Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supplementation of Carica papaya Leaves (Carica papaya L.) in Nori preparation Reduced Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness on Hypertensive Animal Model

Objectives: Hypertension is defined as an increase in systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure of more than 140/90 mmHg. Epidemiological studies showed that there is a relationship between hypertension and the incidence of arterial stiffness, especially in the elderly. Blood pressure management aims to prevent damage to various target organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes and peripheral arteries. Papaya leaves (Carica papaya L.) have been known empirically to treat hypertension. This study aimed to determine the effect of papaya leaves processed into Nori preparation on blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Methods: This study was carried out on animal models of male Wistar rats induced hypertension. A total of 30 male-Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups consisting of control negative group and control positive group (received drug carriers), the group received captopril 2.5 mg/kg and groups received Nori of papaya leaves 5, 10 and 20% in their diet. All groups except the control negative group received 66% fructose in their food for 21 days. Parameters measured were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV) on days 0, 7, 14 and 21 after treatment. Results: The group received Nori 10% showed normalize both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a decreased in arterial stiffness compared to the group received captopril (p>0.05). Conclusion: It can be concluded that papaya leaves in Nori preparation is effective as an antihypertensive and reduced arterial stiffness. Key words: Arterial stiffness, Blood pressure, Carica papaya L. , Hypertension, Pulse wave velocity.
Fundamental properties of solar-like oscillating stars from frequencies of minimum Δν – I. Model computations for solar composition

Low amplitude is the defining characteristic of solar-like oscillations. The space projects Kepler and CoRoT give us a great opportunity to successfully detect such oscillations in numerous targets. Achievements of asteroseismology depend on new discoveries of connections between the oscillation frequencies and stellar properties. In the previous studies, the frequency of the maximum amplitude and the large separation between frequencies were used for this purpose. In the present study, we confirm that the large separation between the frequencies has two minima at two different frequency values. These are the signatures of the He ii ionization zone, and as such have very strong diagnostic potential. We relate these minima to fundamental stellar properties such as mass, radius, luminosity, age and mass of convective zone. For mass, the relation is simply based on the ratio of the frequency of minimum Delta nu to the frequency of maximum amplitude. These frequency comparisons can be very precisely computed, and thus the mass and radius of a solar-like oscillating star can be determined to high precision. We also develop a new asteroseismic diagram which predicts structural and evolutionary properties of stars with such data. We derive expressions for mass, radius, effective temperature, luminosity and age in terms of purely asteroseismic quantities. For solar-like oscillating stars, we now will have five very important asteroseismic tools (two frequencies of minimum Delta nu, the frequency of maximum amplitude, and the large and small separations between the oscillation frequencies) to decipher properties of stellar interior astrophysics.
Parental Child Care Time, Income and Subjective Well-Being: A Multidimensional Polarization Approach for Germany

Neither market income nor consumption expenditure provides an adequate picture of individual standard of living. It is time which enables and restricts individual activities and is a further brick to a more comprehensive picture of individual well-being. In our study we focus on a prominent part of time use in non-market services: it is parental child care which contributes not only to individual but also to societal well-being. Within a novel approach we ask for multidimensional polarization effects of parental child care where compensation/substitution of time for parental child care versus income is interdependently evaluated by panel estimates of society’s subjective well-being. The new interdependent 2DGAP measure thereby provides multidimensional polarization intensity information for the poor and the rich and disentangles the single time and income contribution to subjective well-being ensuring at the same time the interdependence of the polarization dimensions. Socio-economic influences on the polarization pole risk and intensity will be quantified by two stage Heckman estimates. The analyses are based on the German Socio-Economic Panel with 21 waves and robust fixed effects estimates of subjective well-being as well as the German Time Use Surveys 1991/92 and actual 2012/13 with detailed diary time use data. The empirical results discover the interdependent relations between parental child care and income under a common evaluation frame and contribute to the question of dimension specific targeted policies in a multidimensional polarization approach. Prominent result: compensation between parental child care time and income proved to be significant, but there are multidimensional regions with no compensation, where parental child care time deficit is not compensated by income. Interdependent multidimensional polarization by headcount and intensity increased significantly over the twenty years under investigation with remarkable risk and intensity differences between the polarization poles with different disentangled parental child care time and income contributions to subjective well-being.
Pyrrole thin films deposited on paper by pulsed RF plasma

Attempts were made to plasma deposit an oriented π-conjugated polymer of pyrrole (Py) on paper surfaces in order to produce electrically conductive layers. The N/C atomic ratio of 0.13–0.24 was observed for all treatment conditions. This implies the nature of the deposition formed on the paper surface via pulsed plasma is different from that of pyrrole monomer. An increase in conductivity of all pyrrole-plasma treated papers was observed. The 50 W RF-power with 5 min plasma exposed paper sample shows 8.15 × 10−9 S·cm−1 conductivity. The conductivity measurements indicated a plasma-enhanced ring-opening reaction mechanism of pyrrole.
Assessment of Water Quality and Microbial Load of Dhaleshwari River Tangail, Bangladesh

The present study was undertaken to investigate some water quality parameters (pH, BOD, DO and water temperature), anion concentration (PO43- , SO42- and NO3- ) and the availability of some selected microorganisms consisted of total coliform, fecal coliform (Escherichia coli) and Vibrio cholerae in the Dhaleshwari river during the period from April to June 2015. The water samples were collected from three different stations of the river namely Belta (St-1), Kendua (St-2) and Charabari (St-3) under the Porabari union at Tangail Sadar Upazilla. Water temperature varied from 29.5 oC in June to 31.7 oC in May with a highest mean 31.17 ± 0.47 in May. The pH of water was slightly alkaline in nature and ranged between 7.25 in June and 8.45 in April. Mean concentrations of BOD 0.87 ± 0.19, 1.12 ± 0.6 and 0.97 ± 0.67 were recorded in April, May and June respectively. Highest PO42- value 4.4 mg/l was found in May and lowest value of PO42- 1.74 mg/l was found in June. Mean sulfate values at different months of Dhaleshwaririver were 6.61 ± 1.78 mg/l, 7.61 ± 2.16 mg/l and 3.68 ± 0.23 mg/l respectively. Nitrate concentration in water samples varied from 0.51 mg/l in June to 3.66 mg/l in April. Total coliforms bacteria were found high in all water samples and values ranged from 11.05 × 108 - 19 × 1023 cfu/ml. The highest load of total coliforms bacteria was recorded at St-2 in May and the lowest was at St-1 in April. The highest concentration of (Escherichia coli counted in water sample was 6 × 1013 cfu/ml at St-2 during June, while lowest concentration was 5 × 105 cfu/ml at St-1 during May. The highest concentration of Vibrio cholerae was 9.66 × 1014 cfu/ml at St-1 during June, while lowest concentration was 4.2 × 108 cfu/ml at St-3 during April. The high number of total coliform, Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae indicated significant level of microbial pollution in Dhaleshwari river. The presence of pathogenic organisms may pose not only health hazards to the users of the river water but also poses risks for the aquatic organisms especially fish of the water bodies. So the occurrence of high bacterial load concluded that the water of Dhaleshwari river is polluted and unhygienic for drinking and even unsuitable for domestic purposes without proper treatment.
A New Method for Contrasting Energy Performance and Near-Zero Energy Building Requirements in Different Climates and Countries

In this study a robust method enabling one to compare the energy performance in different climates was developed. Derived normalization factors allow “to move” the building from one climate to another with corresponding changes in heating, cooling, and electric lighting energy. Degree days, solar-air temperature and economic insulation thickness were used to normalize space heating and cooling needs. Solar-air temperature based degree days resulted in 5% accuracy in space heating and dry-bulb air temperature based cooling degree days were trustworthy in cooling need normalization. To overcome the limitation of the same thermal insulation in all climates, an economic insulation thickness was applied. Existing and nearly zero energy requirements were contrasted in four countries with a reference office building to analyze the impacts of climate and national regulation on primary energy use. By applying standard energy calculation input data and primary energy factors from European standards to buildings with national technical solutions, nearly zero energy building requirements comparison with European Commission benchmarks was possible to conduct. Generally, in Central and North Europe comparison, national input data caused much more difference than the climate.
Detect mTBI in pediatric populations using a tablet-based software BrainCheck

Despite its high frequency of occurrence, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, is difficult to recognize and diagnose, particularly in pediatric populations. Conventional methods to diagnose mTBI primarily rely on clinical questionnaires and sometimes include imaging such as computed tomography (CT) or pencil and paper neuropsychological testing. However, these methods are time consuming, require administration/interpretation from health professionals, and lack adequate test sensitivity and specificity. We explore the use of BrainCheck, a computerized neurocognitive test that is available on iPad, iPhone or computer desktop, for mTBI assessment. The BrainCheck battery consists of 6 gamified traditional neurocognitive tests that assess areas of cognition vulnerable to mTBI such as attention, processing speed, executing functioning, and coordination. We administered BrainCheck to 25 participants diagnosed with mTBI at the emergency department (ED) of Children's hospital within 96 hours of admittance to the ED, and 153 normal controls at a local high school. Statistical analysis included Chi-Square tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), independent sample t-tests, and Hochberg tests to examine differences between mTBI, diagnoses by current gold standard clinical exam, and control groups on each assessment in the battery. Significant metrics from these assessments were used to build a logistic regression model that distinguishes mTBI from non-mTBI participants. Receiver operator score (ROC) analysis of our logistic regression model found a sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 80%. BrainCheck has potential in distinguishing mTBI from non-mTBI participants, by providing a shorter, gamified test battery to assess cognitive function after brain injury, while also providing a method for tracking recovery with the opportunity to do so remotely from a patient's home.
Stress relaxation of dense spongy-particle systems

Spongy particles have a permeable structure that allows them to undergo rate-dependent volume changes as their elastic network takes up or expels the viscous suspending solvent. Their ability to be jammed well above random close-packing makes them particularly attractive in applications where tailoring the overall properties is a requirement such as pharmaceuticals and foods. In this work, we independently vary the particle modulus and the particle permeability to study their effect on the stress-relaxation behavior of jammed permeable-particle suspensions. The dynamic two-scale model developed by Hutter et al. [Faraday Discuss. 158, 407–424 (2012)], which explicitly accounts for the particle size dynamics, is used for this purpose. We perform flow-cessation simulations of dense permeable-particle systems subjected to different preshear deformations. The stress relaxation occurs on shorter time scales in the case of permeable particles compared to impermeable particles. In terms of particle dynamics, stress relaxation is found to be promoted primarily by the motion of the particles within the cages formed by the surrounding particles, rather than by cage escape. The stress-relaxation process is accelerated by the permeability of spongy particles, namely, due to the sustained volume change that was induced during preshear, which renders their cages less effective.Spongy particles have a permeable structure that allows them to undergo rate-dependent volume changes as their elastic network takes up or expels the viscous suspending solvent. Their ability to be jammed well above random close-packing makes them particularly attractive in applications where tailoring the overall properties is a requirement such as pharmaceuticals and foods. In this work, we independently vary the particle modulus and the particle permeability to study their effect on the stress-relaxation behavior of jammed permeable-particle suspensions. The dynamic two-scale model developed by Hutter et al. [Faraday Discuss. 158, 407–424 (2012)], which explicitly accounts for the particle size dynamics, is used for this purpose. We perform flow-cessation simulations of dense permeable-particle systems subjected to different preshear deformations. The stress relaxation occurs on shorter time scales in the case of permeable particles compared to impermeable particles. In terms of particle dynamics, stre.
Population responses of farmland bird species to agri‐environment schemes and land management options in Northeastern Scotland

1. The decline of farmland birds across Europe is a well- documented case of biodiversity loss, and despite land stewardship supported by funding from agri-environment schemes (AES), the negative trends have not yet been reversed. 2. To investigate the contribution of AES towards farmland bird conservation, we compared abundance of five farmland bird species across 13 years and 53 farms (158 farm years = AES, 72 farm years = non AES) in Northeastern Scotland (UK), a region with relatively mixed farmland. 3. Between 2003 and 2015, on both AES and control farms, skylark ( Alauda arvensis ) showed a nonsignificant decline, and tree sparrow ( Passer montanus ) and yellowhammer ( Emberiza citrinella ) nonsignificant increases, whereas reed bunting ( Emberiza schoeniclus ) and linnet ( Carduelis cannabina ) populations remained relatively stable. 4. We did not detect a significant association between AES and avian abundance or population trends for any of these species, but there were positive associations with some AES management options. 5. Possible explanations for the lack of a significant AES- bird abundance association include poor uptake of the best AES
Means of Information and Media and the Influence for the Practice of Physical Activity

The purpose of this study was to verify which means of information has the most influence for the practice of physical activity among fitness centers goers. The sample consisted of 299 individuals of both genders, in the age range of 16 to 50 years old. A biosociodemographic questionnaire was used to collect data on gender, age, educational level, socioeconomic level and means of access to information. The scores obtained with this research were typed in spreadsheet and later transferred to the statistical package SPSS version 17.0 for Windows where they received statistical treatment. Of the total number of respondents, 62.2% were female; the majority were aged between 16 and 30 years (63.2%); in the most prevalent category, those were graduated at university (46.8%); and 85.3% belonged to social strata A and B. In relation to the media that most influenced them to practice physical activity, the internet ranked first (84.95%), followed by television (83.95%), newspaper (50.84%), radio (45.48%), magazines (23.08%) and others (4.35%).
Dynamic SDN Controller Load Balancing

The software defined networking (SDN) paradigm separates the control plane from the data plane, where an SDN controller receives requests from its connected switches and manages the operation of the switches under its control. Reassignments between switches and their controllers are performed dynamically, in order to balance the load over SDN controllers. In order to perform load balancing, most dynamic assignment solutions use a central element to gather information requests for reassignment of switches. Increasing the number of controllers causes a scalability problem, when one super controller is used for all controllers and gathers information from all switches. In a large network, the distances between the controllers is sometimes a constraint for assigning them switches. In this paper, a new approach is presented to solve the well-known load balancing problem in the SDN control plane. This approach implies less load on the central element and meeting the maximum distance constraint allowed between controllers. An architecture with two levels of load balancing is defined. At the top level, the main component called Super Controller, arranges the controllers in clusters, so that there is a balance between the loads of the clusters. At the bottom level, in each cluster there is a dedicated controller called Master Controller, which performs a reassignment of the switches in order to balance the loads between the controllers. We provide a two-phase algorithm, called Dynamic Controllers Clustering algorithm, for the top level of load balancing operation. The load balancing operation takes place at regular intervals. The length of the cycle in which the operation is performed can be shorter, since the top-level operation can run independently of the bottom level operation. Shortening cycle time allows for more accurate results of load balancing. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that our algorithm provides a near-optimal solution. Simulation results show that our dynamic clustering improves fixed clustering by a multiplicative factor of 5.
Response of Solar Irradiance to Sunspot-area Variations

One of the important open questions in solar irradiance studies is whether long-term variability (i.e., on timescales of years and beyond) can be reconstructed by means of models that describe short-term variability (i.e., days) using solar proxies as inputs. Preminger & Walton showed that the relationship between spectral solar irradiance and proxies of magnetic-flux emergence, such as the daily sunspot area, can be described in the framework of linear system theory by means of the impulse response. We significantly refine that empirical model by removing spurious solar-rotational effects and by including an additional term that captures long-term variations. Our results show that long-term variability cannot be reconstructed from the short-term response of the spectral irradiance, which questions the extension of solar proxy models to these timescales. In addition, we find that the solar response is nonlinear in a way that cannot be corrected simply by applying a rescaling to a sunspot area.
Biochemical and Molecular Action of Nutrients Conjugated Linoleic Acid Inhibits Differentiation of Pre-and Post-Confluent 3 T 3L 1 Preadipocytes But Inhibits Cell Proliferation Only in Preconfluent Cells 1 , 2 , 3

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA; 18:2) is a group of isomers (mainly 9-cis, 11-trans and 10-trans, 12-cis) of linoleic acid. CLA is the product of rumen fermentation and can be found in the milk and muscle of ruminants. Animals fed CLA have a lower body fat content. The objective of this study was to establish the possible mechanisms by which CLA affects adipogenesis. 3T3-L1 is a well-established cell line that is used extensively in studying adipocyte biology. These cells typically grow in a culture medium until they reach confluence, at which time they are induced to differentiate by hormonal treatment (d 0). Treatment of 3T3-L1 cells with 25 to 100 mmol/L CLA inhibited differentiation in a dose-dependent manner, while linoleic acid treatment did not differ from DMSO-treated controls. Continuous treatment from d 22, 21, 0 or 2 to d 8 and treatment from d 22 to d 0 and from d 0 to d 2 inhibited differentiation. Differentiation was monitored morphologically (oil Red-O staining), enzymatically (reduction of activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), and by northern analysis of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor g2, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein a and adipocyte specific protein 2 mRNA. CLA inhibited cell proliferation of nonconfluent cells but did not affect cell division of confluent cells, as indicated by 5-bromo-29-deoxyuridine incorporation and mitochondria metabolism. Therefore, CLA inhibited differentiation before confluence and during induction. However, cellular proliferation was only inhibited prior to induction. These results imply that fat reduction caused by CLA treatment may be attributed to its inhibition of both proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes in animals. J. Nutr. 129: 602–606, 1999.
Corruption, Shadow Economy and Economic Growth: An Empirical Survey Across the European Union Countries

Abstract This study was carried out to empirically investigate the relationships between corruption and shadow economy among the European Union countries, over the period 2005-2014. Moreover, since one would expect corruption and shadow economy to be more common in poorer countries, this study was therefore carried out to determine how corruption and shadow economy affect economic development. The empirical findings of this study confirm a high and positive relationship between corruption and shadow economy, therefore a higher level of corruption involves a higher level of shadow economy. Regarding the influence of corruption and shadow economy on economic growth, a high and negative relationship was found. This means that increasing corruption and shadow economy negatively affects economic growth.