Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantification of Aloin in Aloe barbadensis Miller Leaf Gel and Latex from Selected Regions of Kenya

Aloe barbadensis Miller (A. barbadensis) has been reported for use in the traditional management of malaria in Kenya. Aloin (an anthraquinone-C-gly-coside) is one of the therapeutic molecules in Aloe species that is responsible for their antimalarial effect. However, there is no report on the aloin content of A. barbadensis leaves latex and gel from Kenya. This study, therefore, isolated and quantified aloin levels in Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) extracts of A. barbadensis leaf gels and latexes sampled from Kisumu, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Baringo Counties of Kenya. Aloin was isolated by preparative thin layer chromatography and then subjected to thin layer chromatography and quantified using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results showed that the highest aloin content of 237.971 ± 5.281 mg aloin/g DW was for dry latex from Elgeyo-Marakwet followed by those from Baringo (198.409 ± 2.000 mg aloin/g DW) and then The for identification and of in A. sensitivity, is specific, and the mobile phase sys-tems and sample preparation method are simple. This can be used for quality control of Aloe extracts. The results indicated intraspecific variation in aloin content of A. leaf gels and latexes from different regions of
Effect of Anti-Platelet Therapy on Peri-Operative Blood Loss in Patients Undergoing Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the effect of the pre-operative use of clopidogrel and aspirin on peri-operative bleeding, blood product transfusion, and resource utilization after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Materials and Methods: A total of 1200 patients who underwent off-pump CABG (OPCABG) between 2010 and 2012 were retrospectively studied. Patients were divided into three groups: group 1: discontinued aspirin and clopidogrel 6 days prior to surgery (n = 468), group 2: discontinued both drugs 3 to 5 days prior to surgery (n = 621), and group 3: discontinued both drugs 2 days prior to surgery (n = 111). The bleeding pattern and blood product transfusion were studied and compared between the groups. Patients having history of other drugs affecting the coagulation profile, other organ dysfunction, on-pump CABG, and the combined procedure were excluded from the study. Results: Group 2 patients had a higher rate of bleeding and a reduced mean value of hemoglobin (Hb) as compared to other groups. The same results were seen in blood and blood product transfusion. Patients of group 2 and group 3 were associated with higher blood loss in terms of drainage at 12 and 24 hours. Post-operatively, this was statistically significant. Re-exploration was statisitically significant in group 3 patients (9.01%) than in group 2 (2.58%) and group 1 (1.07%) patients. Conclusion: The pre-operative use of clopidogrel and aspirin in patients undergoing OPCABG showed limited clinical benefits; however, its use significantly increased the risk of bleeding and blood transfusion, thus increasing morbidity and resource utilization. Hence, clopidogrel and aspirin should be stopped at least 6 days prior to surgery.
Anticancer Activity of Typhonium flagelliforme: A Systematic Review

Cancer is a global health issues that can affect anyone. Cancer is treated conventionally with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy. However, the high cost of conventional treatments is a burden for cancer patients. Therefore, many cancer patients seek for cheaper yet effective alternative treatments. Typhonium flagelliforme is a taro-like plant that can be found across Indonesia. Numerous researches on the anticancer effect of T. flagelliformehave been conducted. However, a systematic review on the anticancer property of T. flagelliforme is still lacking. Therefore, this review aimed to systematically evaluate the scientific evidence for the anticancer activities in T. flagelliforme. Five databases were used as the search engine using the designated search terms and studies were selected based on the inclusion criteria. The anticancer evaluation in 30 studies selected were conducted in leukemia, lymphoma, breast, oral, cervical, lung, liver, colon, and squamous cell carcinoma. The result showed that T. flagelliforme could inhibit cancer cell proliferation with most of the IC50 are less than 200 μg/mL. T. flagelliformeinduced an increase of caspase-3 and -9, as well as a decrease of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein expression. The expression of p21 protein was increased after treatment of T. flagelliforme extract while the tyrosine kinase, Ki67, HER2/neu, telomerase, and COX-2 expressions were decreased implying T. flagelliforme could inhibit tumor growth and development. Lastly, T. flagelliforme is also capable in reducing the possibility of cancer cell invasion. Findings suggest that T. flagelliforme is potential to further developed for cancer treatment.
Ruscogenin Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Septic Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction by Modulating the miR-146a-5p/NRP2/SSH1 Axis

Introduction Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is associated with the progression of sepsis. Ruscogenin (RUS) has shown considerable efficacy in treating ED and sepsis. In the current study, the effects of RUS on sepsis-induced ED were assessed, and the mechanism was explored by focusing on the interactions of RUS with miRs. Methods Sepsis was induced in mice and in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using LPS method. Expression profile of miRs responding to sepsis was determined. Symptoms associated with sepsis and ED were examined after treatment with RUS. Changes in mouse survival, arterial structure, systemic inflammation, cell viability, apoptosis, and the miR-146a-5p/NRP2/SSH1 axis were analyzed. Results Based on the microarray results, miR-146a-5p was selected as the therapeutic target. RUS improved survival rates and arterial structure, suppressed proinflammatory cytokines, down-regulated miR-146a-5p, and up-regulated NPR2 and SSH1 in septic mice. In HUVECs, RUS increased cell viability, suppressed apoptosis, inhibited inflammation, downregulated miR-146a-5p, and increased NRP2 and SSH1 levels. The re-induction of miR-146a-5p-5p impaired the protective effects of RUS on HUVECs. Discussion Effects of RUS on sepsis-induced impairments in endothelium relied on the suppression of miR-146a-5p.
Factors influencing public transport use: a study of university commuters’ travel and mode choice behaviours

Student numbers at Australian universities are growing, especially in capital cities. As education and employment destinations, universities are important generators of travel demand on urban transport networks. This study examines travel patterns and identifies factors that influence commuters’ choice of travel mode, using web-based surveys conducted in two consecutive years of 2013 and 2014 in the University of Queensland (UQ). Data concerning where and how staff and students travel to UQ, their preference of different modes as well as potential reasons affecting their mode selection were collected. Our analyses indicate that the overall percentage of public transport users dropped by 9.5% in 2014 compared to those in 2013. Multiple regression models were run to identify key barriers that constrain public transport use. The results highlight that travel time and distance are the most influential predictors of public transport use, indicating that areas with better provision of transport infrastructure associated with higher public transport use. However, the response to transport fare policies varies amongst different user groups. Public transport is more popular for medium to long distance commuters, while student users are more vulnerable than staff to the increase of public transport fare. Therefore, policy intervention targeting specific user groups would be more effective to encourage public transport use.
Evaluation of Patch Budding Success in Persian Walnut Affected by Different Treatments after Budding

ABSTRACT Vegetative propagation of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) is more difficult than many other fruit trees. Temperature, relative humidity, water status of the scion and rootstock, nutrient uptake, time of grafting, physiological condition of the rootstock, and scion type all can affect grafting success. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of post-budding irrigation frequency (3, 7 and 10-days), budding date (14 June, 5 and 26 July), and rootstock heading methods. All treatments and evaluations of their effects were performed in field conditions, for two consecutive years. Irrigation cycle, budding date and rootstock heading procedure all had significant effects. Bud take was greatest on 26 July (49.3%). Irrigation frequency had no significant effect on bud take but the 3-day cycle resulted in the best scion growth. Bend the branches to create shade at the bud site, rather than cutting the rootstock above the bud site resulted in the best bud take (61.1%). The results obtained in this study show that budding at the right time “provides better climatic conditions,” adjusting the irrigation cycle and choosing the best rootstock heading methods after budding, produces satisfactory results
Factors implicating Mental Health among Immigrant and Refugee Children and Families: Divided between Worlds

Human migration is known as the movement of people from one location to another, often choosing to settle down in the new location. Individuals who migrate from one place to another can choose to settle down temporarily or permanently. One of the significant types of migration is immigration, described as the relocation to another country, moving from a home country to a host country, often with the intention of increasing quality of life, opportunities, and future wellbeing. Historically, Canada’s immigration policy has changed to fit the state of the nation’s population. An interesting factor that was considered when updating the immigration policy was children. Including children in Canadian immigration policies served as a foundation to help increase the population within the nation and counteract declining fertility rates (Albanese, 2020, p. 136). Families who have successfully immigrated from their home country to the host country qualified for the immigration process due to being well-educated, having stable health conditions, and finances as well job statuses. Increased stress and conflict may arise when a family lacks one or more of these qualifications and thus may not be able to pass the immigration standards. Another major type of migrating individuals is refugees. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) describes refugees as individuals who are forced to flee their home country and reside outside in a foreign country, unable to return due to a fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or affiliation to a certain group (Albanese, 2020, pp. 147-148). Although immigrants and refugees are regarded as outsiders coming into a host country, the key difference is that immigrants willingly decide to make the journey to the host country. In contrast, refugees were forced or compelled to move to ensure their safety. Although the two groups of migrants are distinctly different, mental health issues may arise among the individuals in immigrants and refugees, especially children. Migration is a long and complicated social process, often subjecting individuals to various social factors and stressors resulting in mental health issues. These stressors include disturbances to the family structure, such as children separating from their families, and financial struggles that hinder the immigration process. Social factors could include social isolation upon arrival in the
Substance Abuse during the Pandemic: Implications for Labor-Force Participation

The labor-force participation rates of prime-age U.S. workers dropped in March 2020-the start of the COVID-19 pandemic-and have still not fully recovered. At the same time, substance-abuse deaths were elevated during the pandemic relative to trend indicating an increase in the number of substance abusers, and abusers of opioids and crystal methamphetamine have lower labor-force participation rates than non-abusers.
Real time prediction of coherent generator groups

This paper presents a scheme for predicting coherent generator groupings that may result following a disturbance that leads to transient instability. The proposed scheme uses rotor speed deviations of the individual generators in the power system as input data, and a multilayer perceptron neural network as decision making tool. The speed deviations are extracted 5 cycles after the tripping of a line or bus following a disturbance. The proposed scheme is able to predict coherent generator groups before they are formed. The prediction accuracy of the scheme for 114 fault cases was found to be 91.22%
A discrete spatial model for wafer yield prediction

ABSTRACT Yield analysis is one of the key concerns in the fabrication of semiconductor wafers. An effective yield analysis model will contribute to production planning and control, cost reductions and the enhanced competitiveness of enterprises. In this article, we propose a novel discrete spatial model based on defect data on wafer maps for analyzing and predicting wafer yields at different chip locations. More specifically, based on a Bayesian framework, we propose a hierarchical generalized linear mixed model, which incorporates both global trends and spatially correlated effects to characterize wafer yields with clustered defects. Both real and simulated data are used to validate the performance of the proposed model. The experimental results show that the newly proposed model offers an improved fit to spatially correlated wafer map data.
Affective Polarisation in Times of Political Instability and Conflict. Spain from a Comparative Perspective

ABSTRACT This is an introductory article for a special issue on affective polarisation in Spain. After discussing the concept and its operationalisation in multi-party settings, we offer data on affective polarisation in Spain and Southern Europe from a comparative perspective using the Comparative National Election Project (CNEP) and Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES). In the second part, we pay special attention to the Spanish case, analysing different dimensions of affective polarisation and its evolution overtime, by taking advantage of an extensive number of indicators from the E-DEM panel survey. Finally, we describe its relationship with ideological polarisation and analyse its possible multidimensional nature. We conclude by introducing the rest of contributions of this special issue.
Soft Pressure Sensor for Underwater Sea Lamprey Detection

In this paper, an economical and effective soft pressure sensor for underwater sea lamprey detection is proposed, which consists of an array of piezoresistive elements between two layers of perpendicular copper tape electrodes, forming a passive resistor network. With multiplexers, the apparent resistance corresponding to each pixel of the sensing matrix can be measured directly, where the pixel is identified with the row and the column of the respective electrodes. However, this measured two-point resistance is not equal to the actual cell resistance for that pixel due to the crosstalk effect in the resistor network. Since the cell resistance reflects directly the pressure applied on each pixel, the relationship between the cell resistance and the measured two-point resistance is analyzed for a passive matrix of any size. More importantly, several regularized least-squares algorithms are proposed to reconstruct the cell resistance profile from the two-point resistance measurements, with enhanced robustness of the reconstruction in the presence of measurement noises and modeling errors. The proposed pressure sensor is applied to detect the suction attachment of sea lampreys, a devastating invasive species in the Great Lakes region. Experimental results demonstrate that the pressure sensor can successfully capture the rim profile of the lamprey’s sucking mouth. Moreover, the performance and computational complexity of the reconstruction algorithms with different regularization functions are compared.
Comparison of mean total ridge count and mean ATD angle in OSMF and oral Leukoplakia patients

Introduction: Palm prints formed once does not change throughout life and is not influenced by environment. Palmar Dermatoglyphics can indicate the development of potentially malignant and malignant lesions and help in identifying persons at high risk of developing Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSSC). Materials and Methods: Dermatoglyphic patterns were collected from randomly selected 120 patients using 3M™ CSD200i. Single-digit Optical Scanner (3M™, Canada, 2015) with automatic capture mechanism was applied to capture finger prints of all the 10 fingers of patients, who were divided in control and test group with respective subgroups of leukoplakia and OSMF. Mean total ridge count and ATD angle were measured in all patients and comparison was done between control group and patients with OSMF and leukoplakia. Results: The collected data was subjected to analysis using Chi-square test for comparison between the groups. The mean ATD angle in patints with osmf is 43.38, leukoplakia is 43.53, patients without lesion but with habit is 44.78, and patients without habit is 45.65.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Tau Self-Assembly: In the Search of the Missing Link

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive impairment, apathy, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Two main pathological hallmarks have been described: neurofibrillary tangles, consisting of tau oligomers (hyperphosphorylated tau) and Aβ plaques. The influence of protein kinases and phosphatases on the hyperphosphorylation of tau is already known. Hyperphosphorylated tau undergoes conformational changes that promote its self-assembly. However, the process involving these mechanisms is yet to be elucidated. In vitro recombinant tau can be aggregated by the action of polyanions, such as heparin, arachidonic acid, and more recently, the action of polyphosphates. However, how that process occurs in vivo is yet to be understood. In this review, searching the most accurate and updated literature on the matter, we focus on the precise molecular events linking tau modifications, its misfolding and the initiation of its pathological self-assembly. Among these, we can identify challenges regarding tau phosphorylation, the link between tau heteroarylations and the onset of its self-assembly, as well as the possible metabolic pathways involving natural polyphosphates, that may play a role in tau self-assembly.
Robust visual-inertial SLAM: combination of EKF and optimization method

—This paper has presented a novel tightly-coupled monocular visual-inertial Simultaneous Localization and Mapping(SLAM) algorithm combining the advantages of both ﬁltering methods and optimization methods. Our approach uses IMU assisted visual EKF SLAM method in the front-end to estimate the pose and velocity at frame rate. In the back-end, the standard approaches such as nonlinear optimization as well as loop closure have been used to obtain accurate trajectory of the sensor and 3D map of the environment. We also propose a novel scale computation approach that can accurately initialize the scale in short time. In addition, the optimized map points have been used to improve the accuracy of the ﬁlter. We evaluated the algorithm on a public dataset, when compared to other state-of-the-art monocular Visual-Inertial SLAM approaches, our algorithm achieves unprecedented accuracy and robustness.
Predicting students' continuance use of learning management system at a technical university using machine learning algorithms

Purpose This study aims to investigate factors that could predict the continued usage of e-learning systems, such as the learning management systems (LMS) at a Technical University in Ghana using machine learning algorithms. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model for this study adopted a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology as a base model and incorporated the following constructs: availability of resources (AR), computer self-efficacy (CSE), perceived enjoyment (PE) and continuance intention to use (CIU). The study used an online questionnaire to collect data from 280 students of a Technical University in Ghana. The partial least square-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) method was used to determine the measurement model’s reliability and validity. Machine learning algorithms were used to determine the relationships among the constructs in the proposed research model. Findings The findings from the study confirmed that AR, CSE, PE, performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence predicted students’ continuance intention to use the LMS. In addition, CIU and facilitating conditions predicted the continuance use of the LMS. Originality/value The use of machine learning algorithms in e-learning systems literature has been rarely used. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on the continuance use of e-learning systems using machine learning algorithms. Furthermore, this study contributes to the literature on the continuance use of e-learning systems in developing countries, especially in a Ghanaian higher education context.
The political economy of the Spanish Indignados: political opportunities, social conflicts, and democratizing impacts

ABSTRACT The 15-M mobilizations shook Spanish society and placed the demand for ‘real democracy’ at the center of political debate. In order to better understand the scope and impact of the Indignados’ democratizing endeavors, this article aims to address an issue that has not received much attention: the connection of this protest cycle with the political economy. To this end, both the opportunity structure generated by the economic crisis and the class and generational conflicts shaping the mobilizations are analyzed. The article proposes that the symbolic and short-term success of 15-M in re-politicizing distributive conflicts contrasts with its medium-term inability to materially democratize the political economy. This relative failure can be explained by the confluence of several factors: on the one hand, 15-M’s organizational weakness and its disconnection from a somewhat declining labor movement; on the other, the lack of responsiveness of Spain’s political institutions to street politics and the powerful structural inertia of economic dynamics created by decades of neoliberalism. The findings of this case study aim to contribute to scholarly debates on the impacts of social movements and their connection to political economy and social classes.