StemFlo is a blend of nutrients shown to improve microvascular function and hemodynamics. A study investigated the effects of StemFlo consumption on fibrinolytic activity and microcirculation. In phase 1, StemFlo improved fibrinolytic parameters like maximum turbidity and lysis time in most volunteers within 2 hours. In phase 2, StemFlo reduced blood pressure in all volunteers after 4 weeks and improved microvascular function parameters in all volunteers. The study concludes that StemFlo likely improves capillary circulation and stem cell migration in most individuals.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Maruthi Prithivirajan, Head of ASEAN & IN Solution Architecture, Neo4j
Get an inside look at the latest Neo4j innovations that enable relationship-driven intelligence at scale. Learn more about the newest cloud integrations and product enhancements that make Neo4j an essential choice for developers building apps with interconnected data and generative AI.
Climate Impact of Software Testing at Nordic Testing DaysKari Kakkonen
My slides at Nordic Testing Days 6.6.2024
Climate impact / sustainability of software testing discussed on the talk. ICT and testing must carry their part of global responsibility to help with the climat warming. We can minimize the carbon footprint but we can also have a carbon handprint, a positive impact on the climate. Quality characteristics can be added with sustainability, and then measured continuously. Test environments can be used less, and in smaller scale and on demand. Test techniques can be used in optimizing or minimizing number of tests. Test automation can be used to speed up testing.
Essentials of Automations: The Art of Triggers and Actions in FMESafe Software
In this second installment of our Essentials of Automations webinar series, we’ll explore the landscape of triggers and actions, guiding you through the nuances of authoring and adapting workspaces for seamless automations. Gain an understanding of the full spectrum of triggers and actions available in FME, empowering you to enhance your workspaces for efficient automation.
We’ll kick things off by showcasing the most commonly used event-based triggers, introducing you to various automation workflows like manual triggers, schedules, directory watchers, and more. Plus, see how these elements play out in real scenarios.
Whether you’re tweaking your current setup or building from the ground up, this session will arm you with the tools and insights needed to transform your FME usage into a powerhouse of productivity. Join us to discover effective strategies that simplify complex processes, enhancing your productivity and transforming your data management practices with FME. Let’s turn complexity into clarity and make your workspaces work wonders!
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, XML continues to play a vital role in structuring, storing, and transporting data across diverse systems. The recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present new methodologies for enhancing XML development workflows, introducing efficiency, automation, and intelligent capabilities. This presentation will outline the scope and perspective of utilizing AI in XML development. The potential benefits and the possible pitfalls will be highlighted, providing a balanced view of the subject.
We will explore the capabilities of AI in understanding XML markup languages and autonomously creating structured XML content. Additionally, we will examine the capacity of AI to enrich plain text with appropriate XML markup. Practical examples and methodological guidelines will be provided to elucidate how AI can be effectively prompted to interpret and generate accurate XML markup.
Further emphasis will be placed on the role of AI in developing XSLT, or schemas such as XSD and Schematron. We will address the techniques and strategies adopted to create prompts for generating code, explaining code, or refactoring the code, and the results achieved.
The discussion will extend to how AI can be used to transform XML content. In particular, the focus will be on the use of AI XPath extension functions in XSLT, Schematron, Schematron Quick Fixes, or for XML content refactoring.
The presentation aims to deliver a comprehensive overview of AI usage in XML development, providing attendees with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions. Whether you’re at the early stages of adopting AI or considering integrating it in advanced XML development, this presentation will cover all levels of expertise.
By highlighting the potential advantages and challenges of integrating AI with XML development tools and languages, the presentation seeks to inspire thoughtful conversation around the future of XML development. We’ll not only delve into the technical aspects of AI-powered XML development but also discuss practical implications and possible future directions.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Enchancing adoption of Open Source Libraries. A case study on Albumentations.AIVladimir Iglovikov, Ph.D.
Presented by Vladimir Iglovikov:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/iglovikov/
- https://x.com/viglovikov
- https://www.instagram.com/ternaus/
This presentation delves into the journey of Albumentations.ai, a highly successful open-source library for data augmentation.
Created out of a necessity for superior performance in Kaggle competitions, Albumentations has grown to become a widely used tool among data scientists and machine learning practitioners.
This case study covers various aspects, including:
People: The contributors and community that have supported Albumentations.
Metrics: The success indicators such as downloads, daily active users, GitHub stars, and financial contributions.
Challenges: The hurdles in monetizing open-source projects and measuring user engagement.
Development Practices: Best practices for creating, maintaining, and scaling open-source libraries, including code hygiene, CI/CD, and fast iteration.
Community Building: Strategies for making adoption easy, iterating quickly, and fostering a vibrant, engaged community.
Marketing: Both online and offline marketing tactics, focusing on real, impactful interactions and collaborations.
Mental Health: Maintaining balance and not feeling pressured by user demands.
Key insights include the importance of automation, making the adoption process seamless, and leveraging offline interactions for marketing. The presentation also emphasizes the need for continuous small improvements and building a friendly, inclusive community that contributes to the project's growth.
Vladimir Iglovikov brings his extensive experience as a Kaggle Grandmaster, ex-Staff ML Engineer at Lyft, sharing valuable lessons and practical advice for anyone looking to enhance the adoption of their open-source projects.
Explore more about Albumentations and join the community at:
GitHub: https://github.com/albumentations-team/albumentations
Website: https://albumentations.ai/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/100504475
Twitter: https://x.com/albumentations
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 5DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 5. In this session, we will cover CI/CD with devops.
Topics covered:
CI/CD with in UiPath
End-to-end overview of CI/CD pipeline with Azure devops
Speaker:
Lyndsey Byblow, Test Suite Sales Engineer @ UiPath, Inc.
zkStudyClub - Reef: Fast Succinct Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Regex ProofsAlex Pruden
This paper presents Reef, a system for generating publicly verifiable succinct non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs that a committed document matches or does not match a regular expression. We describe applications such as proving the strength of passwords, the provenance of email despite redactions, the validity of oblivious DNS queries, and the existence of mutations in DNA. Reef supports the Perl Compatible Regular Expression syntax, including wildcards, alternation, ranges, capture groups, Kleene star, negations, and lookarounds. Reef introduces a new type of automata, Skipping Alternating Finite Automata (SAFA), that skips irrelevant parts of a document when producing proofs without undermining soundness, and instantiates SAFA with a lookup argument. Our experimental evaluation confirms that Reef can generate proofs for documents with 32M characters; the proofs are small and cheap to verify (under a second).
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/1886
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
Communications Mining Series - Zero to Hero - Session 1DianaGray10
This session provides introduction to UiPath Communication Mining, importance and platform overview. You will acquire a good understand of the phases in Communication Mining as we go over the platform with you. Topics covered:
• Communication Mining Overview
• Why is it important?
• How can it help today’s business and the benefits
• Phases in Communication Mining
• Demo on Platform overview
• Q/A
1. StemFlo™ improves vascular functions and hemodynamics
Introduction
The microvasculature (microscopic blood vessels) consists of small arterioles carrying the blood away from the heart to the tissues and venules carrying the blood
away from the tissues back to the heart. Between arterioles and venules are the capillaries where O2 and CO2 exchange take place, as well as nutrient delivery.
A portion of the capillary referred to as the post-capillary venule is a highly significant site for
cellular migration from blood into tissue. It is at the level of the post-capillary venule that stem
cells can migrate out of the blood into tissues. Therefore, it has been suggested that blocking of
capillaries, which hinders blood flow to the post-capillary venules, may reduce migration of stem
cells into tissue. If this hypothesis is correct, then it follows that the removal of obstructions in the
microvascular system, particularly the capillaries, may facilitate stem cell migration into tissues.
Certain nutritional and nutraceutical interventions were shown to support improvement of
peripheral vascular function. For example, a fibrinolytic enzyme extracted from the fermented soy
cheese ‘Natto’, called Nattokinase, was shown to increase plasma fibrinolytic activity of the blood
and to promote lysis of blood clot after induced thrombosis. Consumption of Nattokinase prior to
long-haul flights (7-8 hours) was shown to prevent venous thrombosis in humans, as well as edema.
Similar effects have been reported with other fibrinolytic enzymes such as Serrapeptase extracted
from the enterobacteria Serratia E15.
Antioxidant nutrition can also improve micro-circulation. Transformation of fibrinogen into fibrin
involves activation of sialidase enzyme by reactive oxygen species. Once activated, sialidase would
mesh can be triggered through the so-called Bradford-Allen Coagulation Pathway. This pathway
Figure 1
cleave sialic caps on fibrinogen disulfide bridges, triggering the agglomeration of fibrin monomers into fibrin mesh. Antioxidant supplementation has also been
shown to indirectly favor vascular improvement due to a reduction of inflammatory conditions.
Therefore optimal blood circulation in the microvasculature, which is essential for optimal migration of stem cells into tissues, can be achieved by:
• Digesting fibrin mesh in the blood by consumption of fibrinolytic enzymes such as Nattokinase and Serrapeptase, and
• Reducing oxidative stress and inflammation by antioxidant nutrition, which prevents the formation of fibrin mesh.
StemFlo™, a blend of Nattokinase, Serrapeptase, and antioxidant nutrition including berry extracts, mangosteen, curcumin, and cat’s claw was investigated to see
if consumption of this product could lead to any measurable improvements in vascular function and hemodynamics.
Methods & Results
In brief, the study was comprised of two independent phases using a total of 19 volunteers. The first phase was a short-term study that investigated the fibrinolytic
capacity of blood samples obtained immediately before and within 2 hours after consumption of StemFlo. The second phase was a long-term investigation (4
weeks) of the effect of StemFlo on microvascular functions.
PHASE 1
The short-term phase was carried using 12 volunteers. Blood samples taken before (T0) as well as 1 hour (T1) and 2 hours (T2) after consumption of StemFlo.
Blood samples were prepared and then pipetted into a pre-warmed 96-well U-bottom plate where blood clots were induced by the addition of CaCl2. The plate was
placed in a pre-warmed 37°C microplate optical reader, where the turbidity caused by the formed clot was read at 405nm. Lysis of the clot by fibrinolytic enzymes
present in the plasma was followed by measuring the turbidity of the sample over the next 29 hours, with readings every 7 minutes.
2. We examined four different parameters, as described in the below:
• Maximum turbidity;
• Time to maximum turbidity (TM);
• Slope during optimal clot lysis;
• Lysis Time, i.e. the time to reach a plateau with no further clot lysis.
Maximum
Turbidity
Slope
Time
to
Max
Lysis
Time
Maximum Turbidity: Maximum turbidity is the time point at which the clot reaches
its most dense state, causing the highest turbidity and absorbance
to baseline (T0). This being said, it
is important to mention that in cases of very low baseline fibrinolytic activity, the formation of larger clots may lead to
reading. If StemFlo results in an improved fibrinolytic capacity of the blood, then the Maximum Turbidity readings at T1 and T2 would be reduced compared
reduced turbidity, as smaller clots agglomerate into larger clots. Eight of the 12 volunteers showed a reduction in clot formation after consuming StemFlo. Of
these, seven showed improved fibrinolytic capacity already after one hour.
Time to Max: Time to Max is the amount of time it takes to reach maximum turbidity, and consequently the time it takes before initiation of fibrinolysis.
If StemFlo consumption increases the fibrinolytic capacity, blood samples taken after consumption should show a reduced TM. Nine of the 12 volunteers
showed an improved fibrinolytic capacity, as seen by a reduced Time to Max.
Slope: Slope was determined by linear regression analysis on the area of the curve defined by the estimated Time to Max data point and the estimated
Lysis Time point. If a volunteer did not have a clearly identifiable Lysis Time, the slope was estimated on the curve to the right of Time to Max, based upon
which linear regression analysis was performed. Based on the slope analysis, 100 % of the volunteers showed improved fibrinolytic capacity after StemFlo
consumption. Five volunteers showed the most improvement at T1, while seven volunteers showed the most improvement at T2.
Lysis Time: The Lysis Time is the amount of time it takes to dissolve an artificially made clot. Lysis Time can be determined as the start of a plateau phase
after a significant drop from the Maximum Turbidity. Nine of the 12 volunteers showed improved (i.e. shorter) Lysis Times after consumption of StemFlo.
While six volunteers showed maximum improvement at 1 hour after consumption, 3 volunteers showed greatest improvement at 2 hours after consumption.
the effect of stress from a blood draw on the readings. Eight of the 12 volunteers showed lower systolic blood pressure 2
The blood pressure and heart rate of all volunteers were taken before and after the study. These readings were taken prior to the first blood draw and prior
hours after StemFlo consumption.
Overall average change in systolic blood pressure in all volunteers was -4%.
to the last blood draw, to minimize
PHASE 2
microvascular function. Ankle-brachial index was determined using Laser Doppler and
was used to quantified Post Occlusive Reactive Hyperemia (PORH),
Seven volunteers with some minor vascular problems (varicose veins, circulatory complaints) were recruited. Vascular assessment was performed at study
start, and after 2 and 4 weeks of StemFlo consumption, and involved measurement of blood pressure, ankle-brachial index (bilateral), and assessment of
while assessment of microvascular function was made through the measurement of transcutaneous oxygen pressure (tcpO2).
3. Blood pressure
Consumption of StemFlo over a period of 4 weeks led to healthier blood pressure in all volunteers, as shown by a reduced systolic pressure. Overall, average
change in systolic blood pressure after 4 weeks was -7%.
Post Occlusive Reactive Hyperemia (PORH)
PORH is a test whereby a limb, arm or leg, is deprived of oxygen for four minute using a pressure cuff, and then fluctuations in blood flow is quantified
immediately after releasing the pressure cuff. Laser Doppler data is analyzed using a PORH analysis software (PeriFlux 5000, PeriMed, Stockholm, Sweden).
The vascular system is subject to many types of immediate physiological regulation to maintain relatively constant blood pressure, temperature, oxygen
supply, and blood perfusion. The health of the microvasculature can be assessed by looking at a number of parameters. Time to recovery (TR) is the time it
takes for blood flow to reach baseline level after the occlusion is released. Time to half before hyperemia (TH1) is the time it takes after the release of the
occlusion for perfusion to reach the midpoint between no-flow and peak flow. Time to Max (TM) is the time it takes after the release of the occlusion for
perfusion to reach peak flow. Time to half after hyperemia (TH2) is the time it takes after the release of the occlusion, post-hyperemia, for perfusion to reach
the midpoint between peak flow and baseline.
Consumption of StemFlo over a period of 4 weeks led to improvements in microvascular functions in all volunteers. Improvements in TM and TH2 were seen
in all volunteers with decrease of 31% and 40%, respectively. Improvements in TR and TH1 were seen in some of the volunteers.
Discussion
StemFlo is a combination of fibrinolytic enzymes and antioxidant nutrition aimed at improving blood circulation in small capillaries. Improvement in fibrinolytic
activity of the plasma was shown to be significant in all participants when measured 1 and 2 hours after consumption. Reducing the presence of fibrin in the
blood, which increases the volume of the overall blood vasculature by providing greater access to capillaries, would be expected to reduce overall blood pressure. As
expected, blood pressure was reduced (-4%) in half of the participants 2 hours after consumption and in all participants (-7%) after 4 weeks of daily consumption.
In this study, actual circulation in small capillaries was assessed using post Occlusion Reactive Hyperemia (PORH). Using this method, two of the four parameters
measured (TM and TH2) were improved in all participants whereas the other two parameters were improved in only half the participants.
Overall, consumption of StemFlo led to improvements of at least one parameter in every participant and of most parameters in nearly half of the participants.
Therefore, we can conclude that consumption of StemFlo is likely to improve capillary circulation in most individuals, supporting the migration of stem cells into
tissues, as well as the delivery of nutrients and oxygen throughout the body.