Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and Validation of Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for the Chinese Elderly

(1) Background: Improving nutrition literacy is crucial for maintaining a healthier state of the elderly to achieve healthy ageing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for the Chinese Elderly (NLQ-E). (2) Methods: an NLQ-E was developed according to the core components of nutrition literacy for the elderly. Internal consistency, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to validate the reliability and validity of the NLQ-E. A cross-sectional study of 1490 elderly people was used to analyze the application of the NLQ-E. (3) Results: The NLQ-E was constructed with 3 domains (knowledge and understanding, healthy lifestyle and dietary behavior and skill), with a total of 25 questions. The overall NLQ-E had acceptable reliability and validity (Cronbach’s α = 0.678, χ2/DF = 4.750, RMSEA = 0.045, PCFI = 0.776 and PNFI = 0.759). The average nutrition literacy score of the subjects in this cross-sectional study was 65.95 (65.95 ± 10.93). The OR between the nutrition literacy score and multimorbidity was 0.965 (95% CI: 0.954, 0.976); (4) Conclusions: We developed and validated the NLQ-E and found that the nutrition literacy level of the Chinese elderly was generally low. This study is of great value to improve the nutrition literacy of the elderly and effectively prevent nutrition-related chronic diseases and multimorbidity.
Dietary patterns of five freshwater fish species in a large Mediterranean lake

Abstract The diet of five freshwater fish species of Lake Trichonis, the largest natural lake of Greece, was studied. Specifically, the studied species were Atherina boyeri, Luciobarbus albanicus, Leucos panosi, Scardinius acarnanicus and Tropidophoxinellus hellenicus. The diet analysis was based on stomach content analysis of seasonal samples collected during 2019 by experimental Nordic multimesh gillnets. Additionally, trophic indices were estimated (Shannon-Wiener, Levins’, Schoener, Trophic level) so as to investigate each species’ feeding diversity, trophic niche breadth, trophic level as well as their trophic competition and overlap. Moreover, the annual and the seasonal relative condition factor was estimated. The diet analysis indicated a tendency of the studied species to omnivorous feeding strategy and a seasonal fluctuation in their diet composition. In addition, the estimated trophic indices revealed similar feeding behavior and significant diet overlap between species, suggesting narrow partitioning of the food resources. However, the relative condition factor ranged between 0.973 and 1.041, indicating a state of wellbeing for the fish species and possibly sufficient food availability.
Improving Wearable-Based Activity Recognition Using Image Representations

Activity recognition based on inertial sensors is an essential task in mobile and ubiquitous computing. To date, the best performing approaches in this task are based on deep learning models. Although the performance of the approaches has been increasingly improving, a number of issues still remain. Specifically, in this paper we focus on the issue of the dependence of today’s state-of-the-art approaches to complex ad hoc deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), or a combination of both, which require specialized knowledge and considerable effort for their construction and optimal tuning. To address this issue, in this paper we propose an approach that automatically transforms the inertial sensors time-series data into images that represent in pixel form patterns found over time, allowing even a simple CNN to outperform complex ad hoc deep learning models that combine RNNs and CNNs for activity recognition. We conducted an extensive evaluation considering seven benchmark datasets that are among the most relevant in activity recognition. Our results demonstrate that our approach is able to outperform the state of the art in all cases, based on image representations that are generated through a process that is easy to implement, modify, and extend further, without the need of developing complex deep learning models.
Measurement of the Depth of Lesions on Proximal Surfaces with SWIR Multispectral Transillumination and Reflectance Imaging

The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of dual short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) transillumination and reflectance multispectral imaging devices for imaging interproximal lesions with radiography using extracted teeth that had been imaged with micro-computed tomography (microCT). Thirty-six extracted teeth with 67 lesions on the proximal surfaces were imaged using a newly fabricated SWIR multispectral proximal transillumination and reflectance imaging device along with an existing SWIR multispectral occlusal transillumination and reflectance device. The ability of SWIR imaging and radiography to detect lesions and accurately assess lesion dimensions were compared using microCT as a standard. Occlusal and proximal transillumination and occlusal reflectance performed best for imaging interproximal lesions while proximal reflectance was not useful for imaging interproximal lesions from tooth buccal and lingual surfaces. There was high correlation of the lesion dimensions measured in occlusal and proximal transillumination images compared to microCT and moderate correlation in occlusal reflectance images. The correlation between the lesion depth measured in radiographs and the lesion depth measured with microCT was not significant. This study demonstrates that SWIR occlusal and proximal transillumination and SWIR occlusal reflectance images are useful for imaging interproximal lesions and they provide more accurate measurements of lesion severity.
Measuring Equine-Assisted Therapy: Validation and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of an ICF-Based Standardized Assessment-Tool

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO) was established as an international framework for monitoring rehabilitation outcomes and the impacts of health interventions since, as the term “functioning” implies, it emphasizes a person’s “lived health” in addition to their biological health status. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) represents a holistic intervention approach that aims to improve both biomedical functioning and the patient’s lived health in relation to performing activities and participating in social situations. In this study, the psychometric properties of an ICF-based digital assessment tool for the measurement of the rehabilitation impacts of EAT were analyzed via simultaneous confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and reliability and sensitivity tests. In total, 265 patients from equine-assisted therapy centers in Germany were included for CFA. Change sensitivity was assessed via multi-level analyses based on 876 repeated assessments by 30 therapists. Results show satisfactory model-fit statistics; McDonald’s omega (ML) showed excellent scores for the total scale (ω = 0.96) and three subscales (ω = 0.95; ω = 0.95, ω = 0.93). The tool proved itself to be change sensitive and reliable (change sensitivity p ≤ 0.001), retest r = 0.745 **, p ≤ 0.001). Overall, the developed assessment tool satisfactorily fulfills psychometric requirements and can be applied in therapeutic practice.
Explaining Attitude-Consistent Exposure on Social Network Sites: The Role of Ideology, Political Involvement, and Network Characteristics

There are rising concerns that social network sites (SNS) facilitate the creation of echo chambers, in which attitude-consistent information becomes the norm while attitude-challenging information is avoided. This study aims to investigate theoretically derived predictors of attitude-consistent and attitude-challenging exposure on SNS. We theorize that three key sets of predictors may influence attitude-consistent and attitude-challenging exposure: ideology, cognitive, and behavioral indicators of political involvement, and network characteristics. In a two-wave panel study, we predict the frequency of attitude-consistent and attitude-challenging exposure as well as relative attitude-consistent exposure, measured as attitude-consistent exposure as a share of overall opinion exposure. The results demonstrate that extreme ideological positions, higher political knowledge, and low-effort political participation predicted an increase in (relative) attitude-consistent exposure. Cross-social class exposure predicted a decrease in (relative) attitude-consistent exposure. The findings challenge existing arguments that SNS may per se facilitate attitude-consistent exposure.
Panax notoginseng attenuates hypoxia-induced glycolysis in colonic mucosal epithelial cells in DSS-induced colitis

Background Colonic mucosal injuries are an important manifestation of ulcerative colitis (UC), which is related to hypoxia-induced glycolysis in colonic mucosal epithelial cells (cmECs). Panax notoginseng (PN) promotes the repair of colonic mucosal injuries by inhibiting hypoxia-induced glycolysis in cmECs; However, the mechanism by which this occurs is not completely clear. Here, we are to investigate the effects of PN on glucose metabolism in cmECs in colitis and the underlying mechanism. Methods A model of dextran sulfate sodium–induced colitis rats was used in this research, and the severity of colitis was assessed by pathology, disease activity index (DAI), and weight changes. The content of intracellular pyruvate, intracellular lactate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial ROS (mtROS), myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and inflammatory cytokines was detected by assay kits. The expression levels of proteins were detected by western blotting. The expression levels of the ATP4a gene were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QT-PCR). Results The colonic mucosal injuries of the colitis rats were significantly worse than those of the control group. Specifically, the hypoxia-induced glycolysis and potential of hydrogen (pH) in the colonic lumen were increased, and the expression of ATP4a was downregulated in the colitis rats. PN (1.0 g/kg) promoted the repair of colonic mucosal injuries, and reversed the pH in the colonic lumen. Further, PN increased the expression of ATP4a proteins, the content of ATP, and the SOD activity, and decreased the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoamide kinase isozyme and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha proteins, the content of ROS, and MPO activity in cmECs in colitis. PN also increased the expression of ATP4a, cytochrome P450 family 21 subfamily a member 2, and hydroxy-delta-5-steroid dehydrogenase, 3 beta and steroid delta-isomerase 2 proteins in the mitochondria, and decreased the content of mtROS in cmECs. Conclusions PN alleviated the pH in the colonic lumen and hypoxia-induced glycolysis in cmECs by reducing the hypoxia-induced glycolysis caused by the downregulation of ATP4a protein, thereby promoting the repair of colonic mucosal injuries in colitis.
A Greener Stability-Indicating High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography Approach for the Estimation of Topiramate

Despite various reported analytical methods for topiramate (TPM) analysis, greener analytical approaches are scarce in literature. As a consequence, the objective of the current research is to design a normal-phase stability-indicating high-performance thin-layer chromatography (SI-HPTLC) methodology for TPM analysis in marketed tablet dosage forms that is rapid, sensitive, and greener. TPM was derivatized densitometrically and analyzed at 423 nm in visible mode with anisaldehyde-sulfuric acid as the derivatizing agent. The greener SI-HPTLC technique was linear in the 30–1200 ng band−1 range. In addition, the suggested SI-HPTLC methodology for TPM analysis was simple, rapid, cheaper, precise, robust, sensitive, and environmentally friendly. The greener SI-HPTLC method was able to detect TPM along with its degradation products under acid, base, and oxidative degradation conditions. However, no TPM degradation was recorded under thermal and photolytic stress conditions. TPM contents in commercial tablet dosage forms were recorded as 99.14%. Using 12 different principles of green analytical chemistry, the overall analytical GREEnness (AGREE) score for the greener SI-HPTLC method was calculated to be 0.76, confirming the proposed normal-phase SI-HPTLC method’s good greener nature. Overall, these results demonstrated that the suggested SI-HPTLC technique for TPM measurement in pharmaceutical products was reliable and selective.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) Intervention with Slow Deep Breathing Exercise (SDBE) on Blood Pressure of Hypertension Patients

This study aims to determine the difference between Intervention Effectiveness Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and Slow Deep Breathing Exercise (SDBE) in TD patients with hypertension. This type of research is an experimental design with a randomized pre-test and post-test three-group design without a control group. The results showed that there was a decrease in systolic and diastolic BP after the intervention in all groups. There was no significant difference in effectiveness between the three groups after the intervention; the optimal time to decrease systolic BP in the PMR and SDBE groups occurred on day 3. On the other hand, the diastolic BP does not show time. Optimal BP reduction. The conclusion of the three relaxation techniques effectively reduces blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Adequate time to lower blood pressure occurs on the third day. Keywords: Hypertension, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), Slow Deep Breathing Exercise (SDBE), Blood Pressure
Darkening Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Constellations: A review

The proliferation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and the LEO satellite internet will be a game-changer for the low-latency high-speed global internet. While this new generation of the satellite internet in conjunction with fifth generation network (5G) and sixth generation network (6G) enabled emerging technologies, such as precision farming and smart cities, it will bring new challenges, such as satellite collision, limited satellite lifespan, security concerns, and satellite brightness. This article discusses the satellite brightness caused by LEO constellations that potentially affect the ongoing astronomical studies. It reviews the underlying contributors to the satellite brightness as well as the state-of-the-art technologies proposed to mitigate this emerging challenge.
Acetylsalicylic Acid Suppresses Alcoholism-Induced Cognitive Impairment Associated with Atorvastatin Intake by Targeting Cerebral miRNA155 and NLRP3: In Vivo, and In Silico Study

Alcoholism is one of the most common diseases that can lead to the development of several chronic diseases including steatosis, and cognitive dysfunction. Statins are lipid-lowering drugs that are commonly prescribed for patients with fatty liver diseases; however, the exact effect of statins on cognitive function is still not fully understood. In the present study, we have investigated the molecular and microscopic basis of cognitive impairment induced by alcohol and/or Atorvastatin (ATOR) administration to male Wistar albino rats and explored the possible protective effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). The biochemical analysis indicated that either alcohol or ATOR or together in combination produced a significant increase in the nucleotide-binding domain–like receptor 3 (NLRP3), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) miRNA155 expression levels in the frontal cortex of the brain tissue. The histological and morphometric analysis showed signs of degeneration in the neurons and the glial cells with aggregations of inflammatory cells and a decrease in the mean thickness of the frontal cortex. Immunohistochemical analysis showed a significant increase in the caspase-8 immunoreaction in the neurons and glial cells of the frontal cortex. Interestingly, administration of ASA reversed the deleterious effect of the alcohol and ATOR intake and improved the cognitive function as indicated by biochemical and histological analysis. ASA significantly decreased the expression levels of miRNA155, NLRP3, and IL1B, and produced a significant decrease in caspase-8 immunoreaction in the neurons and glial cells of the frontal cortex with a reduction in the process of neuroinflammation and neuronal damage. To further investigate these findings, we have performed an extensive molecular docking study to investigate the binding affinity of ASA to the binding pockets of the NLRP3 protein. Our results indicated that ASA has high binding scores toward the active sites of the NLRP3 NACHT domain with the ability to bind to the NLRP3 pockets by a set of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. Taken together, the present study highlights the protective pharmacological effect of ASA to attenuate the deleterious effect of alcohol intake and long term ATOR therapy on the cognitive function via targeting miRNA155 and NLRP3 proteins.
Cambrian Age 3 small shelly fossils from the Terrades inlier, southern Pyrenees, Spain: Biostratigraphic and paleobiogeographic implications

Abstract. The Cambrian stratigraphic succession of the Pyrenees (SW Europe) has undergone a complex Variscan and Alpine tectonothermal history leading to marked metamorphism and development of cleavage networks, which might partly explain the lack of Cambrian fossiliferous beds. This gap has traditionally precluded its paleobiogeographic and biostratigraphic relationships with other neighboring peri-Gondwanan units. Correlations are only based on lithostratigraphic comparisons and radiometric constraints. In this general scheme, the Terrades inlier (Gerona Province, Spain) provides the only significant and indisputable ‘early Cambrian’ fossil record of the Pyrenees. This predominantly siliciclastic outcrop consists of multiple patch reefs and bioherms having yielded archeocyaths dated at Cambrian Epoch 2, Age 3. This paper describes, for the first time, the microfossil assemblage included in the archeocyathan-microbial reefal complex that crops out in the Terrades inlier to clarify its age and affinities with surrounding tectonostratigraphic units. Reefal flanks of patch reefs have yielded bradoriids, brachiopods, molluscs, tommotiids, chancelloriids, hyoliths, and the problematic fossil (and chronostratigraphically significant) Rhombocorniculum cancellatum Cobbold, 1921. In addition to confirming the previously assigned age of the succession, the recovered fauna emphasizes strong affinities with the surrounding Occitan Domain (Montagne Noire, southern Massif Central, France) and Sardinia (Italy). Along with lithostratigraphic comparison and tectonic considerations, this further supports the recent reconstructions positioning the Pyrenean domain between the Montagne Noire (to the southwest) and Sardinia (further to the northeast) on the Gondwana margin during Cambrian times.
Hospital social work education in Vietnam: achievements, challenges, and lessons learned

ABSTRACT Hospital social work education plays a crucial role in improving human resource quality in social work units at Vietnam’s hospitals. This study aimed to describe the achievements and challenges of hospital social work education in Vietnam. This was a cross-sectional study with 6 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions. In addition to the achievements, Vietnam is also facing challenges in hospital social work education, such as reference materials on hospital social work, social work field education, teaching and student evaluation methods under the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provided important lessons for the social work institutions worldwide on social work education, especially social work field education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Genome-Wide Analysis of HSP70s in Hexaploid Wheat: Tandem Duplication, Heat Response, and Regulation

HSP70s play crucial roles in plant growth and development, as well as in stress response. Knowledge of the distribution and heat response of HSP70s is important to understand heat adaptation and facilitate thermotolerance improvement in wheat. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the distribution of HSP70s in hexaploid wheat (TaHSP70s) and its relatives, and we found an obvious expansion of TaHSP70s in the D genome of hexaploid wheat. Meanwhile, a large portion of tandem duplication events occurred in hexaploid wheat. Among the 84 identified TaHSP70s, more than 64% were present as homeologs. The expression profiles of TaHSP70s in triads tended to be expressed more in non-stressful and heat stress conditions. Intriguingly, many TaHSP70s were especially heat responsive. Tandem duplicated TaHSP70s also participated in heat response and growth development. Further HSE analysis revealed divergent distribution of HSEs in the promoter regions of TaHSP70 homeologs, which suggested a distinct heat regulatory mechanism. Our results indicated that the heat response of TaHSP70s may experience a different regulation, and this regulation, together with the expression of tandem duplicated TaHSP70s, may help hexaploid wheat to adapt to heat conditions.
Interaction of Human Serum Albumin with Uremic Toxins: The Need of New Strategies Aiming at Uremic Toxins Removal

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is acknowledged worldwide to be a grave threat to public health, with the number of US end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients increasing steeply from 10,000 in 1973 to 703,243 in 2015. Protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs) are excreted by renal tubular secretion in healthy humans, but hardly removed by traditional haemodialysis (HD) in ESKD patients. The accumulation of these toxins is a major contributor to these sufferers’ morbidity and mortality. As a result, some improvements to dialytic removal have been proposed, each with their own upsides and drawbacks. Longer dialysis sessions and hemodiafiltration, though, have not performed especially well, while larger dialyzers, coupled with a higher dialysate flow, proved to have some efficiency in indoxyl sulfate (IS) clearance, but with reduced impact on patients’ quality of life. More efficient in removing PBUTs was fractionated plasma separation and adsorption, but the risk of occlusive thrombosis was worryingly high. A promising technique for the removal of PBUTs is binding competition, which holds great hopes for future HD. This short review starts by presenting the PBUTs chemistry with emphasis on the chemical interactions with the transport protein, human serum albumin (HSA). Recent membrane-based strategies targeting PBUTs removal are also presented, and their efficiency is discussed.
Impact of Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) Pellets on Parasitological Status, Antibody Responses, and Antioxidant Parameters in Lambs Infected with Haemonchus contortus

Our study analyzed the parasitological status, antibody responses, and antioxidant parameters of lambs experimentally infected with a gastrointestinal nematode during the consumption of sainfoin pellets (SFPs) for 14 d. Twenty-four lambs infected with Haemonchus contortus were separated into two groups: untreated animals (control) and animals treated with SFPs (600 g dry matter/d). SFP treatment began on day (D) 30 post-infection. The number of eggs per gram (EPG) of feces was quantified on D18, D23, D26, D30, D33, D37, D40, and D44. The mean reductions in EPG on D40 and D44 were 33.6 and 36.7%, respectively. The number of abomasal worms was lower for the SFP than the control group (p < 0.05). SFP treatment did not significantly affect either the total or the local antibody response (p > 0.05). The blood activity of glutathione peroxidase was affected by the treatment (p < 0.022). Adult worms were selected for scanning electron microscopy after necropsy, but surface structures of adult H. contortus females did not differ between the groups. The treatment of lambs with SFPs directly affected the dynamics of infection, probably indirectly by mobilizing the antioxidant defensive system and antibody response thus improving animal resistance.