Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the antioxidant activity enhancer effect of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba seed extract on phenolic phytochemicals

Introduction Phenolic phytochemicals are known for antioxidant-mediated pharmacological effects in various diseases (diabetes, cancer, CVDs, obesity, inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders). However, individual compounds may not exert the same biological potency as in combination with other phytochemicals. Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (Guar), an underutilized semi-arid legume which has been used as a traditional food in Rajasthan (India), is also a source of the important industrial product guar gum. However, studies on its biological activity, like antioxidant, are limited. Methods We tested the effect of C. tetragonoloba seed extract to enhance the antioxidant activity of well-known dietary flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, myricetin, and catechin) and non-flavonoid phenolics (caffeic acid, ellagic acid, taxifolin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and chlorogenic acid) using DPPH radical scavenging assay. The most synergistic combination was further validated for its cytoprotective and anti-lipid peroxidative effects in in vitro cell culture system, at different concentrations of the extract. LC-MS analysis of purified guar extract was also performed. Results and discussion In most cases, we observed synergy at lower concentrations of the seed extract (0.5-1 mg/ml). The extract concentration of 0.5 mg/ml enhanced the antioxidant activity of Epigallocatechin gallate (20 µg/ml) by 2.07-folds, implicating its potential to act as an antioxidant activity enhancer. This synergistic seed extract-EGCG combination diminished the oxidative stress nearly by double-fold when compared with individual phytochemical treatments in in vitro cell culture. LC-MS analysis of the purified guar extract revealed some previously unreported metabolites, including catechin hydrate, myricetin-3-galactoside, gossypetin-8-glucoside, and puerarin (daidzein-8-C-glucoside) which possibly explains its antioxidant enhancer effect. The outcomes of this study could be used for development of effective nutraceutical/dietary supplements.
Vibration Control of a Structure and a Rotor Using One-sided Magnetic Actuator and a Digital Proportional-derivative Control

The present work aims at vibration control of a structure/rotor using a one-sided magnetic actuator. For such an actuator, the actuator force is a nonlinear function of current through the coil of the actuator and the gap between the actuator and the structure/rotor. Though the actuator introduces sufficient nonlinearity to the system, it has the advantage that, for applying force in a direction, this actuator needs to be placed in only one side of the structure/rotor. For vibration control of the structure/rotor, a simple digital proportional derivative (PD) control technique is suggested here. It is considered that the displacement signal from the sensor is sampled at specific instants of time and a series of discrete values of displacement is made available to the digital controller. The controller processes the above values of displacement to compute the values of control current that produces the values of appropriate control force at the corresponding instants. The input current to the actuator is kept constant between two consecutive sampling instants. The response of the controlled system (the structure/rotor along with the digital controller) is computed using standard time-marching algorithms (with time steps much smaller than the sampling interval). The effect of the sampling interval in the response pattern is observed for a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system, a finite element model of a beam and a four degree-of-freedom model of a rotor.
Novel Approach for Glycemic Management Incorporating Vibration Stimulation of Skeletal Muscle in Obesity

Because obesity is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes (T2D), it is important to manage the blood glucose level at an early stage. Nevertheless, people with obesity have significantly lower resistance to muscle fatigue after exercise and exercise adherence. Therefore, we developed a novel “Relaxing-Vibration Training (RVT)” consisting of 25 postures using vibration stimulation of skeletal muscle and determined the feasibility of RVT for glycemic management. Thirty-one participants with obesity were enrolled in a controlled trial (CT) and experimental trial (ET) based on a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). During the CT, participants were required to rest in a quiet room. During the ET, the RVT program (50 Hz, 4 mm), consisting of 25 postures of relaxation and stretching on the vibratory platform, was performed for 40 min. Subsequently, the participants rested as in the CT. Subjective fatigue and muscle stiffness measurements and blood collection were conducted before and after RVT. In both the CT and ET, interstitial fluid (ISF) glucose concentrations were measured every 15 min for 2 h. The incremental area under the curve value of real-time ISF glucose during an OGTT was significantly lower in the ET than in the CT (ET: 7476.5 ± 2974.9, CT: 8078.5 ± 3077.7, effect size r = 0.4). Additionally, the levels of metabolic glucose regulators associated with myokines, muscle stiffness, and subjective fatigue significantly improved after RVT. This novel RVT suggests that it is effective in glycemic management with great potential to improve impaired glucose tolerance and T2D with obesity in the future.
Trends in lipid profile and lipid control among survivors of stroke or myocardial infarction among US adults, 2001–2018

Background We aim to analyze the change in lipid profile and lipid control among survivors of stroke and/or myocardial infarction among US adults from 2001–2018. Methods In total, 3,736 survivors of stroke and/or myocardial infarction from the 2001–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were included in this study, representing a weighted total population of 110,005,898. Trends for lipid concentration and lipid control rate over time were detected via general linear regression analysis and lipid control was compared by sex and race via survey-weighted logistic regression analysis. Results The total cholesterol, LDL, and triglyceride concentrations were significantly decreased in survivors from the 2001–2002 survey cycle to the 2017–2018 survey cycle (p for trend < 0.01). Lipid control was defined as total cholesterol < 200 mg/dL. Among survivors, the lipid control rate increased from 56.2% (95% CI: 43.9%, 67.7%) in the 2001–2002 survey cycle to 73.2% (95% CI: 64.8%, 80.2%) in the 2017–2018 survey cycle (p for trend < 0.01). Women had a higher lipid concentration and were more likely have poor lipid control compared to men. Non-Hispanic White survivors possessed better lipid control than other races survivors. Conclusions Lipid concentrations decreased and lipid control improved in stroke and/or myocardial infarction survivors from 2001 to 2018, with heterogeneity observed according to sex and race.
Cellular environment of TTR deposits in an animal model of ATTR—Cardiomyopathy

Introduction: Cardiac amyloidoses are the most fatal manifestation of systemic amyloidoses. It is believed the number of cases to be greatly underestimated mostly due to misdiagnosis. Particularly, the involvement of TTR V30M in the heart of ATTRV30M amyloidosis has not been completely understood specifically in terms of implicated cellular pathways, heart function and cardiac physiology. In the present work we proposed to characterize TTR V30M cardiac involvement particularly at the tissue cellular level in a mouse model. Methods: HSF ± hTTR V30M mice, a model that expresses human TTRV30M in a Ttr null background, widely used for the characterization and modulation of neurological features of ATTRV30M amyloidosis was used. SDS-PAGE of cardiac homogenates followed by Western blot was performed. Immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence analyses were carried out to determine TTR deposition pattern and sub-localization. Results: Western blots were able to detect TTR in its monomeric state at ∼14 kDa. Immunofluorescent images showed TTR was found mostly in the intercellular spaces. Blood contamination was excluded by CD31 staining. Tissues were Congo Red negative. Upon TTR and macrophages (CD68) staining in the cardiac tissue a clear tendency of macrophage convergence to the tissue regions where TTR was more abundant was observed. Moreover, in some instances it was possible to detect co-localization of both fluorophores. Cardiac fibroblasts were stained with PDGFr-alpha, and here the co-localization was not so evident although there was some degree of co-occurrence. The hearts of transgenic mice revealed higher content of Galectin-3. Conclusion: This animal model and associated features observed as result of cardiac TTR deposition provide a promising and invaluable research tool for a better understanding of the implicated pathways that lead to the lethality associated to TTR cardiac amyloidosis. New therapeutic strategies can be tested and ultimately this will lead to improved treatment alternatives capable of increasing patient’s quality of life and life expectancy and, hopefully to eradicate a condition that is silently spreading worldwide.
Stability Control of Quadruped Robot Based on Active State Adjustment

The quadruped robot has a strong motion performance and broad application prospects in practical applications. However, during the movement of the quadruped robot, it is easy to be affected by external disturbance and environmental changes, which makes it unable to achieve the ideal effect movement. Therefore, it is very important for the quadruped robot to adjust actively according to its own state detection. This paper proposes an active state adjustment control method based on its own state, which can realize disturbance recovery and active environment adaptation. Firstly, the controller is designed according to the physical model of the quadruped robot, and the foot forces are optimized using the quadratic program (QP) method. Then, the disturbance compensation method based on dynamic analysis is studied and combined with the controller itself. At the same time, according to the law of biological movement, the movement process of the quadruped robot is actively adjusted according to the different movement environment, so that it can adapt to various complex environments. Finally, it is verified in a simulation environment and quadruped robot prototype. The results show that the quadruped robot has a strong active disturbance recovery ability and active environment adaptability.
Blue laser diodes including lattice-matched Al 0.83 In 0.17 N bottom cladding layer

A report is presented on InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well laser diodes, grown by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy on c-plane sapphire substrates, including an Al0.83In0. 17N cladding layer lattice-matched to GaN. Lasing action is demonstrated for gain-guided devices at room temperature under pulsed current injection conditions. Direct comparison with structures including only a standard Al0.07Ga0. 93N bottom cladding shows an improved optical confinement. This is exemplified by a decreased threshold current density.
Investigation of novel phantom in consideration of acoustic and optical characteristics and development of assessment technique for minute change in thickness measured by ultrasound

For measurement of minute change in thickness using ultrasound, the phase tracking method based on the constraint least-squares approach has been developed. The value measured by this method has the order of sub-micrometer, and it is difficult to verify the precision of the value. We fabricated a novel phantom, which consisted of materials in consideration of the acoustic and the optical characteristics. The thickness of the phantom changed periodically and the change was measured by the ultrasound and laser simultaneously. We evaluated the proposed ultrasound measurement system with the value measured by the laser. From the experimental results, it was obtained that our ultrasound measurement system had an accuracy of about 0.2 /spl mu/m.
Transcriptome-Wide Study Revealed That N6-Methyladenosine Participates in Regulation Meat Production in Goats

In mammals, skeletal muscle development is a complex biological process regulated by many factors. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification plays an important role in many biological processes. However, the regulation of m6A on skeletal muscle growth and development in adult goats remains unclear. In this study, Duan goats (DA) and Nubia goats (NBY), both female and 12 months old, were selected as the research objects, and m6A-Seq and RNA-Seq were mainly used to detect the difference of m6A modification and gene expression during the development of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle in the two breeds. The results showed that compared with DA, the meat production performance of NBY was better than that of DA, and the modification level of m6A was higher than that of DA in LD. The m6A-Seq of LD indicated m6A peaks were mainly enriched in the coding sequence (CDS) and stop codon. A total of 161 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) and 1294 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in two breeds. GO and KEGG analysis showed that DMGs were closely related to cellular metabolism, and most of DMGs were enriched in pathways related to energy metabolism, muscle growth and development, mainly MAPK signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway and CGMP-PKG signaling pathway. The DEGs were significantly enriched in actin binding, calcium ion binding, angiogenesis, and other biological processes, and most of them were enriched in PI3K-Akt and CGMP-PKG signaling pathways. Combined analysis of m6A-Seq and RNA-Seq data revealed a negative correlation between differentially methylated m6A levels and mRNA abundance, and mRNA expression of the gene with m6A peak near 3′UTR will decrease. In addition, 11 DMGs regulating cell differentiation, muscle growth and development were identified. This study displayed the m6A profiles and distribution patterns in the goat transcriptome, determined the potential role of m6A modification in muscle growth and provided a new reference for the further study of goat skeletal muscle development.
On a conjecture for the distributions of primes associated with elliptic curves

For an elliptic curve E and fixed integer r , Lang and Trotter have conjectured an asymptotic estimate for the number of primes p {600} x such that the trace of Frobenius a p ( E ) = r . Using similar heuristic reasoning, Koblitz has conjectured an asymptotic estimate for the number of primes p {600} x such that the order of the group of points of E over the finite field [Special characters omitted. ] is also prime. These estimates have been proven correct for elliptic curves "on average"; however, beyond this the conjectures both remain open. In this thesis, we combine the condition of Lang and Trotter with that of Koblitz to conjecture an asymptotic for the number of primes p {600} x such that both
Involvement of acid sensing ion channel (ASIC)-3 in an acute urinary bladder-colon cross sensitization model in rodent

Introduction Irritable bowel syndrome and bladder pain syndrome are both characterized by pain in response to organ distension. Epidemiologic studies showed that these two syndromes are often overlapped. Such overlap may be due to sharing of common extrinsic innervations between the colorectum and the urinary bladder, where cross-sensitization of the urinary bladder and the colon would occur in response to mechanical distension of either organ. The aim of this project was to develop and characterize a rodent model of urinary bladder-colon sensitization and to assess the role of the acid sensing ion channel (ASIC)-3. Methods Double retrograde labelling was performed to identify extrinsic primary afferent neurons innervating both the colon (Fluororuby) and urinary bladder (Fluorogold) in the L6-S1 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in Sprague Dawley rats. The phenotype of the colon/urinary bladder co-innervating primary afferent neurons was assessed using immunohistochemistry directed against ASIC-3. Cross-organ sensitization was induced in Sprague Dawley rats by using an echography-guided intravesical administration of acetic acid (0.75%) under brief isoflurane anesthesia. Colonic sensitivity was assessed in conscious rats by measuring abdominal contraction during isobaric colorectal distension (CRD). Measurement of urinary bladder and colonic paracellular permeabilities and tissue myeloperoxidase assay were performed. The involvement of ASIC-3 was assessed by use of S1 intrathecal administration of the ASIC-3 blocker, APETx2 (2.2 µM). Results Immunohistochemistry showed that 73.1% of extrinsic primary afferent neurons co-innervating the colon and the urinary bladder express ASIC-3. By contrast, extrinsic primary afferent neurons innervating the colon only or the urinary bladder only were positive for ASIC-3 in 39.3% and 42.6%, respectively. Echography-guided intravesical administration of acetic acid resulted in colonic hypersensitivity to colorectal distension. This effect started 1 h post-injection and lasted up to 24 h, and was not longer seen after 3 days after injection. No colonic hyperpermeability and no difference in urinary bladder and colon MPO activity was observed between control and acetic acid-treated rats. Colonic sensitization by intravesical acetic acid administration was prevented by S1 intrathecal administration of APETx2. Conclusion We developed an acute pelvic cross-organ sensitization model in conscious rat. In this model, cross-organ sensitization is likely to involve S1-L6 extrinsic primary afferents co-innervating the colon and urinary bladder through an ASIC-3 pathway.
Conditional Entropy-Based Construction of Multilevel Polar-Coded Modulation With Probabilistic Shaping

Code construction is a critical issue for polar-coded systems to ensure competitive performance. In this letter, we propose a conditional entropy-based method to construct multilevel polar-coded modulation (MLC-PCM) with probabilistic shaping. More specifically, we allocate the bit positions in accordance with their conditional entropies induced by channel and source polarization. We show that a surrogate channel can be used to determine the frozen set in each component polar code efficiently. The remaining positions are assigned to the information and shaping bits by the source Bhattacharyya parameter, where the shaping bits are used to achieve non-uniform channel inputs. Approximate bounds are also derived to evaluate the decoding error probability of the probabilistically shaped MLC-PCM.
Propagation measurements for satellite radio reception inside buildings

Swept CW signals (from 700 to 1800 MHz) were received inside six buildings of brick, corrugated sheet-metal, wood-frame, mobile-home, and reinforced concrete-wall construction. A transmitter antenna was mounted outdoors on top of an 18 m tower to simulate a satellite, and a linearly scanned directional receiver antenna was used to probe the spatial, spectral, and temporal variability of the signal indoors. Levels were found to have much structure in the spatial and frequency domain, but were relatively stable in time. Typically, people moving nearby produced variations of less than 0.5 dB, whereas a person blocking the transmission path produced fades of 6 to 10 dB. Severe losses (17.5 dB) were observed in the concrete-wall building, which also exhibited the longest multipath delays (>100 ns). Losses inside a mobile home were even larger (>20 dB) and were independent of antenna orientation. The power-frequency distortion increased with the logarithm of the bandwidth, but could be reduced by moving to a position of higher power. Only the losses showed a clear frequency dependence, but they could be mitigated by moving the antenna. >
Characterization of silicon-oxide interfaces and organic monolayers by IR-UV ellipsometry and FTIR spectroscopy

VUV-laser-induced oxidation of Si(111)-(1×1):H, Si(100):H, and a-Si:H at 157 nm (F2 laser) in pure O2 and pure H2O atmospheres was studied between 30°C and 250°C. The oxidation process was monitored in real time by spectroscopic ellipsometry (NIR-UV) and FTIR spectroscopy. The ellipsometric measurements could be simulated with a three-layer model, providing detailed information on the variation of the suboxide interface with the nature of the silicon substrate surface. Besides the silicon-dioxide and suboxide layer, a dense, disordered, roughly monolayer thick silicon layer was included, as found previously by molecular dynamics calculations. The deviations from the classical Deal-Grove mechanism and the self-limited growth of the ultrathin dioxide layers (<6 nm) are described by different kinetic models for O2 and H2O. The tailored modification of silicon surfaces by functionalization with organic end groups was studied by silylation of oxidized silicon surfaces with terminating trimethylsilyl (TMS) groups and n-alkylthiol monolayers on gold-coated silicon. The C-H stretching vibrations of the methylene and methyl groups could be identified by FTIR spectroscopy and IR ellipsometry.
Identification of a novel immune landscape signature as effective diagnostic markers related to immune cell infiltration in diabetic nephropathy

Background The study aimed to identify core biomarkers related to diagnosis and immune microenvironment regulation and explore the immune molecular mechanism of diabetic nephropathy (DN) through bioinformatics analysis. Methods GSE30529, GSE99325, and GSE104954 were merged with removing batch effects, and different expression genes (DEGs) were screened at a criterion |log2FC| >0.5 and adjusted P <0.05. KEGG, GO, and GSEA analyses were performed. Hub genes were screened by conducting PPI networks and calculating node genes using five algorithms with CytoHubba, followed by LASSO and ROC analysis to accurately identify diagnostic biomarkers. In addition, two different GEO datasets, GSE175759 and GSE47184, and an experiment cohort with 30 controls and 40 DN patients detected by IHC, were used to validate the biomarkers. Moreover, ssGSEA was performed to analyze the immune microenvironment in DN. Wilcoxon test and LASSO regression were used to determine the core immune signatures. The correlation between biomarkers and crucial immune signatures was calculated by Spearman analysis. Finally, cMap was used to explore potential drugs treating renal tubule injury in DN patients. Results A total of 509 DEGs, including 338 upregulated and 171 downregulated genes, were screened out. “chemokine signaling pathway” and “cell adhesion molecules” were enriched in both GSEA and KEGG analysis. CCR2, CX3CR1, and SELP, especially for the combination model of the three genes, were identified as core biomarkers with high diagnostic capabilities with striking AUC, sensitivity, and specificity in both merged and validated datasets and IHC validation. Immune infiltration analysis showed a notable infiltration advantage for APC co-stimulation, CD8+ T cells, checkpoint, cytolytic activity, macrophages, MHC class I, and parainflammation in the DN group. In addition, the correlation analysis showed that CCR2, CX3CR1, and SELP were strongly and positively correlated with checkpoint, cytolytic activity, macrophages, MHC class I, and parainflammation in the DN group. Finally, dilazep was screened out as an underlying compound for DN analyzed by CMap. Conclusions CCR2, CX3CR1, and SELP are underlying diagnostic biomarkers for DN, especially in their combination. APC co-stimulation, CD8+ T cells, checkpoint, cytolytic activity, macrophages, MHC class I, and parainflammation may participate in the occurrence and development of DN. At last, dilazep may be a promising drug for treating DN.