Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STUDY ON PREDICTIVE MODELS RELATING PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES TO TEXTURE OF COOKED RICE AND THE APPLICATION IN RICE BLENDS

The reports about predictive model developed between textural properties and physicochemical parameters are insufficient, and the application and feasibility of predictive model in rice blend have not been reported. The purpose of our study was to determine the extent to which the physicochemical parameters can be used to predict the textural properties of cooked rice and to make analysis of the application and feasibility of predictive model in rice blends. The results showed that amylose content (AC), blue value (BV) and moisture content (MC) had significant correlation with textural properties and the principal component factor analysis results indicated that AC and MC were the first factor and BV was the second. The predictive models for estimating texture of cooked rice with high accuracy were developed, which were validated with acceptance for application in rice blends by conducting 95% confidence limits validation of Statistical Analysis System (SAS) procedure on simplex-lattice design rice blends. Also, the optimized predictive models could be extensively used in single rice cultivars as well as rice blends, which is helpful to improve the use of low-quality rice cultivars by blending high-quality and low-quality rice to meet the needs of consumers at relatively lower cost. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The reports about predictive model developed between textural properties and physicochemical parameters are insufficient, and the application and feasibility of predictive model in rice blend have not been reported. The application of this study lies in developing predictive models for estimating texture of cooked rice with high accuracy and further obtaining the optimized predictive models that could be extensively used in single rice cultivars as well as in rice blends. The findings can be utilized to improve the use of low-quality rice cultivars by blending high-quality and low-quality rice to meet the needs of consumers at relatively lower cost.
Synthetic DNA Vaccines: Improved Vaccine Potency by Electroporation and Co-Delivered Genetic Adjuvants

In recent years, DNA vaccines have undergone a number of technological advancements that have incited renewed interest and heightened promise in the field. Two such improvements are the use of genetically engineered cytokine adjuvants and plasmid delivery via in vivo electroporation (EP), the latter of which has been shown to increase antigen delivery by nearly 1000-fold compared to naked DNA plasmid delivery alone. Both strategies, either separately or in combination, have been shown to augment cellular and humoral immune responses in not only mice, but also in large animal models. These promising results, coupled with recent clinical trials that have shown enhanced immune responses in humans, highlight the bright prospects for DNA vaccines to address many human diseases.
From ML to C via Modula-3 an approach to teaching programming

types: Types can be defined in terms of permitted operations while keeping implementation details private. Static scoping: All identifiers are resolved at compile time. However, procedure execution can be controlled by pattern matching of arguments at run time. Type-safe exceptions: Exceptions allow procedures to return out-of-band results (often arising from abnormal conditions) to be communicated in a type-safe way.
Analysis of the dynamic and steady-state performance of Cockcroft-Walton cascade rectifiers

A detailed analysis, based on digital simulation, of the Cockcroft-Walton rectifier, including transient and steady-state voltages and currents on any component, was performed. It is shown that the numerical solution of the system may be effectively implemented by coupling the modified nodal approach formulation of the circuit equations with companion models and piecewise linear approximations of nonlinear elements. Good agreement between simulated and experimental results confirmed the validity of the proposed model/program. In the transient analysis it was shown that the start-up time of a Cockcroft-Walton rectifier is directly related to the number of stages, increasing as the number of stages increases. The output voltage regulation characteristics are worse for a larger number of stages. A study of the influence of an inductance in series with the voltage source showed that it may be chosen in such a way as to increase the output average voltage and improve its regulation. The analysis of this rectifier fed by a square-wave voltage source showed that, in this case, the output voltage regulation is improved. However, the output voltage overshoots and input current peaks are increased. <<ETX>>
Lipopolysaccharide Directly Stimulates the Intrapituitary Interleukin-6 Production by Folliculostellate Cells via Specific Receptors and the p38α Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase/Nuclear Factor-κB Pathway* *Supported by a grant from the DFG: Sta 285/7-3.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates the immune system and induces increases in peripheral cytokines, which, in turn, affect the endocrine system. In particular, LPS-induced cytokines stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to increase levels of antiinflammatory-acting glucocorticoids. In the present work, we show that LPS directly stimulates interleukin (IL)-6 release by mouse pituitary folliculostellate (FS) TtT/GF tumor cells and FS cells of mouse pituitary cell cultures. The stimulatory effect of LPS was strongly enhanced in the presence of serum, suggesting that LPS is only fully active as a complex with LPS-binding protein (LBP). Both TtT/GF cells and mouse pituitaries expressed CD14, which binds the LPS/LBP complex, and Toll-like receptor type 4, which induces LPS signals. LPS increased phospoinositol turnover in TtT/GF cells and induced phosphorylation of p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase and the inhibitor (IκB) of nuclear factor-κ B. Nuclear factor-κ B was activated by LPS i.
Characterization of a primitive erythropoietic progenitor found in mouse marrow before and after several weeks in culture.

The properties of a primitive mouse erythropoietic progenitor cell capable of macroscopic erythroid burst formation in methyl cellulose or agar have been studied. In assays of normal marrow. bursts that can achieve macroscopic size (approximately 1 cells/burst) constitute a minor proportion (30 % ) of all bursts present after a 2-wk incubation. When normal marrow is first cultured in flasks containing serum but no added erythropoietin (Ep). within 2 wk macroscopic burst progenitors become the predominant erythropoietic cell type. and within 1 wk progenitors of isolated erythroblast clusters (CFU-E) and small rapidly maturing bursts (day-3 BFU-E) are no longer detectable. The processes of formation and the compositions of macroscopic bursts from both normal and cultured marrow sources are identical. Macroscopic bursts have a late maturation pattern; in many, hemoglobinizing erythroblasts are not found until 1 2-1 4 days after plating. Macroscopic burst formation is greatly enhanced when pokeweed-mitogen-stimulated spleen-cell-conditioned medium (PWM-SCCM) is added to the assay culture, and this reduces the Ep requirement. However. even in the presence of PWM-SCCM the Ep requirement is high; it equals or exceeds the concentration of Ep required for late-maturing microscopic bursts. Morphologic analysis of 185 individual macroscopic bursts indicated that almost 90 % contained megakaryocytes as well as erythroid progeny. In replating experiments. all types of erythropoietic precursors were detected in varying numbers in 1 2-day-old macroscopic bursts. One of these actually gave rise to another two macroscopic bursts. and each of these contained megakaryocytes as well as erythroblasts. This confirms the extensive proliferative and bipotent differentiation capacities of macroscopic burst progenitors and suggests that they may also have self-renewal capabilities. Time course studies of the number of macroscopic burst progenitors present in the nonadherent fraction of marrow flask cultures showed these to be regularly and significantly increased after 2 wk. An association between the recovery of CFU-S and macroscopic burst progenitors was noted. These results indicate that macroscopic burst formation may provide a simple end point for identifying a primitive uncommitted hemopoietic progenitor cell in normal adult marrow. The availability of a culture system that permits the production of this cell type. but restricts its subsequent differentiation, should be useful in future studies of early hemopoietic differentiation events.
EULAR recommendations for women's health and the management of family planning, assisted reproduction, pregnancy and menopause in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and/or antiphospholipid syndrome

Objectives Develop recommendations for women's health issues and family planning in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Methods Systematic review of evidence followed by modified Delphi method to compile questions, elicit expert opinions and reach consensus. Results Family planning should be discussed as early as possible after diagnosis. Most women can have successful pregnancies and measures can be taken to reduce the risks of adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. Risk stratification includes disease activity, autoantibody profile, previous vascular and pregnancy morbidity, hypertension and the use of drugs (emphasis on benefits from hydroxychloroquine and antiplatelets/anticoagulants). Hormonal contraception and menopause replacement therapy can be used in patients with stable/inactive disease and low risk of thrombosis. Fertility preservation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues should be considered prior to the use of alkylating agents. Assisted reproduction techniques can be safely used in patients with stable/inactive disease; patients with positive antiphospholipid antibodies/APS should receive anticoagulation and/or low-dose aspirin. Assessment of disease activity, renal function and serological markers is important for diagnosing disease flares and monitoring for obstetrical adverse outcomes. Fetal monitoring includes Doppler ultrasonography and fetal biometry, particularly in the third trimester, to screen for placental insufficiency and small for gestational age fetuses. Screening for gynaecological malignancies is similar to the general population, with increased vigilance for cervical premalignant lesions if exposed to immunosuppressive drugs. Human papillomavirus immunisation can be used in women with stable/inactive disease. Conclusions Recommendations for women's health issues in SLE and/or APS were developed using an evidence-based approach followed by expert consensus.
Multisite Time-Series Studies Versus Cohort Studies: Methods, Findings, and Policy Implications

Time-series and cohort studies of air pollution on human health have advanced greatly our understanding of the effects of air pollution on health since the earliest studies. Availability of large national databases and progress in computational tools and statistical methods have made possible the estimation of national average pollution effects and the exploration of potential sources of heterogeneity in the effects of air pollution across countries or regions. Interpretation of the findings needs to account for several challenges, including confounding and the resolution of seemingly conflicting results from time-series and cohort studies. This article presents an overview of the time-series and cohort studies’ approaches for estimating the relative risk of mortality from particulate air pollution and discusses the statistical issues and challenges inherent in each of these studies. We also discuss policy relevant summaries in air pollution epidemiology, approaches for estimating the impact of particulate matter on mortality from time-series and cohort studies, and research opportunities under the National Medicare Cohort Study (NMCS).
Synthesis and Microbiological Investigation of Progesterone Derivatives

New derivatives of progesterone were synthesized by the reaction of progesterone with hydrazine and thiosemicarbazide then cyclized by using of ethylacetoacetate and ethylallylmalonate. The new compounds were characterized by using of Melting point and FT-IR spectroscopy. The new compounds were tested against selected types of gram positive and gram negative bacteria,and show encarge activity.
Effects of Additional Elements on Structure, Mechanical Strength and Chemical Properties of Ni-Free Ti-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses for Biomaterials

We started investigation of new Ti-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) alloys with higher glass forming ability (GFA) for dental implants for medical market. These Ti-based BMG alloys do not contain Ni, Al and Be elements which are well known to be harmful for human body. In particular, cylindrical rod specimens of newly designed Ti-based BMG alloys with produced by copper mold casting exhibit compressive strength of above 1800 MPa. Ti-based BMG alloys also have high corrosion resistance that is passivated at the lower passive current densities of approximately 10-2Am-2 in 1 mass% lactic acid, 10-2~10-3Am-2 in PBS (-) at 310K which are lower than those of pure Titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. These BMG alloys have high potentials to be applied as biomaterials in various forms, such as melt spun ribbons and cylindrical rods.
Approximating Orthogonal Matrices by Permutation Matrices

Abstract: Motivated in part by a problem of combinatorial optimization and in part by analogies with quantum computations, we consider approximations of orthogonal matrices U by “non-commutative convex combinations”A of permutation matrices of the type A = ∑ Aσσ, where σ are permutation matrices and Aσ are positive semidefinite n× n matrices summing up to the identity matrix. We prove that for every n×n orthogonal matrix U there is a non-commutative convex combination A of permutation matrices which approximates U entry-wise within an error of cn− 1 2 lnn and in the Frobenius norm within an error of c lnn. The proof uses a certain procedure of randomized rounding of an orthogonal matrix to a permutation matrix.
Synchronization detection in networks of coupled oscillators for pattern recognition

Coupled oscillator-based networks are an attractive approach for implementing hardware neural networks based on emerging nanotechnologies. However, the readout of the state of a coupled oscillator network is a difficult challenge in hardware implementations, as it necessitates complex signal processing to evaluate the degree of synchronization between oscillators, possibly more complicated than the coupled oscillator network itself. In this work, we focus on a coupled oscillator network particularly adapted to emerging technologies, and evaluate two schemes for reading synchronization patterns that can be readily implemented with basic CMOS circuits. Through simulation of a simple generic coupled oscillator network, we compare the operation of these readout techniques with a previously proposed full statistics evaluation scheme. Our approaches provide results nearly identical to the mathematical method, but also show better resilience to moderate noise, which is a major concern for hardware implementations. These results open the door to widespread realization of hardware coupled oscillator-based neural systems.
A dynamic clustering algorithm for building overlapping clusters

Clustering is a Data Mining technique which has been widely used in many practical applications. In some of these applications like, medical diagnosis, categorization of digital libraries, topic detection and others, the objects could belong to more than one cluster. However, most of the clustering algorithms generate disjoint clusters. Moreover, processing additions, deletions and modifications of objects in the clustering built so far, without having to rebuild the clustering from the beginning is an issue that has been little studied. In this paper, we introduce DCS, a clustering algorithm which includes a new graph-cover strategy for building a set of clusters that could overlap, and a strategy for dynamically updating the clustering, managing multiple additions and/or deletions of objects. The experimental evaluation conducted over different collections demonstrates the good performance of the proposed algorithm.
Enhancement of Palmarumycin C12 and C13 Production in Liquid Culture of the Endophytic Fungus Berkleasmium sp. Dzf12 by Oligosaccharides from Its Host Plant Dioscorea zingiberensis

Three crude oligosaccharides were respectively prepared by acid hydrolysis of three polysaccharides, which were water-extracted polysaccharide (WEP), sodium hydroxide-extracted polysaccharide (SEP) and acid-extracted polysaccharide (AEP) from the rhizomes of Dioscorea zingiberensis. Among the three oligosaccharides, the crude oligosaccharide prepared by acid hydrolysis of WEP was found to be the most efficient elicitor to enhance the production of palmarumycins C12 and C13 in liquid culture of endophytic fungus Berkleasmium sp. Dzf12. When OW was applied to the medium at 300 mg/L on day 3 of culture, the maximal yields of palmarumycin C12 (87.96 mg/L) and palmarumycin C13 (422.28 mg/L) were achieved on day 15 of culture, which were 9.83 and 3.24-fold in comparison with those (8.95 and 130.43 mg/L) of control, respectively. The results indicate that addition of the oligosaccharides from the host plant D. zingiberensis should be an effective strategy for enhancing production of palmarumycins C12 and C13 in liquid culture of endophytic fungus Berkleasmium sp. Dzf12.
Critical Role for Env as well as Gag-Pol in Control of a Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus 89.6P Challenge by a DNA Prime/Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Vaccine

ABSTRACT Cellular immune responses against epitopes in conserved Gag and Pol sequences of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 have become popular targets for candidate AIDS vaccines. Recently, we used a simian-human immunodeficiency virus model (SHIV 89.6P) with macaques to demonstrate the control of a pathogenic mucosal challenge by priming with Gag-Pol-Env-expressing DNA and boosting with Gag-Pol-Env-expressing recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA). Here we tested Gag-Pol DNA priming and Gag-Pol rMVA boosting to evaluate the contribution of anti-Env immune responses to viral control. The Gag-Pol vaccine raised frequencies of Gag-specific T cells similar to those raised by the Gag-Pol-Env vaccine. Following challenge, these rapidly expanded to counter the challenge infection. Despite this, the control of the SHIV 89.6P challenge was delayed and inconsistent in the Gag-Pol-vaccinated group and all of the animals underwent severe and, in most cases, sustained loss of CD4+ cells. Interestingly, most of the CD4+ cells that were lost in the Gag-Pol-vaccinated group were uninfected cells. We suggest that the rapid appearance of binding antibody for Env in Gag-Pol-Env-vaccinated animals helped protect uninfected CD4+ cells from Env-induced apoptosis. Our results highlight the importance of immune responses to Env, as well as to Gag-Pol, in the control of immunodeficiency virus challenges and the protection of CD4+ cells.
Characteristics of acoustic scattering from a double-layered micro shell for encapsulated drug delivery

This work examines the characteristic differences in acoustic scattering between air-filled double-layered encapsulating (DLE) shells and air-filled single-layered encapsulating (SLE) shells. The analysis shows that the presence of an outer layer softer than the inner layer results in a shift of the first monopole of the reflectivity-frequency response to a higher frequency and a reduction in the monopole peak; and it leads to a frequency-separation of the two dipoles that trace the monopole. The frequency shift and the peak reduction of the monopole and the frequency separation of the two dipoles all increase with the increasing thickness of the softer outer layer. The numerical results reveal that variations in the Lame constant of the model material for the protein albumin have little effect on the low-frequency scattering characteristics, while they affect the high-frequency scattering characteristics significantly. The authors have shown that this phenomenon is due to the fact that the model material for the protein albumin has a Lame constant substantially larger than its shear modulus. Their further numerical studies conclude that, for each DLE shell, one can construct an equivalent SLE shell, using a simple scheme originated from the mechanics of composite materials in the sense that the so-constructed SLE shell has essentially the same acoustic scattering characteristics as the DLE shell within a low frequency range.
Prostaglandin Inhibition Prevents the Fall in Pulmonary Vascular Resistance as a Result of Rhythmic Distension of the Lungs in Fetal Lambs

ABSTRACT: Prostaglandins (PG) are vasoactive factors involved in the regulation of pulmonary vascular resistance at birth. However, their physiologic importance is unclear. We hypothesized that PG are important regulators of pulmonary vascular resistance during static and rhythmic distension of the lungs. To test this hypothesis, we studied seven near-term fetal lambs treated with meclofenamate (a PG synthetase inhibitor) and six controls. The fetal lambs were instrumented on a long-term basis with vascular catheters to measure pulmonary arterial pressures, left atrial pressures, and pulmonary blood flow (radionuclide-labeled microsphere method). The fetal airway was intubated, and the ductus arteriosus wall was infiltrated with formalin to assure full patency during the study period. Pulmonary vascular resistance was calculated during baseline and during sequential in utero static distension of the fetal lungs, rhythmic distension, and ventilation with oxygenation. We found that during rhythmic distension, inhibition of PG synthesis abolished the 4-fold decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance seen in the control group. In contrast, during static distension, pulmonary vascular resistance did not change in either group, and during ventilation with oxygenation, pulmonary vascular resistance decreased 12-fold in both groups. We conclude that PG are important regulators of pulmonary vascular resistance during rhythmic distension but are not essential for the regulation of pulmonary vascular resistance during static distension or during ventilation with oxygenation.
LiquiTouch: liquid as a medium for versatile tactile feedback on touch surfaces

On interactive surfaces such as touch screens, tabletops or interactive walls, the addition of active tactile feedback has been shown to greatly improve user performance and subjective evaluation of the interaction. However, common electromechanical solutions to enable tactile stimuli on flat touch displays entail the use of costly, complex and cumbersome actuator technology. This especially holds true for solutions which try to address the full complexity of our sense of touch, i.e. our ability to experience warmth, coolness, pressure, stickiness or smoothness. In this paper, we propose the use of liquid as a medium for versatile tactile feedback. We present LiquiTouch, a first prototype which emits actively generated water jets in order to communicate state, function and material properties of virtual touchscreen elements. We discuss the design implications and illustrate the potentials of using liquid to enrich and improve the interaction with touch surfaces.