Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF ENHANCED EXTERNAL COUNTER PULSATION ON PLASMA LEVEL OF NITRIC OXIDE AND VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR

Abstract BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction contributes to the manifestation of stable and unstable coronary syndromes in patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD). Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive therapeutic modality for patients with CAD, non responsive to medical and/or surgical treatment. The aim of this research was to determine the long-term effect of EECP on endothelial function via releasing angiogenic factors, NO (nitric oxide) and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), in patients with CAD. METHODS : The study was performed on 19 consecutive patients with ischemic coronary artery disease. All subjects were treated with EECP 1-h per day, 5 days a week, over 7 weeks (totally 35 h). Serum level of VEGF and nitrite (stable NO metabolite) concentration was measured before EECP, after 24th day, at the end of course (35th day), and at 1 and 3 months after completion of EECP treatment. RESULTS: After 35 hours of EECP, there was a trend toward increase (31.5 ± 14.7%) in nitrite level compared with baseline (11.12±3.17vs 9.65±1.36mg/L) but it wasn’t significant. Results of 1and 3 month follow-up after treatment showed that, the nitrite levels significantly increased compared with the baseline. During the course of EECP therapy, plasma VEGF levels increased progressively . Significant increase in plasma levels of VEGF were began from second sampling session of our study (24th day) and reached to maximum 3 month after EECP therapy. CONCLUSION: In this prospective study that assessed the effects of EECP on plasma nitrite and VEGF levels, it has been demonstrated that EECP progressively increases nitrite and VEGF levels during the course of therapy. These significant changes continued 3 months after EECP therapy.
Shape-memory alloys: effective 3D modelling, computational aspects and design of devices

The employment of shape-memory alloys (SMA) in a large number of applications in many fields of engineering, among which biomedical engineering, has been the motivation for an increasing interest in the direction of a correct and exhaustive modelling of their macroscopic behaviour in order to construct reliable simulation tools, which can be successfully used in the design procedures of SMA devices. In this paper, we review a robust three-dimensional model giving a good description of pseudo-elastic and shape-memory behaviours and we use it for the development of a new design procedure of SMA micro-actuators. Starting from a SMA micro-device proposed in the literature, we then adopt such a procedure to design a new effective variant of micro-gripper.
Formation and properties of the whey protein/κ-casein complexes in heated skim milk — A review

The formation of complexes between whey proteins and κ-casein during heat treatment of milk dramatically affects the protein organisation in both the colloidal casein and the serum phases of milk and consequently, its technological applications. This paper reviews the composition and building interactions of these complexes and their localisation between the casein micelle and lactoserum. The currently proposed mechanisms that lead to their formation are also presented. The physico-chemical properties of these complexes, in terms of structure, size and surface properties are described and the technological means by which these properties could be controlled are discussed. Finally, the current hypotheses that explain the functional properties of these complexes in the heat-induced changes of dairy applications are reviewed, with emphasis on acid gelation of milk.Abstract/κ-/κ-RésuméLa formation de complexes entre les protéines sériques et la caséine κ au cours du traitement thermique du lait modifie profondément l’organisation des protéines dans la phase caséine micellaire et dans le lactosérum, et par conséquent ses aptitudes technologiques. Cet article fait l’état de l’art de la composition, des interactions impliquées dans les complexes et de leur localisation entre caséine micellaire et lactosérum. Les mécanismes actuellement proposés pour décrire la formation de ces complexes sont présentés. Les propriétés physico-chimiques des complexes, telles que leur structure, leur taille et leurs propriétés de surface, sont décrites et les moyens technologiques permettant de moduler ces propriétés sont discutés. Enfin, les hypothèses actuellement proposées pour expliquer les propriétés fonctionnelles des complexes au cours des procédés de transformation du lait sont exposées, avec une attention particulière pour la gélification acide du lait.
Phase-space structure analysis of self-gravitating collisionless spherical systems

In the mean field limit, isolated gravitational systems often evolve towards a steady state through a violent relaxation phase. One question is to understand the nature of this relaxation phase, in particular the role of radial instabilities in the establishment/destruction of the steady profile. Here, through a detailed phase-space analysis based both on a spherical Vlasov solver, a shell code, and a N-body code, we revisit the evolution of collisionless self-gravitating spherical systems with initial power-law density profiles ρ(r) ∝ rn, 0 ≤ n ≤ −1.5, and Gaussian velocity dispersion. Two sub-classes of models are considered, with initial virial ratios η = 0.5 (“warm”) and η = 0.1 (“cool”). Thanks to the numerical techniques used and the high resolution of the simulations, our numerical analyses are able, for the first time, to show the clear separation between two or three well-known dynamical phases: (i) the establishment of a spherical quasi-steady state through a violent relaxation phase during which the phase-space density displays a smooth spiral structure presenting a morphology consistent with predictions from self-similar dynamics, (ii) a quasi-steady-state phase during which radial instabilities can take place at small scales and destroy the spiral structure but do not change quantitatively the properties of the phase-space distribution at the coarse grained level, and (iii) relaxation to a non-spherical state due to radial orbit instabilities for n ≤ −1 in the cool case.
The Effect of Cloud Ear Fungus (Auricularia polytricha) on Serum Total Cholesterol, LDL And HDL Levels on Wistar Rats Induced by Reused Cooking Oil

The usage of reused cooking oil affects the increase of serum total cholesterol (TC) and LDL, also the decrease of serum HDL. This condition escalates the risk of atherosclerosis, which could lead to the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cloud ear fungus is a natural antioxidant that contains polysaccharides, flavonoids, niacin, and vitamin C, which can improve the lipid profiles. Objective of this research is to analyze the impact of water from boiled cloud ear fungus on total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL level of Wistar rats that have been given reused cooking oil. This study is a true experimental research with post test only control group design, using 12 weeks-aged male Wistar rats (n = 24) that were randomly divided into 4 groups. K1 as the negative control, K2 was given reused cooking oil and standard diet, K3 was given water from boiled cloud ear fungus and standard diet, and K4 was given reused cooking oil, water from boiled cloud ear fungus and standard diet. Serum total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL levels were measured by the CHOD-PAP method after 28 days treatment. The study showed that TC mean value of K1 (80.2217 ± 3.61 mg / dL), K2 (195.8483 ± 5.47 mg / dL), K3 (75.5800 ± 4.02 mg / dL), and K4 (110.8683 ± 5.82 mg / dL); p = 0.000. LDL mean value of K1 (29.9200 ± 1.53 mg / dL), K2 (78.4167 ± 1.77 mg / dL), K3 (24.3167 ± 1.77 mg / dL), and K4 (40, 1617 ± 2.84 mg / dL); p = 0.000. HDL mean value of K1 (65.8950 ± 1.99 mg / dL), K2 (24.3233 ± 1.44 mg / dL), K3 (73.2300 ± 1.92 mg / dL), and K4 (54, 9550 ± 2.04 mg / dL); p= 0.000. Conclusion: Water from boiled cloud ear fungus decreases the serum total cholesterol and LDL, 06006 increases serum HDL levels of Wistar rats that has been given reused cooking oil.
Source capacity during flowering affects grain yield of amaranth (Amaranthus sp.)

Amaranth is a promising C4-crop. However, for a wider spread of the crop a better understanding of factors that are influencing yield formation is crucial for optimizing the plant phenotype and enhancing yield. The present study wanted to clarify the effects of assimilate sources and sinks on yield formation by artificially altering source or sink size. Field experiments were conducted in Eastern Austria during three years with three genotypes, applying source-sink manipulation treatments at mid flowering (control, 50% of inflorescence removed, 50% or 100% of leaves removed). At maturity we measured shoot, inflorescence and grain dry matter, thousand kernel mass and number of seeds per plant. An average grain yield level of about 3.5 t/ha dry matter on control plots indicated favorable growth conditions for amaranth in general. The removal of all leaves had a strong detrimental effect on all parameters, but severity of yield reduction due to defoliation differed between genotypes, ranging from –49% to –73%. Contrastingly, 50% flower reduction did not have any significant effects. Also with 50% defoliation no significant yield reduction was observed. We conclude that source strength of amaranth during flowering is more yield limiting than its sink capacity.
Shock Wave Speed and Transient Response of PE Pipe with Steel-Mesh Reinforcement

A steel mesh can improve the tensile strength and stability of a polyethylene (PE) pipe in a water supply pipeline system. However, it can also cause more severe water hammer hazard due to increasing wave speed. In order to analyze the influence of the steel mesh on the shock wave speed and transient response processes, an improved wave speed formula is proposed by incorporating the equivalent elastic modulus. A field measurement validates the wave speed formula. Moreover, the transient wave propagation and extreme pressures are simulated and compared by the method of characteristics (MOC) for reinforced PE pipes with various steel-mesh densities. Results show that a steel mesh can significantly increase the shock wave speed in a PE pipe and thus can cause severe peak pressure and hydraulic surges in a water supply pipeline system. The proposed wave speed formula can more reasonably evaluate the wave speed and improve the transient simulation of steel-mesh-reinforced PE pipes.
Empirical Study On The Performances Of Black-Scholes Model For Evaluating European Options

In this study we aim at analyzing the way the model Black-Scholes works in practice. The data used for analysis refer to European-type call options having as supportassets the CAC-40 money-market index. Our approach will be structured in two parts. The first will be dedicated to an estimate of daily implicit volatilities, which is of those values of volatilities which, once applied in the Black-Scholes evaluation formula, minimize the sum of square errors given by the model. Once this problem is solved, we will analyze the relationship existing between implicit volatility moneyness and due term of options, that is the so-called volatility smile. The second part of the study will have as core the analysis of errors provided by the Black-Scholes model, which will be studied, given moneyness and due-term of options.
Inverse Problem and a New Device to Estimate Thermal Conductivity of Composite Phase Change Material

A new experimental device has been developed in order to characterize the phase change material (PCM) thermal properties (thermal conductivity k, sensible and latent heat thermal energy storage, cp and Lf) in the solid phase, during the solid-liquid transition and in the liquid phase. It allows to measure cylindrical samples of maximum 60 mm radius and 10 mm thick. A typical measurement consists in imposing a vertical temperature gradient through the PCM sample driven by a heat source, monitoring during the experiment time all the boundary conditions (temperatures and heat fluxes) and measuring temperature evolution in three locations within the PCM sample. In this work, we will focus only on the solid thermal conductivity characterization. These experiment data are used to solve the inverse heat conduction problem by applying the conjugate gradient method and finally, to determine the PCM thermal properties. Two types of composite PCM have been thermally characterized: paraffin mixed with synthetic graphite (Timrex SFG75) and paraffin mixed with graphite waste.
Numerical Characterization of Bistatic Scattering from PEC Cylinder Partially Embedded in a Dielectric Rough Surface Interface: Horizontal Polarization

Scattering from a two-dimensional (2-D) perfectly electri- cally conducting (PEC) cylinder partially embedded in a random di- electric rough surface interface is studied using the method of moments (MoM) with pulse basis functions and the point matching technique, for the case of horizontal polarization. The random rough surface is modeled using Gaussian statistical characteristic for the rough surface height and surface correlation function, and generated by the spectral- method. The tapered plane-wave incidence is used to avoid artificial edge diffraction due to the truncation of the rough surface into finite- length rough surface in the numerical simulations. With the developed algorithms, the interactions between the dielectric rough surface and the partially buried PEC cylinder are investigated using the Monte Carlo simulation, and are expressed as a function of the root mean square (rms) height of a random dielectric rough surface and the mois- ture content of the soil. The numerical results show that the bistatic scattering coefficients are dependent upon the moisture content, the rms height of a rough surface, and other parameters.
Optimal time-consistent fiscal policy under endogenous growth with elastic labour supply

In an endogenous growth model with public consumption and investment and an elastic labour supply, we explore the time-consistent optimal choice for two policy instruments: an income tax rate and the split of government spending between consumption and investment. We compare the Markovian optimal policy with the Ramsey policy, extending previous works that characterized optimal fiscal policy either in an exogenous growth framework, assuming an exogenously given split of income between consumption and investment, or an inelastic supply of labour. The Markov-perfect policy implies a higher income tax rate. To compensate for the lower disposable income, a larger proportion of government spending is allocated to consumption than those chosen under a commitment constraint on the part of the government. As a result, economic growth is slightly lower under the Markov-perfect policy than under the Ramsey policy. The welfare loss relative to the benevolent planner’s solution is mainly due to the difference in growth rates.
Welfare Effects of Taxation of Income from Capital

The paper by Jayasri Dutta, James Sefton and Martin Weale presents an evaluation of the impact of capital income taxation in the United Kingdom. A general equilibrium model with overlapping generations is first set out and then calibrated using the British Household Panel Survey. The model is used to simulate the effects of changes in capital taxation. Simulations show that the tax has the expected effect of reducing aggregate wealth and thus the capital stock and gross domestic product. Moreover, since the model is able to represent the heterogeneity in households (especially by age groups), it allows identifying the households which benefit from a particular tax structure. Simulations show that a tax on capital income raises the consumption level and the income of the young and reduces those of the elderly. Simulations also allow drawing some general considerations regarding the welfare effects of taxing capital income, as has been the case in the UK since the 1930s. The result is that young people are better off in the presence of a capital income tax compared with a situation where capital income is not taxed.
Post-Coital Sperm Competence in Polygamous Animals: The Role of SpermTraits in SpeciesÃ¢ÂÂSpecific Strategies

In some species, the females may mate with more than one male. In these polygamous animals, both pre-coital and post-coital strategies are required for reproductive success. This mini review aims at providing an update of the role of sperm traits in species–specific strategies for post-coital sperm competence. According to the spermcompetition theory, in such species the reproductive success of the males then depends upon both the magnitude of inter-male rivalry and covert sperm competition. The number of inseminated sperm, the percentage of sperm without morphological abnormalities in the ejaculates, and the sperm velocity variables play a significant role in sperm competition. Therefore, males that transfer more sperm per ejaculate or who copulate more often, are more likely to sire offspring. The transfer of large numbers of sperm is also guaranteed by ejaculates with high sperm concentrations. Usually, males of polygamous species have large testes and produce ejaculates with high sperm concentrations. Sperm competition acts as a selective force driving evolutionary change in sperm morphology and function. The degree of sperm pleiomorphy shown by a species varies according to the degree of sperm competition its behaviour entails. For example, the ejaculates of very polygamous species have much more homogenous sperm with lower sperm abnormalities. Finally, recent studies in birds have shown that the straight-line velocity (VSL) value, the most accurate estimate of sperm cell velocity, is of great importance in competition scenarios. Thus, sperm with a higher VSL affords a male fertilization advantages over his rivals.
Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It.

is that the increasingprevalence ofobesity follows inexorably from the pairing ofhuman biology with the "toxic environment" created by present­day eating and exercise patterns. Much ofthe book is devoted todescribing this environment and the force-likenedto that ofatsunami-withwhich it shapes public health.In Part 1(Chapters I to 3), the authors make the casethat changing the toxic environment is the most effectiveapproach for halting the spread ofthe global obesity epidemic.They argue that our hunter-gatherpast has given us a metabolismtuned to storing calories in times ofplenty while modernagriculture provides many with perpetual caloric plenty. In theirview, changing the food environment will be both easier andmore successful than changing human biology.Part 2 (Chapters 4 to 9) presents and discusses details ofthe American food and exercise environment. Chapter topicsinclude barriers to exercise (4), the influence ofmarketingdirected to children (5), junk food in schools (6 and 7),expanding p011ion sizes (8), and economic incentives for overconsumption (9). Evidence from many countries, especiallyCanada and the UK, is compared and contrasted with USexamples.
How the sensory experience of buildings can contribute to wellbeing and productivity

Buildings should have productive environments that contribute to occupant wellbeing. An important aspect of this is how the user experiences the building through the full range of their senses. This paper reviews the current understanding of wellbeing and productivity as reported in published papers to examine how they relate to comfort and sensory design. It explores the idea that comfort is just one aspect of wellbeing and productivity. Designing for wellbeing and productivity gives a greater range of possible design solutions than designing for comfort alone.
Linkage Strategies, Resource Conditions and University Performance

This study sought to contribute to knowledge by assessing the moderating effect of resource conditions on the relationship between linkage strategies and performance of universities in Kenya. Resource based view was used as the main theory anchoring the study. Cross-Sectional survey was adopted as the research design. The population of the study consists of sixty five (65) public and private universities incorporated in Kenya. Out of this, a sample of forty seven (47) universities which had undergone at least one graduation cycle was taken. Primary and secondary data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and review of existing university documents and regulatory bodies’ websites respectively. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out to analyse data and to test hypotheses. Although it was not possible to include all the determinants of institutional performance, balanced score card was appropriately used to represent financial and non-financial aspects that constitute performance indicators. It was established that resource conditions have enhancing moderating effect on the relationship between linkage strategies and university performance in Kenya. The significance of firm resources and linkage components in strategy formulation and implementation cannot be overlooked. The key recommendation that the study offers as insights to theory, university authorities and policy makers, is the need to consider firm resource conditions as critical determinants during strategy formulation and implementation process in order to enhance university performance. The main limitation of this study is that primary data was collected from only one respondent per university but common methods bias was mitigated through the use of additional secondary data to validate primary data.
The magnetic field of Betelgeuse: a local dynamo from giant convection cells?

Context. Betelgeuse is an M supergiant with a complex and extended atmosphere, which also harbors spots and giant granules at its surface. A possible magnetic field could contribute to the mass loss and to the heating of the outer atmosphere. Aims. We observed Betelgeuse, to directly study and infer the nature of its magnetic field. Methods. We used the new-generation spectropolarimeter NARVAL and the least square deconvolution (LSD) method to detect circular polarization within the photospheric absorption lines of Betelgeuse. Results. We have unambiguously detected a weak Stokes V signal in the spectral lines of Betelgeuse, and measured the related surface-averaged longitudinal magnetic field B l at 6 different epochs over one month. The detected longitudinal field is about one Gauss and is apparently increasing on the time scale of our observations. Conclusions. This work presents the first direct detection of the magnetic field of Betelgeuse. This magnetic field may be associated to the giant convection cells that could enable a "local dynamo".