Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antihypertensive Peptides from Ultrafiltration and Fermentation of the Ricotta Cheese Exhausted Whey: Design and Characterization of a Functional Ricotta Cheese

Aiming at valorizing the ricotta cheese exhausted whey (RCEW), one of the most abundant by-products from the dairy industry, a biotechnological protocol to obtain bioactive peptides with angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)—inhibitory activity was set up. The approach was based on the combination of membrane filtration and fermentation. A Lactobacillus helveticus strain selected to be used as starter for the fermentation of the ultrafiltration protein-rich retentate (R-UF) obtained from RCEW. The fermented R-UF was characterized by a high anti-ACE activity. Peptides responsible for the bioactivity were purified and identified through nano-LC–ESI–MS/MS. The sequences identified in the purified active fractions of the fermented R-UF showed partial or complete overlapping with previously reported κ-casein antihypertensive fragments. The fermented R-UF was spray-dried and used to enrich ricotta cheese at different fortification level (1 and 5% w/w). An integrated approach including the assessment of the microbiological, chemical, functional, textural, and sensory properties was used to characterize the fortified products. A significantly higher anti-ACE activity was found in the ricotta cheese fortified with fermented R-UF as compared to the control and to the samples obtained with the unfermented R-UF fraction at the same levels of fortification. In particular, a 100 g portion of the ricotta cheese produced at 5% fortification level contained circa 30 mg of bioactive peptides. The fortification led to a moderate acidification, increased hardness and chewiness, and decreased the milk odor and taste of the ricotta cheese as compared to the control, while flavor persistence and sapidity improved.
Combined Spectroscopic and Computational Approaches to Understand Surface Behavior of Aqueous Solutions

Author(s): Parry, Krista Monique | Advisor(s): Tobias, Douglas J | Abstract: In this work, the surface behavior of a number of organic and inorganic molecules in aqueous solution was analyzed using collaborative computational and spectroscopic approaches. It is well-established that some organic molecules (such as molecular HNO3) and inorganic ions (such as I−) have a propensity for the air/water interface, and this fact has significant implications for the role that these molecules may play in heterogeneous chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Using molecular dynamics in combination with surface-sensitive spectroscopic methods such as vibrational-sum frequency generation spectroscopy and liquid-jet x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we have discovered some unexpected surface-propensity for various molecules and determined the driving forces responsible for such behavior.
Synergistic effects of metformin and curcumin on cytotoxicity of chemotherapy drugs using a gastric cancer cell line model

Gastric cancer has a weak prognosis and its usual treatments depend on surgery and chemotherapy. These treatments suffer from some drawbacks such as high rates of local recurrence and metastasis, low survival rates, and significantly decreased life quality. Therefore, new therapeutic methods for improved gastric cancer care with minimal side effects seem necessary. Currently, combinatorial treatments for cancer are preferred and recently, metformin (Met) and curcumin (Cur) have been interesting options for this type of therapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate anticancer effects of metformin and curcumin in both single and combinatorial treatment forms on AGS gastric cancer cell line. In comparison to single treatments with each substance, the results of co-treatments with metformin and curcumin indicated synergistic inhibitory effects on cell viability, wound healing, cell migration and invasion, and primary tumor formation. To determine the selective effect of combination of “Met + Cur” on cancerous cells, very low doses of 8 anticancer drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin, epirubicin, doxorubicin, docetaxel, paclitaxel, and methotrexate) used in MTT assay were comparatively tested on AGS cancer cells and normal HDF cells for 48 and 72 hours. The results indicated that the combination of “Met + Cur” significantly increased cytotoxic effects of all anticancer drugs of AGS cells. It is while in normal HDF cells, combination of “Met + Cur” along with anticancer drugs had no effect. This can be inferred as selectively additive effect.
Natural sweetener Stevia rebaudiana: Functionalities, health benefits and potential risks

Stevia rebaudiana is a South American plant, the cultivation of which is increasing worldwide due to its high content of sweet compounds. Stevia sweetness is mainly due to steviol glycosides, that are ~250-300 times sweeter than sucrose. Many studies have suggested the benefits of Stevia extract over sugar and artificial sweeteners, but it is still not a very popular sugar substitute. This review summarizes current data on the biological activities of S. rebaudiana extract and its individual glycosides, including anti-hypertensive, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects and improvement of kidney function. Possible side effects and toxicity of Stevia extract are also discussed.
Positioning firms along the capabilities ladder

We develop and apply a novel methodology for quantifying the capability development of firms, and putting these capabilities (and hence also the firms) in a hierarchy, that we refer to as their position on the capabilities ladder. Our nestedness algorithm, inspired by biology and network science, defines a capability as complex if it is performed by only a few firms at the upper rungs of the ladder. We analyze balance sheet and innovation data of almost 40’000 Indian firms for the time period 1988-2015, and observe significant nestedness. Lower rungs of the capabilities ladder correspond to basic managerial and production capabilities. Mid-level rungs correspond to internationalization and acquiring absorptive capacity. Higher level rungs are more related to M&A and innovation. ICT capabilities have become more fundamental lower-level rungs on the capabilities ladder in recent years. We find that capability ranking can explain future growth patterns and survival probability of firms, summing up in one number their future potential trajectories.
Pathways to Student Motivation: A Meta-Analysis of Antecedents of Autonomous and Controlled Motivations

Students’ self-determined motivation (acting out of interest, curiosity, and abiding values) is associated with higher academic well-being, persistence, and achievement. Self-determination theory posits that self-determined motivation is dependent on the satisfaction of three psychological needs (relatedness, competence, and autonomy), which are in turn facilitated through need-supportive behaviors from notable others. In this meta-analysis, conducted over 144 studies and more than 79,000 students, we sought to overview pathways to student motivation in order to verify (1) how do psychological needs rank in the strength of their prediction of self-determined motivation and (2) which autonomy-support providers (parents or teachers) are the most relevant for psychological need satisfaction in students and self-determined motivation. Results show that teacher autonomy support predicts students’ need satisfaction and self-determined motivation more strongly than parental autonomy support. In addition, competence is the most positive predictor of self-determined motivation, followed by autonomy and then by relatedness.
Patient Satisfaction with Breast Reconstructıon Aft er Mastectomy

Background: Patient satisfaction has great importance in breas t reconstruction after mastectomy, which alters patient’s body image negatively. The satisfaction l eve obtained from the results reported by patients who have undergone breast reconstruction is an important sou rce of rapid feedback on the fulfillment of treatme nt-related expectations. Aim: Therefore, in this study we aimed to evaluate pati ent satisfaction, which is the key criterion of the quality of health care, regarding how patient’s expectation s were met with breast reconstruction. Material and methods: The universe of this descriptive study consisted of all patients who underwent breast reconstruction operation following mastectomy in a university hospital between 2010 and 2015 and the s ample of the study consisted of 50 patients who underwent breast reconstruction operation following mastecto my at least six months ago, fulfilled the study criteria and consented to attend the survey. The survey was conducted using a data collecting form, which was developed i n concordance with the relevant literature by the r esearcher and contained a total 32 questions, by the method o f ph ne conversation with patients. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test was used for univariable an alyses and Logistic Regression analysis was used fo r multivariable analyses. Results: The mean age of the patients included in the survey was 46.45±8.82 and mean BMI was 26.09±3.08. 74% of patients were married and 16% were smoking. While 86% of the patient included in the survey expressed that they were very satisfied and/or sati sfied with the reconstructed breast, only 14% of th em expressed their dissatisfaction. Conclusion: It was found that the majority of patients express ed their satisfaction with the reconstructed breast , the average score of satisfaction of patients who s m ked was lower, and those in the prosthesis group had the lowest satisfaction level.
A Prospective Study of Knowledge Sharing at Work Based on Self-Determination Theory

Introduction Knowledge sharing is an employee behavior that involves the provision or receipt of information, know-how, best practices, lessons learned, and/or feedback about a task, product, and/or procedure in order to develop new skills and competencies at work (de Vries, van den Hooff, & de Ridder, 2006; Gagné, 2009; Swift & Virick, 2013). As such, knowledge sharing is of value to organizations (Grant, 1996; Renzl, 2008), as it can improve individual, group, and/or organizational performances (Argote, Ingram, Levine, & Moreland, 2000; Reinholt, Pedersen, & Foss, 2011; Wang & Noe, 2010). Among dental hygienists, knowledge sharing on tasks and procedures that are used for health promotion can occur at the individual, group, and population levels (Larsen, 2010). Broadly speaking, dental hygienists share knowledge and cooperate with a variety of health care professionals (dentists, nurses, teachers, dietitians, psychologists, and medical doctors) around diagnosis, charting, treatment planning, and use of therapeutic methods to counsel patients regarding management of oral disease and motivation for behavior changes in order to implement best evidence-based practices (Halvari, Halvari, Bjørnebekk, & Deci, 2012; Sweeting, Davis, & Cobb, 2008). As well, knowledge sharing can occur around issues of time pressure, conflict between “out-door” and “chair-side” treatment, medical and odontological diagnosis, deciding when to observe versus when to treat dental caries (cavity), treatment of children and difficult and/or highly anxious patients, reporting of violence and sexual abuse, profit, and ethics. Although such knowledge sharing can be organized using meetings and seminars, about 80% of oral health care professionals share their knowledge and experiences via personal interactions (Ayers, Thomson, Newton, & Rich, 2008; Bretherton, Chapman, & Chipchase, 2016; Gorter, 2005). In the organizational literature, previous research has shown that managerial support for employee goals and values is positively associated with knowledge sharing at work (Buch, Dysvik, Kuvaas, & Nerstad, 2015), whereas ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The Environmental Kuznets Curve: Recycling and the Role of Habit Formation

Our analysis focuses on a novel theoretical model which explains the relationship between pollution and output as well as recycling and output in the context of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework. Our model incorporates habit formation on recycling in a circular economy model and we find that the EKC is characterized by a downward sloping curve, while the recycling output curve by an increasing curve, results which are both in agreement with the general patterns of these curves supported by the literature.
The predictability of financial data final_12_2016_Portada

This paper does research on the predictability of seven financial factors and one nonfinancial factor on the success or failure of entrants. It enriches the empirical study of the literature of predicting business success or failure and post-entry performance. Particularly chosen are the firms incorporated in 2000, 2001, 2008 and 2009 in manufacturing and distributive industries. Logistic model is used for analysis and comparison of the changes of the predictability in three dimensions: year after year versus just the first year, manufacturing versus distributive industries, and before versus during the recent crisis. The results show instability in the predictability of some financial factors especially in the year after year analysis. However, positive effects of firm size, profitability and corporate group on success are observed; besides, asset liquidity plays a more significant role in manufacturing industries. The predictability of liability-related factors seem to be particularly influenced by the crisis: in the year after year analysis, when stepping into the crisis the predictability of indebtedness is not as strong as it is in the pre-crisis period and the predictability of liability liquidity weakens more in manufacturing industries compared to distributive industries.
Corythucha arcuata (Say, 1832) (Hemiptera, Tingidae) in its invasive range in Europe: perception, knowledge and willingness to act in foresters and citizens

The oak lace bug (OLB) Corythucha arcuata (Say, 1832) is an invasive alien species (IAS) that potentially could have many negative impacts on European oak health. Certain measures can be applied to counteract these effects. However, these measures may not be acceptable for forest managers or other stakeholder groups, such as private forest owners, environmental NGOs or the general public. Thereby, we set out to study the perception and knowledge of foresters and other stakeholders on the health status of European oak forests affected by oak lace bug and to investigate what forest health management measures would be acceptable to these target groups. An online survey questionnaire was designed and distributed via social networks, as well as professional networks via e-mails. The survey questionnaire was completed by 2084 respondents from nine European countries: Austria, Croatia, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. Even though only a little over 60% of respondents reported they had noticed the discolouration of oak leaves caused by OLB, almost all (93%) considered it to be a problem. As respondents come from a country where C. arcuata is widespread and established, people’s general knowledge and awareness of OLB began to increase. The survey revealed that foresters thought that the insect affected photosynthesis, acorn crop and the aesthetics of the trees, but cannot cause death of trees. However, they assume that the value of the wood would decrease (this fact is also supported by the respondents who are connected to an environmental NGO), but that OLB does not affect property value. However, forest owners claim that the value of the property can be affected and that people would avoid entering the forest. In terms of potential control methods, respondents preferred biological or mechanical measures over chemical ones. We consider this study to be a good basis for further research on the topic of perception, knowledge and attitudes related to OLB since we can expect that the IAS, such as OLB, will certainly spread to European countries that were not included in this survey.
The effect of hot air, vacuum and microwave drying on drying characteristics, rehydration capacity, color, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of Kumquat (Citrus japonica)

Sliced kumquats were dried by using three different drying methods, microwave (375 W), hot air (70 and 80 °C), and vacuum (70 and 80 °C with 100 and 300 mbar) to determine drying characteristics, antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content and color. All color parameters ( L , a , b , C ab , ΔE and h° ) changed depending on the drying methods. Page and Modified Page models are the best fitted drying methods with the highest value of R 2 (0.9994) and the lowest values of RMSE (0.000635-0.000735) and χ 2 (0.000010-0.000013) compared to other models. Effective moisture diffusivity values for dried kumquats ranged from 1.54 × 10 -8 to 8.24 × 10 -8 in vacuum drying at 70 °C-300 mbar and microwave drying at 375 W, respectively. On comparison to the fresh sample, the dried samples showed an increase in both total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. The total phenolic content (3095.71 ± 101.41 mg GA/100g d.w) and antioxidant activity (10.51 ± 0.19 µmol TE/g d.w) with DPPH assay showed the highest levels for the vacuum drying at 70 °C-100 mbar method. Microwave dried samples had the highest antioxidant activity with CUPRAC assay as (17.58 ± 0.63 µmol TE/g d.w.). This study indicated that microwave drying and vacuum drying at 70 °C-100 mbar were able to yield high-quality kumquat slices.
Downscaling MODIS spectral bands using deep learning

ABSTRACT MODIS sensors are widely used in a broad range of environmental studies, many of which involve joint analysis of multiple MODIS spectral bands acquired at disparate spatial resolutions. To extract land surface information from multi-resolution MODIS spectral bands, existing studies often downscale lower resolution (LR) bands to match the higher resolution (HR) bands based on simple interpolation or more advanced statistical modeling. Statistical downscaling methods rely on the functional relationship between the LR spectral bands and HR spatial information, which may vary across different land surface types, making statistical downscaling methods less robust. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach based on deep learning to downscale 500 m and 1000 m spectral bands of MODIS to 250 m without additional spatial information. We employ a superresolution architecture based on an encoder decoder network. This deep learning-based method uses a custom loss function and a self-attention layer to preserve local and global spatial relationships of the predictions. We compare our approach with a statistical method specifically developed for downscaling MODIS spectral bands, an interpolation method widely used for downscaling multi-resolution spectral bands, and a deep learning superresolution architecture previously used for downscaling satellite imagery. Results show that our deep learning method outperforms on almost all spectral bands both quantitatively and qualitatively. In particular, our deep learning-based method performs very well on the thermal bands due to the larger scale difference between the input and target resolution. This study demonstrates that our proposed deep learning-based downscaling method can maintain the spatial and spectral fidelity of satellite images and contribute to the integration and enhancement of multi-resolution satellite imagery.
Electrical properties

Mechanical. dynamic mechanical and electrical properties of electron beam modified ethylene vinylacetate(EVA) copolymerin presenceoftrimethylolpropane trimethylacrylate (TMPTMA) and triallyl cyanurate (TAC) as sensitizer have been described. The tensile strength of the TMPTMA modified EVA increases with increase in radiation dose up to a certain level due to the development of network structure, while it does not change significantly for the TAC based system due to poor stress transfer. The tensile strength deteriorates sharply at higher radiation doses because of the predominating effect of breakdown ofthe network structure. However, the tensile strengthchangesmarginallywith TMPTMA leveland decreaseswith an increasein TAClevel.DMTAstudies indicate mainly two transitions (namelyyand a) in the order of increasing temperature for both TMPTMA and TAC based samples. The y-transition temperature shifts to higher values and the atransition shifts to lowervalueswith an increasein radiation dose due to modificationofthe main chain and to a decrease in crystallinity.Dielectricanalysis shows a sharp transition at around -20°C forall uncured and cured samples due to movementofthe highlypolar acetate groups present in EVA. The loss factordecreasessharply at high temperature with increase in.radiation dose due to crosslinking.
Effects of Onopordum acanthium L., seeds extracts on serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha and angiotensin-converting enzyme in hyperlipidemic and diabetic rats

This study was designed to evaluate the role of local Onopordum acanthium L. (cotton thistle) seed extracts (200mg/kg) in diabetic and hyperlipidemic ratswith the histopathological examination of liver, kidney and spleen tissues. Ninety adult male rats were randomly divided into nine equal groups. The irst group was used as a control fed on a standard diet; the second group was treated with water extract and the third group was treated with the ethanolic extract. The fourth group was injected with streptozotocin (40mg/kg) as a diabetic group, while in the ifth group, diabetic rats were treated with water extract and in the sixth group, diabetic rats were treated with the alcoholic extract. The seventh group was fed on high cholesterol diet (hyperlipidemic group). In the eighth and ninth groups, hyperlipidemic rats were treated with water extract and alcoholic extracts, respectively. The fasting blood glucose (FBS), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-α), lipid pro ile, liver and renal function parameters, CRP, WBCs, hematological parameters and body weight were almost improved when diabetic and hyperlipidemic rats were treated with water extract and ethanol extract. Histopathological changes in the liver, kidney and spleen in diabetic groupswere improved in groups treatedwith both extracts. Conclusion: from the results of this study, it can be reported that extracts of local cotton thistle seeds (mostly water extract) were effective in controlling abnormal parameters and histopathological changes in diabetic and hyperlipidemic rats.
SERIES 20 2 1-ACF-0 3 Board Reforms and Innovation

We study the effect of board reforms on firms’ research and development (R&D) investments utilizing a sample of 40 countries. Using a difference-in-differences analysis, we find that firms invest more in R&D following corporate governance reforms. Of these, two reforms–having an independent audit committee and board independence–have a greater impact on R&D investment. Additionally, we show that reforms have the largest impact on R&D investment in hi-tech industries and the health sector.
Preparation of TiO2-Poly(3-Chloro-2-Hydroxypropyl Methacrylate) Nanocomposite for Selective Adsorption and Degradation of Dyes

We report a new nanocomposite TiO2-poly(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (TiO2-PCHPMA) for selective adsorption/degradation of cationic dyes and degradation of anionic dyes. TiO2-PCHPMA was prepared by free radical polymerization of CHPMA in the presence of TiO2 modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate. TiO2-PCHPMA adsorbed cationic methylene blue (MB), but did not adsorb anionic methyl orange (MO) in their aqueous solutions. The adsorption efficiency for MB reached 99% within 5 min at 28 °C, and adsorbed MB could be recycled in 96% efficiency. The adsorption accelerated degradation of MB under UV irradiation. The degradation of anionic MO proceeded completely with TiO2-PCHPMA under UV irradiation, and the efficiency was not affected by the PCHPMA layer. TiO2-PCHPMA is potentially applicable as a material capable of selective removal and recovery of cationic dyes, and degradation of other dyes from industrial effluents.