Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral hyaluronan relieves wrinkles: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study over a 12-week period

Background Hyaluronan (HA) has critical moisturizing property and high water retention capacity especially for human skin. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of oral intake of HA. Methods The mean molecular weight (MW) of HA is 2 k and 300 k. Sixty Japanese male and female subjects aged 22–59 years who presented with crow’s feet wrinkles were randomly assigned to the HA 2 k or HA 300 k at 120 mg/day or the placebo group. The subjects were administered HA at a rate of 120 mg/day or a placebo for 12 weeks. The skin wrinkles were evaluated by image analysis of skin wrinkle replicas, and their skin condition was evaluated using a questionnaire survey. Results During the study period, the HA groups showed better level of the whole sulcus volume ratio, wrinkle area ratio, and wrinkle volume ratio than the placebo group. After 8 weeks of ingestion, the HA 300 k group showed significantly diminished wrinkles compared with the placebo group. Skin luster and suppleness significantly improved after 12 weeks in all groups compared with the baseline. Conclusion The results suggest that oral HA (both HA 2 k and HA 300 k) inhibits skin wrinkles and improves skin condition.
Multiprocessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) Technology

The multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) uses multiple CPUs along with other hardware subsystems to implement a system. A wide range of MPSoC architectures have been developed over the past decade. This paper surveys the history of MPSoCs to argue that they represent an important and distinct category of computer architecture. We consider some of the technological trends that have driven the design of MPSoCs. We also survey computer-aided design problems relevant to the design of MPSoCs.
Serum antibody response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa antigens during corneal infection

Previous studies in our laboratory have indicated that naturally resistant, inbred DBA/2J mice mount a greater serum antibody response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa 19660 than susceptible C57BL/6J mice. However, the specificity of the antibody produced was not known. The present study examines the specificity and kinetics of the humoral response of these mouse strains to potential virulence factors produced by the organism during both a primary and a secondary corneal infection administered 4 weeks after the primary infection. Serum antibody levels specific for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), exotoxin A, phospholipase C (PLC), alkaline protease, elastase, and flagella were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Little or no antibody to either alkaline protease or elastase was detected during either primary or secondary infection. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies specific to exotoxin A, PLC, and flagella were detected 2 weeks after primary infection, and a rapid response to these antigens was measured 1 week after secondary infection. During primary infection, detectable LPS-specific antibody was only IgM, while IgG appeared only after secondary infection. The kinetics of the humoral response in susceptible C57BL/6J mice were similar to those in resistant DBA/2J mice, although the magnitude of the response varied according to the antigen tested. These results indicate that LPS, exotoxin A, PLC, and flagella are present or produced in amounts that are immunogenic during corneal infection by P. aeruginosa 19660 in the mouse strains tested.
Adaptation of Salmonella typhimurium mutants containing uncoupled enzyme IIGlc to glucose-limited conditions

Uncoupled enzyme IIGlc of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP):glucose phosphotransferase system (PTS) in Salmonella typhimurium is able to catalyze glucose transport in the absence of PEP-dependent phosphorylation. As a result of the ptsG mutation, the apparent Km of the system for glucose transport is increased about 1,000-fold (approximately 18 mM) compared with wild-type PTS-mediated glucose transport. An S. typhimurium mutant containing uncoupled enzyme IIGlc as the sole system for glucose uptake was grown in glucose-limited chemostat cultures. Selective pressure during growth in the chemostat resulted in adaptation to the glucose-limiting conditions in two different ways. At first, mutations appeared that led to a decrease in Km value of uncoupled enzyme IIGlc. These results suggested that uncoupled enzyme IIGlc had significant control on the growth rate under glucose-limiting conditions. More efficient glucose uptake enabled a mutant to outgrow its parent and caused a decrease in the steady-state glucose concentration in the chemostat. At very low glucose concentrations (10 microM), mutants arose that contained a constitutively synthesized methyl-beta-galactoside permease. Apparently, further changes in the uncoupled enzyme IIGlc did not lead to a substantial increase in growth rate at very low glucose concentrations.
INHIBITORY EFFECT OF â€˜RHEUM EMODI WALLâ€™ ON HEPATIC CYTOCHROME P450 ENZYMES

Background: This study was carried out to assess the inhibitory effect of aqueous extract of Rheum emodi wall on hepatic microsomal P450 enzyme. Materials and Methods: Four groups of rats were made, comprising of 20 rats in each group. Two groups were studied for the pentobarbital-induced sleeping time and rest of the two groups were studied for the lethal effects of strychnine. Normal saline and aqueous extract of a plant â€˜Rheum emodi wallâ€™ were given to first two groups prior to intramuscular injection of pentobarbital. Sleeping time was then noted in both groups for the next two hours. Strychnine lethality was observed in the other two groups of rats in which one group received olive oil and the other group received plant extract before injecting strychnine. The rats were monitored for the next two hours to count mortalities. Results: Plant aqueous extract caused significant prolongation (p<0.001) in pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in aqueous extract treated group as compared to group receiving normal saline along with pentobarbital. Increased lethality by strychnine was observed in the group getting plant aqueous extract than the group in which olive oil was administered along with injection of strychnine. Conclusion: The increased effects of pentobarbital on sleeping time and strychnine on the lethality of rats conclude that crude aqueous extract of â€˜Rheum emodi wallâ€™ inhibits hepatic microsomal P450 enzyme.
Normas de Desempenho em Compreensão de Leitura Textual para Crianças de 1º Ano a 6ª Série

This study presents the performance standards for an assessment tool, constituted by two different tasks, elaborated to evaluate reading comprehension of narrative texts. Retelling and a questionnaire based on the story “The Thing” permitted the evaluation of children from the 1st to 3rd grades, whereas the same tasks based on the story “The Rabbit and the Dog” assessed children from the 4th to 6th grade. The study included 176 children (51.7% girls) between seven and 12 years old, from the first to sixth grade of elementary school, from public and private schools in Porto Alegre-RS. Normative scores for children from the 1st to 6th grades were divided by years of education and type of school. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and comparison of the scores on the reading comprehension tasks were carried out using years of education and type of school (public and private) of children (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis). Compared to younger children from initial grades, older children from advanced grades showed a better performance in reading comprehension. Students from private schools performed better when compared to students from public schools. The assessment tool seems to be useful to distinguish performances of children from different years of education and type of schools and it is easily applied. Clinicians, researchers and professionals in the school environment can use the instrument.
Generalized Concentration Addition Predicts Joint Effects of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonists with Partial Agonists and Competitive Antagonists

Background Predicting the expected outcome of a combination exposure is critical to risk assessment. The toxic equivalency factor (TEF) approach used for analyzing joint effects of dioxin-like chemicals is a special case of the method of concentration addition. However, the TEF method assumes that individual agents are full aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists with parallel dose–response curves, whereas many mixtures include partial agonists. Objectives We assessed the ability of generalized concentration addition (GCA) to predict effects of combinations of full AhR agonists with partial agonists or competitive antagonists. Methods We measured activation of AhR-dependent gene expression in H1G1.1c3 cells after application of binary combinations of AhR ligands. A full agonist (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran) was combined with either a full agonist (3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl), a partial agonist (2,3,3′,4,4′-pentachlorobiphenyl or galangin), or an antagonist (3,3′-diindolylmethane). Combination effects were modeled by the TEF and GCA approaches, and goodness of fit of the modeled response surface to the experimental data was assessed using a nonparametric statistical test. Results The GCA and TEF models fit the experimental data equally well for a mixture of two full agonists. In all other cases, GCA fit the experimental data significantly better than the TEF model. Conclusions The TEF model overpredicts effects of AhR ligands at the highest concentration combinations. At lower concentrations, the difference between GCA and TEF approaches depends on the efficacy of the partial agonist. GCA represents a more accurate definition of additivity for mixtures that include partial agonist or competitive antagonist ligands.
The roof plate boundary is a bi-directional organiser of dorsal neural tube and choroid plexus development

The roof plate is a signalling centre positioned at the dorsal midline of the central nervous system and generates dorsalising morphogenic signals along the length of the neuraxis. Within cranial ventricles, the roof plate gives rise to choroid plexus, which regulates the internal environment of the developing and adult brain and spinal cord via the secretion of cerebrospinal fluid. Using the fourth ventricle as our model, we show that the organiser properties of the roof plate are determined by its boundaries with the adjacent neuroepithelium. Through a combination of in ovo transplantation, co-culture and electroporation techniques in chick embryos between embryonic days 3 and 6, we demonstrate that organiser properties are maintained by interactions between the non-neural roof plate and the neural rhombic lip. At the molecular level, this interaction is mediated by Delta-Notch signalling and upregulation of the chick homologue of Hes1: chairy2. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches reveal that cdelta1 is both necessary and sufficient for organiser function. Our results also demonstrate that while chairy2 is specifically required for the maintenance of the organiser, its ectopic expression is not sufficient to recapitulate organiser properties. Expression of atonal1 in the rhombic lip adjacent at the roof plate boundary is acutely dependent on both boundary cell interactions and Delta-Notch signalling. Correspondingly, the roof plate boundary organiser also signals to the roof plate itself to specify the expression of early choroid plexus markers. Thus, the roof plate boundary organiser signals bi-directionally to acutely coordinate the development of adjacent neural and non-neural tissues.
Making Machines Creative

Our society views creativity as a rare and mystical gift. We put it on a pedestal, exalting those such as artists, inventors, and scientists who we deemed creative. But at the same time, we decide that creativity is unattainable by the typical person. By so cherishing creativity in a few, our society inadvertently discourages it in most.
Influence diagrams in analysis of discrete event simulation data

In this paper, influence diagrams (IDs) are used as simulation metamodels to aid simulation based decision making. A decision problem under consideration is studied using discrete event simulation with decision alternatives as simulation parameters. The simulation data are used to construct an ID that presents the changes in simulation state with chance nodes. The decision alternatives and objectives of the decision problem are included in the ID as decision and utility nodes. The solution of the ID gives the optimal decision alternatives, i.e., the values of the simulation parameters that, e.g., maximize the expected value of the utility function measuring the attainment of the objectives. Furthermore, the constructed ID enables the analysis of the consequences of the decision alternatives and performing effective what-if analyses. The paper illustrates the construction and analysis of IDs with two examples from the field of military aviation.
Modeling the impact of permanent faults in caches

The traditional performance cost benefits we have enjoyed for decades from technology scaling are challenged by several critical constraints including reliability. Increases in static and dynamic variations are leading to higher probability of parametric and wear-out failures and are elevating reliability into a prime design constraint. In particular, SRAM cells used to build caches that dominate the processor area are usually minimum sized and more prone to failure. It is therefore of paramount importance to develop effective methodologies that facilitate the exploration of reliability techniques for caches. To this end, we present an analytical model that can determine for a given cache configuration, address trace, and random probability of permanent cell failure the exact expected miss rate and its standard deviation when blocks with faulty bits are disabled. What distinguishes our model is that it is fully analytical, it avoids the use of fault maps, and yet, it is both exact and simpler than previous approaches. The analytical model is used to produce the miss-rate trends (expected miss-rate) for future technology nodes for both uncorrelated and clustered faults. Some of the key findings based on the proposed model are (i) block disabling has a negligible impact on the expected miss-rate unless probability of failure is equal or greater than 2.6e-4, (ii) the fault map methodology can accurately calculate the expected miss-rate as long as 1,000 to 10,000 fault maps are used, and (iii) the expected miss-rate for execution of parallel applications increases with the number of threads and is more pronounced for a given probability of failure as compared to sequential execution.
Modeling the Influence of Body Position in Bioimpedance Measurements

Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) enables the determination of the human body composition (e.g. fat content, water content). From this data, it is possible to draw conclusions about the person's health state. This technology can be easily implemented combined with low costs, which could be used for an easy use at home with a reliable accuracy. Nevertheless, external factors such as body position influence the measurements, limiting their accuracy and use. The use of modeling of these external factors and their influence on the body could be used to improve the accuracy of the bioimpedance spectroscopy and to extend it for a continuous monitoring. In this paper the results of the modeling of the body position for a localized bioimpedance measurement (thigh) and a comparison with measurements on 5 subjects lying down for 40 minutes are shown and discussed.
User Evaluation Methodology Framework in Big Data Environments

From an initial discussion of "analytic tradecraft will be different when enabled with Big Data and Big Data enabled tools", this HCBDR breakout group framed an initial context to ground the discussions to follow. The evaluation methodology must cover the triple of Organizational Context, Analyst(s) and Data/Tools all surrounding the Mission Needs. The instrumentation and measurement methodology must consider the holistic combination of all of these elements. Further, it must both measure what *is* occurring at those elements, as well as what is missing from each (felt to be a much more difficult task). The final recommendations include a blend of technical indicators (e.g. system session log information) as well as a sophisticated mix of ethnographic observations important to fully understanding the cognitive performance of the analyst and technology together. Several key issues (such as analysis quality assessment) remain unanswered.
Licensing Requirements and Occupational Mobility Among Highly Skilled New Immigrants in Canada

The present study compares the occupational trajectories of highly skilled immigrants in regulated occupations to those outside of the regulated occupations, from their pre-migration occupation, to their first job in Canada, and to subsequent jobs. Licensing requirements are likely to affect new immigrants’ occupational trajectories since they have a direct effect on how employers assess qualifications. This study utilizes growth curve modeling (GCM) and a unique dataset that contains detailed information on new immigrants’ experiences in Canada: the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). Our findings indicate that immigrants working in regulated occupations prior to migration who are unable to find jobs in regulated occupations in Canada face a significantly greater drop in occupational status when they first arrive than those working in unregulated professions in their home country. Furthermore, their occupational progression over time is not faster than that of their counterparts from unregulated professions. Those who worked in unregulated fields prior to migration but found jobs in regulated fields in Canada experience an improvement in their occupational status after migration. Lastly, for those who worked in regulated professions in their home country and were able to find jobs within regulated fields in Canada, initial occupational status scores are similar to their scores in their country of origin, and there is little change in occupational status with time in Canada. The results of this study highlight the importance of ensuring that the licensing process is made easier to navigate for new immigrants. Our findings clearly indicate that immigrants who are able to successfully enter a regulated profession soon after migration fare much better in terms of occupational status than those who are unable to become licensed.
Sparse deployment scheme in mobile sensor networks with prioritized event area

Sensor deployment is a fundamental issue in Internet of things. In this paper, It addressed the problem of how to effective deployment for prioritized event area in mobile sensor networks with low density sensors, which coverage completely cannot be realized. When event areas have been detected, the problem how to make mobile nodes moved to a suitable place with effective deployment is studied. Firstly, a coverage weight by priority function of event area is defined. It deduced conclusion that coverage effectiveness have maximization as if all of nodes coverage weight are identical. A nodes deployed strategy have presented that combined coverage weight and virtual force. Finally, some simulations shown that the proposed deployment algorithm are accurate and effective. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ultraviolet signals in birds are special

Recent behavioural experiments have shown that birds use ultraviolet (UV)–reflective and fluorescent plumage as cues in mate choice. It remains controversial, however, whether such UV signals play a special role in sexual communication, or whether they are part of general plumage coloration. We use a comparative approach to test for a general association between sexual signalling and either UV-reflective or fluorescent plumage. Among the species surveyed, 72% have UV colours and there is a significant positive association between UV reflectance and courtship displays. Among parrots (Psittaciformes), 68% of surveyed species have fluorescent plumage, and again there is a strong positive association between courtship displays and fluorescence. These associations are not artefacts of the plumage used in courtship displays, being generally more ‘colourful’ because there is no association between display and colours lacking UV reflectance or fluorescence. Equally, these associations are not phylogenetic artefacts because all results remain unchanged when families or genera, rather than species, are used as independent data points. We also find that, in parrots, fluorescent plumage is usually found adjacent to UV–reflective plumage. Using a simple visual model to examine one parrot, the budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus, we show that the juxtaposition of UV–reflective and fluorescent plumage leads to a 25–fold increase in chromatic contrast to the budgerigar's visual system. Taken together, these results suggest that signals based on UV contrast are of special importance in the context of active sexual displays. We review briefly six hypotheses on why this may be the case: suitability for short–range signalling; high contrast with backgrounds; invisibility to predators; exploitation of pre–existing sensory biases; advertisement of feather structure; and amplification of behavioural signals.
Why It Is Important to Teach About Privilege

They are staring at me, faces blank, but eyes doubtful. They are not buying what I am selling, not seeing the value in what I’m teaching. My responses to the questions were not good enough. “Why should we care about white privilege? Why should we want to give it up? ” I had expounded on the virtues of being politically correct, the invaluable experience of walking in another person’s shoes, the utopian ideal of leveling the playing field—the idea of becoming a “good” person. My group of generally white, generally middle-class or above, generally women looked back at me, unconvinced. I mean, they got that it would be nice to learn these things, but to see their role in it, just for the sake of making the world a better place. They were unsure. What I forgot in that moment is that while it is really hard to see privilege, it is even harder to ponder giving it up. The reward of being a “good” person, or the more dreaded “good liberal,” in someone else’s eyes was not enough of a carrot. So, I settled down and thought about why I was glad I learned about privilege. How the knowledge had changed me, made me see the world differently.