Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taxifolin as a Major Bioactive Compound in the Vasorelaxant Effect of Different Pigmented Rice Bran Extracts

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in recent years. The intake of polyphenol rich diets has been associated with improved cardiovascular function and reduced cardiovascular risks. Oryza sativa L. is one of the most common cereals worldwide. Rice bran, a byproduct of the rice milling process, contains many bioactive ingredients, including polyphenols, polysaccharides, proteins, and micronutrients. It is also consumed as a healthy diet in the form of rice bran oil and powder in many Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and India for its several health benefits as a natural antioxidant. Thus, this study evaluated the vasorelaxant effect of ethanolic extracts of brown, green, red, and black rice bran and investigated its underlying vasorelaxant mechanism. Among the four rice bran extracts (RBEs) examined, the red rice bran extract (RRBE) had a strong endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant effect, which was markedly prevented by N-ω-nitro-L-arginine [endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor], wortmannin [phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor], and 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazole[4,3-alpha]quinoxalin-1-one (inhibitor of guanylate cyclase). Likewise, RRBE induced the phosphorylation of eNOS and Src in cultured endothelial cells, thereby stimulating NO formation. Altogether, these findings propose that RRBE induces endothelium-dependent relaxation, involving at least in part, NO-mediated signaling through the PI3K/eNOS pathway. Further, LC-PDA analysis conducted on the four RBEs also revealed that RRBE highly contained taxifolin, which is an active flavanonol that induces endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation, compared to other RBEs. Subsequently, the underlying mechanism of taxifolin was assessed through vascular reactivity studies with pharmacological inhibitors similar to that of RRBE. These findings deciphered a distinct difference in vasorelaxant effects between RRBE and the other RBEs. We also observed that RRBE induced a potent endothelium-dependent NO-mediated relaxation in coronary artery rings, which involved the Src/PI3K pathway that activates eNOS. Additionally, taxifolin exhibited, at least in part, similar vasoprotective effects of RRBE. Therefore, we propose that RRBE may serve as natural sources of functional phytochemicals that improve cardiovascular diseases associated with disturbed NO production and endothelial dysfunction.
Middle School Student Perceptions and Actual Use of Mobile Devices: Highlighting Disconnects in Student Planned and Actual Usage of Mobile Devices in Class

Discussion surrounding the inclusion of mobile devices in K-12 classrooms has escalated since the early 2000s, and the literature base dedicated to mobile devices, mobile-learning, and e-learning has likewise grown. The majority of the research related to mobile devices and their inclusion in educational settings has largely revolved around efficacy and mobile-learning management systems. Additionally, several large-scale surveys have been conducted to assess the perceptions of students, teachers, parents, and administrators concerning mobile devices in educational settings. Despite these efforts, relatively little is known about students’ perceptions of how they would use mobile devices, if given the chance, and the realities surrounding their actual use when given the opportunity. This research surveyed 458 middle-school students regarding their perceptions of how they would use mobile devices, if given the opportunity, during school. Students were allowed to use mobile devices during a two-week engineering design unit and asked to report their actual use of mobile devices. Several gaps between perceptions of how mobile devices would be used and the actual use by students emerged. Students did not use mobile-devices as often as they planned and student use, or lack thereof, displayed a potential disconnect between ways mobile devices are being marketed for use in K-12 classrooms and the ways mobile devices will actually be used by students.
Mobile Robots Path Planning Based on Evolutionary Artificial Potential Fields Approach

This paper presents a new way for mobile robots’ path planning which is based on the Evolutionary Artificial Potential Fields(EAPF) approach. The APF theory is a traditional method to plan path for a robot. The Evolutionary APF aims at helping a robot jump out of the local minimum point. Using a virtual goal to produce extra force and fixing the direction of the repulsive force are combined to prompt the robot to escape from the obstacle in different situations. The simulation result shows that the evolutionary method is effective for solving the local minimum problem. Keywords-virtual goal; artifical potential fields; local minimum point; matrix; path planning
Adaptive Depression in Synaptic Transmission in the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract after In Vivo Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia: Evidence for Homeostatic Plasticity

The respiratory system is highly pliable in its adaptation to low-oxygen (hypoxic) environments. After chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), alterations in the regulation of cardiorespiratory system become persistent because of changes in the peripheral chemoreceptor reflex. We present evidence for the induction of a novel form of homeostatic plasticity in this reflex pathway in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), the site of termination of the chemosensory afferent fibers. CIH induces an increase in NTS postsynaptic cell activity initiated by spontaneous presynaptic transmitter release that is counterbalanced by a reduction in evoked synaptic transmission between sensory afferents and NTS second-order cells. This is accomplished via presynaptic mechanisms involving changes in neurotransmitter release and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II activation.
Cell elongation and branching are regulated by differential phosphorylation states of the nuclear Dbf2‐related kinase COT1 in Neurospora crassa

Dysfunction of the Neurospora crassa nuclear Dbf2‐related kinase COT1 leads to cessation of tip extension and massive induction of new sites of growth. To determine the role phosphorylation plays in COT1 function, we mutated COT1 residues corresponding to positions of highly conserved nuclear Dbf2‐related phosphorylation sites. Analyses of the point‐mutation cot‐1 strains (mimicking non‐ and constitutively phosphorylated states) indicate the involvement of COT1 phosphorylation in the regulation of hyphal elongation and branching as well as asexual development by altering cell wall integrity and actin organization. Phosphorylation of COT1's activation segment (at Ser417) is required for proper in vitro kinase activity, but has only a limited effect on hyphal growth. In marked contrast, even though phosphorylation of the C‐terminal hydrophobic motif (at Thr589) is crucial for all COT1 functions in vivo, the lack of Thr589 phosphorylation did not significantly affect in vitro COT1 kinase activity. Nevertheless, its regulatory role has been made evident by the significant increase observed in COT1 kinase activity when this residue was substituted in a manner mimicking constitutive phosphorylation. We conclude that COT1 regulates elongation and branching in an independent manner, which is determined by its phosphorylation state.
Interpolating Mean Rainfall Using Thin Plate Smoothing Splines

Abstract Thin plate smoothing splines provide accurate, operationally straightforward and computationally efficient solutions to the problem of the spatial interpolation of annual mean rainfall for a standard period from point data which contains many short period rainfall means. The analyses depend on developing a statistical model of the spatial variation of the observed rainfall means, considered as noisy estimates of standard period means. The error structure of this model has two components which allow separately for strong spatially correlated departures of observed short term means from standard period means and for uncorrelated deficiencies in the representation of standard period mean rainfall by a smooth function of position and elevation. Thin plate splines, with the degree of smoothing determining by minimising generalised cross validation, can estimate this smooth function in two ways. First, the spatially correlated error structure of the data can be accommodated directly by estimating the c.
Visual Attention Guided Multi-Scale Boundary Detection in Natural Images for Contour Grouping

Boundary detection is one of the most studied problems in computer vision. It is the foundation of contour grouping, and initially affects the performance of grouping algorithms. In this paper we propose a novel boundary detection algorithm for contour grouping, which is a selective attention guided coarse-to-fine scale pyramid model. Our algorithm evaluates each edge instead of each pixel location, which is different from others and suitable for contour grouping. Selective attention focuses on the whole saliency objects instead of local details, and gives global spatial prior for boundary existence of objects. The evolving process of edges through the coarsest scale to the finest scale reflects the importance and energy of edges. The combination of these two cues produces the most saliency boundaries. We show applications for boundary detection on natural images. We also test our approach on the Berkeley dataset and use it for contour grouping. The results obtained are pretty good.
Can we differentiate true white matter fibers from pseudofibers inside a brain abscess cavity using geometrical diffusion tensor imaging metrics?

High fractional anisotropy (FA) usually reflects the orientation and integrity of white matter (WM) fibers. Other regions of increased FA have been described, such as brain abscesses, developing cortex, and areas of hemorrhage. It may not be possible to differentiate true fibers from the pseudofibers found inside an abscess cavity on the basis of FA and mean diffusivity (MD). The aim of this study was to differentiate true WM fibers from pseudo WM tracts inside the abscess cavity using geometrical diffusion tensor imaging metrics [linear anisotropy (CL), planar anisotropy (CP), and spherical anisotropy (CS)]. Diffusion tensor imaging was performed in 42 patients with brain abscess and 10 age/sex‐matched controls. Automated segmentation using Java‐based software divided the abscess cavity into two sub‐regions with FA < 0.20 and FA ≥ 0.20. Quantitation was carried out on the sub‐regions of the abscess cavity with FA ≥ 0.20. In healthy controls, regions of interest were placed on the corpus callosum, posterior limb of the internal capsule, and periventricular and subcortical WM. Significantly increased CP values were observed inside the abscess cavity compared with various normal WM regions. Significantly increased FA and CL values were observed in the abscess cavity compared with subcortical WM only. However decreased FA and CL values were observed in the cavity compared with the corpus callosum, posterior limb of the internal capsule, and periventricular WM. The 95% confidence intervals of means for the abscess cavity were well separated from those for WM in the case of CL and CP; however, they overlapped in the case of FA, MD, and CS. High CP with low CL inside the abscess cavity suggests that the shape of the diffusion tensor is predominantly planar, whereas it is linear in WM tracts. These geometrical indices may have advantages over FA for differentiating true from pseudo WM tracts inside the abscess cavity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Compartmentalized signalling: spatial regulation of cAMP by the action of compartmentalized phosphodiesterases

cAMP is the original second messenger that is synthesized in response to a number of extracellular stimuli. Recent advances in cAMP reporter technology have given an insight into how cAMP signals retain their specificity. Spatial and temporal cAMP dynamics are regulated by discretely positioned phosphodiesterases that act as sinks to create simultaneous, multiple cAMP gradients in many cellular locations. Such gradients are sampled within microdomains that contain anchored cAMP effector proteins. Compartmentalization of proteins that produce, degrade and are activated by cAMP is crucial for the specificity of action required for normal cell function.
Miniaturized Dual-Band Antenna for Implantable Wireless Communications

A miniaturized dual-band antenna is presented for implantable wireless communications. By introducing an offset at the feedpoint, dual-band performance of a dipole antenna is realized, operating at both Medical Implant Communications Service (MICS) 402-405 MHz and Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) 2.40-2.48 GHz bands. Parylene-C of thickness 20 μm is taken as a biocompatible insulating layer, and a rather compact size of 67.8 mm3 (10.02 mm × 10.02 mm × 0.675 mm) is obtained. In order to achieve good impedance matching at the feedpoint, an inductive loop is loaded at one of the dipole arms. The measured |S11 | in skin-mimicking gel shows that a bandwidth of 47.5% and 31.6% can be achieved at the MICS and ISM bands, respectively.
Effect of Spirulina Platensis on Oxidative Stress Induced by Gamma Radiation and H . pylori Infected Rats

Oxidative stress may be defined as “a state where oxidative forces exceed the antioxidant systems due to loss of the balance between them. ” Oxidative stress is a phenomenon associated with pathogenesis mechanisms of several diseases including atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus and an inflammatory diseases. Gastritis represents an inflammation of the stomach lining in response to injury. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) often play an important role in the pathogenesis of gastritis, peptic ulcer, and probably also gastric cancer. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by this bacterium and/ or gamma radiation may be one of the crucial factors whereby oxidative stress can play a role in the pathogenesis of ulcer disease. Spirulina platensis (Sp) is a microscopic and filamentous cyanobacterium that contains essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides and antioxidant compound. Our objective in this study was to evaluate the possible gastroprotective effect of Spirulina platensis against H.pylori and/or gamma radiation induced oxidative stress in albino rats. In the present experiment about 36 albino Wister rats were used and sub divided into 6 groups of 6 rats each: group 1, untreated rats (control group ); group 2, animals received only Spirulina (15mg/kg b.w.); group 3, irradiated group animals were exposed to 5Gy whole body gamma radiation as a single shot dose; group 4 animals were infected practically with H.pylori bacterium once daily for one week then continuous with distil water for 30 days; group 5, rats were giving orally Spirulina (15 mg/kg b.w.) for 30 days then exposed to 5 Gy gamma radiation as a single dose shot; group 6, rats were given orally Spirulina (15mg/kg b.w.) for 30 days then infected with H. pylori daily in the morning for one week. Our results showed that animals infected with H.pylori and/or exposed whole-body gamma radiation significantly increase tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-β (IL-1β), interleukin-8 (IL-8), measured gastric mucosal myeloperoxide (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) joined with significant decrease in glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase SOD and catalase (CAT) activity. In contrast, there was no significant change in plasma levels of gastrin after radiation exposure but its levels was increased in H. pylori infected rats. Oral pretreatment with Spirulina platensis considerable amelioration the previous mentioned anti-inflammatory and antioxidant parameter. It could be concluded that, the antioxidantresponsiveness mediated by Spirulina may be anticipated to have biological significe in eliminating reactive free radical and improve the change in, which may be responsible for pathogenesis of H.pylori-associated mucosal damage. Consequently, Spirulina platensis may be used for better gastroprotective effect from H. pylori infection as well as to reduce the (ROS) activity produced from exposed to gamma radiation.
Genetic dissection of "OLETF," a rat model for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: quantitative trait locus analysis of (OLETF x BN) x OLETF.

To identify genetic determinants relevant to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), we performed a genome-wide analysis for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) using 359 backcross progeny of the Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat. The OLETF strain is a well-studied animal model of obese NIDDM, with features of hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and abundant abdominal fat. Our extensive genomic scanning with 218 markers revealed nine significant QTLs, including a strong determinant of obesity on chromosome 1 (Dmo1: LOD = 13.99, for body weight). Two highly significant QTLs for glucose homeostasis were found, one on chromosome 1 (Dmo4 LOD = 7.16, for postprandial glucose level) and the other on chromosome X (Dmo11/Odb1: LOD = 7.81, for postprandial glucose level). These data are comparable to results of our previous studies of the OLETF rat.
Synthesis of prostaglandin models and prostaglandins by conjugate addition of a functionalized organocopper reagent.

2 methods are described for the preparation of an oxygen functionalized vinylcopper reagent. Reactions of this reagent with cyclic and acyclic enones give products of 1,4 addition. The labile methoxyisopropyl group was used as an alcohol protecting group for ease of formation and removal. The influence of reaction conditions such as solvents and temperature on the mode of addition and yield is discussed. (S)-1-Iodo-trans-1-octen-3-ol (16a) was prepared from (S)-1-octyn-3-ol (17). The optically pure iodovinylcarbinol was converted to the cuprate 2 and 1,4 addition to the hydroxy-protected cyclopentenone 14c afforded (-)-PGE1 (18b).
Complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered roughskin sculpin Trachidermus fasciatus (Scorpaeniformes, Cottidae)

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered roughskin sculpin, Trachidermus fasciatus, was first determined. The mitogenome (16,536 bp) consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region. Except for the eight tRNA and ND6 genes, all other mitochondrial genes were encoded on the heavy strand. Mitochondrial DNA information can assist in species identification and conservation of the species' natural resources.
Relationship between three Oil Futures delivered in the same month: Findings from Var and Granger causality test

Crude oil is an indispensable energy source for the economic and social development of various countries, and its futures trading has also become a focus of widespread concern in society. The authors of this article found in previous experiments that for the two sets of oil futures data, the volatility and trend of the futures delivered in the same month are similar. At the same time, the volatility of futures delivered in different months will be very different even if the trend is similar. Therefore, the author of this article speculates whether there is any particularity in the volatility and trend between futures delivered in the same month. Therefore, this paper uses a set of oil futures price data to test the stability of the data, and uses ADF test, VAR test, Granger causality test and other measurement methods to conduct empirical research on the relationship between the three oil futures prices delivered in the same month. Finally, the authors found that under certain conditions, CLM3 can derive CLM1 and CLM2 which means that there is a certain mathematics connection between the three oil futures for delivery in the same month.
Unobtrusive Monitoring of Physical Activity in AAL - A Simple Wearable Device Designed for Older Adults

Many solutions and projects proposed within the Ambient Assisted Living research area, aim at monitoring the degree of vitality of elderly users in their daily activities, and in their home environment, to possibly avoid or strongly limit the need for clinical evaluations. In fact, the information on the subject’s vitality, manifested through his/her activity profile, may be used to evaluate possible anomalous trends, related to cognitive or physical decay. For such a kind of analysis to be realistically affordable, the monitoring device shall be unobtrusive, and transparent to the user. With the aim of striving for the simplest and most reliable design compatible with the aforementioned requirements, this paper presents a wearable device equipped with a sensing insole hosting force sensors, and the related electronics for signal processing and data transmission. The device locally classifies different dynamic states (sitting, walking, standing) and transmits the corresponding information to a supervising system. Preliminary experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the approach, in correctly detecting and classifying the user’s activities.
Fully integrated 2-GHz LNA with on-chip matching for multi-standard mobile receiver using 0.18 μm CMOS technology

A single-ended wideband low noise amplifier (LNA) for GSM (DCS1800, PCS1900) and WCDMA (Band I to IV) were designed and implemented using 0.18 mum CMOS technology. The circuit topology is based on inductively-degenerated common-source (IDCS) using on-chip inductors at the input circuit for input matching and shunt-peaking components for bandwidth enhancement at load tank. Post layout simulation results shows a power gain of 24-dB, a noise figure of 2.26-dB and an input return loss well below -10-dB at the center frequency of 2-GHz. The LNA draws 6.8-mA from a single 1.8-V power supply.
Dystonia in AIDS: Report of four cases

Dystonia is a rare complication of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). We report four such cases related to three different causes. Cases 1 and 2 both developed dystonia secondary to biopsy‐proven progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. One had left arm dystonia, whereas the other had bilateral upper limb dystonia. One patient had associated akinesia and rigidity. Imaging demonstrated frontal and/or parietal white matter lesions but no basal ganglia abnormalities. Case 3 developed hemidystonia and cervical dystonia from biopsy‐proven toxoplasmosis with a lesion in the thalamus. Case 4 suffered from AIDS dementia complex and developed cervical dystonia while taking risperidone therapy. We also review previously reported cases of dystonia in AIDS patients with the same causes and discuss the issue of increased vulnerability of the basal ganglia to HIV infection which, in turn, leads to increased sensitivity to neuroleptics. When dystonia is seen in AIDS patients, its pattern may be a clue to the ultimate cause. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Bistatic SAR Data Focusing Using an Omega-K Algorithm Based on Method of Series Reversion

This paper deals with an omega-K algorithm for focusing bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The key of the proposed algorithm is the derivation of a frequency mapping function by using Neo's method of series reversion. The registration of the focused image onto the ground plane is discussed in detail, which is based on a conclusion that the targets whose instantaneous Doppler frequencies at zero azimuth time are the same as that of the reference target at zero azimuth time will all be focused at the reference target's azimuth position in the focused image. The range invariance region size, which the proposed algorithm can process, is also determined in this paper. The proposed algorithm can handle extreme bistatic configurations with wide apertures and large squint angles. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is confirmed by simulation results. Although developed for the azimuth-invariant case, the proposed algorithm can be readily extended to the azimuth-variant case, as long as we divide the SAR data into blocks in the azimuth direction so that each block of SAR data can be assumed quasi-stationary in the azimuth direction.