Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolites of the phenylpropanoid pathway and physiological quality of soybean seeds in storage

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the physiological quality of soybean seeds throughout a storage period in two environments, and to evaluate how these changes are related to metabolites of the phenylpropanoid pathway. A completely randomized experimental design was used in a 4 × 8 factorial arrangement (storage periods × cultivars) with four replications. We used seeds from cultivars with contrasts in lignin content, color, and presence of anthocyanin in the seed coat, and isoflavone content in the seed. The seeds were kept for six months under cold and dry storage and in a non-controlled environment. Germination, first germination count, seedling emergence, and tetrazolium testing were performed on the seeds every two months. The physiological quality of the seeds declines during the storage period, with higher rates of decrease in the non-controlled environment. The metabolites of the phenylpropanoid pathway that were studied, especially lignin, affect seed storage potential. Cultivars with higher lignin content show greater storage potential, especially in a non-controlled environment.
Good's syndrome with diffuse panbronchiolitis as the prominent manifestation: A case and literature review

Good's syndrome (GS) is characterized by thymoma combined with adult‐onset immunodeficiency. Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, which predominantly affects East Asians. Japanese scholars have reported extensively about GS combined with DPB or DPB‐like pulmonary manifestation. However, such reports are rare in China. We report here a case of GS in China with DPB as the prominent manifestation and carry out a literature review accordingly. Our review indicates that in adults with DPB‐like clinical manifestations, thymic lesions should be excluded and related immune function tests should be performed to exclude GS to avoid missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.
Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) in NSCLC: From Prognosis to Therapy Design

Designing optimal (neo)adjuvant therapy is a crucial aspect of the treatment of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Standard methods of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy represent effective strategies for treatment. However, in some cases with high metastatic activity and high levels of circulating tumour cells (CTCs), the efficacy of standard treatment methods is insufficient and results in treatment failure and reduced patient survival. CTCs are seen not only as an isolated phenomenon but also a key inherent part of the formation of metastasis and a key factor in cancer death. This review discusses the impact of NSCLC therapy strategies based on a meta-analysis of clinical studies. In addition, possible therapeutic strategies for repression when standard methods fail, such as the administration of low-toxicity natural anticancer agents targeting these phenomena (curcumin and flavonoids), are also discussed. These strategies are presented in the context of key mechanisms of tumour biology with a strong influence on CTC spread and metastasis (mechanisms related to tumour-associated and -infiltrating cells, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and migration of cancer cells).
Diflunisal Targeted Delivery Systems: A Review

Diflunisal is a well-known drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, primary dysmenorrhea, and colon cancer. This molecule belongs to the group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and thus possesses serious side effects such as cardiovascular diseases risk development, renal injury, and hepatic reactions. The last clinical data demonstrated that diflunisal is one of the recognized drugs for the treatment of cardiac amyloidosis and possesses a survival benefit similar to that of clinically approved tafamidis. Diflunisal stabilizes the transthyretin (TTR) tetramer and prevents the misfolding of monomers and dimers from forming amyloid deposits in the heart. To avoid serious side effects of diflunisal, the various delivery systems have been developed. In the present review, attention is given to the recent development of diflunisal-loaded delivery systems, its technology, release profiles, and effectiveness.
Effects of E-Cigarette Refill Liquid Flavorings with and without Nicotine on Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells: A Preliminary Study

Smoking is an etiologic factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although cigarette smoke has been extensively researched for retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell degeneration, the potential for adverse effects on the retinal epithelium following exposure to flavored e-cigarette refill liquid has never been explored. In this preliminary study, we have examined the effects of 20 e-liquids (10 different flavored nicotine-free and 10 nicotine-rich e-liquids) used in e-cigarettes on the metabolic activity, membrane integrity, and mitochondrial membrane potential of RPE cells. Our results showed that of the flavors studied over the concentration range: 0.5, 1, and 2% v/v for a duration of 48 h, cinnamon was the most toxic and menthol was the second most toxic, while other flavors showed lesser or no cytotoxicity. The presence of nicotine augmented cytotoxicity for cinnamon, menthol, strawberry, vanilla, and banana while for other flavors there was no synergism. Together, our results demonstrate that exposure of RPE to flavored e-cigarette refill liquids caused significant cytotoxicity and may be a risk factor for the development of retinal pathogenesis, although further in-depth studies are necessary.
Broadband antenna systems realized from active circuit conjugate impedance matching.

Abstract : The application of negative impedance converter circuits for use in extremely broadband antenna systems is proposed. The theory of short antennaes, and means of achieving a conjugate impedance match to them, is discussed. Synthesis methods that yield the required converters, uncompensated or compensated, are presented. Lastly, the performance of several of the constructed antenna systems are compared with that of a 12 foot whip.
Computational Shape Understanding for 3D Reconstruction and Modeling

Keywords: shape analysis ; 3D reconstruction ; symmetry detection ; computational design ; fabrication constraints These Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne EPFL, n° 6259 (2014)Programme doctoral Informatique, Communications et InformationFaculte informatique et communicationsInstitut des systemes informatiques et multimediasLaboratoire d'informatique graphique et geometriqueJury: Prof. M.C. Gastpar (president) ; Prof. M. Pauly (directeur) ; Dr W. Li, Prof. N.J. Mitra, Prof. S. Susstrunk (rapporteurs) Public defense: 2014-9-12 Reference doi:10.5075/epfl-thesis-6259Print copy in library catalog Record created on 2014-09-10, modified on 2017-05-12
School sport following London 2012: no more political football third report of session 2013-14: Vol. 1 Report, together with formal minutes

Enabling power: Education Act 1996, s. 537A (4) (5) (6). Issued: 29.05. 2013. Made: 20.05. 2013. Laid: 29.05. 2013. Coming into force: 28.06. 2013. Effect: S.I. 2009/1563 amended. Territorial extent and classification: E. General.
Biomimetic Nanoparticles Coated with Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles as a New-Generation Platform for Biomedical Applications

The biomedical field is currently reaping the benefits of research on biomimetic nanoparticles (NPs), which are synthetic nanoparticles fabricated with natural cellular materials for nature-inspired biomedical applications. These camouflage NPs are capable of retaining not only the physiochemical properties of synthetic nanoparticles but also the original biological functions of the cellular materials. Accordingly, NPs coated with cell-derived membrane components have achieved remarkable growth as prospective biomedical materials. Particularly, bacterial outer membrane vesicle (OMV), which is a cell membrane coating material for NPs, is regarded as an important molecule that can be employed in several biomedical applications, including immune response activation, cancer therapeutics, and treatment for bacterial infections with photothermal activity. The currently available cell membrane-coated NPs are summarized in this review. Furthermore, the general features of bacterial OMVs and several multifunctional NPs that could serve as inner core materials in the coating strategy are presented, and several methods that can be used to prepare OMV-coated NPs (OMV-NPs) and their characterization are highlighted. Finally, some perspectives of OMV-NPs in various biomedical applications for future potential breakthrough are discussed. This in-depth review, which includes potential challenges, will encourage researchers to fabricate innovative and improvised, new-generation biomimetic materials through future biomedical applications.
Weather Variability Induced Uncertainty of Contrail Radiative Forcing

Persistent contrails and contrail cirrus are estimated to have a larger impact on climate than all CO2 emissions from global aviation since the introduction of jet engines. However, the measure for this impact, the effective radiative forcing (ERF) or radiative forcing (RF), suffers from uncertainties that are much larger than those for CO2. Despite ongoing research, the so called level of scientific understanding has not improved since the 1999 IPCC Special Report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere. In this paper, the role of weather variability as a major component of the uncertainty range of contrail cirrus RF is examined. Using 10 years of MOZAIC flights and ERA-5 reanalysis data, we show that natural weather variability causes large variations in the instantaneous radiative forcing (iRF) of persistent contrails, which is a major source for uncertainty. Most contrails (about 80%) have a small positive iRF of up to 20 W m−2. IRF exceeds 20 W m−2 in about 10% of all cases but these have a disproportionally large climate impact, the remaining 10% have a negative iRF. The distribution of iRF values is heavily skewed towards large positive values that show an exponential decay. Monte Carlo experiments reveal the difficulty of determining a precise long-term mean from measurement or campaign data alone. Depending on the chosen sample size, calculated means scatter considerably, which is caused exclusively by weather variability. Considering that many additional natural sources of variation have been deliberately neglected in the present examination, the results suggest that there is a fundamental limit to the precision with which the RF and ERF of contrail cirrus can be determined. In our opinion, this does not imply a low level of scientific understanding; rather the scientific understanding of contrails and contrail cirrus has grown considerably over recent decades. Only the determination of global and annual mean RF and ERF values is still difficult and will probably be so for the coming decades, if not forever. The little precise knowledge of the RF and ERF values is, therefore, no argument to postpone actions to mitigate contrail’s warming impact.
Phlebotomus papatasi Antimicrobial Peptides in Larvae and Females and a Gut-Specific Defensin Upregulated by Leishmania major Infection

Phlebotomus papatasi is the vector of Leishmania major, causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Old World. We investigated whether P. papatasi immunity genes were expressed toward L. major, commensal gut microbes, or a combination of both. We focused on sand fly transcription factors dorsal and relish and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) attacin and defensin and assessed their relative gene expression by qPCR. Sand fly larvae were fed food with different bacterial loads. Relish and AMPs gene expressions were higher in L3 and early L4 larval instars, while bacteria 16S rRNA increased in late L4 larval instar, all fed rich-microbe food compared to the control group fed autoclaved food. Sand fly females were treated with an antibiotic cocktail to deplete gut bacteria and were experimentally infected by Leishmania. Compared to non-infected females, dorsal and defensin were upregulated at early and late infection stages, respectively. An earlier increase of defensin was observed in infected females when bacteria recolonized the gut after the removal of antibiotics. Interestingly, this defensin gene expression occurred specifically in midguts but not in other tissues of females and larvae. A gut-specific defensin gene upregulated by L. major infection, in combination with gut-bacteria, is a promising molecular target for parasite control strategies.
Tri-Ponderal Mass Index Reference Values for Screening Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: Results From Two National-Representative Cross-Sectional Studies in China and America

Introduction To ascertain the possible cut point of tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) in discriminating metabolic syndrome (MetS) and related cardio-metabolic risk factors in Chinese and American children and adolescents. Methods A total of 57,201 Chinese children aged 7-18 recruited in 2012 and and 10,441 American children aged 12-18 from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2001-2014) were included to fit TMI percentiles. Participants were randomly assigned to a derivation set (75%) and validation set (25%). The cut points of TMI with the lowest misclassification rate under the premise of the highest area under curves (AUC) were selected for each sex, which were additionally examined in the validation set. All of data analysis was conducted between September and December in 2019. Results TMI showed good capacity on discriminating MetS, with AUC of 0.7658 (95% CI: 0.7544-0.7770) to 0.8445 (95% CI: 0.8349-0.8537) in Chinese and 0.8871 (95% CI: 0.8663-0.9056) to 0.9329 (95% CI: 0.9166-0.9469) in American children. The optimal cut points were 14.46 kg/m3 and 13.91 kg/m3 for Chinese boys and girls, and 17.08 kg/m3 and 18.89 kg/m3 for American boys and girls, respectively. The corresponding misclassification rates were 17.1% (95% CI: 16.4-17.8) and 11.2% (95% CI: 9.9-12.6), respectively. Performance of these cut points were also examined in the validation set (sensitivity 67.7%, specificity 82.4% in Chinese; sensitivity 84.4%, specificity 88.7% in American children). Conclusions A sex- and ethnicity- specific single cut point of TMI could be used to distinguish MetS and elevated risk of cardio-metabolic factors in children and adolescents.
Coordinated searching and target identification using teams of autonomous agents

Coordinated Searching and Target Identification Using Teams of Autonomous Agents Christopher Lum Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Emeritus Juris Vagners Aeronautics & Astronautics Many modern autonomous systems actually require significant human involvement. Often, the amount of human support and infrastructure required for these autonomous systems exceeds that of their manned counterparts. This work involves increasing both the tactical and strategic decision making capabilities of various autonomous systems. The application considered is the problem of searching for targets using a team of heterogeneous agents. The system maintains a grid-based world model which contains information about the probability of a target being located in any given cell of the map. Agents formulate control decisions for a fixed number of time steps using a modular algorithm that allows for capabilities and characteristics of individual agents to be encoded in several parameters. The resulting search patterns executed by the agents guarantee an exhaustive search of the map in the sense that all cells will be searched sufficiently to ensure that the probability of a target being located in any given cell is driven to zero. This system was simulated using high fidelity simulations with heterogeneous agents in complex and dynamic environments. After performing successfully in simulation, these algorithms were then verified and validated on a distributed human-in-the-loop simulator. This system allows a human operator to handle low level tasks such as state stabilization and signal tracking while preserving the contributions of the autonomous algorithm. Finally, flight test results are presented showing the benefits of augmenting a human system with these types of autonomous algorithms.
Identifying Keys to Win in the World Karate Championship

Background. Studies in this domain help focus on the techniques with high application to improve the point attainment, without providing points for the other opponents. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to analyze and investigate the most common scoring techniques used and the highest intensity competition times that have been fulfilled by the champions of the World Karate Leagues 2019 and the World Championship 2018. Methods. One hundred and eighteen karate competitions in 5 weight groups (-60, -67, -75, -84, and +84) and from each weight rank, including 5 top-level athletes of the World Karate Federation ranking, were analyzed and studied. This study data were collated using Video Analyzer, Microsoft Excel, and SPSS, and the data were assessed using the Chi-square statistical tests (χ2). Results. This study indicated that only 31.9% of total attacks fulfilled by the world champions were successful in gaining points, the last minute of competition was the highest intensity time in a three-minute competition (with 46.70% of attacks happening then), and the techniques of Ashi Barai and Gia Kuzuki were the most commonly used techniques among the techniques for scoring used by world champions. Conclusion. The coaches must develop new strategies during the training sessions and compare their athletes’ techniques with those of the world elites to gain uniform endeavors and improve their athletes’ performance to reach the level of world champions.
ICI mitigation in concurrent multi-band receiver due to the phase noise and IQ imbalance

For the next generation long-term evolution (LTE) advanced mobile communication system, 100 MHz bandwidth and 1 Gbit/s data speed are needed. However, there is not enough and wide vacant frequency band. Therefore, spectrum aggregation method has been studied to extend available frequency bands. Frequency synthesiser and power amplifier of transceiver should cover this wide bandwidth. The phase noise and In-phase and quadrature (IQ) imbalance would increase, which would be a serious problem in this transceiver. Also, signal-to-noise ratio becomes degraded because of nonlinearity and the quantisation noises of the Analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) in the receiver. Uplink of LTE-advanced uses Aggregated DFT-spread (NxDFT-S) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals. Since the effect of the phase noise and IQ imbalance are more serious in the multi-band Discrete Fourier transform (DFT)-spreading OFDM system, we like to analyse the effect of inter-carrier interference in frequency domain of receiver and the degradation of bit error rate (BER) performance. Also, by the channel response in frequency domain of the uplink system, we separate phase noise and IQ imbalance effect. Finally, we like to propose a compensation method that estimates the channel exactly and removes IQ imbalance and phase noise. Simulation result shows that the proposed method achieves the 2 dB performance gain of BER = 10−4.
Achieving Lower Exhaust Emissions and Better Performance in an HSDI Diesel Engine with Multiple Injection

The effects of multiple-injection on exhaust emissions and performance in a small HSDI (High Speed Direct Injection) Diesel engine were examined. The causes for the improvement were investigated using both in-cylinder observation and three-dimensional numerical analysis methods. It is possible to increase the maximum torque, which is limited by the exhaust smoke number, while decreasing the combustion noise under low speed and full load conditions by advancing the timing of the pilot injection. Dividing this early-timed pilot injection into two with a small fuel amount is effective for further decreasing the noise while suppressing the increase in HC emission and fuel consumption. This is realized by the reduced amount of adhered fuel to the cylinder wall. At light loads, the amount of pilot injection fuel must be reduced, and the injection must be timed just prior to the main injection in order to suppress a possible increase in smoke and HC. After-injection, which injects a small amount of fuel immediately after the end of the main injection, reduces smoke, HC and fuel consumption. This is because the jet flame of the after-injection carries the remaining soot of the main injection to the squish area, and then oxidizes that together with the soot which previously existed in the squish area by promoted atmospheric temperature and enhanced mixing with fresh air.
Quality Is Free: The Art of Making Quality Certain

Do things right in the first place, and you won't have to pay to fix them or do them over. Whether you manage a large plant or run your own small business, applying this simple principle of quality control will boost your profits and your career. "Quality Is Free" sets forth easy-to-implement programs, using actual case histories to demonstrate just how well quality control works, and providing important tools for success.
Orthophosphate concentrations in the River Thames: reductions in the past decade

Ten years ago plans were made to reduce the phosphorus load from sewage‐treatment works' effluents into the River Thames. This was driven by the EC Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive in relation to sensitive areas (eutrophic). Modelling work identified the most significant loads to tackle first. Phosphorus removal had been commissioned at 36 works by 2003. The orthophosphate load to the River Thames from these works has reduced from 5755 to 688 kg P/day. The impact of the improvement programme on the quality of the river was assessed by comparing pre‐ and post‐investment data. Orthophosphate concentrations in the river have reduced from between about 0.5 and 2 mg P/L to 0.2 and 0.4 mg P/L. These observations match the model predictions. Chlorophyll a concentrations in the river have also reduced. This was unexpected given that the orthophosphate concentrations still exceed the values thought to be limiting for algal growth.