Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Modification as a New Approach to Ameliorate the Therapeutic Efficacy of Stem Cells in Diabetic Retinopathy

Over the last decades, the strategy of using stem cells has gained a lot of attention in treating many diseases. Recently, DR was identified as one of the common complications experienced by diabetic patients around the world. The current treatment strategy needs to be addressed since the active progression of DR may lead to permanent blindness. Interestingly, varieties of stem cells have emerged to optimize the therapeutic effects. It is also known that stem cells possess multilineage properties and are capable of differentiating, expanding in vitro and undergoing genetic modification. Moreover, modified stem cells have shown to be an ideal resource to prevent the degenerative disease and exhibit promising effects in conferring the migratory, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and provide better homing for cells into the damaged tissue or organ as well promoting healing properties. Therefore, the understanding of the functional properties of the stem cells may provide the comprehensive guidance to understand the manipulation of stem cells making them useful for long-term therapeutic applications. Hence in this review the potential use and current challenges of genetically modified stem cells to treat DR will be discussed along with its future perspectives.
Probiotic Potential of a Folate-Producing Strain Latilactobacillus sakei LZ217 and Its Modulation Effects on Human Gut Microbiota

Folate is a B-vitamin required for DNA synthesis, methylation, and cellular division, whose deficiencies are associated with various disorders and diseases. Currently, most folic acid used for fortification is synthesized chemically, causing undesirable side effects. However, using folate-producing probiotics is a viable option, which fortify folate in situ and regulate intestinal microbiota. In this study, the folate production potential of newly isolated strains from raw milk was analyzed by microbiological assay. Latilactobacillus sakei LZ217 showed the highest folate production in Folic Acid Assay Broth, 239.70 ± 0.03 ng/μL. The folate produced by LZ217 was identified as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. LZ217 was tolerant to environmental stresses (temperature, pH, NaCl, and ethanol), and was resistant to gastrointestinal juices. Additionally, the in vitro effects of LZ217 on human gut microbiota were investigated by fecal slurry cultures. 16S rDNA gene sequencing indicated that fermented samples containing LZ217 significantly increased the abundance of phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus 2, Butyricicoccus compared to not containing. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) analysis revealed that LZ217 also increased the production of butyric acid by fermentation. Together, L. sakei LZ217 could be considered as a probiotic candidate to fortify folate and regulate intestinal microecology.
Corporate transparency and performance: what is the role of women in this relationship?

Purpose: In this study, we investigated the influence of female board membership on the relationship between corporate transparency and performance in Brazilian public firms. Methodology: The sample of this empirical-analytical study included 297 non-financial firms traded on B3 in the period 2015-2019. The data were analyzed with Student’s t test, the Mann-Whitney test and regressions on panel data. Results: Female board representation was small (6.9%). Student’s t test and the Mann-Whitney test showed that firms with female board members and transparency awards did not differ from other firms with regard to economic performance, but market performance was better. In the regression analysis, corporate transparency had no significant impact on performance and, despite the growing acknowledgment in society of the role of women in key corporate positions, the presence of women on the board did not change this association. Thus, our results indicate that the sampled firms did not derive measurable economic benefits from the presence of women on the board of directors. Contribution of the study: The study enriches the debate on female representation in key corporate positions in Brazilian public firms and helps understand the influence of female board membership on the relationship between corporate transparency and economic/market performance.
Smartphone Security: New Applications and Challenges

Smartphones have become daily companions and are carried around by billions of people. They are used for the most diverse tasks and users trust them with both private and business data. As with any technology that reaches such a scale and holds so much information about its users, smartphones enable new applications but also pose new challenges. On the one hand, the power and versatility of these platforms can be used to enhance the security of our day to day activities. On the other hand, smartphones are becoming more and more the targets of attacks. In this thesis we look at both aspects of smartphone security. We first propose two ways in which smartphones can enhance the security of daily life operations. Then, we look at sophisticated attacks that can circumvent the security mechanisms deployed on smartphones. In the first part of this thesis, we introduce Sound-Proof, a two-factor authentication mechanism for the web. Sound-Proof uses short audio recordings to verify the proximity of the user’s smartphone and computer. Only when the two are close to each other is the login attempt authorized. This solution is transparent to the user, who does not have to interact with his smartphone, thus matching the experience of password-only authentication. It is also easily deployable, as no extra software is required on the computer from where the user is logging in. We then propose a secure location-based two-factor authentication system for payments at points of sale. In this case we consider a strong adversary that can compromise the user’s mobile operating system. To overcome this adversary, we propose novel secure enrollment schemes for the trusted execution environment of the user’s smartphone. In the second part of this thesis, we first investigate application phishing attacks. We look at various countermeasures and identify personalized security indicators as an attractive solution. We perform the first user study to assess their effectiveness in the new context of mobile application phishing. Our results show an increase in attack detection rates compared to previous studies on the web and give reason to believe that personalized security indicators can be used effectively on smartphones. We then look at application collusion attacks. In particular, we implement and evaluate various overt and covert communication channels that two applications can use to exchange information on smartphones. We provide evidence as to why some channels cannot be easily prevented and conclude that application collusion attacks remain an open problem.
Magneto-Mechanical Enhancement of Elastic Moduli in Magnetoactive Elastomers with Anisotropic Microstructures

Magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) have gained significant attention in recent years due to their wide range of engineering applications. This paper investigates the important interplay between the particle microstructure and the sample shape of MAEs. A simple analytical expression is derived based on geometrical arguments to describe the particle distribution inside MAEs. In particular, smeared microstructures are considered instead of a discrete particle distribution. As a consequence of considering structured particle arrangements, the elastic free energy is anisotropic. It is formulated with the help of the rule of mixtures. We show that the enhancement of elastic moduli arises not only from the induced dipole–dipole interactions in the presence of an external magnetic field but also considerably from the change in the particle microstructure.
The Effect of Anaerobic Digestate on the Soil Organic Carbon and Humified Carbon Fractions in Different Land-Use Systems in Lithuania

The most important component of agricultural system are soils as the basis for the growth of plants, accumulation of water, plant nutrients and organic matter. The main task of our research was to ascertain changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and mobile humified carbon fractions in digestate-treated soils. We have performed three field experiments using the same design on two soil types in 2019–2020. We studied the fertilization effects of different phases of digestate on Retisol and Fluvisol. Fertilization treatments: control; separated liquid digestate 85 kg ha−1 N; and 170 kg ha−1 170 N; separated solid digestate 85 kg ha−1 N; and 170 kg ha−1 N. We have found a greater positive effect on the increase in SOC because of the use of the maximum recommended fertilization rate of the solid digestate. The content of mobile humic substances (MHS) tended to increase in grassland and crop rotation field in digestate-treated soil. In our experiment, maximum concentration of SOC was found in 0–10 cm soil layer, while in the deeper layers the amount of SOC, MHS and mobile humic acids proportionally decreased. We concluded, that long-term factors as soil type and land use strongly affected the humification level expressed as HD (%) in the soil and the highest HD was determined in the grassland soil in Fluvisol.
Brief online implicit bias education increases bias awareness among clinical teaching faculty

ABSTRACT Problem and Purpose Healthcare provider implicit bias influences the learning environment and patient care. Bias awareness is one of the key elements to be included in implicit bias education. Research on education enhancing bias awareness is limited. Bias awareness can motivate behavior change. The objective was to evaluate whether exposure to a brief online course, Implicit Bias in the Clinical and Learning Environment, increased bias awareness. Materials and Methods The course included the history of racism in medicine, social determinants of health, implicit bias in healthcare, and strategies to reduce the impact of implicit bias in clinical care and teaching. A sample of U.S. academic family, internal, and emergency medicine providers were recruited into the study from August to December 2019. Measures of provider implicit and explicit bias, personal and practice characteristics, and pre–post-bias awareness measures were collected. Results Of 111 participants, 78 (70%) were female, 81 (73%) were White, and 63 (57%) were MDs. Providers held moderate implicit pro-White bias on the Race IAT (Cohen’s d = 0.68) and strong implicit stereotypes associating males rather than females with ‘career’ on the Gender-Career IAT (Cohen’s d = 1.15). Overall, providers held no explicit race bias (Cohen’s d = 0.05). Providers reported moderate explicit male-career (Cohen’s d = 0.68) and strong female-family stereotype (Cohen’s d = 0.83). A statistically significant increase in bias awareness was found after exposure to the course (p = 0.03). Provider implicit and explicit biases and personal and practice characteristics were not associated with an increase in bias awareness. Conclusions Implicit bias education is effective to increase providers’ bias awareness regardless of strength of their implicit and explicit biases and personal and practice characteristics. Increasing bias awareness is one step of many toward creating a positive learning environment and a system of more equitable healthcare.
Optimal design of new cascade multilevel converter topology based on series connection of extended sub-multilevel units

In this study, a new circuit for cascade multilevel converter based on series connection of extended sub-multilevel units is described. In order to produce all levels at output voltage waveform, an algorithm is proposed to determine the values of dc sources. To maximise the number of output voltage levels with minimum number of utilised power electronic components, the proposed cascade multilevel converter is optimised. The comparison results with other recently presented topologies are provided in terms of the number of utilised components and standing voltage on switches. Compared to other structures, the proposed topology utilises fewer number of insulated-gate bipolar transistors, drivers, anti-parallel diodes, and dc sources. Also, the value of standing voltage of switches in the recommended topology is low. Experimental results for proposed converter are provided to verify the operation of presented structure.
Weighted Group Sparsity-Constrained Tensor Factorization for Hyperspectral Unmixing

Recently, unmixing methods based on nonnegative tensor factorization have played an important role in the decomposition of hyperspectral mixed pixels. According to the spatial prior knowledge, there are many regularizations designed to improve the performance of unmixing algorithms, such as the total variation (TV) regularization. However, these methods mostly ignore the similar characteristics among different spectral bands. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a group sparse regularization that uses the weighted constraint of the L2,1 norm, which can not only explore the similar characteristics of the hyperspectral image in the spectral dimension, but also keep the data smooth characteristics in the spatial dimension. In summary, a non-negative tensor factorization framework based on weighted group sparsity constraint is proposed for hyperspectral images. In addition, an effective alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm is used to solve the algorithm proposed in this paper. Compared with the existing popular methods, experiments conducted on three real datasets fully demonstrate the effectiveness and advancement of the proposed method.
Prevalence, Intensity, and Morphological Variability of Wheat Blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) in Oromia, Ethiopia

Studies of the wheat Zymoseptoria tritici blotch (ZTB) status in different locations, on agronomic practice, and pathogen variability has not yet been studied in Ethiopia. As a result, the goal of this study was to determine ZTB's distribution and intensity, as well as the morphological variability of isolates. In Oromia's central-southeastern region, zones and districts were purposefully chosen, whereas kebeles were determined via a systematic sampling procedure. In a generalized linear model (GLM), the mean comparison of fixed effects was examined using least significant difference (LSD) tests. Colony texture, shapes, and colors were used to identify isolate variability. Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationship between disease intensity and the independent variable, and multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the magnitudes of the association. A total of 108 fields were examined, with the percent occurrence of zones (88.9 to 100%) and districts (77.8 to 100%) recorded. ZTB intensity was not significantly different across districts (p 0.05) while severity was significantly different across zones (p 0.01). Weed infestation (r = 0.78 and r = 0.20) and growth phases (r = 0.72 and r = 0.36) had a positive correlation, although plowing frequency (r = -0.77 and r = -0.43) had a negative correlation with incidence and severity. There are 43 isolates classified into four colors, three textures, and three growth forms. The ZTB epidemics in current research areas are need more consideration and they should be prioritized for integrated management. Our data suggest that weed control, soil tillage, and crop rotation are all effective ways to mitigate the effects of wheat ZTB.
Abnormal mTOR Activity in Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric and MIA-Associated Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by the early onset of communication and behavioral problems. ASD is highly heritable; however, environmental factors also play a considerable role in this disorder. A significant part of both syndromic and idiopathic autism cases could be attributed to disorders caused by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-dependent translation deregulation. This narrative review analyzes both bioinformatic and experimental evidence that connects mTOR signaling to the maternal autoantibody-related (MAR) autism spectrum and autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders simultaneously. In addition, we reconstruct a network presenting the interactions between the mTOR signaling and eight MAR ASD genes coding for ASD-specific maternal autoantibody target proteins. The research discussed in this review demonstrates novel perspectives and validates the need for a subtyping of ASD on the grounds of pathogenic mechanisms. The utter necessity of designing ELISA-based test panels to identify all antibodies related to autism-like behavior is also considered.
Impact of Sarcopenia and Myosteatosis in Non-Cirrhotic Stages of Liver Diseases: Similarities and Differences across Aetiologies and Possible Therapeutic Strategies

Sarcopenia is defined as a loss of muscle strength, mass and function and it is a predictor of mortality. Sarcopenia is not only a geriatric disease, but it is related to several chronic conditions, including liver diseases in both its early and advanced stages. Despite the increasing number of studies exploring the role of sarcopenia in the early stages of chronic liver disease (CLD), its prevalence and the relationship between these two clinical entities are still controversial. Myosteatosis is characterized by fat accumulation in the muscles and it is related to advanced liver disease, although its role in the early stages is still under researched. Therefore, in this narrative review, we firstly aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying sarcopenia and myosteatosis in the early stage of CLD across different aetiologies (mainly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcohol-related liver disease and viral hepatitis). Secondly, due to the increasing prevalence of sarcopenia worldwide, we aimed to revise the current and the future therapeutic approaches for the management of sarcopenia in CLD.
Determinants of the Success of an Outsourcing Project in the Field of IT Separations – The Experience of Companies in the Silesian Voivodeship

: Purpose: The aim of the article is to present the experience of Silesian companies from the SME sector in the aspect of the conditions for the success of the outsourcing project in the field of IT separation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The article presents the results of research on a group of one hundred companies from the Silesian Voivodeship. The research was conducted over the course of March and April 2020. During this period, a questionnaire was sent to respondents, in accordance with the CAWI technique standards. In order to verify the hypothesis, the independence test χ 2 was used. Findings: It has been shown that the scope of satisfaction from cooperation with an external company and the benefits of IT outsourcing depend on the diligence of project preparation and the quality of outsourcing relationship management. Practical Implications: Companies that will be satisfied with cooperation with an outsourcing partner will also properly plan the project implementation process. This, in turn, will translate into an efficient flow of information between project participants. The research results reflected here can benefit both incubator business workers, researchers and entrepreneurial teachers and become an inspiration for further analysis and extended research on this problem. Originality/Value: The originality of the conducted research lies in the presentation of the relationship between the two parameters using the independence test χ 2 . These dependencies are based on relationships bewtween several variables, among them, scope of satisfaction, outsourcing cooperation, profitability, degree of satisfaction.
Flexural behavior analysis and strength prediction of steel fiber-and-nanosilica reinforced rubber concrete

In this study, a series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of the hook-shaped steel fiber (SF) and nanosilica (NS) on the flexural properties of the rubber concrete (RC), and the modification mechanisms of the NS on the flexural properties of steel fiber-and-nanosilica reinforced rubber concrete (SFNS-RC) were also revealed by using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope. Based on the RC specimen with a rubber content of 5%, the experimental variables included the SF volume fractions (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) and NS replacement ratios (0%, 1%, and 2%). The results indicated that the NS could improve the microstructure of the RC, the peaks of Ca(OH)2, C3S, and C2S steadily reduced as the NS replacement ratio increased, respectively, and the microstructure of SFNS-RC became more compact and uniform because the NS could produce pozzolanic activity to fill the pores of the matrix and strengthen the bond behavior between the SF and matrix. In addition, the RC specimens containing the SF and NS displayed the excellent flexural behaviors, including the ductility and energy dissipation characteristics. Finally, the empirical formulae for predicting the first-peak flexural strength and peak flexural strength of SFNS-RC were proposed through the analysis of experimental data, respectively.
Trends in US Deaths Due to Legal Intervention Among Black and White Men, Age 15-34 Years, by County Income Level: 1960-2010

To inform current national discussions about the deaths of black men due to the police, we present novel data on long-term trends (1960-2010) in deaths due to legal intervention (i.e., deaths due to law enforcement actions) among US black and white men, by county income level. Among the three health studies investigating trends in this outcome, one focused on the total US population for 1962-1993, one documented a marked excess for young adult black as compared to white men for 1979-1997, and the third reported on systematic underreporting of such deaths, overall and by race/ethnicity and age, for 1976-1998; none included socioeconomic data.
Greenhouse Gas Exchange of a NW German Peatland, 18 Years After Rewetting

Undisturbed peatlands are usually a sink of greenhouse gases (GHG), but turn to a GHG source when drained. While rewetting and restoration of drained peatlands play an important role in efforts to mitigate global warming, high uncertainties exist concerning the time period it takes after the start of rewetting until the point when the peatland becomes a GHG net sink. We investigated a site within the “Uchter Moor”, NW Germany. It is an oligotrophic raised bog, which was never used for agriculture, but was drained in 1950 for peat mining. In 1999, restoration began; now the ecosystem is in transition back to a typical raised bog vegetation with Eriophorum vaginatum, Molinia caerulea and Eriophorum angustifolium being the dominant species. Sphagnum cuspidatum appears in patches. From June 2016 to January 2018, an eddy covariance (EC) tower measured the fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). The flux of ozone (O3) was also measured for 6 months by EC and modeled for the remaining experimental period. Using the sustained global warming potential for a 100‐year time horizon, the balance of CO2, CH4, and N2O in 2017 was +500 ± 120 g CO2‐equiv m−2 a−1. The plus sign indicates a net emission of GHG into the atmosphere. Methane contributed 78% to this flux. The inclusion of O3 into the balance yielded a somewhat smaller total flux of +430 ± 120 g CO2‐equiv m−2 a−1. Overall, the peatland is still a source of GHG, 18 years after re‐wetting.