Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrikinetic studies of food bioactive compounds: from in vitro to in vivo approaches

ABSTRACT Poor absorption is an important cause of costly late-stage failures in functional food development, and therefore, it has become widely appreciated that pharmacokinetic parameters should be considered as early as possible in the functional food development process. In many cases, the molecular structure of bioactive ingredients is known, but information is lacking on how they interact with other food components, what their fate is upon consumption, what they do in the body and what their target site is. This information is of major importance, as the biological effects of food bioactive compounds (CBAs) are ultimately determined by their bioavailability and their temporal and spatial distribution in the body. In this chapter, we propose the phases to perform nutrikinetic studies of food CBAs from the simplest in vitro assays, applicable in early stages of the development of a functional food, to human intervention studies, which are required by the European Food Safety Authority and are aimed to establish the dose–exposure relationship (pharmacokinetic studies) and at last the exposure–response relationship (pharmacodynamic studies).
Restrictive lung disease is an independent predictor of exercise intolerance in the adult with congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Following repair of congenital heart disease (CHD), adult patients are at risk for reduced exercise capacity. Restrictive lung disease (RLD) may contribute to reduced exercise capacity in this population. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of RLD and its impact on exercise tolerance in the adult with CHD. METHODS One hundred consecutive adult patients with CHD, who underwent routine cardiopulmonary exercise testing with spirometry, were evaluated. Clinical data were obtained by retrospective chart review. RESULTS Patients from 10 major diagnostic groups were identified. The median age for the cohort was 31 years (range 18-63) and included 43 males and 57 females. Most patients, 79%, had at least one previous surgical procedure. Based on spirometry and flow/volume loops, 50 patients were classified as normal pulmonary function, 44 patients had patterns suggestive of RLD, 4 suggestive of mixed (obstructive and restrictive), and 2 indeterminate. Risk factors associated with RLD include history of multiple thoracotomies (odds ratio = 9.01, P =.05) and history of atrial arrhythmias (odd ratio = 4.25, P =.05). Overall, 56% of the patients had abnormal exercise capacity. Spirometry suggestive of RLD was a significant risk factor for decreased exercise capacity (odds ratio = 3.65, P =.03). Patients with spirometry suggesting RLD also had lower exercise duration (P =.004) and a higher New York Heart Association Functional Class (P =.02). History of previous surgery and decreased heart rate reserve were also significant risk factors for decreased exercise capacity. CONCLUSION Abnormal spirometry suggestive of RLD is common in the adult with CHD and is a significant risk factor for decreased exercise tolerance in this population. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between RLD and exercise intolerance and its relationship to mortality in the adult with CHD.
P3HT:PCBM, Best Seller in Polymer Photovoltaic Research

In the field of polymer‐based photovoltaic cells, poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and 1‐(3‐methoxycarbonyl)propyl‐1‐phenyl[6,6]C61 (PCBM) are, to date, the most‐studied active materials around the world for the bulk‐heterojunction structure. Various power‐conversion efficiencies are reported up to approximately 5%. This Research News article is focused on a survey of the tremendous literature published between 2002 and 2010 that exhibits solar cells based on blends of P3HT and PCBM.
Are Shorter Work Hours Good for the Environment? A Comparison of U.S. and European Energy Consumption

European employees work fewer hours per year, and use less energy per person, than their American counterparts. This article compares the European and U.S. models of labor productivity, supply, and energy consumption. It finds that if employees in the EU-15 worked as many hours as those in the United States, they would consume at least 15 percent more energy. This aspect of the debate over Europe's economic model reaches globally. Over the coming decades, developing countries will decide how to make use of their increasing productivity. If, by 2050, the world works as do Americans, total energy consumption could be 15 to 30 percent higher than it would be if following a more European model. Translated directly into higher carbon emissions, this could mean an additional 1 to 2 degrees Celsius in global warming.
Managing Relational Exchanges

The authors propose an analytic model that deals with both behavioral considerations between exchange partners and the determination of relational marketing efforts over time. On the basis of the behavioral marketing literature, they consider three main factors that drive the levels of relational commitments between two exchange partners: the trust/distrust component, the opportunism component, and the relational marketing effort of the seller. Incorporating these factors in a well-known model used in appliedmathematics for “love dynamics,” the authors claim that the issue of managing relational exchanges is an optimal control problem. Their analysis shows that the seller’s optimal policy for determining relational marketing effort over time is either time-invariant or time-variant, depending on whether or not the exchange partners are conservative and the structural and contextual environment of the relationship remains unchanged over time.
Good temperature coefficient of frequency SAW resonator on a SiO2/Al/LiNbO3 structure

This paper describes a good temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator on a SiO<inf>2</inf>/Al/LiNbO<inf>3</inf> structure. We studied the dependence of TCF and electromechanical coupling factor (K<sup>2</sup>) of shear-horizontal (SH) SAW on the SiO<inf>2</inf> thickness, where the SiO<inf>2</inf> shape control technique is applied to suppress spurious responses caused by Rayleigh-mode. As the results, we could realize high performance SAW resonator having moderate K<sup>2</sup> (8%) and zero TCF with complete suppression of the Rayleigh-mode spurious response. It was demonstrated that the SiO<inf>2</inf> shape control technique is effective for suppression of the Rayleigh-mode spurious response in the SAW resonator using the SiO<inf>2</inf>/Al/LiNbO<inf>3</inf> structure with wide range of SiO<inf>2</inf> thicknesses. We also revealed applicability of the SiO<inf>2</inf>/Al/LiNbO<inf>3</inf> structure to SAW duplexers with narrow duplex gap.
Nuclear Receptor Dax-1 Represses the Transcriptional Cooperation Between GATA-4 and SF-1 in Sertoli Cells1

Abstract A crucial step in mammalian sex differentiation is the regression of the Müllerian ducts in males. This is achieved through the action of Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS), a key hormone produced by fetal Sertoli cells. Proper spatiotemporal expression of the MIS gene requires the concerted action of several transcription factors that include Sox9, SF-1, WT-1, GATA-4, and Dax-1. Indeed, SF-1 contributes to MIS gene expression by transcriptionally cooperating with other factors such as GATA-4 and WT-1. Dax-1 is coexpressed with SF-1 in many tissues, including the gonads, where it acts as a negative modulator of SF-1-dependent transcription. We now report that Dax-1 can repress MIS transcription in Sertoli cells by disrupting transcriptional synergism between GATA-4 and SF-1. Dax-1-mediated repression of GATA-4/SF-1 synergism did not involve direct repression of GATA-dependent transactivation, but rather, it occurred through a direct protein-protein interaction with DNA-bound SF-1. It is interesting that SF-1, Dax-1, and GATA factors are coexpressed in several tissues such as the pituitary, the adrenals, and the gonads. Because we have shown that other GATA family members also have the ability to synergize with SF-1, Dax-1 repression of GATA/SF-1 synergism may represent an important mechanism for fine-tuning the regulation of SF-1-dependent genes in multiple target tissues.
Author ' s personal copy Temporal and spatial relations in sentential reasoning

The mental model theory postulates that the meanings of assertions, and knowledge about their context can modulate the logical meaning of sentential connectives, such as ‘‘if’’ and ‘‘or’’. One known effect of modulation is to block the representation of possibilities to which a proposition refers. But, modulation should also add relational information, such as temporal order, to models of possibilities. Three experiments tested this prediction. Experiment 1 showed that individuals spontaneously matched the tense of their conclusions (in Portuguese) to embody implied, but unexpressed, temporal relations in conditional premises. Experiment 2 demonstrated the same phenomenon in inferences from disjunctions. Experiment 3 showed that the number of such implicit relations in inferences from conditionals affects both accuracy and the speed of reasoning. These results support the modulation hypothesis. 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Effect of textile materials on wearable antenna performance: a case study of GPS antennas

Recently, textile antennas have been presented in international conferences. These studies have demonstrated that fabrics are suitable for microstrip antenna substrates. In this paper, our study focuses on the characterization of different synthetic fabrics suitable for circular polarized micro-strip antennas. Special attention is paid to GPS antennas. Five different synthetic textile materials are chosen for the comparison. The word textile is typically used for antenna class and fabric to describe a particular material. However, in many cases these words are interchangeable.
Device Independence and the Web

Device manufacturers, users, and authors have differing needs and expectations when it comes to Web content. Web software and hardware manufacturers naturally try to differentiate their products by supporting a special combination of capabilities, but few can expect Web authors to create content for their product alone. Users, however, do expect to access the same content from any device with similar capabilities. Even when device capabilities differ, users might still want access to an adapted version of the content. Due to device differences, the adaptation might not produce an identical presentation, but device-independence principles suggest it should be sufficiently functional to let users interact with it successfully. Web application authors cannot afford to create multiple content versions for each of the growing range of device types. Authors would rather create their content once, and adapt it to different devices-but they also want to retain control of presentation quality. Device independence is about trying to satisfy these differing needs, spanning the delivery path between author and user by way of diverse manufacturers' devices. The field's continued evolution within the broader Web standards framework aims to find solutions that are beneficial for all.
(E)‐2‐methoxy‐4‐(3‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)prop‐1‐en‐1‐yl)phenol suppresses ovarian cancer cell growth via inhibition of ERK and STAT3

In the present study, we synthesized several non‐aldehyde analogues of (E)‐2,4‐bis(p‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐butenal which showed anti‐cancer effect. Interestingly, among the 16 compounds, we found that (E)‐2‐methoxy‐4‐(3‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)prop‐1‐en‐1‐yl)phenol (MMPP) showed the most significant anti‐proliferative effect on PA‐1 and SK‐OV‐3 ovarian epithelial cancer cells. MMPP treatment (0‐15 µg/mL) induced apoptotic cell death, enhanced the expression of cleaved caspase‐3, and cleaved caspase‐9 in a concentration dependent manner. Notably, DNA binding activity of STAT3, phosphorylation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 was significantly decreased by MMPP treatment. However, ERK siRNA augmented MMPP‐induced inhibitory effect on cell growth rather than p38 siRNA or JNK siRNA. Moreover, combination treatment of MMPP with ERK inhibitor U0126 (10 µM) augmented MMPP‐induced inhibitory effect on cell growth and DNA binding activity of STAT3, and enhanced expression of cleaved caspase‐3 and cleaved caspase‐9. In addition, STAT3 siRNA transfection augmented MMPP‐induced cell growth inhibition. In PA‐1 bearing xenograft mice model, MMPP (5 mg/kg) suppressed tumor growth significantly. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the expression levels of p‐ERK, PCNA, p‐STAT3 were decreased while the expression level of caspase‐3 was increased by MMPP treatment. Thus, MMPP may be a promising anti‐cancer agent in ovarian epithelial cancer treatment.
ExOShim: preventing memory disclosure using execute-only kernel code

Information leakage and memory disclosure are major threats to the security in modern computer systems. If an attacker is able to obtain the binary-code of an application, it is possible to reverseengineer the source-code, uncover vulnerabilities, craft exploits, and patch together code-segments to produce code-reuse attacks. These issues are particularly concerning when the application is an operating system because they open the door to privilegeescalation and exploitation techniques that provide kernel-level access. This paper describes ExOShim: a 325-line, lightweight “shim” layer, using Intel’s commodity virtualization features, that prevents memory disclosures by rendering all kernel code execute-only. This technology, when combined with nondeterministic refresh and load-time diversity, prevents disclosure of kernel code on time-scales that facilitate kernel-level exploit development. The proof-of-concept prototype described here has been demonstrated on a 64-bit microkernel. It is evaluated using metrics that quantify its code size and complexity, associated runtime performance costs, and its effectiveness in thwarting information leakage. ExOShim provides complete execute-only protection for kernel code at a runtime-performance overhead of only 0.86%. The concepts are general and can also be applied to render application code execute-only.
Activation, Differentiation, and Migration of Naive Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells during Pulmonary Influenza Virus Infection1

The low precursor frequency of individual virus-specific CD8+ T cells in a naive host makes the early events of CD8+ T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation in response to viral infection a challenge to identify. We have therefore examined the response of naive CD8+ T cells to pulmonary influenza virus infection with a murine adoptive transfer model using hemagglutinin-specific TCR transgenic CD8+ T cells. Initial activation of CD8+ T cells occurs during the first 3 days postinfection exclusively within the draining lymph nodes. Acquisition of CTL effector functions, including effector cytokine and granule-associated protease expression, occurs in the draining lymph nodes and differentially correlates with cell division. Division of activated CD8+ T cells within the draining lymph nodes occurs in an asynchronous manner between days 3 and 4 postinfection. Despite the presence of Ag for several days within the draining lymph nodes, dividing T cells do not appear to maintain contact with residual Ag. After multiple cell divisions, CD8+ T cells exit the draining lymph nodes and migrate to the infected lung. Activated CD8+ T cells also disseminate throughout lymphoid tissue including the spleen and distal lymph nodes following their emigration from draining lymph nodes. These results demonstrate an important role for draining lymph nodes in orchestrating T cell responses during a local infection of a discrete organ to generate effector CD8+ T cells capable of responding to infection and seeding peripheral lymphoid tissues.
Conceptual design tool for radial turbines

The aim of this thesis is to develop a method to automate the set up process of a CFD simulation and study the flow of a generic fluid radial turbine design. This method could then be used to verify the coherence between an in-house mean line design performance code and 3D CFD simulations in a robust and simple way. The method can be used as a conceptual design tool for radial turbines and supports most fluids included in the refpropTM software database. To show the capability of the method developed, without going into full analysis with mesh dependent study and as high quality mesh as possible, a comparison is made between the performance code and the 3D CFD simulations. The turbine analysis is carried out using the methods of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for structural analysis. Two methods have been developed for the simulations: one rapid Single Blade Passage (SBP) model as well as a more detailed Full Turbine (FT) model. The macro based methodology described in the report has proven to reduce the set up time for the simulation of the radial turbine extracted from the performance code. Two cases are used for comparison between the performance code and the 3D CFD simulations. The first one is based on an experimental report from NASA, a cold performance evaluation of a 6.02 inch radial inflow turbine with Argon fluid. The efficiency given in the report is similar to the result from the performance code and the CFD simulation. The other case is an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine with refrigerant R143a as a working fluid. The efficiency in the CFD simulations is slightly lower than the performance code possibly due to partly choked flow. Both test cases show similar behaviour with respect to flow separation and highlight possible improvements in the performance code. A number of programs from ANSYSTM are used to carry out the thesis work. The programs are DesignModelerTM and ICEM CFDTM for CAD modeling, TurboGridTM and ICEM CFDTM for meshing, CFXTM is used as the CFD solver and MechanicalTM for structural analysis.
Gall Flies, Inquilines, and Goldenrods: A Model for Host-race Formation and Sympatric Speciation1

Abstract Host shifts and subsequent host-race formation likely play a more common role in the speciation of herbivorous insects than has generally been recognized. Our studies of the interactions of goldenrod host plants (Solidago: Compositae), the gall fly Eurosta solidaginis (Diptera: Tephritidae), and the stem- and gall-boring Mordellistena convicta (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) provide behavioral, ecological, and genetic evidence of insect host races that may represent incipient species formed via sympatric speciation. Eurosta solidaginis has developed genetically differentiated and reproductively isolated host races that are associated with the ancestral host Solidago altissima and the derived host S. gigantea. Conventional wisdom suggests that shifts even to closely related host plants are limited by host preferences or the inability to utilize a chemically and developmentally distinct host. However, our preliminary work with Eurosta from S. gigantea implies that host choice and gall induction do not deter a shift to S. canadensis. The galling of Solidago by Eurosta created a new resource that has led to a subsequent host range expansion by the stem-boring beetle. Mordellistena convicta from stems and galls are genetically distinct and likely shifted from stems to galls. Beetles from S. altissima versus S. gigantea galls exhibit assortative mating and higher preference for and/or performance on their natal host. The present-day distributions of the Eurosta host races and their behavioral isolating mechanisms do not suggest that geographic isolation was required for their formation; rather these characteristics suggest a sympatric mode of differentiation. Our findings lend credence to recent assertions that sympatric speciation may be an important source of biodiversity.
T CELLS ARE POTENT EARLY MEDIATORS OF THE HOST RESPONSE TO SEPSIS

The complex immune response associated with sepsis results in a high rate of morbidity and mortality, despite substantial basic science and clinical advances. Most of the research has centered on the innate immune response, in contrast to the adaptive immune system. This is likely caused by the perceived time frame during which these two responses are understood to mediate their effects. Interestingly, a large degree of lymphocyte apoptosis occurs within the first 24 h of septic insult, suggesting an earlier role for the adaptive response. As we outline, recent studies have shown that reducing T-cell apoptosis dramatically improves survival and bacterial clearance, likely through at least two mechanisms. First, the prevention of lymphocyte apoptosis can limit macrophage phagocytosis of dead T cells and the subsequent production of interleukin 10 and transforming growth factor-&bgr;. Second, T lymphocytes can generate interferon-&ggr; and interleukin 17 within the first 24 h that can enhance the early innate immune function sufficient to blunt bacterial infection. However, these and other potent cytokines may have divergent effects that depend upon the severity of sepsis. In more severe sepsis models, activated T cells can increase sepsis morbidity and tissue injury. Conversely, in less severe models, functional T cells decrease mortality and bacterial load. Altogether, the mechanisms underlying protective versus pathological T-cell responses in sepsis remain to be elucidated. As the complex interplay between T cells and innate immune cells is elucidated, novel treatment and therapeutic strategies may be designed that allow for better outcomes in the management of sepsis.
Thyroidectomy: Prevention of bilateral recurrent nerve palsy, results of identification of the nerve over 23 consecutive years (1946‐69) with a description of an additional safety measure

I. Thyroidectomy (bilateral operation): It is the author’s inflexible rule never to resect the second lobe of the thyroid in a bilateral procedure until the integrity of the recurrent nerve on one side has been proved. 2 . Integrity: Stimulation of an undamaged nerve by an electric current will establish its integrity: that is, its ability to transmit nervous impulses or not by observing the effect of such stimulation upon the homolateral vocal cord. 3. Dzfferentiution between nervous and non-nervous tissue: Stimulation will determine whether an unidentified strand of tissue is the recurrent nerve or not.