1,721,644 research outputs found

    Experimental Verification of the Sub-THz Channel Model with Application to IRS-aided Communications

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    By using an experimental setup we measure the wireless propagation channel in an indoor densely-furnished environment in the frequency range [105-175] GHz. We also show how starting from such measurements we can estimate with high precision the position of the transmitter and the delay of multipath components. Our results validate the assumption made in [1] which states that in such propagation conditions, and at such high frequencies, the contribution of non line-of-sight (NLoS) scattered or reflected components is essentially negligible

    Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Urease Inhibitory Activities of Phenolics-Rich Pomegranate Peel Hydro-Alcoholic Extracts

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    This study was aimed at exploring biological properties of PoP for their potential use as an ingredient of choice in nutraceuticals and ethnic drug formulations. Pomegranate peel extracts (PoPx), derived from hydro-alcoholic extracts were evaluated for antioxidant, antimicrobial and potential antiulcer properties. Higher levels of total phenolics (427.19 mgGAE/g of extracts) recovered from hydro-alcoholic extracts exhibited significant (P < 0.05) ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals scavenging activity. PoPx inhibited urease activity by 97.9% and IC50 for all extracts was estimated to be in a range of 30–44.4 μM. Potent inhibitory effects of PoP extracts were observed against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Aspergillus niger and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was recorded between 0.25–0.89 mg/mL. The study indicates that PoPx of the white rind cultivar is a potential source of active biomolecules that could further be explored as a source of bioactive compounds and therapeutic agent against various ailments. Practical Applications The findings of this study propose PoP of white rind cultivar as valuable waste of pomegranate juice processing industry. The proposed methodology for PoPx recovery and the bioactivities reported could equally benefit the processors for low cost recovery of protective biomolecules. The study further defines admissible levels of extracts being exploited by the industry for manufacturing nutraceuticals, functional food preparations and designing ethnopharmacological drugs of choice

    Human Surfactant Protein D Suppresses Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Downregulating TGF-β

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    Human surfactant protein-D (SP-D), an innate immune pattern recognition soluble factor, is known to modulate a range of cytokines and chemokines, such as TNF-α and TGF-β at mucosal surfaces during infection, allergy, and inflammation. A recent study has shown that treatment with a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rfhSP-D) for 48 h induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Our hypothesis is that at earlier time points, SP-D can also influence key cytokines as a part of its putative role in the immune surveillance against pancreatic cancer, where the inflammatory tumor microenvironment contributes to the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, and metastasis. Here, we provide the first evidence that rfhSP-D can suppress the invasive-mesenchymal properties of highly aggressive pancreatic cancer cells. Mechanistically, rfhSP-D inhibited TGF-β expression in a range of pancreatic cancer cell lines, Panc-1, MiaPaCa-2, and Capan-2, thereby reducing their invasive potential. Smad2/3 expression diminished in the cytoplasm of rfhSP-D-treated cells as compared to the untreated control, suggesting that an interrupted signal transduction negatively affected the transcription of key mesenchymal genes. Thus, expressions of Vimentin, Zeb1, and Snail were found to be downregulated upon rfhSP-D treatment in the pancreatic cancer cell lines. Furthermore, blocking TGF-β with neutralizing antibody showed similar downregulation of mesenchymal markers as seen with rfhSP-D treatment. This study highlights yet another novel innate immune surveillance role of SP-D where it interferes with EMT induction by attenuating TGF-β pathway in pancreatic cancer

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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