Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flavonol Glycosides from Eugenia uniflora Leaves and Their In Vitro Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

In view of the extensive use of Eugenia uniflora leaves for the management of tumours and other chronic inflammatory diseases in traditional medicine, an activity-guided fractionation of its leaf ethanolic extract led to the isolation of two flavonol glycosides. Cytotoxicity study was based on the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) viability assay against the non-tumourigenic human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells, and the cancerous liver (Hep-G2) and cervical (HeLa) cell lines. Antioxidant tests were carried out using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) radical scavenging assays, while an in vitro anti-inflammatory test was conducted using egg albumin denaturation (EAD) assay. Based on comprehensive spectroscopic and spectrometric evidence, the compounds were elucidated as myricitrin (1) and a newly described compound, 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyltetrahydropyran-2-yloxy)-2-(2,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)chromen-4-one, named “unifloratrin (2)”. The cytotoxicity of myricitrin (1) was comparable to 5-fluorouracil (standard drug), with a CC50 of 8.5 ± 2.2 µg/100 µL against HeLa cells. It also demonstrated better antioxidant activity, with an IC50 of 6.23 ± 1.09, 22.01 ± 2.59 and 30.46 ± 1.79 µM against DPPH, NO and H2O2 free radicals, respectively. At 20 µg/mL and an incubation time of 2 h, myricitrin was comparable to diclofenac (standard drug) in anti-inflammatory activity. This report may serve as a justification for the ethnomedicinal use of E. uniflora, while flavonol glycosides, such as myricitrin (1), could be further exploited as a candidate cytotoxic agent.
Herbicide based strategies for maize to prevent development of resistance in weeds in the Ukraine.

Weed infestations are one of the major factors infl uencing the level of maize productivity in the Ukraine. The soil-applied herbicides, dominated by the chloracetamides, are widely used. The same herbicides are used in sunfl ower and soybean crops. In order to work out a strategy to preclude resistance development in the most widespread weeds, for example Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P.Beauv and Chenopodium album L. , the biological effi cacy of Harness (active ingredient acetochlor) was studied together with the most widespread herbicides used in maize. This was done in fi elds with different histories, contrasted by the character and level of weed infestation. The fi eld results with the maize-soybean rotation, where acetochlor has been used since 1995, showed certain changes in the weed community and its sensitivity to this herbicide in comparison with other results obtained in the fi elds where acetochlor has not been used before. The use of ammonium nitrate as an adjuvant contributes to improved penetration and enhanced phytotoxicity of nicosulfuron by 5–14%, the rate of application of the herbicide being reduced by 25%.
Repeated Methamphetamine Administration Results in Axon Loss Prior to Somatic Loss of Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta and Locus Coeruleus Neurons in Male but Not Female Mice

Methamphetamine (meth) is a neurotoxic psychostimulant that increases monoamine oxidase (MAO)-dependent mitochondrial oxidant stress in axonal but not somatic compartments of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and locus coeruleus (LC) neurons. Chronic meth administration results in the degeneration of SNc and LC neurons in male mice, and MAO inhibition is neuroprotective, suggesting that the deleterious effects of chronic meth begin in axons before advancing to the soma of SNc and LC neurons. To test this hypothesis, mice were administered meth (5 mg/kg) for 14, 21, or 28 days, and SNc and LC axonal lengths and numbers of neurons were quantified. In male mice, the SNc and LC axon lengths decreased with 14, 21, and 28 days of meth, whereas somatic loss was only observed after 28 days of meth; MAO inhibition (phenelzine; 20 mg/kg) prevented axonal and somatic loss of SNc and LC neurons. In contrast, chronic (28-day) meth had no effect on the axon length or numbers of SNc or LC neurons in female mice. The results demonstrate that repeated exposure to meth produces SNc and LC axonal deficits prior to somatic loss in male subjects, consistent with a dying-back pattern of degeneration, whereas female mice are resistant to chronic meth-induced degeneration.
Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, Growth Hormone, and Anti-Müllerian Hormone Receptors Are Differentially Expressed during GnRH Neuron Development

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are key neuroendocrine cells in the brain as they control reproduction by regulating hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis function. In this context, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) were shown to improve GnRH neuron migration and function in vitro. Whether AMH, GH, and IGF1 signaling pathways participate in the development and function of GnRH neurons in vivo is, however, currently still unknown. To assess the role of AMH, GH, and IGF1 systems in the development of GnRH neuron, we evaluated the expression of AMH receptors (AMHR2), GH (GHR), and IGF1 (IGF1R) on sections of ex vivo mice at different development stages. The expression of AMHR2, GHR, and IGF1R was assessed by immunofluorescence using established protocols and commercial antibodies. The head sections of mice were analyzed at E12.5, E14.5, and E18.5. In particular, at E12.5, we focused on the neurogenic epithelium of the vomeronasal organ (VNO), where GnRH neurons, migratory mass cells, and the pioneering vomeronasal axon give rise. At E14.5, we focused on the VNO and nasal forebrain junction (NFJ), the two regions where GnRH neurons originate and migrate to the hypothalamus, respectively. At E18.5, the median eminence, which is the hypothalamic area where GnRH is released, was analyzed. At E12.5, double staining for the neuronal marker ß-tubulin III and AMHR2, GHR, or IGF1R revealed a signal in the neurogenic niches of the olfactory and VNO during early embryo development. Furthermore, IGF1R and GHR were expressed by VNO-emerging GnRH neurons. At E14.5, a similar expression pattern was found for the neuronal marker ß-tubulin III, while the expression of IGF1R and GHR began to decline, as also observed at E18.5. Of note, hypothalamic GnRH neurons labeled for PLXND1 tested positive for AMHR2 expression. Ex vivo experiments on mouse sections revealed differential protein expression patterns for AMHR2, GHR, and IGF1R at any time point in development between neurogenic areas and hypothalamic compartments. These findings suggest a differential functional role of related systems in the development of GnRH neurons.
Association between Eating Patterns and Quality of Life in Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia

(1) Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disease that has autosomal dominant inheritance, being characterized by increased levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) due to a decreased clearance of the circulant LDLs. Alimentation is a key factor in patients with FH. Implementing a restrictive diet may have a significant impact on their quality of life, besides the social and environmental factors. (2) Methods: We realized a prospective study that was conducted in the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Clinic from the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital and that included 70 patients with FH and 20 controls (adults with no comorbidities). We evaluated their lipid profile, their quality of life through the Short Form—36 Questionnaire, and their eating habits. (3) Results: Lower scores in the quality-of-life questionnaire were obtained in the FH group both in the case of the physical (73.06 vs. 87.62) and the mental component (75.95 vs. 83.10). Women had better physical function (85 vs. 75) and physical role than men (100 vs. 75). The group aged over 65 has the score lowest for all 10 components. Overeating was driven by boredom and was more frequent on weekends in the FH group. None of the patients in the control group felt loneliness or depression associated with overeating. (4) Conclusions: Overeating in patients with FH is associated with a lower quality of life. The complexity of these patients needs a multidisciplinary approach. Thus, the quality-of-life questionnaire should be implemented in their periodic follow-ups in order to increase their general status, paying special attention to geriatric patients.
PAPER PHYSICS: X-ray microtomography measurements of paper surface roughness

Light-weight fibre mats were made in a handsheet former using a variety of different furnishes. With 3D X-ray microtomography, high resolution volume images of the fibre mat and forming fabric were obtained. A surface map of the fabric-side surface of the fibre mat is created using image analysis techniques. The surface roughness of the mat is studied as a function of fibre coarseness and fibre length. Increasing fibre coarseness decreases the surface smoothness of paper. For constant fibre coarseness, increasing the fibre length causes the surface roughness to decrease slightly. Both fine and coarse forming fabric were used for sheet forming. As one would anticipate, the fibre mat surface generated by a finer forming fabric is smoother.
The role of fluvial and tidal currents on coal accumulation in a mixed‐energy deltaic setting: Pinghu Formation, Xihu Depression, East China Sea Shelf Basin

The Eocene Pinghu Formation in the Xihu Depression of the East China Sea Shelf preserves mixed‐process deltaic deposits and contains a large number of thin coal seams. This study improves the prediction of coal seam occurrences based on facies distribution and stratigraphic architecture models of deltaic deposits, using core and wireline log datasets. Sedimentological analysis reveals four facies associations, which represent delta plain (including distributary channels and interdistributary bays), delta front, prodelta and tidal flat. These facies associations reflect and preserve the interaction of fluvial and marine processes. Delta‐plain and delta‐front deposits record progressively greater tidal influences when traced southward. Well‐log correlations show that coal‐forming mires on the tide‐influenced lower delta plain were relatively favourable for peat accumulation because the stability of the tidal channels led to a stable platform for peat accumulation on the lower delta plain. The temporal and spatial distribution of coal seams is a function of both autogenic and allogenic responses to forcing. Increased probability of frequent changes in subsidence rates and sea‐level in an active tectonic setting and erosion by channels resulted in thin single‐layer coal seams (mostly 0.5 to 1.0 m). Autogenic processes (for example, delta growth and delta lobe switching) played a significant role in the areal distribution, lateral variation in thickness (ranging from 3 to 71 m) and large cumulative thicknesses (up to 71 m) of coal seams. A general vertical decrease in coal seam thickness likely records a cooling palaeoclimate during deposition of the Pinghu Formation. By comparing delta plain processes to favourable environments of peat accumulation in modern systems with favourable mineralogical, chemical and physical conditions, it can be concluded that: (i) relatively few and discontinuous coal seams developed on the tide‐dominated delta plain generated; (ii) laterally discontinuous and ribbon‐shaped coal seams developed in tide‐influenced deltas; whereas (iii) coal seams formed in river‐dominated deltaic environments have better lateral continuity.
Guide to laboratory establishment for plant nutrient analysis

This publication provides practical guidelines on establishing composite service laboratories for the analysis of soil, plants, water and fertilizers (mineral, organic and biofertilisers). It also provides various analytical methods for assessing soil fertility and making nutrient recommendations, assessing quality of irrigation water, and details of the equipment, chemicals and glassware required for a given analytical capacity. This book is useful to administrators and planners in establishing laboratories, and to technicians through providing detailed and precise procedures for estimation.
A Comparison of Depressive Symptom Presentation in Adolescent Type 1 Diabetes and Pediatric Primary Care Samples

Background. Depression is a common comorbidity in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). It is unclear if patterns of responses from questionnaires used to screen for depressive symptoms are influenced by the burden of living with T1D and/or the consequences of hyperglycemia. Based on this gap in the adolescent research, we sought to identify potential differences in depression screening response patterns between adolescents with and without T1D and relate response patterns with glycemic outcomes. Methods. Using a retrospective case–control design, we analyzed electronic health records for age, sex, and race-matched adolescents 13–18 years of age from a pediatric diabetes clinic (n = 477) and a pediatric primary care clinic (n = 477) in the United States. Adolescents in both settings were screened for depressive symptoms during the same time period using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Results. Participant demographics for matched characteristics were: 53.5% male, 71.7% White, median age 13.0 (interquartile range = 13.0, 14.0). After controlling for type of insurance, adolescents with T1D were more likely to have higher total PHQ-9 scores (odds ratio (OR) = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.17, 1.98, p = 0.002 ) and higher somatic subscores (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.20, 2.05, p = 0.001 ) compared to the primary care sample. The pattern of item endorsement greater than “not at all” indicated that adolescents with T1D were more likely to have higher values for somatic items such as “trouble falling asleep” and “feeling tired” than those in the primary care sample. Item-total correlations and Cronbach’s α indicated that all items were contributing to the overall score in the same manner in each group. Conclusions. Symptom endorsement for sleep and fatigue were higher for adolescents with T1D and without T1D. Study results support the need for further examination of the origins of somatic symptoms in T1D and for an additional examination of the specificity of depression screening instruments used in routine pediatric diabetes care.
A Hybrid Simulation Technique to Investigate Bias-Dependent Electron Transport and Self-Heating in AlGaN/GaN HFETs

This study investigates bias-dependent electron and thermal transport based on the electrothermal Monte Carlo (MC) simulation with velocity-field characteristics obtained by a self-consistent iterative method. A peak electron velocity of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.43\times 10^{{5}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> m/s was obtained at a drain current of 534 A/m corresponding to a channel electron density of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2.7\times 10^{{12}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm−2. This behavior was found to be in good agreement with previously extracted experiments. A new 2DEG density versus electron velocity model based on polar optical phonon (POP) scattering and polarization Coulomb field (PCF) scattering is proposed to explain bias-dependent electron transport. The good agreement between experimental results and simulated current–voltage characteristics proves the accuracy of our MC simulation.
Humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 evoked by heterologous vaccination groups using the CoronaVac (Sinovac) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccines in Chile

Introduction Severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused over million deaths worldwide, with more than 61,000 deaths in Chile. The Chilean government has implemented a vaccination program against SARS-CoV-2, with over 17.7 million people receiving a complete vaccination scheme. The final target is 18 million individuals. The most common vaccines used in Chile are CoronaVac (Sinovac) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer-Biotech). Given the global need for vaccine boosters to combat the impact of emerging virus variants, studying the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is crucial. In this study, we characterize the humoral immune response in inoculated volunteers from Chile who received vaccination schemes consisting of two doses of CoronaVac [CoronaVac (2x)], two doses of CoronaVac plus one dose of BNT162b2 [CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x)], and three doses of BNT162b2 [BNT162b2 (3x)]. Methods We recruited 469 participants from Clínica Dávila in Santiago and the Health Center Víctor Manuel Fernández in the city of Concepción, Chile. Additionally, we included participants who had recovered from COVID-19 but were not vaccinated (RCN). We analyzed antibodies, including anti-N, anti-S1-RBD, and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Results We found that antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein were significantly higher in the CoronaVac (2x) and RCN groups compared to the CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) or BNT162b2 (3x) groups. However, the CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) and BNT162b2 (3x) groups exhibited a higher concentration of S1-RBD antibodies than the CoronaVac (2x) group and RCN group. There were no significant differences in S1-RBD antibody titers between the CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) and BNT162b2 (3x) groups. Finally, the group immunized with BNT162b2 (3x) had higher levels of neutralizing antibodies compared to the RCN group, as well as the CoronaVac (2x) and CoronaVac (2x) + BNT162b2 (1x) groups. Discussion These findings suggest that vaccination induces the secretion of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and a booster dose of BNT162b2 is necessary to generate a protective immune response. In the current state of the pandemic, these data support the Ministry of Health of the Government of Chile’s decision to promote heterologous vaccination as they indicate that a significant portion of the Chilean population has neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
Transplanting Seagrasses in the Lagoon of Venice: Results and Perspectives

As part of a more comprehensive restoration and mitigation plan, a two-year pilot project of seagrass transplanting was initiated in April 1994 in the lagoon of Venice. Two different techniques (non-anchoring method and anchoring method) were tested in five stations with Cymodocea nodosa and five stations with Zostera marina. Survival rate, coverage, shoot density and biomass were measured at the ten sites for both methods. After two growing seasons, both transplanting methods showed good success. Nineteen of the 20 cells still had seagrass coverage and the coverage ranged, for C. nodosa, for both methods from 76 to 86% and for Z. marina from 70 to 74.4%. Compared to the initial densities the increase of the transplanting was, for C. nodosa, 15.1 times greater for sod method (681 ± 391 shoots m -2 ) and 42 times greater for rhizome method (563 ± 463 shoots m -2 ); for Z. marina it was 6.6 times greater for sod method (107.5 ± 50 shoots m -2 ) and 16.7 times greater for rhizome method (130.6 ± 60 shoots m -2 ). In comparison with the control site, for
A Fine-Grained End-to-End Latency Optimization Framework for Wireless Collaborative Inference

Mobile devices are becoming increasingly capable of delivering intelligent services by leveraging deep learning architectures such as deep neural networks (DNNs). However, due to the compute-intensive nature of these tasks, mobile devices often struggle to handle them independently, leading to the exploration of collaborative inference as a promising solution for achieving low-latency mobile intelligence. Despite its potential benefits, many challenges need to be addressed in realizing the full potential of inference acceleration. This article presents a collaborative device-edge inference optimization framework as a promising solution to inference acceleration. The framework comprises fundamental modules, including the parameters generator (PG), accuracy predictor (AP), delay calculator (DC), and optimizer (OP), which are specifically designed to identify the optimal set of parameters for model compression, DNN partition, and feature compression. To illustrate its implementation, an example of a deep CNN network is introduced, and the collaborative inference latency optimization is formulated as a mixed-integer programming problem. The implementation of a specific algorithm instance using a quantum-inspired OP within the optimization framework is then presented. A multiple regression-based inference accuracy prediction model is proposed to maintain inference accuracy close to that of the original network while significantly reducing the time consumption during the offline phase. Through various simulation scenarios involving inference tasks of AlexNet and RegNet on CIFAR-10, incorporating diverse hardware computation specifications and wireless communication link conditions, the proposed framework demonstrates superior performance in terms of inference acceleration compared to the compared methods.
Plant sociology of the western Transvaal bushveld, South Africa: A syntaxonomic and synecological study

About 25 000 km of savanna-woodland in the western Transvaal, South Africa, were studied using the Braun-Blanquet approach. The floristic composition, structure, habitat and distribution of twenty two associations are newly described. Their syn= taxonomy and synecology is discussed with an emphasis on three broad vegetation-habitat situations: (i) microphyllous thorny vegetation of warm, dry lowlands, (ii) mesophyllous vegetation of cool, moist uplands, and (ili) transitional vegetation. In accordance with this distinction, the communities are arranged on a mesic-xerlc gradient. Species diversity of the coinmuni= ties and leaf type of the predominant woody plants is dis= cussed. The provisional syntaxonomic ranking presented here is compared with Acocks's classification of veld types. An annotated checklist and a species-family index are included as appendices. Ten phytosociological tables are included as loose sheets in the back cover pocket. A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S I am grateful to the Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Technical Services and the Directors of the Botanical Research Institute in Pretoria, for permission to submit the results of my research project for thesis purposes. Staff members of the Botanical Research Institute kindly offered their help in many ways. Some I want to mention in particular. Mr B.J. Coetzee introduced me into the flora and vegetation of the Transvaal Bushveld. Mrs. E. van Hoepen and her herbarium staff, in a record time identified the hundreds and hundreds of specimens which landed on her desk after every field excursion. Dr J.W. Morris greatly assisted with the electronic data processing and his interest was a real stimulus through the years. Many sessions with Dr J.C. Scheepers on several drafts of the manuscript were held. Miss M. Visser drew most of the figures. Mr R.H. Westfall assisted me for a year. Together we prepared the final phytosociological tables. This manuscript was typed by Mrs. S. femit, the annotated checklist by Mrs. J. Mulvenna. The contributions of my wife, Ida, are many. We did the first field work together. Later, she often was my secretary. But most of all, she made a home in Pretoria for us and our two little daughters. The graduation regulations of the Catholic University at Nijmegen do not allow me to thank my promotor and my co-referent for their part in this thesis because they are engaged on the staff of this University.