Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vascular reactivity to vasopressin in doca‐salt hypertensive rats

the results of Schneider & Drazen (1980). Since PGI, was described as a pulmonary vasodilator (Kadowitz et a1 1978), the contribution of vascular smooth muscles to the myotropic activity of the lung parenchymal strip appears to be minor. Our results also confirm the relaxant activity of PGE, on the lung strip (Chand & DeRoth 1979; Schneider & Drazen 1980). Leukotriene B, was very active, especially on guineapig smooth muscle. Although the duodenum appeared the most sensitive tissue studied, the stability of the lung parenchymal strip afforded better assessment of the biological activity of this lipoxygenase product. The doses we used were high and the response of the lung strips to histamine and LTB, difficult to compare, but experiments not presented in this paper have shown that LTB, is 50-100 times more potent than histamine on this ~ r e ~ a r a t i o n . In conclusion, this report has analysed the comparative myotropic effects of selected mediators on rat, guineapig, rabbit and chick smooth muscles. However, tissue concentrations of these substances have to be determined before any conclusions can be drawn on their physiological role in hypersensitivity or inflammatory reactions. The a u t h ~ r s thank Ms Claude Gervais for performing some of the bioassays, and the Medical Research Council of Canada for support (MA-7143).
Uji Aktivitas Antioksidan dan Profil Fitokimia Ekstrak Kayu Beta-beta (Lunasia amara Blanco.)

Beta-beta wood (Lunasia amara Blanco) is one of the Rutaceae plants. It has been used traditionally in Indonesia, both in the form of a single extract or in a mixture of several herbs, for the treatment of swollen feet, skin diseases and inflammation or irritation of the eyes. This study aims to examine the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical profile of beta-beta wood extract. The research methods include plant extraction by maceration, testing of antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and phytochemical profiling with specific chemical reagents. The results showed that beta-beta wood extract (Lunasia amara Blanco) has antioxidant activity with IC50 was 69.46 μg/ml (0.069 mg/ml) and it contained steroid, phenolic, saponin, alkaloid and coumarin compounds.
Lysosomal proteins in cell death and autophagy

Nearly 60 years ago, lysosomes were first described in the laboratory of Christian de Duve, a discovery that significantly contributed to him being awarded a share of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for elucidating ‘the structural and functional organization of the cell’. Initially thought of as a simple waste degradation facility of the cell, these organelles recently emerged as signalling centres with connections to major cellular processes. This review provides an overview of the many roles of lysosomal proteins in two of these processes: cell death and autophagy. We discuss both resident lysosomal proteins as well those that temporarily associate with lysosomes to influence autophagy and cell death pathways. Particular focus is given to studies in mammalian cells and in vivo systems.
Petri nets as a tool for teaching operating systems

The author is with the Departamento de Informática e Ingeniería de Sistemas, Centro Politécnico Superior, Universidad de Zaragoza, Maria de Luna, 3, 50015 Zaragoza. Spain. E-mail: unai@posta.unizar. es representation for the operating system concurrent behavior of processes into the operating system. This way is easier for students to get first concepts’ understanding. In the other hand, their formal foundation strongly grounds this comprehension.
Fuzzy Static Output Feedback Control for Discrete-time Nonlinear Time-varying Delay Systems in a Network Environment

This paper studies the problem of fuzzy output control of discrete-time nonlinear systems with immeasurable state variables, time-varying delay, and data packet dropout. A T–S fuzzy model is used to represent the original nonlinear systems with time-varying delay, and the Bernoulli distribution is employed to describe the dropout process of the random packet. The two uncertainties of time delay and data packet dropout are considered in the system design. By constructing a fuzzy Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and introducing a summation inequality based on Cauchy–Schwartz form, the existence condition of fuzzy static output feedback controller is established by using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The simulation example verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Behavioral role for nitric oxide in chemosensory activation of feeding in a mollusc

A role for the NO-cGMP pathway in mediating chemosensory activation of feeding is suggested by intense NADPH diaphorase staining observed in nerve fibers that project from sensory cells in the lips to the CNS and by the presence in the CNS of a NO-activated guanylyl cyclase. In preparations reduced to isolated lips and CNS, intracellular recordings were made from motoneurons driven by the interneurons of the central pattern generator (CPG) for feeding. Fictive feeding in such preparations can be recorded from these motoneurons following the application of sucrose to the lips. Sucrose activation of fictive feeding is inhibited by the NO scavenger hemoglobin, the NO synthase inhibitor N omega-Nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) and by methylene blue, an inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase. Fictive feeding in isolated lip-CNS preparations can be activated without sucrose by superfusion of NO donor molecules such as SNAP and hydroxylamine and by the nonhydrolyzable analog of cGMP, 8-bromo-cGMP. The feeding CPG can also be activated centrally by depolarizing a modulatory interneuron, the slow oscillator (SO). When the CPG is activated in this way, fictive feeding is not susceptible to inhibition by hemoglobin, the most potent of the inhibitors of sucrose-activated fictive feeding. Behavioral experiments on intact snails confirm the findings from in vitro experiments and show that hemoglobin prevents feeding and methylene blue significantly delays the onset of feeding. These results indicate (1) that NO is a putative chemosensory transmitter in the snail L. stagnalis, (2) that the NO-cGMP pathway can mediate chemosensory activation of specific patterns of centrally generated behavior, (3) that NO is not involved in transmission within the central network of neurons responsible for the behavior, and more generally (4) that a freely diffusing and highly reactive gaseous signalling molecule can have restricted and specific behavioral functions.
Distinct gene expression and secondary metabolite profiles for suboptimal mycorrhizal colonization in wild-type and the jasmonic acid deficient spr2 tomato mutant

A previous study with spr2 mutant tomato plants which are negatively affected in the synthesis of jasmonic acid (JA), suggested that JA regulates the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization via the control of carbon (C) partitioning. Although this and other studies have suggested the important positive role played by JA in the regulation of AMF root colonization in tomato plants, it is currently unclear how different host plant genetic backgrounds affect gene expression and secondary metabolites variation during JA-dependent mycorrhization. In this study, wild type and spr2 mutant tomato plants having “low”, “medium” and “high” mycorrhizal colonization with Rhizophagus irregularis, were analyzed independently using transcriptomic and untargeted metabolomic approaches. The results obtained revealed that the degree of mycorrhizal colonization efficiency could be associated with contrasting expression levels of certain key genes controlling gibberellin signaling, ethylene biosynthesis and signaling, and synthesis of apocarotenoids, phenylpropanoids and tomatine, in roots. Only a few wound responsive genes, including JA signaling and biosynthesis genes, such as Prosystemin and JAZ2 were found to influence AMF colonization. Conversely, a systemic and JA-dependent induction/ repression of genes different from those altered in roots was detected in leaves of mycorrhizal plants. The most significant changes in metabolite abundance were detected in roots with reduced AMF colonization. Included among the latter were metabolites known to be associated with important aspects of AMF symbiosis, such as signaling, nutrient exchange and modulation of pathogen defense response. Αlpha-tomatine levels appeared to be an important factor, whose abundance negatively correlated wit h AMF colonization levels in tomato, suggesting a regulatory role for JA in the synthesis of this metabolite during the AMF symbiosis.
Pseudorandom orbiting stroke for freeform optics postprocessing

Abstract. In addition to achieving a desired freeform profile, ensuring a superb micro-roughness finish is a key factor for successful freeform optics manufacturing. We present a pseudorandom orbiting stroke-based postprocessing technique that maintains freeform optic forms, while improving small-scale surface quality. The full-aperture tool can avoid subaperture effects, and the small stroke pseudorandom tool path guarantees the match of freeform profiles while preventing the directionality of the final surface profiles. Three independent experimental studies are designed, conducted, and presented for a wide range of optics, including magnetorheological finishing-polished BK7 glass, single-point diamond turned (SPDT) poly(methyl methacrylate), and SPDT Al6061 optics. The comparison of direct measured maps on the initial and final smoothed optics verifies the form maintenance capability of the freeform optics postprocessing technology. Surface roughness measurement highlights improvements in local surface roughness and periodic toolmark errors left by the previous polishing method.
Evaluating Actors' Promotion Behaviors for TV Series on Social Networks

Social networks are becoming more and more important promotion platforms for TV series. We research on the actors' promotion microbloggings of TV series. Some indexes are put forward to measure the influence of microbloggings and topic hotness. Pearson correlation coefficient and maximal information coefficient are used to verify the correlation between them. In addition, some measurements are provided on actors' promotion behaviors. Then actors' promotion behaviors are classified into ten promotion strategies by three promotion patterns including promotion period, promotion time and interaction mode. Afterwards, we use the propensity score matching method to evaluate the promotion effects for each promotion strategy. Further more, t-test is used to check the significance of the promotion effects. In the end, the balance diagnostics are taken to assess that the model has been adequately specified. So efficient promotion strategies are identified accurately.
Evaluating the Protective Role of Ascorbic Acid in Malathion-induced Testis Tissue Toxicity of Male Rats

Background: Malathion is one of organophosphate pesticides that is widely used in agriculture and crops to control insects. Malathion affects body organs such as the reproductive system by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase activity and induction of oxidative stress. This study is aimed to investigate the effects of malathion on glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in testis of male rats, as well as to study the protective role of Ascorbic Acid. Methods: In this study, 30 adult male Wistar rats weighing approximately 200–250 g were divided into 5 groups of 6 rats each. These groups include a control group (no intervention), sham (normal saline 0.9%), experimental Group 1 (malathion 50 mg/kg), experimental Group 2 (Malathion 50 mg/kg + Ascorbic Acid 200 mg/kg), and experimental Group 3 (Ascorbic Acid 200 mg/kg). Malathion, solvents, and ascorbic acid were injected intraperitoneally. After 6 weeks, all groups were anesthetized, and the right testis was used to measure levels of MDA and GSH. MDA as a marker of lipid peroxidation and GSH content was used. Results: The results showed that malathion increased MDA level and decreased GSH level compared with the control group (P < 0.001). It was also found that administration of malathion in combination with ascorbic acid reduced MDA level and increased the GSH level. Conclusions: Malathion-induced lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in the testis of rats. In addition, it seems that ascorbic acid, due to its antioxidant capabilities, can improve malathion-induced poisonous changes.
Time Stamp Algorithms for Runtime Parallelization of DOACROSS Loops with Dynamic Dependences

This paper presents a time stamp algorithm for runtime parallelization of general DOACROSS loops that have indirect access patterns. The algorithm follows the INSPECTOR/EXECUTOR scheme and exploits parallelism at a fine-grained memory reference level. It features a parallel inspector and improves upon previous algorithms of the same generality by exploiting parallelism among consecutive reads of the same memory element. Two variants of the algorithm are considered: One allows partially concurrent reads (PCR) and the other allows fully concurrent reads (FCR). Analyses of their time complexities derive a necessary condition with respect to the iteration workload for runtime parallelization. Experimental results for a Gaussian elimination loop, as well as an extensive set of synthetic loops on a 12-way SMP server, show that the time stamp algorithms outperform iteration-level parallelization techniques in most test cases and gain speedups over sequential execution for loops that have heavy iteration workloads. The PCR algorithm performs best because it makes a better trade-off between maximizing the parallelism and minimizing the analysis overhead. For loops with light or unknown iteration loads, an alternative speculative runtime parallelization technique is preferred.
Species delimitation and phylogeography of Abies delavayi complex: Inferred from morphological, molecular, and climatic data

The species delimitation within Abies delavayi complex, consisting of A. delavayi Franch. , A. fabri (Mast.) Craib, A. nukiangensis W. C. Cheng & L. K. Fu, and A. delavayi subsp. fansipanensis (Q. P. Xiang, L. K. Fu & Nan Li) Rushforth, has been a subject of long‐term dispute. We combined different lines of evidence, including morphological characters, population‐based mitochondrial DNA and chloroplast DNA sequences, and plastome data to assess its species delimitation. These four independent datasets revealed a consistent result that the four taxa of A. delavayi complex were hardly separated and could be regarded as one species. Our results further suggested that these four taxa might have experienced rapid morphological diversification, following a common expansion triggered by climate oscillations during the Pleistocene. In addition, we surveyed the phylogeographical history of A. delavayi complex as a whole based on ecological niche models and molecular data. These results consistently revealed that this high‐mountain fir complex had experienced glacial expansion and interglacial contraction. Therefore, we propose that A. delavayi complex probably has undergone the phalanx expansion model in response to climate change during the Quaternary. Such expansion patterns demand consideration when establishing conservation strategies for threatened fir species.
A Fuzzy Inference Model for Risk based Informed Decision-Making in e-Business

Since its invention, the web has considerably advanced and it now provides its users with sophisticated technologies and processes for facilitating interactions. This has enabled users to complete their tasks by efficient ways and in turn increase their productivity. But in such an environment, it is imperative for a user to make informed decisions in a proactive way by which it can achieve its aims and maximize its interaction experience. To achieve that, various approaches have been proposed by which a user can make an interaction-based decision in web-based ecommerce. But at the same time the notion of risk has been considerably ignored in that domain; even though it has been mentioned in the literature that risk plays an important part while decision-making in any domain. So in order to have such an analysis of risk while decision-making, in this paper we highlight the importance of risk and then propose a fuzzy inference model for assisting risk-based decision making in e-commerce business interactions.
Correlation between willing to smoking cessation and treatment outcome of health care workers in Thailandt.

OBJECTIVE Evaluate relationship between motivation and success rate to quit smoking in 59 health care workers. MATERIAL AND METHOD Prospective study of59 chest disease institute health care workers were assessed for motivation and enrolled into a program to quit smoking. Comprehensive counseling in combinations with a 3-months intake of drug varenicline" was used to help quit smoking. One-year follow-up was performed. RESULTS Fifty-two percent of volunteers had a quit ladder questionnaire result of more than or equal to 8 (set quit date). There was significant correlation between willing patients who are motivated (quit ladder questionnaire more than or equal to 8) and success rate of smoking cessation in two weeks after treatment (p = 0.010, RR 2.323, 95% confidence interval 1.144-4.714). Success rate of smoking cessation after start of treatment was as high as 47.5% and sustained to 40.7% in one year. CONCLUSION There was correlation between willingness and success in quitting. Varenicline help patients quit smoking.
Effective Marginal Tax Rates for Us Investors in Germany and Europe - an Analysis of Recent Tax Reforms in Germany

In this paper the impact of the corporate tax systems of the 15 EU-member states on the investment and the financing decision of an US multinational corporation is analysed. The calculation of the resulting effective marginal tax rates (EMTR) closely follow the model of King and Fullerton. There is not only a great variation among the EMTR in the EU-member states which can affect cross-border location, investment and financing decisions. Moreover, recent reform proposals in Germany are likely to have an impact both on investment patterns and financing decisions of US multinationals in Germany.
Mitochondrial glutathione peroxidase 4 disruption causes male infertility

Selenium is linked to male fertility. Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4), first described as an antioxidant enzyme, is the predominant selenoenzyme in testis and has been suspected of being vital for spermatogenesis. Cytosolic, mitochondrial, and nuclear isoforms are all encoded by the same gene. While disruption of entire GPx4 causes early embryonic lethality in mice, inactivation of nuclear GPx4 does not impair embryonic development or fertility. Here, we show that deletion of mitochondrial GPx4 (mGPx4) allows both normal embryogenesis and postnatal development, but causes male infertility. Infertility was associated with impaired sperm quality and severe structural abnormalities in the midpiece of spermatozoa. Knockout sperm display higher protein thiol content and recapitulate features typical of severe selenodeficiency. Interestingly, male infertility induced by mGPx4 depletion could be bypassed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. We also show for the first time that mGPx4 is the prevailing GPx4 product in male germ cells and that mGPx4 disruption has no effect on proliferation or apoptosis of germinal or somatic tissue. Our study finally establishes that mitochondrial GPx4 confers the vital role of selenium in mammalian male fertility and identifies cytosolic GPx4 as the only GPx4 isoform being essential for embryonic development and apoptosis regulation. —Schneider, M. , Forster, H. , Boersma, A. , Seiler, A. , Wehnes, H. , Sinowatz, F. , Neumüller, C. , Deutsch, M. J., Walch, A. , Hrabede Angelis, M. , Wurst, W. , Ursini, F. , Roveri, A. , Maleszewski, M. , Maiorino, M. Conrad, M. Mitochondrial glutathione peroxidase 4 disruption causes male infertility. FASEB J. 23, 3233–3242 (2009). www.fasebj. org
A Watermarking Scheme Using Code Division Multiple Access and DWT

Watermarking is a potential method for copyright protection and multimedia data authentication in the internet. The watermarking process can be considered as a communication task, where the watermarking acting like information embedded into a host image, which acts like noise in a communication channel susceptible to all kinds of attacks acting like as jamming. In this paper, a novel watermarking scheme using code division multiple access (CDMA) modulation is proposed to achieve a superior performance in terms of robustness and imperceptibility. In the proposed scheme, three watermark bits are modulated to five bits CDMA code. Then the CDMA code is embedded in the coefficients of a DWT domain. To explore the utility and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed scheme, simulations under various conditions are conducted. The empirical results show that our proposed scheme can stand up against most common attacks.
Financial Prediction Applications Using Quantum-Minimized Composite Model ASVR/NGARCH

Adaptive support vector regression (ASVR) applied to the forecast of complex time series is superior to the other traditional prediction methods. However, the effect of volatility clustering occurred in time-series actually deteriorates ASVR prediction accuracy. Therefore, incorporating nonlinear generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (NGARCH) model into ASVR is employed for dealing with the problem of volatility clustering to best fit the forecasts. Interestingly, quantum-based minimization algorithm is in this study fo proposed r tuning the resulting weighted-average between ASVR and NGARCH in such a way that the composite model ASVR/NGARCH can achieve the best accuracy of prediction. Quantum optimization here tackles so-called NP-completeness problem and outperforms real-coded genetic algorithm on the same problem due to the optimal or near-optimal weighted-values obtained over the search space.
Reconstructing blood from induced pluripotent stem cells

The direct reprogramming of human somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers exciting prospects for disease modelling and regenerative medicine. Several recent reports support the feasibility of generating various blood cell types from iPSCs through in vitro-directed differentiation. However, the derivation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) capable of long-term reconstitution of all hematopoietic lineages appears to be more challenging. These hurdles notwithstanding, cell engineering strategies aiming to correct genetic defects at the stem cell level are already emerging. Robust methodologies for the generation of definitive human HSCs conferring high-level, multilineage, long-term, hematopoietic reconstitution thus are direly needed before the therapeutic potential and safety of iPSC-derived cell products can be thoroughly investigated.
A lost invalidation checking scheme for transaction consistency in mobile environments

In mobile environments, caching frequently accessed data is a widely accepted approach because of reducing the need to gain data from servers and to demand scare resources. However, an efficient cache invalidation strategy is required to maintain cache consistent. To invalidate the cache, the servers broadcast invalidation reports synchronously or asynchronously. In mobile environments, mobile clients may lose invalidation reports due to voluntarily or involuntarily disconnection. Thus, in this paper, we proposed a scheme checking lost invalidations that allows clients to disconnect from the network and ensures not to lose them even if the clients are disconnected. To support the scheme, a designated home station of a client keeps the lost invalidation reports so that the client receives them when reconnecting. Experimental results show that our scheme improves slightly commit success rate in mobile environments.