Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics of 13C‐Lycopene in Healthy Adults

Higher plasma lycopene (LYC) concentrations are associated with lower risk of several cancers. (All‐E)‐LYC is the predominant geometrical isomer in tomatoes, yet most plasma and tissue LYC isomers are Z, suggesting greater bioavailability of Z and/or endogenous isomerization of E to Z. To study human LYC pharmacokinetics and isomerization, ~10 mg of 13C‐LYC isolated from tomato cell cultures was consumed with breakfastby 6 healthy adults. The dose was 85% (all‐E)‐LYC, and ~30% uniformly labeled. Plasma was collected at 1–10, 24, 72, and 672 hrs post‐dosing. Native and 13C‐LYC was analyzed by HPLC‐PDA, and LC‐MS (QToF), respectively. No adverse effects of 13C‐LYC were observed. 13C‐LYC Cmax= 0.13±0.03 μM which occurred at 32±8 hr, T1/2 = 6.5 ± 0.3 d, and area‐under‐the‐curve (AUC0–672) = 36.9±7 μM*h. Plasma 13C‐all‐E‐LYC Cmax =0.10 ±0.02 μM at 29±9 h post‐dosing, T1/2 = 5.5±0.3 d, and it constituted 67% of total 13C‐LYC AUC. Total 13C‐Z‐LYC isomers Cmax =0.03 ± 0.005 μM at 56±10 hr post‐dosing with a subsequent T1/2 = 9.3±0.6 days, and constituted 32% of the total 13C‐LYC AUC. Initial plasma 13C‐LYC was 73–87% all‐E, but by 672 hr, had decreased to 46%. The later Z isomer Cmax and longer T1/2 relative to all‐E suggests that endogenous conversion is a source of circulating Z‐LYC isomers. Understanding LYC pharmacokinetics assists in designing anti‐cancer dietary interventions.
Role of spontaneous DNA damage and single‐stranded DNA in generation of enlarged G2 phase cells in rad52 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The DNA of living creatures is continuously being damaged by endogenous and exogenous sources and different DNA repair pathways exist to mend the different types of damage. Double‐stranded breaks (DSBs) in the DNA of eukaryotes can be repaired by either homologous recombination (HR) or nonhomologous end‐joining (NHEJ). The initial steps of HR in the budding yeast S. cerevisiae lead to formation of long ssDNA tails at the broken ends. These tails arise through short resection by the Mrx and Sae2 proteins, followed by longer resection by Exo1 and Sgs1‐Dna2 and possibly other enzymes. The tails are subsequently coated with the single‐stranded DNA binding protein complex Rpa, which then recruits other proteins to the site such as DNA damage checkpoint sensor proteins and RAD52 group strand exchange proteins.
The efficacy of high fat load liquid meal on postprandial insulin level in postprandial insulin resistance population

Insulin resistance (IR) is a common pathophysiological basis in patients with diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease. The metabolic defect in the pre‐diabetic and diabetic condition relates more strongly to postprandial insulin than to the fasting state. In this study, we determined whether postprandial insulin level differ between non‐postprandial insulin resistance (NPIR) group and postprandial insulin resistance (PIR) group following a standardized high fat load liquid meal (SHFLLM). Seventy‐four participants were divided into NPIR and PIR group and their venous bloods were gathered at fasting, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hour following the ingestion of SHFLLM. Blood glucose and serum insulin were measured. Areas under the curve (AUC) for glucose and insulin were used as indices of insulin sensitivity. Despite a significant reduction in the ratio of area under curve of insulin (AUCI) to area under curve of glucose (AUCG) (P<0.001), NPIR group did not influence homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA‐IR), fasting glucose‐insulin ratio, insulin action index (IAI), insulin sensitivity index (ISI) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) compared to PIR. Our results suggest that postprandial insulin resistance may be an early stage of the process of diabetes mellitus.
Antiproliferative effect of curcumin and kaempferol on colon cancer cells

Results of epidemiological studies show that people who consume diets rich in phytochemicals (such as individuals living in India) have lower rates of colorectal cancer. Occasional exposure of colonic cells to a single phytochemical may be insignificant in inhibiting growth of cancer cells, whereas regular and repeated exposure of colonic cells to phytochemicals alone or in combination with other phytochemicals may be efficacious in preventing colon cancer. Combinations of phytochemicals may provide additive or synergistic effects and could be a potent way to prevent or eliminate colon cancer initiation and/or progression. The focus of this project was to determine the effect of phytochemicals alone or in combination on cancer cell proliferation. Of interest were curcumin, a phytochemical in turmeric, and kaempferol, a phytochemical in many vegetables, fruits and beans, since they both have been reported to have anti‐cancer potential. Antiproliferative effects of curcumin and kaempferol were assessed using the DLD‐1 colon cancer cell line of epithelial origin. Initial findings indicated that both phytochemicals inhibited proliferation of DLD‐1 cells to varying extents. In particular, curcumin inhibited DLD‐1 proliferation at relatively low concentrations while kaempferol showed a significant antiproliferative effect only at high concentrations. When the concentration of curcumin was kept constant at 12.5 μM (IC50) and concentration of kaempferol was varied, a synergistic anti‐proliferative effect was observed. In fact, even the lowest concentrations of kaempferol combined with curcumin significantly inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation. Results of this study suggest that a combination of curcumin and kaempferol has significant inhibitory effects on proliferation of colon cancer cells.
Search and Rescue Robotics - From Theory to Practice

In the event of large crises (earthquakes, typhoons, floods, . . . ), a primordial task of the fire and rescue services is the search for human survivors on the incident site. This is a complex and dangerous task, which - too often - leads to loss of lives among the human crisis managers themselves. This book explains how unmanned search can be added to the toolkit of the search and rescue workers, offering a valuable tool to save human lives and to speed up the search and rescue process. The introduction of robotic tools in the world of search and rescue is not straightforward, due to the fact that the search and rescue context is extremely technology-unfriendly, meaning that very robust solutions, which can be deployed extremely quickly, are required. Multiple research projects across the world are tackling this problem and in this book, a special focus is placed on showcasing the results of the European Union ICARUS project on this subject. The ICARUS project proposes to equip first responders with a comprehensive and integrated set of unmanned search and rescue tools, to increase the situational awareness of human crisis managers, so that more work can be done in a shorter amount of time. The ICARUS tools consist of assistive unmanned air, ground, and sea vehicles, equipped with victim-detection sensors. The unmanned vehicles collaborate as a coordinated team, communicating via ad hoc cognitive radio networking. To ensure optimal human-robot collaboration, these tools are seamlessly integrated into the command and control equipment of the human crisis managers and a set of training and support tools is provided to them in order to learn to use the ICARUS system. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement number 285417. The publishing of this book was funded by the EC FP7 Post-Grant Open Access Pilot programme.
Synthesis and analysis of metamaterial structure for microwave frequency applications

This thesis involves analysis of artificial materials to investigate metamaterial behavior and characteristics. Extraction techniques are used to validate the electromagnetic properties and different microwave applications are investigated. A new geometric structure is designed using dual star split ring resonator, which introduces a sharp, wide rejection band. A metamaterial microwave absorber suitable for dual-band operation and insensitive to incident polarization was also developed.
Decreased membrane cholesterol facilitates depolarizationinduced Ca2+‐sensitization in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle following chronic hypoxia

Previous studies support a role for caveolin‐1 (cav‐1) dysfunction in membrane depolarization‐induced Ca2+ sensitization in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle (VSM) from rats exposed to chronic hypoxia (CH). Because caveolar cholesterol content is important in regulation of cav‐1‐protein interactions, we hypothesized that reduced membrane cholesterol contributes to enhanced Ca2+ sensitivity following CH. We therefore examined vasoconstrictor responses to depolarizing concentrations of KCl (30–120 mM) under VSM Ca2+‐clamp conditions following administration of supplemental cholesterol [500 μM ‐ 5 mM methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (MβCD)], or cholesterol depletion (MβCD, 10 mM) in pressurized endothelium‐disrupted pulmonary arteries (~150 μm diameter) from control and CH (4 wk at 0.5 atm) rats. Consistent with our hypothesis, cholesterol repletion decreased KCl‐dependent constriction in CH arteries and normalized reactivity between groups, while MβCD had no effect in either group. Additionally, CH reduced membrane cholesterol content as determined by filipin fluorescence. However, CH did not affect either arterial cav‐1 levels or caveolar density assessed by western blot and electron microscopy, respectively. We conclude that decreased membrane cholesterol is necessary but not sufficient for enhanced depolarization‐induced pulmonary VSM Ca2+‐ sensitization following CH.
Functional role of the platelet glycopeptide receptor type GPIbα in arteriogenesis

The role of platelets and their receptors for arterial growth (arteriogenesis) has not been characterized, which was the aim of our study. 6 male C57BL/6 mice underwent right femoral artery occlusion to induce arteriogenesis under generated thrombocytopenia (platelet reduction: 95%) by treatment with anti‐GPIbα depleting antibody (50μg/mouse). A different experimental group received a GPIbα inhibiting antibody in the same dosage. Controls were treated with 0.9% saline. Arteriogenesis was measured in all groups by Laser Doppler Imaging and quantified as relative perfusion recovery (right/left leg) before, immediately after surgery, until day 7. Poor recovery on day 7 was observed under platelet depletion (d7:0.49±0.04 vs. 0.79±0.04, p<0.005) as well as GPIbα inhibition only (d7: 0.51±0.06 vs. 0.79±0.04, p<0.005). Via intra vital microscopy, platelets transiently adherent at the endothelium of collateral arteries were quantified on day 3 using in GPIbα−/− and control mice. Controls showed a significantly increased platelet endothelial interaction on the occluded side (21491±779 vs. sham 13931±1389, p<0.05) whereas in GPIbα−/− mice this effect was blunted (13435±2378 vs. sham 10095±3070)
Regulation of skeletal muscle strength by estradiol: neuronal nitric oxide synthase and myosin regulatory light chain

Loss of skeletal muscle strength is a significant health concern with aging. In women, increased loss of strength happens during menopause, suggesting that the loss is related to changes in ovarian hormones. Estradiol, a predominant hormone secreted by ovaries, plays an important role in the function of the key contractile protein, myosin, and thus muscle strength in young adult, female mice. However, the mechanism(s) by which estradiol affects strength in females is not known. The goal of this study is to elucidate the mechanism of estradiol on musculoskeletal strength in female mice. We found the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) in muscles of ovariectomized mice were reduced 52–74%, compared to ovary intact‐mice (P<0.001). Estradiol treatment reversed the expression of nNOS and phosphorylation of RLC. In addition, reduced nNOS activity resulted in decreased phosphorylation of RLC. Using a complementary C2C12 cell culture approach, we found that these effects are mediated by estrogen receptor beta (ERß). These results indicate that estradiol regulates skeletal muscle nNOS expression and RLC phosphorylation through ERß, which in turn may contribute to changes in muscle strength in females.
Cognitive Services for Elderly People: The ROBADOM project

The ROBADOM project is devoted to the design of a robot-based solution for assistive daily living aids: management of shopping lists, meetings, medicines. The specificity of our project is to develop a specific robot for providing verbal and non-verbal helps, encouragements and coaching during cognitive stimulation exercises.were asked to realize exercises in a limited period of time. The objective was to determine if programming was easy and how many times they needed to learn scenarios creation. It appeared that they succeed tasks and were able to use AmbiProg. Programming an environment was easy as pie.
Mice Lacking Liver‐Specific [beta]‐Catenin Develoop Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis After Iron Overload

Iron overload disorders such as hereditary hemochromatosis and iron‐loading anemias are a common cause of morbidity from liver diseases and are risk factors for hepatic fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Once iron‐induced damage occurs, treatment options are limited, partly because of the lack of animal models recapitulating human disease, since mice do not exhibit fibrosis or HCC following chronic iron overload.
A linear complementarity method for the solution of vertical vehicle–track interaction

ABSTRACT A new method is proposed for the solution of the vertical vehicle–track interaction including a separation between wheel and rail. The vehicle is modelled as a multi-body system using rigid bodies, and the track is treated as a three-layer beam model in which the rail is considered as an Euler-Bernoulli beam and both the sleepers and the ballast are represented by lumped masses. A linear complementarity formulation is directly established using a combination of the wheel–rail normal contact condition and the generalised-α method. This linear complementarity problem is solved using the Lemke algorithm, and the wheel–rail contact force can be obtained. Then the dynamic responses of the vehicle and the track are solved without iteration based on the generalised-α method. The same equations of motion for the vehicle and track are adopted at the different wheel–rail contact situations. This method can remove some restrictions, that is, time-dependent mass, damping and stiffness matrices of the coupled system, multiple equations of motion for the different contact situations and the effect of the contact stiffness. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective for simulating the vehicle–track interaction including a separation between wheel and rail.
Pregnancy decreases baroreflex gain: role of GABA in the paraventricular nucleus

Pregnancy (P) decreases baroreflex gain (BRG) via a mechanism that includes reduced actions of insulin in the hypothalamus. However, specific brain sites and mechanisms are unclear. The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) influences BRG and contains numerous insulin receptors (IR). Because insulin is inhibitory, we hypothesized that PVN insulin increases BRG by suppression of inhibitory GABA inputs and that loss of this action during P leads to enhanced GABAergic inhibition of BRG. To test this hypothesis, we determined if PVN microinjection of bicuculline (BIC, 60 pmol), to block GABA receptors, increases BRG more in late P than in virgin (V) urethane‐anesthetized rats. P decreased (P<0.05) BRG (in bpm/mmHg: 1.9±0.2, V, n=12; 0.9±0.2, P, n=8) and AP (in mmHg: 98±4, V; 81±5, P). In both V and P rats, PVN BIC increased (P<0.05) AP (in mmHg: by 13±2, V; by 11±3, P) and BRG (in bpm/mmHg: by 2.4±0.9, V; by 0.6±0.1, P); however, the increment in BRG was less in P rats (P<0.05). Use of immunocytochemistry, to further test the hypothesis that insulin acts via inhibition of GABAergic inputs, revealed that IR are in both magnocellular and parvocellular neuronal soma in PVN regions that also contain GABAergic (GAD67) terminals. However, no evidence of colocalization of IR in GABAergic terminals was obtained. Together, these results do not support the hypothesis that P impairs BRG by reducing insulin's action to inhibit PVN GABAergic inputs.
Inhibition of Gliadin Digestion by Green Tea Polyphenols and the Potential Implications for Celiac Disease

Green tea has been suggested to have beneficial effects on human health through a variety of biological mechanisms. (−)‐Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG), the major phenolic constituent of green tea, has been reported to mitigate a number of inflammatory and hypersensitivity disorders in laboratory models, and has been shown to moderate pathways related to food allergies in vitro. Previous studies by our group have characterized interactions between EGCG and a2‐gliadin (amino acids 57–89), an immunodominant peptide associated with stimulation of the immune response in celiac disease, and have demonstrated that this polyphenol is able to form complexes with proline‐rich immunostimulatory epitopes on the peptide. Here, we sought to determine the impact of decaffeinated green tea extract (GTE) on the digestion of gliadin protein and production of smaller immunostimulatory peptides in vitro. Complexation of GTE and gliadin was confirmed via an increase in turbidity as a result of co‐precipitation upon titration of GTE into a gliadin solution. Co‐precipitation was observed again during in vitro digestion when gliadin was exposed to digestive proteases pepsin and trypsin. SDS‐PAGE of post‐digestion suspensions and supernatants revealed that GTE not only precipitated gliadin from solution, but also impeded the hydrolytic activity of pepsin and trypsin, resulting in decreased production of low molecular weight gliadin digestion products. An enzyme inhibition assay revealed the GTE dose‐dependently inhibits trypsin (IC50 = 113 mg/ml) in an uncompetitive manner with regard to substrate concentration. Ongoing studies are focused on determining the inhibitory effect of GTE against pepsin, and characterizing the effects of GTE on the immunogenic properties of gliadin using a cell‐culture based model of intestinal permeability and inflammation. We expect that the sequestration of gliadin via GTE complexation will result in decreased permeability and inflammation. Our results to date provide further support for the potential beneficial effects of GTE in the context of celiac disease.
Smartphone Based Wearable Sensors for Cyborgs Using Neural Network Engine

-------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT-------------------------------------------------Now we can imagine a situation where human beings wear electronic skin as touch sensors for health monitoring system. There is a recent advancement in developing a system that uses wireless sensors placed on body and collected sensor information are dealt with smart phone applications. This application uses cloud computing, location data and a neural network engine to determine the current state of a patient is dangerous or not. Electronic skin modules mount spatially on human beings. The neural network engine fuses the information from multiple sensors. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of Submission: 25 January 2014 Date of Acceptance: 11 February 2014 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intestinal brush‐border Na+/H+ exchangers are required for iron homeostasis in the mouse

Divalent metal‐ion transporter‐1 (DMT1) is critical for intestinal iron absorption. DMT1 is energized by the H+ electrochemical potential gradient but the provenance of the H+ required to drive apical iron uptake is not known. To assess the roles of gastric acid and the brush‐border acidic microclimate in aiding intestinal iron transport, we have examined iron homeostasis and intestinal iron handling in mouse models lacking the α‐subunit of the gastric H+/K+‐ATPase (gHKA) or the brush‐border Na+/H+ exchangers NHE3 and NHE2. We found that liver nonheme iron stores (a preferred indicator of chronic iron status) in gHKA‐null mice were no different from wildtype mice whether fed normal or low‐iron diets. In animals fed 6 weeks on low‐iron diet, liver nonheme iron stores were depleted by 62% ± 3% (SE) in NHE2‐null mice and by 84% ± 2% in NHE3‐null mice compared with wildtype mice. In preliminary experiments in which we fed mice 59Fe by oral gavage, lower amounts of 59Fe appeared in blood (30 min – 4 h) and in enterocytes, liver and spleen (harvested at 4 h) of NHE2‐null and NHE3‐null mice compared with their wildtype littermates, suggesting that loss of NHE2 or NHE3 results in defects in apical intestinal iron uptake. Our data indicate that intestinal Na+/H+ exchangers NHE2 and NHE3, but not the gastric H+/K+‐ATPase, are required to maintain normal iron stores in the mouse, and raise the possibility that the acidic microclimate is critical for DMT1‐mediated iron uptake at the intestinal brush border.
The IFIDA Project: Intelligent Fast Interconnected Devices and Tools for Applications in Archaeometry and Conservation Practice

The correct documentation and scientific attribution of ancient works of art requires the processing of relevant amounts of images and interdisciplinary data usually kept in non-compatible formats and objects of different property. The main goal of the IFIDA project Intelligent Fast Interconnected Devices and Tools for Applications in Archaeometry and Conservation Practice is to collect and integrate the dispersed models, tools, case studies, imaging and analytical resources resulting from previous investigations of works of art in repositories that facilitate extraction and sharing of new knowledge for cultural heritage research. This information will be further assessed applying sophisticated analytical and computer technologies in order to develop or adapt interconnected software tools for very fast authenticity certification and applications in archaeometry and conservation practice; to benefit development of new scholarship and technologies.
Guar gum consumption enhances hepatic ABCG5/G8 expression and increases ileal cholesterol excretion in pigs

To investigate the potential molecular mechanisms by which guar gum (GG) consumption may modulate the enterohepatic metabolism of cholesterol, the mRNA and protein expression of genes that regulate the hepatobiliary secretion and intestinal absorption of cholesterol and/or bile acids were examined in pigs fed an atherogenic control diet or the control diet supplemented with 10% GG. Consumption of GG reduced apparent ileal cholesterol absorption by 59% (P=0.002) and increased ileal cholesterol excretion by 138% (P=0.01) compared with the control pigs. Consumption of GG increased the mRNA (1.2 fold of the control, P=0.04) and protein (1.7 fold of the control, P=0.05) expression of hepatic ATP‐binding cassette transporter (ABC) G5. Similarly, an increase in the mRNA (1.4 fold of the control, P=0.04) and protein (1.7 fold of the control, P=0.01) expression of hepatic ABCG8 was observed in the GG group. Biliary cholesterol concentration was increased by 29% (P = 0.07) in the GG‐fed pigs compared with the control group. The consumption of GG modulates hepatic cholesterol homeostasis by enhancing ABCG5/G8 expression and increases whole‐body cholesterol loss by reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption. Supported by OMAFRA of Canada.