Octylacetate, accounting for 12.01 and 34.66%, respectively. The effects of the two essential oils, independently and as a mixture, on five tumor cell lines, MCF-7, HS-1, HepG2, HeLa and A549, were investigated using the MTT assay. The results indicated that the MCF-7 and HS-1 cell lines showed increased sensitivity to the myrrh and frankincense essential oils compared with the remaining cell lines. In addition, the anticancer effects of myrrh were markedly increased compared with those of frankincense, however, no significant synergistic effects were identified. The flow cytometry results indicated that apoptosis may be a major contributor to the biological efficacy of MCF-7 cells.
Synthesis of application specific instructions for embedded DSP software

Application specific instructions play an important role in reducing the required code size and increasing performance. This paper describes a new approach to generate application specific instructions for DSP applications. The proposed approach is based on a modified subset-sum problem, and can support multi-cycle complex instructions as well as single cycle instructions, while the previous state-of-the-art approaches can generate only the single-cycle instructions or can just select instructions from the fixed super-set of possible instructions. In addition, the proposed approach can also be applicable to the case that instructions are predefined. The experimental results on real applications show that the proposed approach is effective in making the instructions meet the given constraints without attaching special hardware accelerators.
Understanding Auditory Spectro-Temporal Receptive Fields and Their Changes with Input Statistics by Efficient Coding Principles

Spectro-temporal receptive fields (STRFs) have been widely used as linear approximations to the signal transform from sound spectrograms to neural responses along the auditory pathway. Their dependence on statistical attributes of the stimuli, such as sound intensity, is usually explained by nonlinear mechanisms and models. Here, we apply an efficient coding principle which has been successfully used to understand receptive fields in early stages of visual processing, in order to provide a computational understanding of the STRFs. According to this principle, STRFs result from an optimal tradeoff between maximizing the sensory information the brain receives, and minimizing the cost of the neural activities required to represent and transmit this information. Both terms depend on the statistical properties of the sensory inputs and the noise that corrupts them. The STRFs should therefore depend on the input power spectrum and the signal-to-noise ratio, which is assumed to increase with input intensity. We analytically derive the optimal STRFs when signal and noise are approximated as Gaussians. Under the constraint that they should be spectro-temporally local, the STRFs are predicted to adapt from being band-pass to low-pass filters as the input intensity reduces, or the input correlation becomes longer range in sound frequency or time. These predictions qualitatively match physiological observations. Our prediction as to how the STRFs should be determined by the input power spectrum could readily be tested, since this spectrum depends on the stimulus ensemble. The potentials and limitations of the efficient coding principle are discussed.
DARPP-32: A molecular switch at the nexus of reward pathway plasticity.

Substance-related disorders represent a major burden to afflicted individuals, their families, and society. Repeated drug use can result in addiction, manifested as an intense desire for the drug, along with an impaired ability to temper its use, even in the face of serious consequences. Many tens of millions of people are addicted to drugs of abuse, and with costs to society in the many hundreds of billions of dollars per annum, there is little doubt that understanding the consummate processes (followed by advances in treatments) represents a major goal for medicine (1, 2). Although many transmitters have been implicated in the effects of the various types of drugs of abuse, dopamine and, more recently, glutamate have been most consistently associated with the reinforcing effects. Indeed, there is considerable evidence that the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway plays a crucial role in the selection and orchestration of goal-directed behaviors, particularly those elicited by incentive stimuli. Drugs of abuse increase extracellular dopamine concentrations in limbic regions, including the nucleus accumbens (1, 2). However, a growing body of data suggests that increases in dopamine are not directly related to reward per se , but, rather, to the learned anticipation of reward and incentive salience (3). Notably, salience affects the motivation to seek the anticipated reward and facilitates conditioned learning (3). The key role of conditioned learning has focused attention on neural systems that attribute incentive salience, most notably a circuit that includes glutamate projections from the prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum. This finding has led to the hypothesis that key biochemical events underlying drug-induced changes in neural plasticity should occur specifically in neurons inervated by both dopamine and glutamate inputs. In this issue of PNAS, Valjent et al. (4) provide an important link, implicating dopamine, cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein …
Polycystic ovarian condition in the dehydroepiandrosterone‐treated rat model: Hyperandrogenism and the resumption of meiosis are major initial events associated with cystogenesis of antral follicles

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the early effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the polycystic rat model by charting cytological changes in the early antral follicle of the ovary and constructing a serum hormonal profile. Histological examinations of ovaries from DHEA‐treated rats for ten consecutive days revealed that the oocyte of antral follicles, ranging from 1.5 mm to 3.4 mm in diameter, had become activated, i.e., had resumed meiosis. Tabulation and statistical analysis revealed a highly significant difference in the percentage of oocyte activation between the ovaries of DHEA‐treated and control rats. Granulosa cells associated with those antral follicles included in our statistical analysis showed no evidence of atresia. A few follicles not included in our analysis contained oocytes that had resumed meiosis and whose associated granulosa cells were atretic. The observed resumption of meiosis occurred in the absence of surges of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). During meiosis, a period when many oocytes become activated, levels of serum androgens (DHEA, testosterone, and androstenedione) were high, while FSH, LH, and prolactin (PRL) levels did not differ significantly from those in the controls. Follicles that resume meiosis may be members of a group of follicles that produces a signal(s) when the oocyte becomes uncoupled from the granulosa cell. This signal(s) permit(s) a reprogramming of the accompanying granulosa cells of the follicle to engage in certain developmental processes of cystogenesis. Just what cascade of signals is necessary to achieve this selection remains elusive at this time and is the subject of our continuing investigations. Anat. Rec. 249:44–53, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Earlier stages of colorectal cancer detected with immunochemical faecal occult blood tests.

BACKGROUND The aim of colorectal cancer screening is to improve prognosis by the detection of early cancer and precursor stages. We compared the stage distribution of asymptomatic colorectal cancer patients detected by a positive immunochemical or guaiac-based faecal occult blood test (FOBT) with symptomatic colorectal cancer patients. METHODS In a longitudinal cohort study tumour stages were assessed in 144 symptomatic (mean age 69.3 years, 56% male) and 41 asymptomatic colorectal cancer patients (mean age 64.9 years, 56% male) of which 11 were detected with guaiac FOBT s (G-FOBT, Hemoccult-II) and 30 with immunochemical FOBTs (I-FOBT, OCSensor). Stage distributions were used to calculate average stage specific predicted five-year survival rates and to analyse group differences with Wilcoxon log-rank test. RESULTS Colorectal cancer was detected in significantly earlier stages in symptomatic compared with asymptomatic patients patients (p<0.0001). Average stage specific predicted five-year survival was 59.1% in symptomatic and 76.6% in asymptomatic patients. Compared with the symptomatic patients the stage distribution for colorectal cancer patients detected with Hemoccult-II was not significantly different(p=0.29), whereas colorectal cancer was detected at significantly earlier stages with the OCSensor (p<0.0001). Treatment could be confined to colonoscopy in 27% of the asymptomatic patients compared with 3% of the symptomatic patients (p<0.0001). Cancer distribution over the colon was comparable between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (p=0.3). CONCLUSIONS Compared with symptomatic patients,patients detected by FOBT and especially immunochemical FOBT , presented significantly more often at earlier stages suggesting increased survival. Additionally treatment could more often be confined to colonoscopy.
New and Improved Spanning Ratios for Yao Graphs

For a set of points in the plane and a fixed integer k > 0, the Yao graph Yk partitions the space around each point into k equiangular cones of angle θ = 2π/k, and connects each point to a nearest neighbor in each cone. It is known for all Yao graphs, with the sole exception of Y5, whether or not they are geometric spanners. In this paper we close this gap by showing that for odd k ≥ 5, the spanning ratio of Yk is at most 1/(1−2sin(3θ/8)), which gives the first constant upper bound for Y5, and is an improvement over the previous bound of 1/(1−2sin(θ/2)) for odd k ≥ 7. We further reduce the upper bound on the spanning ratio for Y5 from 10.9 to 2 + √3 ≈ 3.74, which falls slightly below the lower bound of 3.79 established for the spanning ratio of ⊝5 (⊝-graphs differ from Yao graphs only in the way they select the closest neighbor in each cone). This is the first such separation between a Yao and ⊝-graph with the same number of cones. We also give a lower bound of 2.87 on the spanning ratio of Y5. Finally, we revisit the Y6 graph, which plays a particularly important role as the transition between the graphs (k > 6) for which simple inductive proofs are known, and the graphs (k ≤ 6) whose best spanning ratios have been established by complex arguments. Here we reduce the known spanning ratio of Y6 from 17.6 to 5.8, getting closer to the spanning ratio of 2 established for ⊝6.
Atmospheric Lifetimes of Long-Lived Halogenated Species

The atmospheric lifetimes of the fluorinated gases CF4, C2F6, c-C4F8, (CF3)2c-C4F6, C5F12, C6F14, C2F5Cl, C2F4C12, CF3Cl, and SF6 are of concern because of the effects that these long-lived compounds acting as greenhouse gases can have on global climate. The possible atmospheric loss processes of these gases were assessed by determining the rate coefficients for the reactions of these gases with O(1D), H, and OH and the absorption cross sections at 121.6 nanometers in the laboratory and using these data as input to a two-dimensional atmospheric model. The lifetimes of all the studied perfluoro compounds are >2000 years, and those of CF3Cl, CF3CF2Cl, and CF2ClCF2Cl are >300 years. If released into the atmosphere, these molecules will accumulate and their effects will persist for centuries or millennia.
The role of interaction in virtual embodiment: Effects of the virtual hand representation

How do people appropriate their virtual hand representation when interacting in virtual environments? In order to answer this question, we conducted an experiment studying the sense of embodiment when interacting with three different virtual hand representations, each one providing a different degree of visual realism but keeping the same control mechanism. The main experimental task was a Pick-and-Place task in which participants had to grasp a virtual cube and place it to an indicated position while avoiding an obstacle (brick, barbed wire or fire). An additional task was considered in which participants had to perform a potentially dangerous operation towards their virtual hand: place their virtual hand close to a virtual spinning saw. Both qualitative measures and questionnaire data were gathered in order to assess the sense of agency and ownership towards each virtual hand. Results show that the sense of agency is stronger for less realistic virtual hands which also provide less mismatch between the participant's actions and the animation of the virtual hand. In contrast, the sense of ownership is increased for the human virtual hand which provides a direct mapping between the degrees of freedom of the real and virtual hand.
Exact and Approximate Construction of Digital Phase Modulations by Superposition of Amplitude Modulated Pulses (AMP)

Minimum shift keying and offset QPSK are two well-known modulations which can be interpreted as a set of time/phase-shifted AM pulses. We show in this paper that any constant amplitude binary phase modulation can also be expressed as a sum of a finite number of time limited amplitude modulated pulses (AMP decomposition). New methods for computing autocorrelation and power frequency spectrum are derived, which give very simple results for half-integer index modulations. We also show that the signal can be built with good accuracy using only one optimized pulse ("main pulse"). This synthesis is particularly satisfactory for modulations that have good spectral characteristics and/ or low index.
On the Interaction Between Speaker Normalization, Environment Compensation, and Discriminant Feature Space Transformations

This paper presents a study of the interaction between frequency warping based speaker normalization algorithms, environment compensation algorithms, and discriminant feature space transformations (DFT) in providing consistent reductions in ASR word error rate (WER) over a range of acoustic degradations. Performance improvements obtained using speaker normalization algorithms, including vocal tract length normalization (VTLN) and a newly proposed augmented state space acoustic decoder, are shown to improve substantially when applied in a discriminant feature space where acoustic environment compensation has been applied. Furthermore, the effects on ASR performance of the DFT are also shown to be enhanced by reducing within class variability by applying the DFT on a speaker and an environment normalized feature space
Inadequate heat release from the human brain during prolonged exercise with hyperthermia

Brain temperature appears to be an important factor affecting motor activity, but it is not known to what extent brain temperature increases during prolonged exercise in humans. Cerebral heat exchange was therefore evaluated in seven males during exercise with and without hyperthermia. Middle cerebral artery mean blood velocity (MCA Vmean) was continuously monitored while global cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral energy turnover were determined at the end of the two exercise trials in three subjects. The arterial to venous temperature difference across the brain (v‐aDtemp) was determined via thermocouples placed in the internal jugular vein and in the aorta. The jugular venous blood temperature was always higher than that of the arterial blood, demonstrating that heat was released via the CBF during the normothermic as well as the hyperthermic exercise condition. However, heat removal via the jugular venous blood was 30 ± 6 % lower during hyperthermia compared to the control trial. The reduced heat removal from the brain was mainly a result of a 20 ± 6 % lower CBF (22 ± 9 % reduction in MCA Vmean), because the v‐aDtemp was not significantly different in the hyperthermic (0.20 ± 0.05 °C) compared to the control trial (0.22 ± 0.05 °C). During hyperthermia, the impaired heat removal via the blood was combined with a 7 ± 2 % higher heat production in the brain and heat was consequently stored in the brain at a rate of 0.20 ± 0.06 J g−1 min−1. The present results indicate that the average brain temperature is at least 0.2 °C higher than that of the body core during exercise with or without hyperthermia.
Glycine 420 Near the C-terminal Transmembrane Domain of SR-BI Is Critical for Proper Delivery and Metabolism of High Density Lipoprotein Cholesteryl Ester*

Scavenger receptor BI, SR-BI, is a physiologically relevant receptor for high density lipoprotein (HDL) that mediates the uptake of cholesteryl esters and delivers them to a metabolically active membrane pool where they are subsequently hydrolyzed. A previously characterized SR-BI mutant, A-VI, with an epitope tag inserted into the extracellular domain near the C-terminal transmembrane segment, revealed a separation-of-function between SR-BI-mediated HDL cholesteryl ester uptake and cholesterol efflux to HDL, on one hand, and cholesterol release to small unilamellar phospholipid vesicle acceptors and an increased cholesterol oxidase-sensitive pool of membrane free cholesterol on the other. To further elucidate amino acid residues responsible for this separation-of-function phenotype, we engineered alanine substitutions and point mutations in and around the site of epitope tag insertion, and tested these for various cholesterol transport functions. We found that changing amino acid 420 from glycine to histidine had a profound effect on SR-BI function. Despite the ability to mediate selective HDL cholesteryl ester uptake, the G420H receptor had a greatly reduced ability to: 1) enlarge the cholesterol oxidase-sensitive pool of membrane free cholesterol, 2) mediate cholesterol efflux to HDL, even at low concentrations of HDL acceptor where binding-dependent cholesterol efflux predominates, and 3) accumulate cholesterol mass within the cell. Most importantly, the G420H mutant was unable to deliver the HDL cholesteryl ester to a metabolically active membrane compartment for efficient hydrolysis. These observations have important implications regarding SR-BI function as related to its structure near the C-terminal transmembrane domain.
Green roofs: Effects of plant species used on runoff

Green roofs are becoming a major nature‐based solution worldwide to reduce urban stormwater runoff. Runoff reduction and retention mainly depend on the hydrological characteristics of substrates and the water use strategies of plants. However, little is known about how plant species affect the hydrological performance of green roofs. Two commonly used succulent plants and four turfgrass species were investigated for their impacts on the hydrological performance and runoff reduction of green roof lysimeters under controlled conditions using a rainfall simulator. The results showed that two succulent plants (Sedum lineare and Callisia repens) did not make significant contributions to canopy interception in any of the four seasons and made only minor contributions to evapotranspiration (ET) water loss in autumn and winter, resulting in minor effects on runoff reduction by the green roofs. Festuca arundinacea contributed 47.4–116.7% of water loss via transpiration and 36.5% of runoff reduction under a 25 mm day−1 rainfall intensity in spring and 48.0% of runoff reduction under a 10 mm day−1 rainfall intensity in winter. Poa pratensis, Lolium perenne, and Agrostis stolonifera also significantly reduced runoff. Runoff reductions by extensive green roofs were mainly caused by ET rather than by their canopy interceptions. Plant shoot biomass and ET were the primary factors controlling the runoff reduction by extensive green roofs. Our results strongly suggest that the runoff reduction capacity of extensive green roofs can be greatly improved by selecting plant species with a higher shoot biomass and ET rate.
HOW WE TEACH Classroom and Laboratory Research Projects The trilayer approach of teaching physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology concepts in a ﬁrst-year pharmacy course: the TLAT model

The trilayer physiology, pharmacology concepts in a ﬁrst-year pharmacy the TLAT model. Adv Physiol Educ 41: 395–404, 2017; paper describes the development, implementation, and students’ perceptions of a new trilayer approach of teaching (TLAT). The TLAT model involved blending lecture, in-class group activities, and out-of-class assignments on selected content areas and was implemented initially in a ﬁrst-year integrated pharmacy course. Course contents were either delivered by traditional lectures or by the TLAT. A survey instrument was distributed by SurveyMonkey to determine students’ perceptions of the TLAT model. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Students’ performance in a total of 225 examination and quiz questions was analyzed to evaluate whether the TLAT model improved students’ learning. Students’ ( n (cid:2) 98) performance scores for TLAT-based and lecture-based questions were 83.3 (cid:3) 10.2 and 79.5 (cid:3) 14.0, respectively ( P (cid:4) 0.05). Ninety-three percent of students believed that in-class group activities enhanced conceptual understanding of course materials, helped them take responsibility of their own learning, and enhanced their overall learning experiences. More than 80% of respondents felt that solving cases and developing concept maps helped them sharpen creative and critical thinking skills. In addition, 90% of the respondents indicated that the homework throughout the semester helped them stay up to date and focused with the progress of the course. The use of the TLAT model led to an improvement in student learning of complex concepts. Moreover, the results suggest that this model improves students’ self-reliance and attitudes toward learning. Our ﬁndings should serve as an impetus for inclusion of diverse active learning strategies in pharmacy education.
A 2.4-GHz, 27-dBm Asymmetric Multilevel Outphasing Power Amplifier in 65-nm CMOS

We present a 2.4-GHz asymmetric multilevel outphasing (AMO) power amplifier (PA) with class-E branch amplifiers and discrete supply modulators integrated in a 65-nm CMOS process. AMO PAs achieve improved modulation bandwidth and efficiency over envelope tracking (ET) PAs by replacing the continuous supply modulator with a discrete supply modulator implemented with a fast digital switching network. Outphasing modulation is used to provide the required fine output envelope control. The AMO PA delivers 27.7-dBm peak output power with 45% system efficiency at 2.4 GHz. For a 20-MHz WLAN OFDM signal with 7.5-dB PAPR, the AMO PA achieves a drain efficiency of 31.9% and a system efficiency of 27.6% with an EVM of 2.7% rms.