Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic and Experimental Study of the CuxO@C Nanocomposite Derived from Cu3(BTC)2 for SO2 Removal

A tunable and efficient strategy was adopted to synthesize highly porous nano-structured CuO−carbonized composites (CuxO@C) using Cu3(BTC)2 as a sacrificial template. The as-synthesized CuO nanocomposites exhibited hollow octahedral structures, a large surface area (89.837 m2 g−1) and a high proportion of Cu2O active sites distributed on a carbon frame. Based on DFT calculations, both the Cu atoms on the surface (CuS) and oxygen vacancy (OV) exhibited strong chemical reactivity. On the perfect CuO (111), the CuS transferred charge to O atoms on the surface and SO2 molecules. A strong adsorption energy (−1.41 eV) indicated the existence of the chemisorption process. On the oxygen-deficient CuO (111), the O2 preferably adsorbed on OV and then formed SO3 by bonding with SO2, followed by the cleavage of the O−O bond. Furthermore, the CuO nanocomposites exhibited an excellent ratio of S/Cu in SO2 removal experiments compared with CuO nanoparticles produced by coprecipitation.
Simultaneous Determination of Steroids and Glucocorticoids in Human Urine by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS)

Abstract Prostate cancer is a hormone-dependent disease and therefore androgens play a critical role in its development. For both research on clinical conditions as well as diagnostic and monitoring purposes, accurate measurement of steroid hormones is essential. This study aimed to develop a sensitive and selective method for simultaneously detecting nine sex steroids and two glucocorticoids in human urine and to evaluate the alterations of urinary endogenous steroid hormones induced by prostate cancer. A total of 97 Chinese subjects were randomly recruited for this study, including 66 patients with prostate cancer and 31 healthy controls. The concentrations of steroid hormones, including dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estrone, estradiol, estriol (E1), progesterone, cortisol (F), and cortisone (E), were simultaneously determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in the positive mode (UPLC–APCI+–MS/MS). The population analysis indicated that prostate cancer patients showed significantly higher DHEAS, DHT, E1, and E than healthy controls. Furthermore, the levels of DHEAS and E1 were significantly positively correlated with serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which is considered to be the best conventional prostate cancer marker in the current study. In summary, we validated the use of urine samples for multiple steroid profiling by UPLC–MS/MS. Two steroids were significantly altered and correlated with PSA in the prostate cancer population. These findings open further investigation of the potential role of sex steroids in prostate cancer diagnosis. Studying large samples and determining these steroid hormones in the urine are still necessary.
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PREDICTORS OF GREEN SUSTAINABLE SOFTWARE PRACTICES IN MALAYSIAN ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES

Currently, sustainability is a pertinent issue that should be considered in the software development process; hence it is imperative to recognize how environmental-friendly practices can be applied in the electronic industries that develop and deploy software products. However, sustainability is not fully considered when electronic industries implement modern software systems. Additionally, software developers in electronic industries believe that software is environmental friendly mainly because it is virtual. Conversely, the life cycle process and approaches applied to implement, deploy and maintain software do possess social and environmental impacts that are usually not accounted for by electronic industries. Therefore this study identified the predictors that determine sustainable software practice applications in electronics industries by presenting a model to facilitate sustainable software products development. The identified predictors influence sustainable software practices applications which correlate to environmental, technical, economic, social and individual dimensions of sustainability in electronics industries. Based on the identified predicators, this research developed a set of indicators for survey questions and collected data from 133 respondents from Information Technology (IT), software, environmental and electronicbased industries. The survey data aimed to verify each of the identified predictors that influence sustainable software practice applications. Descriptive and inferential statistical results from the survey data show that each of the predictors is significant and do influence sustainable software development. The finding from this study provides insights to electronic industries in implementing sustainable software practice applications.
Population dynamics of Corecoris dentiventris Berg. 1884 (Hemiptera: Coreidae) at an experimental tobacco crop in Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

The population dynamics of Corecoris dentiventris adults was studied at an experimental tobacco plot in Porto Alegre, Brazil (30o 01'S 51o 13'WGR), by the mark-release-recapture method. In an area of ca. 300 (3 are) m², 365 tobacco plants were grown. From August/1997 to February/1998, all plants were inspected weekly. Adults were captured by hand, marked with coded dots on the elitra with a permanent ink pen and released back on the same plant. Data was analyzed by the Fisher-Ford method. Two hundred seventy three bugs were marked on 45 sampling occasions. Recapture rates were extremely high, about 41 and 40% for females and males respectively. Daily survival rate estimates were above 96%. Population size was about 60 individuals in the 1st generation, reaching a plateau higher than 100 in the 2nd generation. Estimated mean minimum longevity was 25,19 +/- 2,21 and 22,9 +/- 3,54 for females and males respectively.
Material management without forecasting: From MRP to demand driven MRP

Purpose: Efficient Operations and Supply Chain Management is key to building sustainable competitive edge for companies. However, the achievement of this goal is becoming challenging in the present dynamic production environment, as traditional Manufacturing Planning and Control systems were not developed to work in this context. The Demand-Driven Material Requirement Planning (DDMRP) methodology was developed with the aim of addressing this need and deal efficiently with material management. The present work, therefore analyzes the evolution of a company after converting from MRP to DDMRP.Design/methodology/approach: To achieve an in depth understanding of the case study a qualitative approach was taken. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews, documents and archival records enabling triangulation. The results from before and after the implementation of DDMRP were compared, and the evolution of the performance of the company was evaluated.Findings: The results clearly show that using DDMRP the company increased visibility in the supply chain. In addition, the inventory level was reduced by 52.53% while material consumption was increased by 8.7%. These results were achieved while maintaining the high service level.Originality/value: DDMRP is a relatively new methodology and for this reason there is little published data in this field. In addition the few studies found in the literature analyze the performance of DDMRP in simulated environments. The present work aims to go one step further and analyzes the implementation of DDMRP in a real company.
An Engineered Protein-Based Building Block (Albumin Methacryloyl) for Fabrication of a 3D In Vitro Cryogel Model

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a leading cause of attrition in drug development or withdrawal; current animal experiments and traditional 2D cell culture systems fail to precisely predict the liver toxicity of drug candidates. Hence, there is an urgent need for an alternative in vitro model that can mimic the liver microenvironments and accurately detect human-specific drug hepatotoxicity. Here, for the first time we propose the fabrication of an albumin methacryloyl cryogel platform inspired by the liver’s microarchitecture via emulating the mechanical properties and extracellular matrix (ECM) cues of liver. Engineered crosslinkable albumin methacryloyl is used as a protein-based building block for fabrication of albumin cryogel in vitro models that can have potential applications in 3D cell culture and drug screening. In this work, protein modification, cryogelation, and liver ECM coating were employed to engineer highly porous three-dimensional cryogels with high interconnectivity, liver-like stiffness, and liver ECM as artificial liver constructs. The resulting albumin-based cryogel in vitro model provided improved cell–cell and cell–material interactions and consequently displayed excellent liver functional gene expression, being conducive to detection of fialuridine (FIAU) hepatotoxicity.
Risk factors for early surgical intervention in neonates with gastroesophageal reflux disease

Background: Surgical intervention in neonates with Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is usually reserved for failure of medical management or those having life-threatening complications of GERD. The optimal timing of intervention is still debatable. We aimed to identify the high-risk neonates with GERD requiring early surgical intervention. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at NICU and Pediatric Surgery Department, Ain Shams University, from June 2017 to June 2020, and enrolled the neonates and infants below 2 months with symptoms and signs suggestive of GERD. Demographic data, clinical history, medical management, need for antireflux surgery, and outcomes were recorded. Results: In this study, 40 patients were enrolled and all were started on medical treatment. After the failure of medical management or life-threatening complications, 12 of these underwent anti-reflux surgery. In the medical group, six patients suffered from major complications (bronchopulmonary dysplasia and sepsis) and four mortalities. In the surgical group, three mortalities related to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia due to prolonged ventilation prior to surgery were recorded. The need for surgical intervention was significantly associated with younger gestational age (p = 0.001), younger age at presentation (p = 0.006), and lower weight at presentation (p = 0.034). Conclusion: Medical treatment of more than 35 days with unsatisfactory response, low birth weight, gestational age (≤32 weeks), and NICU admission in the first 10 days of life are considered high-risk factors for early anti-reflux surgery in neonates.
Comparison of Thirty-Day Complications Between Navigated AndConventional Single-Level Instrumented Posterior Lumbar Fusion: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis

Study Design: Retrospective cohort comparison study. Objective: To compare perioperative outcomes between navigated and conventional single-level instrumented posterior lumbar fusions in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Summary of Background Data: Although multiple studies have investigated the accuracy of pedicle screw placement and radiation exposure with navigation, no study has compared perioperative complications between navigated and conventional posterior lumbar fusion. The potential benefits of navigation include improved accuracy of screw placement and reduced surgeon radiation exposure, but this is balanced by potential operative time and surgical site contamination/infection related to this bulky technology. Methods: Patients who underwent navigated or conventional single-level posterior instrumented lumbar fusions were identified in the 2010-2015 NSQIP database. The usage of navigation was characterized. Patient characteristics and comorbidities were compared between the two treatment groups. Propensity score matchingwas done and comparisons were madefor operative time, hospital length of stay, postoperative complications, and thirty-day readmissions between the two cohorts. Results: The percentage of navigated cases tended to increase over years studiedto approximately 10%. After propensity matching to control potential confounding factors, statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in operative time and for most adverse events including wound infection, return to the operating room, andreadmission. There were significantly lower blood transfusions in the navigated cohort (2.84% versus 7.15%, p<0.001). Patients who underwent navigated surgery also had a shorter mean hospital length of stay (0.2 day difference, p=0.016). Conclusions: The reduced blood loss and mildly reduced hospital length of stay identified for the navigated cases are probably markers of more minimally invasive surgery in the navigated cohort. The current study could not identify other differences inoperative time, wound infection, or return to the operating room/readmission between navigated and conventional single level posterior instrumented lumbar cases.
Physiology and yield of ‘Gaúcho’ melon under brackish water and salicylic acid in hydroponic cultivation

Abstract In order to study the effect of salicylic acid concentrations on the mitigation of salt stress in melon plants grown on a hydroponic system an experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at Pombal – PB, Brazil, using an NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) system. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a 4 × 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to four levels of electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution—ECns (2.1—control, 3.2, 4.3, and 5.4 dS m−1) and four concentrations of salicylic acid—SA (0, 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 mM), with six replicates. Salicylic acid at the concentration of 3.2 mM attenuated the effect of nutrient solution salinity on the fresh weight of melon fruits. The saline nutrient solution impairs gas exchange and the relative water content and increases the intercellular electrolyte leakage in the leaf blade of melon plants. However, salicylic acid attenuates the deleterious effects of salinity and attains a maximum yield of melon fruits of 23.82 t ha−1 with foliar application of 1.5 mM at ECns of 3.1 dS m−1. Salicylic acid stimulated the synthesis of total chlorophyll, the CO2 assimilation rate, and the instantaneous water use efficiency of hydroponic melon up to a concentration of 4.5 mM. The results obtained indicate that the responses of the hydroponic melon plant grown with saline nutrient solution and the application of salicylic acid are not yet fully elucidated.
FOXA1, FOXA2, SOX10 and GAS2 Gene Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Their Relationship with Clinicopathological Indices

Background: The use of molecular methods in cancer diagnosis has led to a better prognosis. One of the important gene families in the carcinogenic pathways of various cancers is the forkhead box (FOX) family genes. Moreover, developmental transcription factors and proapoptotic proteins play critical roles in cell function and carcinogenesis. Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate the expression of A1 FOXA1, FOXA2, SOX10, and growth arrest specific 2 (GAS2) genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tumors due to biomarker discovery and early diagnosis of cancer. Methods: To evaluate the expression of FOXA1, FOXA2, SOX10, and GAS2 genes, 30 OSCC samples and 30 normal specimens were obtained from Imam Khomeini Hospital Cancer Institute. RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were done by relevant kits. After a specific primer design for FOXA1, FOXA2, SOX10, and GAS2 genes, real-time PCR was done to evaluate the genes’ expression for molecular biomarker discovery and validation. ANOVA and independent t-test were used to analyze the data. Results: Significant differences were observed in the expression of the studied genes in tumor and control tissues (P < 0.001). The results showed that FOXA1, GAS2, and SOX10 expressions in tumor and normal cells have significant differences (P < 0.001). Regardless of FOXA1, FOXA2 and SOX10, there was a significant difference in the expression of GAS2 genes in term patients’ age (P < 0.05) and overexpressed in patients over 55 years. SOX10 gene is upregulated in grade II OSCC tumors but there is no significant difference in expression of FOXA1, FOXA2, and GAS2 in different stages and grades. The ROC curve analysis, FOXA1, and FOXA2 showed AUC = 0.66 and AUC = 0.57 respectively. Meanwhile, SOX10 and GAS2 showed AUC = 0.9 and AUC = 1 respectively. Conclusions: In general, the expression of FOXA1, GAS2, and SOX10 genes in cancer and control tissues were different, and therefore the role of these genes in OSCC is confirmed. Also, in the present study, the biomarker potential of SOX10 and GAS2 genes for OSCC diagnosis was demonstrated. In the current study, the important role of the studied genes in OSCC diagnosis was shown. However, further studies are needed to confirm this.
M‐payment service: Interplay of perceived risk, benefit, and trust in service adoption

This study aimed to examine the effects of perceived risk, perceived benefits, and trust on consumers’ intention to use mobile payment, or m‐payment. In addition, different effects of some demographic factors (e.g., income, age, education) on m‐payment usage were examined. The sample of 457 respondents was used to analyze the causal relationships between the variables and the mean differences of demographic factors in consumer intention to use m‐payment. The results supported the negative relationship between perceived risk, trust, and consumer intention to use m‐payment. A positive relationship between perceived benefits and trust was found. This study revealed that trust mediated consumer intention to use m‐payment. In individual differences of m‐payment adoption, education influenced the relationship between perceived risk and intention to use m‐payments as well as the relationship between trust and intention to use m‐payment. This study provided insights into consumer differences regarding m‐payment adoption and the mediating role of trust between perceived benefits, perceived risk, and intention to use m‐payment.
FACTORS RELATED TO QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG CHILDREN WITH THALASSEMIA MAJOR: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Background: Thalassemia major is a chronic disease in children that harms children quality of life by interrupting physical function, emotional function, social function, and school function. Objectives: This study aims to identify factors contributed to quality of life among children with thalassemia major. Design: The research design used systematic review based on the PRISMA guideline. Data Sources: The source of the articles used three databases including Pubmed, Science Direct, and NCBI with keywords: “quality of life” AND “children” AND “thalassemia major”. The articles were searched from July to September 2021. Review Methods: The data in this study were obtained by reviewing articles from previous studies using PRISMA checklist and PICOS. To assess the quality of article, JBI Critical Appraisal Tools was also used as a guideline. Results: There were 6 articles reviewed according to the inclusion criteria. All the studies showed that the score of quality of life among children with thalassemia major was lower than that of healthy children. The school function among children with thalassemia major was known to have the lowest score from this review. Factors contributed to quality of life among children with thalassemia major according to this review were chelation therapy, pretransfusion hemoglobin, age during the first transfusion, frequency of transfusion, child’s age, family income, parents’ education, hepatomegaly, body mass index, and serum ferritin levels. Conclusion: This review notifies the necessity of developing strategies in improving the quality of life of children with thalassemia major that involves parents, health services, schools, and the government.
English language knowledge as a determinant of employability in hotel industry: The case of Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia

English has become widely accepted as the language of hotel industry and one of the core soft skills of employability. Since the perceptions of different stakeholders in education often differ to a certain extent, when designing a language course at a university level, it is of utmost importance to take into consideration the opinion of industry practitioners. The aim of the present diagnostic quantitative study employing case study methodology is to look into the importance of English language knowledge for employability in the hotel industry, define field-specific foreign language needs and identify the problems faced in supplier-consumer encounters. The obtained results point to the fact that hotel employees find English important for successful performance. The most necessary skills proved to be speaking and listening comprehension, followed by writing and reading. The identified problems faced in communication were related to inability to understand the interlocutor and the lack of proper lexical knowledge.
Design and numerical simulation of highly efficient mixed‐organic cation mixed‐metal cation perovskite solar cells

Mixed cation perovskite type materials have recently shown considerable potential in high‐efficiency single‐ and multi‐junction solar cell devices. However, the operating principles of multiple cation‐based perovskite solar cells are currently poorly understood. Furthermore, the photovoltaic performances of mixed cations‐based perovskites solar cells are investigated using device simulator program. Inorganic TiO2 and Cu2O were used as electron transport layer and hole transport layer, respectively, because of their better performance. The impact of thickness, doping concentration and density of defect is examined using on the device performance. In addition, the effect of band offsets on performance was also investigated through altering the electron affinity of interface layers. Our calculated results reveal that a 700 nm absorber thickness is appropriate for a good solar cell device. Furthermore, impressive cell efficiency findings were obtained by adjusting defect density (1015‐1016 cm−3) of the mixed perovskite active layer. The optimum conduction and valence band offsets, respectively, were determined to be 0.1 to 0.4 eV and 0.1 to 0.1 eV, allowing for a good performance of mixed perovskite devices. As an alternative to typical halide perovskite solar cells, our findings can be utilized to design and construct efficient mixed cations perovskite solar cell devices.