Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti‐ageing active ingredients from herbs and nutraceuticals used in traditional Chinese medicine: pharmacological mechanisms and implications for drug discovery

Ageing, an unanswered question in the medical field, is a multifactorial process that results in a progressive functional decline in cells, tissues and organisms. Although it is impossible to prevent ageing, slowing down the rate of ageing is entirely possible to achieve. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is characterized by the nourishing of life and its role in anti‐ageing is getting more and more attention. This article summarizes the work done on the natural products from TCM that are reported to have anti‐ageing effects, in the past two decades. The effective anti‐ageing ingredients identified can be generally divided into flavonoids, saponins, polysaccharides, alkaloids and others. Astragaloside, Cistanche tubulosa acteoside, icariin, tetrahydrocurcumin, quercetin, butein, berberine, catechin, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, gastrodin, 6‐Gingerol, glaucarubinone, ginsenoside Rg1, luteolin, icarisid II, naringenin, resveratrol, theaflavin, carnosic acid, catalpol, chrysophanol, cycloastragenol, emodin, galangin, echinacoside, ferulic acid, huperzine, honokiol, isoliensinine, phycocyanin, proanthocyanidins, rosmarinic acid, oxymatrine, piceid, puerarin and salvianolic acid B are specified in this review. Simultaneously, chemical structures of the monomers with anti‐ageing activities are listed, and their source, model, efficacy and mechanism are also described. The TCMs with anti‐ageing function are classified according to their action pathways, including the telomere and telomerase, the sirtuins, the mammalian target of rapamycin, AMP‐activated kinase and insulin/insulin‐like growth factor‐1 signalling pathway, free radicals scavenging and the resistance to DNA damage. Finally, Chinese compound prescription and extracts related to anti‐ageing are introduced, which provides the basis and the direction for the further development of novel and potential drugs.
Power Optimization of CFD Applications on Heterogeneous Architectures

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is widely used by the scientific computing community to solve various fluid flow problems. High performance computing (HPC) enable faster CFD simulations with higher solution accuracies. Many CFD applications are run on multicore and multiprocessor platforms and are being increasingly ported to run on computational accelerators such as graphical processing units (GPUs) to increase the performance. The increase of computational power is necessary to allow faster computing, which in turn increases the power consumption. The issue of the power consumption has to be addressed, particularly in applications such as CFD, where the simulations may need to be executed iteratively for a large number of times, each iteration taking a large amount of time, in order to obtain appropriately accurate results. Poweraware computing is concerned with devising energy efficient methods. Techniques such as Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) and offlining can be used to reduce power consumption and increase the energy efficiency of applications. In this paper, we present a combination of these techniques and apply to CFD applications running on
Product Outsourcing under Uncertainty: an Application of Fuzzy Real Option Approach

In recent years, in order to decrease production costs and improve competitiveness, outsourcing is adopted by many organizations. Furthermore, outsourcing is considered by more than 90 percent of investigated companies as an important part of their overall business strategy to acquire competitive advantage. Many conventional approaches take no proper account of uncertainty into the evaluation of product outsourcing, and therefore easily result in misevaluating. A new methodology, fuzzy real option approach, can be used to solve this problem. In this article, an empirical study is conducted to obtain the optimum of call price by the joint approach of fuzzy real option, weighted fuzzy real option and fuzzy decision space. The result indicates that the model developed in this study is more stable and flexible, and expected to enable the better decision making for investors.
BARRIERS TO THE SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT OF BUILT UNIVERSITY ASSETS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The commitment of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to Sustainable Development (SD) seems to be yielding limited positive results. This is evident in the procurement of infrastructure within HEIs situated in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Besides being part of a wider study into Sustainable Procurement (SP) of infrastructure in SSA HEIs, this study reports on facilities directors’ perceptions of sustainable procurement in HEIs within SSA. A phenomenological research design was utilised. Forty-Three HEIs across two different countries in SSANigeria and South Africa were selected based on purposive and convenience sampling. Facilities directors in these HEIs were interviewed through face-to-face and telephone interview sessions. Documents concerning the procurement of infrastructure were also reviewed. Emergent data from these sources were thematically analysed. Preliminary findings indicate that Business As Usual (BAU) mode of procurement has remained the norm in most of the HEIs in spite of their profess commitment to SD. Some barriers identified include: the seeming obsession of HEIs, acting as clients, with low front-end cost of project delivery; poor awareness of what SP entails; absence of skills required to champion the cause of SP within such HEIs, and non-specification of SD based requirements in the contracts documents. It is expected that this study would contribute to deepening existing knowledge concerning implementation of SD in HEIs in SSA.
Fluorescent antibody staining of rabies virus antigens in the salivary glands of rabid animals.

Staining with fluorescent antibody of street rabies antigens in smears made from the salivary glands of rabid animals is described.The salivary glands of 157 animals, including dogs, foxes, cats, pigs, cows, one squirrel and one rat were processed with fluorescent antibody. In addition, staining was carried out for Negri bodies and virus isolation studies were made on the brains and salivary glands. By virus isolation from the brains, a total of 55 animals were found to be rabid. Of these, 51 were shown to have demonstrable Negri bodies and 49 were found to excrete virus in the salivary gland. Forty-eight of these 49 were found to have antigens in the salivary glands which could be stained by fluorescent antibody techniques and demonstrated by microscopic examination of smears made from six different areas of the glands.
Description expérimentale et numérique de l'interaction entre un stent biodégradable et la paroi artérielle

Ce travail porte sur l'etude experimentale et numerique de l'interaction entre un stent biodegradable et la paroi arterielle. Deux types de stents ont ete explores, un stent en acier inoxydable et un en polymere biodegradable le PLLA-PTT (copolymere de poly-L-acide lactique et de polytrimethylene terephtalate). En utilisant des simulations numeriques 3D simplifiees, utilisant la notion de pression equivalente, nous montrons que le stent biodegradable est capable d'assurer une dilatation post-angioplastique de 7% de la lumiere vasculaire initiale. Dans une partie expe��rimentale, nous montrons que les proprietes mecaniques stent biodegradable (en PLLA) a l'ouverture sont comparables a celle du stent en acier. Une des parties les plus consequentes de ce travail concerne l'incidence hemodynamique de la presence d'un stent et son effet sur la propagation de puises de pression, la presence de l'implant etant modelisee par une rigidification locale de la paroi ou par une protrusion a l'interieur de la lumiere vasculaire. L'incidence sur la distribution spatio-temporelle des contraintes de cisaillement visqueuses au niveau de la paroi y est examinee en detail et il est montre que la presence du stent perturbe de maniere significative les contraintes au voisinage de la zone stentee, l'effet s'etendant a quelques centimetres en amont et en aval de cette zone. L'analyse detaillee des perturbations des contraintes visqueuses parietales, facteur determinant du phenomene de remodelage tissulaire, s'avere determinant pour prevoir les risques majeurs de restenose.
Pediatric magnetic resonance urography

Magnetic resonance urography (MRU) is a powerful clinical tool that fuses anatomic information with functional data in a single test without the use of ionizing radiation. This article provides an overview of the technical aspects, as well as common clinical applications with an emphasis on the evaluation of hydronephrosis. A fluid challenge is an essential part of our MRU protocol and enables the definition of compensated or decompensated kidneys within the spectrum of hydronephrosis. This classification may have prognostic implications when surgery is being considered. In addition, underlying uropathy can be identified on the anatomical scans and renal scarring can be seen on both the anatomical and dynamic scans. MRU can identify and categorize dysmorphic kidneys in vivo and may provide insight into congenital abnormalities seen in conjunction with vesicoureteric reflux. MRU is still in its infancy and as the technique develops and becomes widely available, it seems likely that it will supplant renal scintigraphy in the evaluation of renal tract disorders in children. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;33:510–526. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Plasma clearance.

Plasma (total, systemic.) clearance is determined by all the individual metabolizing/eliminating organ clearances and involves mainly liver and kidney clearances. Plasma clearance (a volume per time, i.e. a flow) expresses the overall ability of the body to eliminate a drug by scaling the drug elimination rate (amount per time) by the corresponding plasma concentration level. The interpretation of plasma clearance and inter-species comparisons are made easier by computing the overall body extraction ratio (from 0 to 1), which is the ratio of the body clearance divided by cardiac output. Plasma clearance is the most important pharmacokinetic parameter because it is the only one which controls the overall drug exposure (for a given bioavailability) and it is the parameter which allows computation of the dosage required to maintain an average steady-state plasma concentration.
Novel hydrofluoroalkane suspension formulations for respiratory drug delivery

Due to the poor solvent properties of hydrofluoroalkanes, suspension is often the only formulation option for respiratory drug delivery. Research in this area has focussed mainly on two main themes over the past 5 years: new design of stabilisers and particle engineering. Among the most important advances, the introduction of secondary particulate systems and the establishment of porous particles as a viable delivery system must be mentioned. Other noteworthy developments include new classes of stabilisers and surface tailoring approaches. Work has been underpinned by new theoretical insights, via the introduction of atomic force microscopy to measure particle interactions, and the development of the surface tension component approach to predict them. Future areas of development include the formulation of nanoparticles and of non-inhalation therapies in non-pressurised hydrofluoroalkanes. All these aspects are reviewed in this article.
Allelic variation in the vitamin D receptor, lifestyle factors and lumbar spinal degenerative disease

OBJECTIVE To describe the relation between spinal degenerative disease, allelic variation in the vitamin D receptor gene, and lifestyle factors in a population-based association study. METHODS Random population-based sample of 110 men and 172 women over 60 years of age participating in the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study who had spinal radiographs (performed according to a standardised approach), assessment of lifestyle factors, bone densitometry as well as blood taken for genotyping. RESULTS Spinal degenerative disease of varying severity was common in this sample. Multivariate analysis of genetic and lifestyle factors simultaneously strengthened the statistical significance of each indicating the presence of additive gene environment interaction. Allelic variation in the vitamin D receptor gene was associated with severity of osteophytosis (adjusted OR “TT” v “tt” 0.41, 95% CI 0.17, 0.97), presence of disc narrowing (adjusted OR “TT” v “tt” 0.45, 95% CI 0.20, 0.99) and weakly with presence of osteophytosis (adjusted OR “TT” v “tt” 0.47, 95% CI 0.19, 1.16) but not with severity of disc narrowing (OR “TT” v “tt” 1.05, 95% CI 0.40, 2.72) or apophyseal arthritis (OR “TT” v“tt” 0.63, 95% CI 0.24, 1.59). Adjustment for femoral neck bone density did not change these findings suggesting that the association is not mediated through bone density. Presence and severity of spinal degenerative disease increased with age at all sites. Current smoking increased both the presence (adjusted OR 9.70, 95% CI 2.08, 45.1) and severity (adjusted OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.16, 9.03) of spinal osteophytosis with intermediate values for past smokers. Severity of osteophytosis was also independently associated with body mass index and quadriceps strength consistent with a contributory effect of physical loading. CONCLUSIONS In this elderly sample, both genetic and lifestyle factors were associated with the presence and severity of spinal degenerative disease. There were site specific differences in associations at the spine, which may be because of misclassification of disease status or may indicate possible environmental and genetic differences in the pathophysiology of spinal degenerative disease. Further studies are required to confirm these findings in different population samples and to further explore potential aetiological mechanisms particularly gene environment interaction.
Building common cause towards sustainable consumption: A cross-generational perspective

The notion of sustainable consumption has gained significant traction in recent decades, in parallel with unprecedented growth in global consumption and recognition of its catastrophic environmental impacts. In this context, there is a predominant generational narrative of frugality versus excess, with younger generations often negatively stereotyped as increasingly consumer-driven and environmentally destructive. We argue that it is important to develop a more nuanced understanding of generational difference, drawing on findings from a cross-generational study in Sheffield, UK, involving participants from the ages of 16–96. The aim of this research was to explore how citizens relate to the idea of sustainable consumption across generations, acknowledging but also seeking to look beyond the common tropes of thrift and the throwaway society. We draw on theories of intergenerational value change and consider how insights from the Common Cause framework, which encourages pro-environmental campaigners to make broad appeals to engage a range of intrinsic values, may be applied to sustainable consumption. In doing so, we reflect on the merits of adopting an expansive definition of sustainable consumption that encompasses the three pillars of sustainability – economic stability, environmental protection and human wellbeing – and identify insights from our research for campaigners and policy makers interested in working with intrinsic values to build common cause across generations.
Cyclooxygenase-2 Gene-765 single nucleotide polymorphism as a protective factor against periodontitis in Taiwanese.

AIM Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) is considered to be an important mediator of tissue destruction in periodontitis. The cyclooxygenase (COX) catalyses the production of PGs. COX-2, which is induced in an inflammatory response, is responsible for PGs synthesis at sites of inflammation. A single nucleotide polymorphism of COX-2(-765) has been shown to alter the expression of the COX-2 gene. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association of the COX-2(-765) polymorphism and susceptibility to periodontitis in Taiwanese. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighty-five cases of aggressive periodontitis (AgP), 343 cases of chronic periodontitis (CP) and 153 cases of healthy controls (HC) were recruited for the study. Genotypes of COX-2(-765) were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The distribution of genotypes among groups was compared by logistic regression analyses. The risk for periodontitis associated with genotypes was calculated as the odds ratio (OR). RESULTS The prevalence of the GC and CC genotypes was significantly lower in AgP (5%) and in CP (29%) compared with the HC (42%). The ORs for carriage of the -765C allele (GC+CC versus GG) in AgP and CP were 0.068 (95% CI=0.020-0.173, p<0.0001) and 0.571 (95% CI=0.385-0.849, p=0.006), respectively. After adjustment for age, gender and smoking status, the OR was 0.071 (95% CI=0.017-0.219) and 0.552 (95% CI=0.367-0.829) for AgP and CP, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The results of the study suggest that the -765G to C polymorphism of the COX-2 gene is associated with a decreased risk for periodontitis in Taiwanese, especially in AgP. However, the biological meaning needs further investigation.
BERBAGAI MODEL PENGUKURAN EARNINGS MANAGEMENT:MANA YANG PALING AKURAT

As explained by Healy and Wahlen (1999), earnings management occurs when managers use judgment in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial reports to either mislead some stakeholders about the underlying outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers or to influence contractual outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers’. Several accounting researchers have proposed models for detecting the earnings management, e.g, Healy model (1985), De Angelo model (1986), Jones model (1991), Industry model (1991), Modified Jones Model (1995), Kotari Model (2000), Dechow & Dichev model (2002), Stubben (2010), the new approach model (2011), etc. This study aims to evaluate those of earnings management models, which is the most accurate in measuring earnings management. After comparing those earnings management models, this study concludes that the new approach model is able to overcome the weaknesses in other models, thus, so far it is the most accurate model in measuring the earnings management. Keywords: earnings management, judgment, financial reporting, structuring transaction. JEL: M14, M49
Regional Maritime Cooperation in Maintaining Maritime Security and Stability: A Test Case for ASEAN Unity and Centrality

Southeast and East Asia region has emerged as a global strategic maritime. Yet, maritime in the region remains vulnerable with overlapping claims on sea borders, piracy attacks and other transnational challenges at sea. For these purposes, some major powers in the region such as the US, China and Indonesia have launched their respective strategies in securing maritime for their interests. To harmonize the various interests, ASEAN with its counterparts in East Asia region need an ASEAN-led, inclusive and comprehensive regional maritime mechanism and strategic partnership between ASEAN member states and its dialog partners to maintain good order at sea. In November 2015, the East Asian Summit eventually launched a joint statement on Enhancing Regional Maritime Cooperation to justify the centrality of ASEAN and to counter the failure of ASEAN Defense Minister Meeting. In such case, ASEAN member states need to manage their disunity to minimize hindrances of the realization and implementation of the plan. This paper mainly elaborates the reasons why the region needs regional maritime cooperation and challenges that ASEAN have to deal with in order to implement the ASEAN unity and centrality in promoting maritime cooperation and regional stability. To explain the maritime strategies of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, this study uses qualitative methods and utilizes states’ documents as well as ASEAN statements particularly on maritime issues.
IIR filter design with novel stability condition

A novel stability condition is developed in this paper. It is both necessary and sufficient, which ensures that optimal design cannot be excluded from the admissible solutions. Compared to other necessary and sufficient stability conditions, the proposed one can be expressed as a quadratic constraint in terms of denominator coefficients, which facilitates its combination with other widely used IIR filter design strategies. In this paper, we adopt the Steiglitz-McBride scheme to design IIR filters. In each iteration, an approximation version of the proposed stability condition is further expressed as a set of linear inequality constraints, such that the resulting design problem becomes a quadratic program that can be efficiently and reliably solved. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed stability condition.
Neuronal Programmed Cell Death-1 Ligand Expression Regulates Retinal Ganglion Cell Number in Neonatal and Adult Mice

Objectives: During mouse retina maturation, the final number of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is determined by highly regulated programmed cell death. Previous studies demonstrated that the immunoregulatory receptor programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) promotes developmental RGC death. To identify the functional signaling partner(s) for PD-1, we identified retinal expression of PD-1 ligands and examined the effect of PD-1 ligand expression on RGC number. We also explored the hypothesis that PD-1 signaling promotes the development of functional visual circuitry. Methods: Characterization of retinal and brain programmed cell death-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression were examined by immunofluorescence on tissue sections. The contribution of PD-ligands, PD-L1, and programmed cell death-1 ligand 2 (PD-L2) to RGC number was examined in PD-ligand knockout mice lacking 1 or both ligands. Retinal architecture was assessed by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and retinal function was analyzed by electroretinography in wild-type and PD-L1/L2 double-deficient mice. Results: PD-L1 expression is found throughout the neonatal retina and persists in adult RGCs, bipolar interneurons, and Müller glia. In the absence of both PD-ligands, there is a significant numerical increase in RGCs (34% at postnatal day 2 [P2] and 18% in adult), as compared to wild type, and PD-ligands have redundant function in this process. Despite the increased RGC number, adult PD-L1/L2 double-knockout mice have normal retinal architecture and outer retina function. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that PD-L1 and PD-L2 together impact the final number of RGCs in adult mice and supports a novel role for active promotion of neuronal cell death through PD-1 receptor-ligand engagement.
Interleukin‐6 functions as an autocrine growth factor in a cholangiocarcinoma cell line

Abstract The tumour cells of a human cholangiocarcinoma cell line, HuCC‐T1, were found to express mRNA of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and to secrete a large amount of biologically active IL‐6 in the culture medium at the concentration of 22.6 ng/mL. Interleukin‐6 was demonstrated in the cytoplasm of the cells by immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, these cells showed the presence of receptors for IL‐6 on the surface, and DNA synthesis of the cells was stimulated by the exogenous addition of recombinant human IL‐6 into the culture medium. The cell growth was significantly inhibited in the presence of anti‐human IL‐6 antibody in the culture medium. These findings indicate that IL‐6 is one of the autocrine growth factors of this cell line in vitro.