Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Antihypertensive Activity of Phenolic Acids

Phenolic acids, found in cereals, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, have various biological functions. We aimed to compare the antihypertensive potential of different phenolic acids by evaluating their ACE inhibitory activity and cytoprotective capacity in EA.hy 926 endothelial cells. In addition, we explored the mechanism underlying the antihypertensive activity of sinapic acid. Of all the phenolic acids studied, sinapic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, and ferulic acid significantly inhibited ACE activity. Moreover, gallic acid, sinapic acid, and ferulic acid significantly enhanced intracellular NO production. Based on the results of GSH depletion, ROS production, and MDA level analyses, sinapic acid was selected to study the mechanism underlying the antihypertensive effect. Sinapic acid decreases endothelial dysfunction by enhancing the expression of antioxidant-related proteins. Sinapic acid increased phosphorylation of eNOS and Akt in a dose-dependent manner. These findings indicate the potential of sinapic acid as a treatment for hypertension.
Revealing and Reconstructing Hidden or Lost Features in Art Investigation

In recent decades, cultural heritage research—and in particular art investigation—has been undergoing a digital revolution. This is due both to improvements in the digitization and the acquisition of artifact’s images generated using traditional 2-D imaging methods as well as the growing adoption of a range of more recently introduced spectroscopic imaging techniques. A number of these imaging modalities use wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that can penetrate surface layers thus yielding information from hidden features noninvasively. Different techniques are often used in combination to provide evidence of construction, condition, and past treatment. These can also be used to characterize the materials used, how they were combined, and map their distribution, giving insight into an artist’s working method and the means to understand changes that have occurred over time. This wealth of data calls for the development of algorithmic approaches in order to handle and fully explore and interpret it. The questions one seeks to answer are in some cases sufficiently different from those addressed in other fields that no existing off-the-shelf approaches can be applied. In this article, we discuss a few of the algorithmic challenges that arise in art investigation and conservation using modern imaging techniques.
Impact of Public Risk Perception in China on the Intention to Use Sports APPs during COVID-19 Pandemic

At the onset of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, China effectively reduced the risk of a major outbreak through measures such as lockdown, quarantine and closure, which also brought the country to a standstill with normal social operations largely becoming stagnant, including suspension of production, schools and business. In active response to this non-normality, the nation has resorted to various apps to promptly restore social operations, forming a new norm of ‘offline life’ as supplementary to ‘online life’. Although a variety of increasingly sophisticated APPs have gradually restored the public’s life and work, the people’s emotions and psychology are still under influence from the risk environment of COVID-19 with high mortality and infection rates. Then, given that existing APPs have been proved effective in many areas in a risky society, is the Chinese public willing to use sports APPs to exercise as an active response to the pandemic? With risk perception theories as the foundation, this study explores the impact of risk perception on the intention to use sports apps among the Chinese public, and introduces ‘self-efficacy’ and ‘social norms’ as mediating and moderating variables, respectively; the two factors, deemed closely related to app use behaviours, have been customarily considered in previous studies. This study aims to fill the research gap in terms of the influence of risk perception on public behaviour in the context of emerging life states during global public health events, and to enrich the spectrum of risk perception theories. During the study, 1366 valid questionnaires were collected and analysed using hierarchical linear regression (HLR). The results show that risk perception, self-efficacy and social norms significantly influence the intention to use sports apps, and that the stronger the perception of the risk is, the higher the usage intention. Among the three factors, social norms during COVID-19 play a moderating role in the relationship between risk perception and the intention to use such apps.
Ultrasonic Extraction Process of Polysaccharides from Dendrobium nobile Lindl.: Optimization, Physicochemical Properties and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

To optimize the ultrasonic extraction process of polysaccharides from Dendrobium nobile Lindl. (DNP), the extraction method was conducted through a single-factor test and the response-surface methodology (RSM). With the optimal extraction process (liquid–solid ratio of 40 mL/g, ultrasonic time of 30 min, and ultrasonic power of 400 W), the maximum extraction yield was 5.16 ± 0.41%. DNP1 and DNP2 were then fractionated via DEAE-QFF and Sephacryl S-300 HR chromatography. The molecular weight (Mw) of DNP1 was identified as 67.72 kDa, composed of Man (75.86 ± 0.05%) and Glc (24.14 ± 0.05%), and the Mw of DNP2 was 37.45 kDa, composed of Man (72.32 ± 0.03%) and Glc (27.68 ± 0.03%). Anti-inflammatory assays results showed that as DNPs were 200 μg/mL, and the contents of NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells were about 13.39% and 13.39%, 43.88% and 43.51%, 17.80% and 15.37%, 13.84% and 20.66%, and 938.85% and 907.77% of those in control group, respectively. It was indicated that DNP1 and DNP2 inhibited the inflammatory response of RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS via suppressing the level of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) and promoting the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10). Therefore, DNP1 and DNP2 have potential applications in the treatment of inflammatory injury.
Somatic Mutational Landscape in Mexican Patients: CDH1 Mutations and chr20q13.33 Amplifications Are Associated with Diffuse-Type Gastric Adenocarcinoma

The Hispanic population, compared with other ethnic groups, presents a more aggressive gastric cancer phenotype with higher frequency of diffuse-type gastric adenocarcinoma (GA); this could be related to the mutational landscape of GA in these patients. Using whole-exome sequencing, we sought to present the mutational landscape of GA from 50 Mexican patients who were treated at The Instituto Nacional de Cancerología from 2019 to 2020. We performed a comprehensive statistical analysis to explore the relationship of the genomic variants and clinical data such as tumor histology and presence of signet-ring cell, H. pylori, and EBV. We describe a potentially different mutational landscape between diffuse and intestinal GA in Mexican patients. Patients with intestinal-type GA tended to present a higher frequency of NOTCH1 mutations, copy number gains in cytobands 13.14, 10q23.33, and 12q25.1, and copy number losses in cytobands 7p12, 14q24.2, and 11q13.1; whereas patients with diffuse-type GA tended to present a high frequency of CDH1 mutations and CNV gains in cytobands 20q13.33 and 22q11.21. This is the first description of a mutational landscape of GA in Mexican patients to better understand tumorigenesis in Hispanic patients and lay the groundwork for discovering potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Direct Numerical Simulations of Intermittent Turbulence in the Very Stable Ekman Layer

INTERMITTENT TURBULENCE IN THE VERY STABLE EKMAN LAYER This study describes a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of a very stable Ekman layer in which a constant downward heat flux is applied at the lower boundary, thus cooling the fluid above. Numerical experiments were performed in which the strength of the imposed heat flux was varied. For downward heat fluxes above a certain critical value the turbulence becomes intermittent and, as the heat flux increases beyond this value, the flow tends to relaminarize because of the very strong ambient stratification. We adopt Mahrt? s (1999) definition of the very stable boundary layer as a boundary layer in which intermittent, rather than continuous turbulence, is observed. Numerical experiments were used to test various hypothesis of where in ? stability parameter space? the very stable boundary layer is found. These experiments support the findings of Howell and Sun (1999) that the boundary layer will exhibit intermittency and therefore be categorized as ? very stable? , when the stability parameter, z/L, exceeds unity. Another marker for the very stable boundary layer, Derbyshire? s (1990) maximum heat flux criterion, was also examined. Using a case study drawn from the simulations where turbulence intermittency was observed, the mechanism that causes themore » intermittence was investigated. It was found that patchy turbulence originates from a vigorous inflectional, Ekman-like instability -- a roll cell -- that lifts colder air over warmer air. The resulting convective instability causes an intense burst of turbulence. This turbulence is short-lived because the lifting motion of the roll cell, as well as the roll cell itself, is partially destroyed after the patchy turbulence is generated. Examples of intermittent turbulence obtained from the simulations appear to be consistent with observations of intermittency even though the Reynolds number of the DNS is relatively low (400). « less
Characterization of ellipsoids via domain derivative: a new overdetermined boundary value problem

The study of the optimal constant in an Hessian-type Sobolev inequality leads to a fully nonlinear boundary value problem, overdetermined with non standard boundary conditions. We show that all the solutions have ellipsoidal symmetry. In the proof we use the maximum principle applied to a suitable auxiliary function in conjunction with an entropy estimate from affine curvature flow.
Role of RNAIII in Resistance to Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Agents in Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a known opportunistic pathogen and is one of the leading causes of chronic biofilm-associated infections. Biofilm formation is considered as a main strategy to resist antibiotic treatment and help bacteria escape from the human immune system. Understanding the complex mechanisms in biofilm formation can help find new ways to treat resistant strains and lower the prevalence of nosocomial infections. In order to examine the role of RNAIII regulated by the agr quorum sensing system and to what extent it influences biofilm resistance to antimicrobial agents, deletion mutant S. epidermidis RP62a-ΔRNAIII deficient in repressor domains with a re-maining functional hld gene was created. A deletion strain was used to examine the influence of oxacillin in combination with vanillin on biofilm resistance and cell survival was determined. Utilizing real-time qPCR, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and crystal violet staining analyses, we found that the RNAIII-independent controlled phenol soluble modulins (PSMs) and RNAIII effector molecule have a significant role in biofilm resistance to antibiotics and phenolic compounds, and it protects the integrity of biofilms. Moreover, a combination of antibiotic and antimicrobial agents can induce methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis biofilm formation and can lead to exceedingly difficult medical treatment.
Relating Trait Variation to Species and Community Productivity in Contrasting Oro-Mediterranean Pastures: A 7-Years Study in the Pollino National Park (S-Italy)

Understanding how functional traits influence community assemblage and functioning is crucial for assessing the effects of global change on vegetation composition. We studied the functional composition (i.e., plant size (SIZE), leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC)) of a xerophile pasture and a mesophile grassland in southern Italy, and recorded species richness (SR), plant cover (COV) and flowering rates (FLOW) over a 7-year period. Both communities revealed the dominance of stress-tolerators, probably reflecting an adaptation to the Mediterranean climate. The functional classification of species distinguished three groups. Species from the mesophile community had larger SIZE and LA, while those from the xerophile pasture showed higher LDMC; SLA was not connected to the source community. Community-level analyses confirmed such patterns, but with higher SLA in the mesophile grassland. While SR was comparable, COV and FLOW varied between the communities. At the species level, LDMC was positively related to FLOW and the inter-annual variability of COV and FLOW. At the community level, SIZE, LA and SLA were positively related to COV, while LDMC was positively related to FLOW. Trait variations can significantly contribute to the xerophile–mesophile shift in Mediterranean mountain vegetation, by regulating the productivity of species and communities in the two contexts and, possibly, their responsiveness to global change.
The Coffee Processing Method Had a More Pronounced Effect than Location and Production Systems on the Overall Quality of Kaffa Biosphere Reserve Coffees

A comprehensive examination of the physical and cup quality of Kafa Biosphere Reserve coffees was essential to identify the inherent qualities of the coffees in connection with the area’s soil physical and chemical characteristics. As a result, preliminary coffee quality data was acquired from bean physical and cup quality examination of coffees derived through a three-stage nested design combining districts (Gimbo, Gawata, and Decha), coffee production systems (forest, semiforest, and garden), and coffee processing methods (wet, semiwet, and dry). Representative soil samples were collected according to the sampling structure and analyzed following the standard procedures. Multiple factor analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis were applied to the collected data. According to the results of multiple factor analysis, the Gimbo and Decha districts are not significantly different from each other in terms of coffee quality. However, they are substantially different from the Gawata district in terms of coffee quality. Similarly, within each district, there are no clear differences in coffee production systems. However, the production systems of districts varied significantly. The coffee processing method had a pronounced effect on the overall quality and preliminary grade, physical and raw quality variables of coffee. Screen retention (14) was correlated with soil iron, but it was related negatively to boron and sodium contents. A significant and positive relationship was observed between green coffee bean moisture content and soil potassium, calcium, magnesium, boron, sodium, organic carbon, silicon content, and soil pH. A positive and significant relationship between soil molybdenum and the coffee quality variable was observed across the studied districts whereas most soil micronutrients, specifically, zinc, sulfur, and manganese, were significantly and negatively related to the organoleptic qualities of the coffees. Further investigation that includes the effects of elevation is recommended in future studies.
Shuffling biological sequencess with motifs constraints

We study the following problem : given a biological sequence S, a multiset M of motifs and an integer k, generate uniformly random sequences which contain the given motifs and have exactly the same frequencies occurrences of k-lets (i.e. factors of length k) of S. This question involves difficult problems: We notably state that the problem of deciding whether a sequence respects given motifs constraints is NP-complete. Meanwhile, we give a random generation algorithm which turns out to be experimentally efficient.
Hydrogel Improved Growth and Productive Performance of Mango Trees under Semi-Arid Condition

Nowadays, the production of new mango cultivars is increased in many countries worldwide. The soil application of hydrogel represents a novel approach in the fruit trees industry. This investigation aims to study the effect of adding hydrogel (as soil conditioner) on the growth and yield of Shelly cv. mango trees. The experimental groups were assigned to a control group and three other treated groups, including 250, 500, or 750 g hydrogel∙tree−1. The results demonstrated that all applications of hydrogel composite had higher vegetative growth parameters, yield, and fruit quality characteristics of Shelly cv. mango trees compared to the control. The treatment of 750 g hydrogel∙tree−1 had higher values of vegetative growth parameters such as the leaf area, shoot length and tree canopy volume, compared to the control group and the other treatments. Similarly, higher values for yield and fruit quality were observed in the treatment of 750 g hydrogel∙tree−1. In conclusion, different amounts of hydrogel agent can improve the production and fruit quality of Shelly cv. mango trees in arid and semi-arid conditions in a dose-dependent manner.
The brightest Ly α emitter: Pop III or black hole?

CR7 is the brightest z = 6.6 Ly alpha emitter (LAE) known to date, and spectroscopic follow-up by Sobral et al. suggests that CR7 might host Population (Pop) III stars. We examine this interpretation using cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Several simulated galaxies show the same 'Pop III wave' pattern observed in CR7. However, to reproduce the extreme CR7 Ly alpha/He II1640 line luminosities (L-alpha/He II) a top-heavy initial mass function and a massive (greater than or similar to 10(7)M(circle dot)) Pop III burst with age less than or similar to 2 Myr are required. Assuming that the observed properties of Ly alpha and He II emission are typical for Pop III, we predict that in the COSMOS/UDS/SA22 fields, 14 out of the 30 LAEs at z = 6.6 with L-alpha > 10(43.3) erg s(-1) should also host Pop III stars producing an observable L-He II greater than or similar to 10(42.7) erg s(-1). As an alternate explanation, we explore the possibility that CR7 is instead powered by accretion on to a direct collapse black hole. Our model predicts L-alpha, L-He II, and X-ray luminosities that are in agreement with the observations. In any case, the observed properties of CR7 indicate that this galaxy is most likely powered by sources formed from pristine gas. We propose that further X-ray observations can distinguish between the two above scenarios.
Comparison and characterization of torrefaction performance and pyrolysis behaviour of softwood and hardwood

ABSTRACT In this study, the torrefaction and pyrolysis behaviors of softwood (pinewood) and hardwood (teakwood) were experimentally explored. Three different torrefaction temperatures (i.e. 210, 240, and 270°C) and two different residence times (20 and 40 min) were adopted. Various property indicators, for example, solid and energy yields, enhancement factor of higher heating value (HHV), and torrefaction severity index, were used to characterize the torrefaction performance. The principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated the correlation among different torrefied samples with the help of chemical composition, solid yield, and HHV. Moreover, slow pyrolysis experiments were conducted at three different heating rates (i.e. 15, 30, and 40°C/min) to investigate the thermal degradation behavior of the torrefied biomass samples. Both thermogravimetric and differential thermogravimetric curves shifted to a higher temperature as the pyrolysis heating rate increased. The activation energies E a were estimated by using three isoconversional methods, that is, Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Starink and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) methods. The E a broadly increased with torrefaction severity. When using the FWO method, the average E a values ranged from 97.51 to 168.68 kJ/mol and 120.73 to 180.25 kJ/mol for torrefied pinewood and teakwood samples, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that at higher torrefaction conditions, the samples experienced severe structural damages, leading to crack formation and augmentation. All these observations not only reveal that torrefaction can turn raw biomass into fuel with improved properties but also help to clarify the differences between soft and hardwood for energy utilization purpose. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Analysis of Serum and Salivary Lipid Profile in Control Subjects and Diabetic Patients–A Comparative Study

Patients with diabetes mellitus have a greater risk of dyslipidaemia. Abnormalities in lipid metabolism have been shown to be key risk factors for the development of diabetes-related complications. Lipids are the critical biomolecules for pathological and physiological processes in the human body and their examination is essential for diagnosing health and disease conditions such as diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis and related complications. The objective of this study was to ascertain the diagnostic potential of saliva in the assessment of lipid profile as compared to that of serum lipid profile. The selected study area of Thiruporur conducted a Diabetic camp to collect the samples from 200 control subjects and 200 Type - II diabetic patients from different age groups. Total Cholesterol (TC), High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Triglycerides (TG), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL), and the ratio of Total Cholesterol to High-Density Lipoprotein (TC/HDL) were analysed in the serum and saliva of the diabetic patients and the control subjects. When compared to the control group, patients with Type II diabetes have an abnormal blood lipid profile with elevated TC (246.8253.48mg/dl), high LDL (156.6253.484mg/dl), VLDL (42.36510.99mg/dl), TG (211.833 54.97 mg/dl), and TC/HDL ratio (5.471 1.239), but inadequate HDL (45.2793.199 mg/dl) levels were observed. According to the findings of this study, an increase in serum lipid profile values and corresponding increases in saliva lipid profile values were also observed. As per the outcome of the present study, saliva can be utilised as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for measuring lipid profile in diabetic patients
Orthographic Expectancies in the Absence of Contextual Support

ABSTRACT Purpose Readers can draw on their knowledge of sound-to-letter mappings to form expectations about the spellings of known spoken words prior to seeing them in written sentences. The current study asked whether such orthographic expectancies are observed in the absence of contextual support at the point of reading. Method Seventy-eight adults received oral vocabulary training on 16 novel words over two days, while another set of 16 items was untrained. Following training, participants saw both trained and untrained novel words in print for the first time within a lexical recognition task. Half of the items had spellings that were predictable from their pronunciations (e.g., nesh), while the remainder had spellings that were less predictable from their pronunciations (e.g., koyb). Results Participants were able to recognize newly learned words, and lexical recognition latencies displayed clear evidence of orthographic expectancies, as evidenced by a larger effect of spelling predictability for orally trained than untrained items. Conclusion These data are consistent with the emergence of orthographic expectancies even when written words are first encountered in isolation.