Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic Alterations in Cholangiocarcinoma-Sustained IL-6/STAT3 Signaling in Cholangio- carcinoma due to SOCS3 Epigenetic Silencing

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly lethal malignant tumor arising from the biliary tract epithelium, characterized by its typically late clinical presentation and lack of effective therapeutic modalities. Chronic inflammatory conditions, including primary sclerosing cholangitis, liver fluke infestation and hepatolithiasis, are listed in the risk factors, but for most cases of CCA the cause is unknown. Recent advances in molecular pathogenesis have highlighted the importance of epigenetic alterations including promoter hypermethylation and histone deacetylation in addition to genetic changes in the process of cholangiocarcinogenesis. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the genes hypermethylated in CCA to date and their putative roles in cholangiocarcinogenesis. Among genes hypermethylated, we found the CpG island hypermethylation in suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) gene promoter in CCA. Interleukin-6 (IL-6)-mediated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation are aberrantly sustained in CCA cells, resulting in resistance to apoptosis. SOCS3 controls the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway by a classic feedback loop. Indeed, SOCS3 epigenetic silencing is responsible for sustained IL-6/STAT3 signaling in CCA. These findings provide new perspectives for epigenetic therapy to restore SOCS3 in this cancer.
How shall we treat early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC): from the current standard to upcoming immuno-molecular strategies

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a long-lasting orphan disease in terms of little therapeutic progress during the past several decades and still the standard of care remains chemotherapy. Experimental discovery of molecular signatures including the ‘BRCAness’ highlighted the innate heterogeneity of TNBC, generating the diversity of TNBC phenotypes. As it contributes to enhancing genomic instability, it has widened the therapeutic spectrum of TNBC. In particular, unusual sensitivity to DNA damaging agents was denoted in patients with BRCA deficiency, suggesting therapeutic benefit from platinum and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors. However, regardless of enriched chemosensitivity and immunogenicity, majority of patients with TNBC still suffer from dismal clinical outcomes including early relapse and metastatic spread. Therefore, efforts into more precise and personalised treatment are critical at this point. Accordingly, the advance of multiomics has revealed novel actionable targets including PI3K-Akt-mTOR and epidermal growth factor receptor signalling pathways, which might actively participate in modulating the chemosensitivity and immune system. Also, TNBC has long been considered a potential protagonist of immunotherapy in breast cancer, supported by abundant tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and heterogeneous tumour microenvironment. Despite that, earlier studies showed somewhat unsatisfactory results of monotherapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors, consistently durable responses in responders were noteworthy. Based on these results, further combinatorial trials either with other chemotherapy or targeted agents are underway. Incorporating immune-molecular targets into combination as well as refining the standard chemotherapy might be the key to unlock the future of TNBC. In this review, we share the current and upcoming treatment options of TNBC in the framework of scientific and clinical data, especially focusing on early stage of TNBC.
Pre-obesity and obesity impacts on passive joint range of motion

Abstract Despite the prevalence of pre-obesity and obesity, the physical capabilities of pre-obese/obese individuals are not well documented. As an effort to address this, this study investigated the pre-obesity and obesity impacts on joint range of motion (RoM) for twenty-two body joint motions. A publicly available passive RoM dataset was analysed. Three BMI groups (normal-weight, pre-obese, and obese [Class I]) were statistically compared in joint RoM. The pre-obese and obese groups were found to have significantly smaller RoM means than the normal-weight for elbow flexion and supination, hip extension and flexion, knee flexion and ankle plantar flexion. The pre-obese and obese groups exhibited no significant inter-group mean RoM differences except for knee flexion; for knee flexion, the obese group had significantly smaller RoM means than the pre-obese. The findings would be useful for designing work tasks and products/systems for high BMI individuals and developing digital human models representing differently sized individuals. Practitioner summary: This study investigated the pre-obesity and obesity impacts on joint range of motion (RoM) by comparing three participant groups: normal-weight; pre-obese and obese. The pre-obese and obese groups had significantly smaller RoM means than the normal-weight for elbow flexion and supination; hip extension and flexion; knee flexion and ankle plantar flexion. Abbreviations: ANCOVA: Analysis of Covariance; BMI: Body Mass Index; CI: Confidence Interval; RoM: Range of Motion; SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
The Relation between Investment of Domestic and Foreign Institutional Investors and Stock Returns in India

This study investigates the trading behaviour of foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) in the Indian stock market and also the relation between stock returns and equity flows by FIIs and DIIs. The study uses a wider definition of DIIs that includes not only mutual funds (MFs) but also banks, domestic financial institutions and insurance companies. The results show that the trading pattern followed by FIIs and DIIs is opposite of each other. While FIIs act as positive feedback traders, DIIs act as contrarian investors and negative feedback traders. High lagged stock returns result in increased FII investment. The DIIs, on the other hand, appear to book profits when the market moves up and buy when it moves down. Contrary to findings of earlier studies that MF investment has no effect on future stock returns, the study finds that DII investment has a significant positive relation with future stock returns. The study also finds weak evidence of a negative relation between FII investment and future stock returns.
Ekstraksi dan Identifikasi Fitosterol pada Mikroalga Nannochloropsis occulata

Fitosterol merupakan golongan senyawa kelompok steroid yang dapat ditemukan dalam tanaman dan organisme laut seperti mikroalga. Fitosterol digunakan sebagai suplemen makanan yang berfungsi untuk menurunkan kadar kolesterol dalam darah. Nannochloropsis occulata merupakan salah satu sumber terbesar dari fitosterol yang memiliki prospek menjanjikan untuk dijadikan sebagai suplemen makanan. Pada penelitian ini telah dilakukan ekstraksi dan identifikasi jenis fitosterol dari Nannochloropsis occulata yang berasal dari perairan Lampung. Skrining fitokimia menyatakan bahwa Nannochloropsis occulat a selain mengandung golongan senyawa sterol juga mengandung golongan senyawa flavonoid yang dapat berfungsi sebagai antioksidan. Hasil identifikasi menggunakan Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer ( GC-MS ) menunjukkan bahwa Nannochloropsis occulata mengandung fitosterol dengan kelimpahan 91,96% yang terdiri dari campesterol, stigmasterol, dan β-sitosterol dengan kelimpahan masing-masing sebesar 23,02% ; 29,04% dan 39,80%.
In vivo reduction of telomere length in human antigen‐reactive memory T cells

There is a reduction in the average telomere lengths of CD4+ "memory" T cells, defined by the CD45RO+ phenotype, compared to CD54RA+ "naive" T cells. However, other studies suggest that telomerase activity often is sufficient to maintain the telomere length of certain B and T cell populations following immune activation in vivo. Thus it is uncertain whether genuine memory CD4+ T cells, defined by an immune response to specific recall antigens, would display telomeres of reduced length, or whether telomere size would be maintained. Therefore, we examined the telomere lengths of T cells responding to two common recall antigens, tetanus toxoid and Candida albicans. Telomere terminal restriction fragment length was assessed by Southern blots or by flow cytometry following in situ hybridization with telomere‐specific peptide nucleic acid probes. For the five subjects tested, the Candida‐ or tetanus‐reactive memory T cell populations demonstrated a significant reduction of telomere length even when compared to the phenotypically defined memory CD45RO+ T cell populations isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. This finding suggests that telomerase activity does not fully compensate for the effects of in vivo activation and proliferation of some antigen‐specific CD4+ T cell populations. This may contribute to immune senescence.
The Impact of Windfalls: Firm selection, trade and welfare

We ask how a small open economy with heterogeneous rms responds to a resource windfall. A resource windfall boosts demand but also a ects wages such that production costs increase. The result is a higher number of firms and renewed selection among firms: New firms at the lower end of the productivity continuum can produce for the domestic market, while only the most productive firms continue to export. While the share of firms that sell traded varieties decreases, the average productivity of exporting firms increases. The increase in the number of varieties caused by a larger number of firms and the inflow of additional imports implies that there is an increase in aggregate welfare over and above the direct windfall gain. We provide analysis in a model with two types of labor. The windfall causes a reallocation of labor types and a change in relative wages, thereby implying different welfare outcomes for each type of labor and the possibility of rising inequality.
Growth Performance of Fattening Hogs Fed With Fresh and Dried Cashew Apple

 Abstract. Cashew apples are commonly seen as leftover fruit part, after harvesting its nuts. The aim of the study included the use of locally available feed ingredients that is still left unutilized for animal consumption. The objective is to determine and compare the growth performance of hogs fed with dried and fresh cashew apple. Likewise the cost of production was also computed and compared. The result showed that fattening hogs fed with 20% fresh cashew apple and 20% dried cashew apple had heavier final weight and average biweekly gain in weight compared with those in the control group. The cost of production of fattening hogs fed with fresh and dried cashew apple was reduced. The result obtained will serve as baseline information to livestock growers to minimize the cost of production, thereby utilizing locally feedstuffs. For researchers this will serve as source of related studies to further increase the percentage of fresh and dried cashew apple in the ration for hogs and other animals without compromising animal’s health.
Dietary Habits and Intakes Associated with Obesity and Overweight among Adolescents in the State of Qatar

Background: In Arab countries particularly in Qatar, nutrition transition in food choices and dietary habits have been changed from healthy diet pattern to unhealthy fast food pattern. As a result overweight and obesity rates are increasing to alarming figures. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of obesity and overweight among adolescents in Qatar and its relation with their eating pattern. Methods: A cross – sectional study of 1225 adolescents (51% male and 49% female), aged 15 to 18 years, were randomly selected from 21 secondary schools in Doha - the capital of Qatar during October 2012 and Feb 2013. Data was collected by using self – reporting questionnaire that included questions on their eating / drinking habits and anthropometric measurements, Statistical analysis were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS, Version 15.0). The level of significance was set at P< 0.05. Results: This study showed that the overall prevalence of overweight and obesity were (18.5 % and 19.1 %) respectively. The prevalence of obesity among males (25.3%) was significantly higher than among females (12.6%) p<0.0001, while overweight prevalence of female (21.0%) was significantly higher than among males (16.3%). When the prevalence of obesity and overweight was combined together it was significantly higher among males (25.6%) than in females (23.7%). Waist circumference was significantly higher in males (77.82 ± 17.3) than in females (73.06 ± 10.2). Eating habits of the students showed that Frequency of foods intake (fruits, milk and energy drinks per week) was significantly higher among males than females, while intake of (sweets, French fries and cake/doughnuts) was higher among females than among males. Results shows there was no significance difference in frequency of other food items between males and females. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity is prevalent, unhealthy food habits are common among adolescents. Nutrition and health educational programs are required to reduce the tendency of overweight and obesity and to improve their eating habits.
Stingless Bees Fed on Fermented Soybean-extract-based Diet Had Reduced Lifespan than Pollen-Fed Workers

Nectar and pollen are the basic food resources of stingless bees. The current advance of meliponiculture led to the search for supplementary feeding. Despite little is known about native bee supplementation, several alternative foods have been tested as protein substitutes, with soy being one of the most commonly used. In this study, we compared the effect of a semiartificial soy-based diet versus a natural diet on the longevity of adult worker of Melipona flavolineata Friese and Scaptotrigona aff. postica (Latreille). A total of 200 workers of each species (40 from each colony) were used, of which 100 comprised the control group (consumed honey and pollen) and 100 the experimental group (honey and a semiartificial food based on soybean extract). The workers were divided into groups of 20 individuals confined in MDF boxes not completely enclosed, without a queen, and kept in BOD incubators. Dead bees were counted and removed daily. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted for each species. We found greater longevity in workers who consumed only natural pollen (71 days for M. flavolineata, 78 days for S. aff. postica, in average) compared to those consuming the soy-based diet (62 days for M. flavolineata, 61 days for S. aff. postica, in average). Workers of M. flavolineata that consumed pollen lived nine days more (21.8%) than those fed on the soy-based diet, while S. aff. postica workers lived seven days more (12.7%). As longevity was only slightly reduced, we can recommend a soy-based diet for stingless bees during dearth periods or for supplemental feeding of newly formed colonies.
Decreased expression of circulating Aire and increased Tfh/Tfr cells in myasthenia gravis patients

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare prototypical autoimmune disorder caused by antibodies (Ab) against postsynaptic membrane proteins. Most reports have investigated the role of autoimmune regulator gene (Aire) in thymic tissue in machianism of MG initiation. So far, the expression of Aire in human peripheral blood cells (we call it circulating Aire expression in the following passage) has not been reported. Herein, we explore the expression of Aire in peripharal blood, circulating T-follicular helper (cTfh) and T-follicular regulatory (cTfr) cells in MG patients. In our research, we found that the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) Ab level is higher in generalized MG (GMG) than that in ocular MG (OMG). Compared with the control group (CG), lower expression of Aire was found in MG patients, especially in GMG. The ratio of Tfh/Tfr was higher in GMG patients, and then in the OMG patients, and lowest in CG. All these differences above were statistically significant. Negative relation was discovered between expression of Aire in circulating blood and ratio of Tfh/Tfr, so did it exist between Aire expression and the severity of MG. Meanwhile, positive relation was discovered between ratio of Tfh/Tfr and the severity of MG. However, no significant relation was manifested in our study between the subset age of MG and Aire level. Overall, these findings imply circulating Aire might play a role in the imbalance of cTfh and cTfr cells and participate in the pathogenesis of MG.
Worth its Weight in Likes: Towards Detecting Fake Likes on Instagram

Instagram is a significant platform for users to share media; reflecting their interests. It is used by marketers and brands to reach their potential audience for advertisement. The number of likes on posts serves as a proxy for social reputation of the users, and in some cases, social media influencers with an extensive reach are compensated by marketers to promote products. This emerging market has led to users artificially bolstering the likes they get to project an inflated social worth. In this study, we enumerate the potential factors which contribute towards a genuine like on Instagram. Based on our analysis of liking behaviour, we build an automated mechanism to detect fake likes on Instagram which achieves a high precision of 83.5%. Our work serves an important first step in reducing the effect of fake likes on Instagram influencer market.
Making Groups Work: University Students' Perceptions

Group work has many benefits for effective learning while also preparing graduates for future work. However, group work often elicits a mixed reception from participants. This paper explores the perceptions of final year university business students of their formal group work experiences. Information has been gathered through the collection of quantitative and qualitative data, and analysis reveals student experiences, both positive and negative. This paper also examines students’ perceptions about the extent to which their experiences enabled them to achieve the university’s graduate group work competencies. Finally, it reports students’ own suggestions for improving the problems they encountered thus providing strategies for addressing their concerns. university, groupwork, perceptions, free-riding, education
How Dispositional Learning Analytics Helps Understanding the Worked-Example Principle.

This empirical study aims to demonstrate how Dispositional Learning Analytics can contribute in the investigation of the effectiveness of didactical scenarios in authentic settings, where previous research has mostly been laboratory based. Using a showcase based on learning processes of 1080 students in a blended introductory quantitative course, we analyse the use of worked examples by students. Our method is to combine demographic and trace data from technology enhanced systems with self-reports of several contemporary social-cognitive theories. We find that the same maladaptive learning orientations that play a role in worked examples learning theories as to explain the effectiveness of worked examples do predict the use of worked examples: this time in the role of individual learning dispositions.
Bounded awareness and anomalies in intertemporal choice: Google Earth as metaphor and model

This paper draws on recent developments in the theory of choice under uncertainty to model anomalies in intertemporal choice. Cognitive limitations leading to hyperbolic discounting and magnitude effects in intertemporal choice may be described in terms of bounded awareness, and represented by phenomena familiar from visualization software such as Google Earth. Cognitive limits on visualization impose constraints on both the area being viewed and the level of detail of the view, with a trade-off between the two. Increasing detail at the expense of limiting the area viewed may be described as zooming. Data from a field experiment were used to assess the theory with an incentivecompatible multiple price list approach involving magnitude levels of 5x, 10x and 20x the basic magnitude level with time horizons of one, three, six and 12 months. Without zooming adjustments in base consumption, very strong hyperbolic and magnitude effects were found, and present bias could not explain the hyperbolic effects. The zooming model provides an explanation of what appear to be significant intertemporal anomalies in the data.
Noise-Free Maximum Correntropy Criterion Algorithm in Non-Gaussian Environment

In this brief, a noise-free maximum correntropy criterion (NFMCC) algorithm is proposed for system identification in non-Gaussian environments. The proposed algorithm utilizes correntropy theory to construct a cost function which is realized based on a normalized Gaussian kernel. In addition, a new dynamic step size scheme is proposed to enhance the performance of the proposed algorithm, which is implemented by minimizing the noise-free a posteriori error signal, and the mean square deviation (MSD) is greatly decreased. The proposed NFMCC algorithm shows significant property in reducing the detrimental effects of outliers and impulsive noise with different input signals. Moreover, a Students’ T distributed noise is employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in terms of the MSD and convergence for heavy tailed noising environment. The parameter effects on the NFMCC algorithm are also presented, and its performance is investigated on a real-life channel that is measured in underwater. Simulation results prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm which provides a considerable computational complexity and an acceptable running time.
Inhibition of protein arginine methyltransferase 3 activity selectively impairs liver X receptor‐driven transcription of hepatic lipogenic genes in vivo

Agonists for the liver X receptor (LXR) are considered promising therapeutic moieties in cholesterol‐driven diseases by promoting cellular cholesterol efflux pathways. However, current clinical application of these agents is hampered by concomitant LXR‐induced activation of a lipogenic transcriptional network, leading to hepatic steatosis. Recent studies have suggested that protein arginine methyltransferase 3 (PRMT3) may act as a selective co‐activator of LXR activity. Here, we verified the hypothesis that PRMT3 inhibition selectively disrupts the ability of LXR to stimulate lipogenesis while maintaining its capacity to modulate macrophage cholesterol homeostasis.
Vote-Share Contracts and Learning-by-Doing

We examine the interaction between vote-share contracts and learning-by-doing. Candidates for a political office are allowed to offer vote-share thresholds. The elected politician has to achieve at least this threshold value in his reelection result to remain in office for a second term. We assume there are learningby- doing effects for incumbents and show that competition leads to vote-share contracts implementing the socially optimal threshold, which is above one-half. Vote-share contracts improve the average ability level of a reelected politician and increase effort in the first term of an incumbent. On the other hand, vote-share contracts reduce the probability that learning-by-doing takes place. However, the overall effect of vote-share contracts is welfare-enhancing, even under the assumption of learning-by-doing.