Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tryptophan Alleviates Acute Heat Stress-Induced Impairment of Antioxidant Status and Mitochondrial Function in Broilers

Heat stress has been considered as a critical risk factor for decreasing performance and causing oxidative stress in broilers. The tryptophan (TRP) derivative 5-hydroxytryptophan has been reported to protect membrane fluidity in broilers suffering from oxidative stress. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary TRP supplementation on antioxidant status and mitochondrial function-related genes expressions in broilers exposed to acute heat stress (34 ± 1°C, 24 h). Female Arbor Acres broilers (19-d-old, n = 180) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments. Broilers were fed a basal diet and in the thermoneutral conditions (TN, 23 ± 1°C) was considered as the TN group. Broilers were fed a basal diet and exposed to acute heat stress (HS, 34 ± 1°C) was regarded as the HS group. Broilers were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0.18% L-tryptophan and under HS conditions was treated as the HS + TRP groups. Heat stress led to increased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (P < 0.05), while it elevated catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity activities (T-AOC) (P < 0.05) compared with the TN group. Nevertheless, compared with the HS group, TRP supplementation increased SOD activity (P < 0.05). The effects of acute heat stress were associated with increased mRNA abundance for redox-related genes (P < 0.05), and reduced mRNA levels for mitochondrial function-related genes (P < 0.05). Notably, the effects of acute heat stress on mitochondrial function-related genes expressions were reversed by TRP treatment. Collectively, dietary 0.18% TRP supplementation beneficially protects against acute heat stress-induced oxidation stress and mitochondrial dysfunction by regulating antioxidant states and increasing mitochondrial function-related genes expressions in broilers.
BRAF-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Current Treatment Status and Future Perspective

V-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF) kinase, which was encoded by BRAF gene, plays critical roles in cell signaling, growth, and survival. Mutations in BRAF gene will lead to cancer development and progression. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), BRAF mutations commonly occur in never-smokers, women, and aggressive histological types and accounts for 1%–2% of adenocarcinoma. Traditional chemotherapy presents limited efficacy in BRAF-mutated NSCLC patients. However, the advent of targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have greatly altered the treatment pattern of NSCLC. However, ICI monotherapy presents limited activity in BRAF-mutated patients. Hence, the current standard treatment of choice for advanced NSCLC with BRAF mutations are BRAF-targeted therapy. However, intrinsic or extrinsic mechanisms of resistance to BRAF-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can emerge in patients. Hence, there are still some problems facing us regarding BRAF-mutated NSCLC. In this review, we summarized the BRAF mutation types, the diagnostic challenges that BRAF mutations present, the strategies to treatment for BRAF-mutated NSCLC, and resistance mechanisms of BRAF-targeted therapy.
Trajectory Analysis of Suicidal Ideation in Spanish College Students Using Ecological Momentary Assessment

Introduction Suicide is a preventable death in young people. It is well known that suicide behavior is a multicausal phenomenon. However, suicidal ideation (SI) commonly underlies suicide, and Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) can help us to better characterize it and its risk and protective factors in the short term. We aimed, first, to investigate the estimated prevalence and trajectories of SI in a community sample of Spanish college students using an EMA methodology and, second, explore the associations between risk and protective factors and SI categorized as moderate or low. Materials and Methods A total of 737 participants followed the EMA during a period of 6 months. We estimated the prevalence and trajectories of SI and the associations between depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, cognitive reappraisal, emotional suppression, and purpose in life with the MEmind smartphone App. SI was assessed 14 times during this period. Results Twenty-eight participants referred to SI at least once in longitudinal assessments. We found a lack of curvature and, thus, a relatively stable trajectory of SI. Two groups of latent dimensions were observed related to risk and protective factors of SI. One latent dimension of the risk factors (higher levels of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, depressive symptoms, negative affect, and emotional suppression) best represented the group with moderate levels of SI, and a second latent dimension of protective variables (positive affect, cognitive reappraisal, and purpose in life) best represented the group with lower levels of SI. Discussion These findings may indicate that students with a sense of having a life worth living, in addition to having the ability to reevaluate their negative beliefs, are less likely to experience high levels of SI. Therefore, purpose in life would be a protective factor against the presence of SI.
Associations of Humidity and Temperature With Cataracts Among Older Adults in China

Background The burden of cataracts was substantial in the current aging world. However, few epidemiological studies have examined the associations between climate and weather conditions and cataract in older populations. We aimed to investigate the associations of air relative humidity and temperature with cataracts in older adults in China. Methods We used the cohort data from 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). A total of 62,595 Chinese older adults aged between 65 and 105 years were included in the analyses. City-level annual average air humidity and temperature during 2001 and 2017 (before the survey year) was used to measure population exposure. A cataract was self-reports based on the medical record or the doctor's diagnosis and 8,071 older adults had cataract. Covariates included socio-demographic, health status, lifestyles, and chronic conditions. We adopted the Generalized estimation equation (GEE) model to analyze the associations of relative humidity and temperature with cataracts. Results We found that the average relative humidity (OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.98–0.99) in the past year was inversely associated with cataract likelihoods in older adults and a positive association between temperature (OR: 1.04; 95%CI: 1.03,1.05) in the past year and cataract likelihoods in older adults. The associations were robust in stratified analyses by sex, urban/rural residence, and education level. Furthermore, we found a nonlinear J-shaped relationship between temperature and cataract prevalence. Conclusion Our findings provide the evidence that higher temperature and low relative humidity may be associated with cataracts in older adults.
Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation Modulates the Relation of ENSO With the Precipitation in the Central-Western Indian Ocean

It is well known that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) could affect the precipitation anomalies in the central-western Indian Ocean (CWIP) through modifying the Walker circulation, with an El Niño generally accompanied by an enhanced CWIP. In this study, we find that this positive association is modulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). When ENSO and AMO are out-of-phase combinations (i.e., AMO-/El Niño and AMO+/La Niña), the CWIP is significantly stronger than that when they are in-phase cooperated. It is suggested that the AMO’s modulating effect mainly comprises two pathways that influence ENSO’s linkage with the CWIP. On one hand, AMO could modulate the SST variability in the central-eastern tropical Pacific with a stronger ENSO SST amplitude during its negative phase, thus influencing the ENSO-CWIP relationship. On the other hand, AMO is associated with a multidecadal atmospheric variation in the Walker circulation. The weakened circulation during the negative AMO phase favors an anomalous ascending flow over the central-western Indian Ocean, thereby favoring an enhanced CWIP there. Therefore, El Niño is accompanied by a more pronounced CWIP during the negative AMO phase compared to that during a positive AMO phase. For La Niña episodes, however, these two pathways have opposite modulation effects. Although AMO+/La Niña is weaker than AMO-/La Niña, the accompanied CWIP is relatively stronger as an multidecadal dry background induced by the Atlantic warming reinforces the negative CWIP anomaly generated by La Niña. We here highlight that the AMO decadal forcing needs to be considered when investigating the Indian Ocean atmospheric variabilities during ENSO events.
The Histone Deacetylase 9 Stroke-Risk Variant Promotes Apoptosis and Inflammation in a Human iPSC-Derived Smooth Muscle Cells Model

A common variant in the Histone Deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) gene is the strongest genetic risk for large-vessel stroke, and HDAC9 offers a novel target for therapeutic modulation. However, the mechanisms linking the HDAC9 variant with increased stroke risk is still unclear due to the lack of relevant models to study the underlying molecular mechanisms. We generated vascular smooth muscle cells using human induced pluripotent stem cells with the HDAC9 stroke risk variant to assess HDAC9-mediated phenotypic changes in a relevant cells model and test the efficacy of HDAC inhibitors for potential therapeutic strategies. Our human induced pluripotent stem cells derived vascular smooth muscle cells show enhanced HDAC9 expression and allow us to assess HDAC9-mediated effects on promoting smooth muscle cell dysfunction, including proliferation, migration, apoptosis and response to inflammation. These phenotypes could be reverted by treatment with HDAC inhibitors, including sodium valproate and small molecules inhibitors. By demonstrating the relevance of the model and the efficacy of HDAC inhibitors, our model provides a robust phenotypic screening platform, which could be applied to other stroke-associated genetic variants.
Inter-Individual Differences in Cognitive Tasks: Focusing on the Shaping of Decision-Making Strategies

In this paper, we review recent (published and novel) data showing inter-individual variation in decision-making strategies established by mice in a gambling task (MGT for Mouse Gambling Task). It may look intriguing, at first, that congenic animals develop divergent behaviors. However, using large groups of mice, we show that individualities emerge in the MGT, with about 30% of healthy mice displaying risk-averse choices while about 20-25% of mice make risk-prone choices. These strategies are accompanied by different brain network mobilization and individual levels of regional -prefrontal and striatal- monoamines. We further illustrate three ecological ways that influence drastically cognitive strategies in healthy adult mice: sleep deprivation, sucrose or artificial sweetener exposure, and regular exposure to stimulating environments. Questioning how to unmask individual strategies, what are their neural/neurochemical bases and whether we can shape or reshape them with different environmental manipulations is of great value, first to understand how the brain may build flexible decisions, and second to study behavioral plasticity, in healthy adult, as well as in developing brains. The latter may open new avenues for the identification of vulnerability traits to adverse events, before the emergence of mental pathologies.
LINKED PARTITION IDEALS AND ANDREWS–GORDON TYPE SERIES FOR ALLADI AND GORDON’S EXTENSION OF SCHUR’S IDENTITY

A BSTRACT . Based on the framework of linked partition ideals, we derive some double and triple series of Andrews–Gordon type for partitions in Alladi and Gordon’s extension of Schur’s identity. We also display similar series for such partitions with additional restrictions on the smallest part. Also, an alternative proof of Alladi and Gordon’s extension of Schur’s identity is presented.
SLNET: A Redistributable Corpus of 3rd-party Simulink Models

MATLAB/Simulink is widely used for model-based design. Engineers create Simulink models and compile them to embedded code, often to control safety-critical cyber-physical systems in automotive, aerospace, and healthcare applications. Despite Simulink's importance, there are few large-scale empirical Simulink studies, perhaps because there is no large readily available corpus of third-party open-source Simulink models. To enable empirical Simulink studies, this paper introduces SLNET, the largest corpus of freely available third-party Simulink models. SLNET has several advantages over earlier collections. Specifically, SLNET is 8 times larger than the largest previous corpus of Simulink models, includes fine-grained metadata, is constructed automatically, is self-contained, and allows redistribution. SLNET is available under permissive open-source licenses and contains its collection and analysis tools.
The Cogito Project: Design and Development of an International C-Class Catamaran and Her Successful Challenge to Regain the Little America’s Cup

In January 1996, Cogito, the U.S. challenger, defeated the Australian defender, Yellow Pages Edge, by the score of 4-0 in the 22nd running of the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy. This brought the trophy, better known as the Little America's Cup, back to the United States after an eleven-year stay in Australia. The Cogito project was three years in length and encompassed the design/construction phase, initial sailing and tuning at her home, the Bristol Yacht Club in Bristol, Rhode Island, and the final training and competition at the race venue, McCrae Yacht Club on Port Philip Bay south of Melbourne, Australia. This paper will cover all phases of the project from the design through the racing.
Investigation of DI-CI four-stroke VCR engine at different static injection timings using biofuel derived from non-edible oil source as a fuel

ABSTRACT This paper presents the effect of static fuel injection timings and blends of biodiesel with conventional diesel on the performance and emission characteristics of a DI-CI VCR engine. Blends of Honne oil methyl ester (HnOME) and diesel was used as fuel. The default value of static injection timing of the engine was 23° bTDC (before top dead centre). Injection timing was retarded and advanced from default value by 4° bTDC. Experiments were conducted at three levels of timings using the blends B20, B40, B60, B80 and B100 (pure HnOME). Conventional diesel was used as a reference fuel. The decrease in brake thermal efficiency for B20, B40, B60, B80 and HnOME compared to diesel at 19° bTDC were 5.4, 15.7, 13, 10 and 2.9% respectively. Brake thermal efficiency decreased by 4.2, 15.7, 13.5, 10.15 and 2.96% for B20, B40, B60, B80 and HnOME respectively compared to diesel at 27° bTDC. Nitric oxide emissions reduced for both advanced and retarded timings, but the reduction was more for retarded timing. Smoke intensity increased for retarded timing. Blend B60 to B80 can be successfully used by retarded timing combined with higher compression ratio and fuel injection pressure.
Teaching and Assessment

In this course we examine classical results about linear operators on Hilbert spaces. We begin by studying the concepts of projection and dimension on separable Hilbert spaces. We then study the notions of weak and strong topology on a Hilbert space. We then study the concept of compact operators which is fundamental in functional analysis. We then study the notions of weak, strong and norm topology in the algebra of bounded operators. We subsequently focus on the spectral theorem for compact selfadjoint operators. Then we study the solution of Fredholm and Volterra integral equations.
The influence of hoop stresses and earth resistance on the reinforcement mechanism of single and multiple geocells

Geocell structures consist of a series of interconnected single cells, made from different poly- mer materials. The cell walls completely encase the infill material and provide an all-around confinement to the soil. The confinement effect is based on three main mechanisms: active earth pressure within loaded cell, earth resistance in the adjacent cells and hoop stresses in the cell walls. To evaluate the influence of different parameters e.g. geocell stiffness, number of interconnected cells, geocell height and soil cover height on the interaction mechanism between hoop stresses and earth resistance static radial load tests were carried out. The test results have shown that the stiffness of the geocell material and the number of adjacent cells are the most important parameters. The test concept and the test results are presented in the paper.
Multiple licence plate detection for Chinese vehicles in dense traffic scenarios

In this study, the authors propose a real-time multiple licence plate (LP) detection algorithm for dense traffic conditions which is of vital importance in this modern era due to increased traffic congestion. The chromatic component of YDbDr colour space is proposed to detect the blue regions, whereas a simple yet effective colour detection method is used to identify yellow LP regions. The low-intensity pixel values are eliminated as a pre-processing step to enhance the LP regions and Otsu method is used to obtain the binary image. The candidate regions are acquired by using the connected component analysis. The false candidate regions are by large rejected by inspecting the area and aspect ratio of LPs. Additionally, a two-layered false LP detection approach has been introduced to remove fake LP regions. Experimental results in practical scenarios carried out in various weather conditions show that the proposed method is highly effective in coping with various illumination conditions to accurately detect the multiple vehicle LPs with an accuracy of 93.86%. The average processing time per image is 0.33 s that can achieve real-time performance.
Cultural Contents of an EFL Textbook: How is the Potential for Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence Development During the COVID-19 Outbreak?

Culture constitutes an inseparable part of language teaching and learning process. Using the framework advocated by Cortazzi and Jin (1999) and Yuen (2011), this study aims to scrutinize the potential use of a vocational high school textbook to facilitate students’ intercultural communicative competence indicated by the coverage of the types of cultures comprising the source culture, target culture, and international target culture and the 4Ps elements of cultures comprising products, practices, perspectives, and persons represented in the textbook. A descriptive study by utilizing a set of checklists and interviews were employed to garner the data. Moreover, two English teachers at a school where the selected textbook was used were involved to construe their voices concerning the intercultural communicative competence learning and instruction process conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, some systematic procedures comprising initial coding, axial coding, and selective coding were employed leading to the findings, conclusions, and implications. The findings reveal all the types and elements of the cultures were found in textbooks even though with different proportions in each unit. The study reached a conclusion that the textbook was considered to have some potential for developing students’ intercultural communicative competence for it has balance cultures in terms of the source cultures, target cultures, and international target cultures. Meanwhile, internet access and students’ English proficiency were the common issues as the teachers developed the materials particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, target culture was believed by the teachers to have more benefits for students’ learning.
Social impact measurement practices; A meta-analysis

Every type of organization is driven by the needs of the stakeholders and of the social environment that surrounds them. In particular, organizations need to satisfy requirements deriving both from internal stakeholders. In addition, every activity generates different kind of outcomes, positive or negative, intended or unintended, financial and non-financial: Social Impact can define the sum of all these outcomes, net of the effect of synergies and of what would have happened even in the absence of the activity of the organization. In this framework, on the one hand any organization needs guidelines to maximize this social impact and instruments to assess and evaluate it, in order to embed it in a Rational Management system. On the other hand, governments and local policy makers need to know which kind of impacts, and to what extent, organizations generate, in order to produce regulations, policies and facilitations to promote, foster and reward who produce better for the Society, and vice versa discourage who affects it negatively. Both the researchers and the practitioners have lately produced a vastness of instruments with this purpose, whose usage extension is often limited to single local communities or organizations. This contribution aims to recap all the present reviews made in the scientific literature that tried to classify, cluster and reduce to common factors all the instruments, methodologies and measures, through a meta-review of the existing literature
The Effect of Tariffs in Global Value Chains The Effect of Tariffs in Global Value Chains

IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management. ABSTRACT: This paper empirically investigates the impact of tariffs when production is organized in global value chains. Using global input-output matrices, we construct four different tariff measures that capture the direct and indirect exposure to tariffs at different stages of the production chain for a broad set of countries and industries. Our results suggest that tariffs have significant effects on economic outcomes, including on countries and sectors not directly targeted. We find that tariffs higher up and further down in the value chain depress value added, employment, labor productivity and total factor productivity to varying degrees. We find no benefits for the sector that enjoys additional protection, yet there is some evidence of economic activity being diverted, i.e. positive effects on value added and employment from tariffs imposed on competitors. Our paper relates to recent innovations in theoretical gravity models and provides an empirical assessment of possible long-term effects of recent trade tensions. value chain, which increase the cost of inputs; (c) tariffs further down in the value chain, which increase the costs of the own output for the eventual consumer; and (d) the ease of access to export markets compared to other international competitors. Our empirical model then estimates the effect of the respective tariff measures on value added, employment and productivity. Illustrative simulations provide a sense of the relative magnitudes of the effects. our results are informative to assess the effects of trade wars depends on asymmetries and non-linearities in the effects of tariffs. While we are not aware of convincing evidence on non-linear effects, there is some evidence on asymmetry. Furceri et al (2021) suggest that the dynamic effects of a tariff increase are more harmful for productivity and output than tariff decreases are beneficial. Irwin (2014) finds a similar effects when looking at US sugar imports between 1890 and 1930, attributing the asymmetry to front-running prior to tariffs increase followed by a collapse in demand once the tariff is in place. Their findings suggests that our estimates, based on tariffs levels which generally declined, may actually underestimate the damage done by a tariff increase.