Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scorpion Peptide Smp24 Exhibits a Potent Antitumor Effect on Human Lung Cancer Cells by Damaging the Membrane and Cytoskeleton In Vivo and In Vitro

Smp24, a cationic antimicrobial peptide identified from the venom gland of the Egyptian scorpion Scorpio maurus palmatus, shows variable cytotoxicity on various tumor (KG1a, CCRF-CEM and HepG2) and non-tumor (CD34+, HRECs, HACAT) cell lines. However, the effects of Smp24 and its mode of action on lung cancer cell lines remain unknown. Herein, the effect of Smp24 on the viability, membrane disruption, cytoskeleton, migration and invasion, and MMP-2/-9 and TIMP-1/-2 expression of human lung cancer cells have been evaluated. In addition, its in vivo antitumor role and acute toxicity were also assessed. In our study, Smp24 was found to suppress the growth of A549, H3122, PC-9, and H460 with IC50 values from about 4.06 to 7.07 µM and show low toxicity to normal cells (MRC-5) with 14.68 µM of IC50. Furthermore, Smp24 could induce necrosis of A549 cells via destroying the integrity of the cell membrane and mitochondrial and nuclear membranes. Additionally, Smp24 suppressed cell motility by damaging the cytoskeleton and altering MMP-2/-9 and TIMP-1/-2 expression. Finally, Smp24 showed effective anticancer protection in a A549 xenograft mice model and low acute toxicity. Overall, these findings indicate that Smp24 significantly exerts an antitumor effect due to its induction of membrane defects and cytoskeleton disruption. Accordingly, our findings will open an avenue for developing scorpion venom peptides into chemotherapeutic agents targeting lung cancer cells.
Speech-acts Strategies of Indonesian Television Talkshow Host: Indonesian Lawyer Club Weekly Program

Becoming a successful television talk show presenter is an important effort to bring a program progressing smoothly to a successful ending. To accomplish this challenge, this article reports the result the analysis of one program namely the Indonesia Lawyers Club talk show hosted by Karni Ilyas. This paper aims to describe and explain: (1) the politeness strategies of the program host's, and (2) the expressive speech-act of the host on television shows that air on TV One. The type of research is descriptive qualitative. Using purposive sampling, the data source was the episode of "Aduh, Suporter Bola". Content analysis was used as a technique to analyse the speech-acts. The results showed: (1) the politeness of the program host includes positive politeness strategies and negative politeness strategies; and (2) expressive speech act of the host include gratitude, criticism, condolences, expressing curiosity, expressing hope, regretting, expressing agreement, congratulating, suspecting, apologizing, and expressing concern. Karni Ilyas's politeness strategy in guiding the talk show used various strategy satisfactorily in accordance with the context of multicultural Indonesian society. kesopanan negatif; dan (2) tindak tutur ekspresif pemandu acara antara lain ditemukan strategy pengungkapan rasa syukur, kritik, belasungkawa, menyampaikan rasa ingin tahu, menyampaikan harapan, menyesal, menyampaikan kesepakatan, mengucapkan selamat, curiga, meminta maaf, dan menyampaikan keprihatinan. Strategi kesopanan Karni Ilyas dalam memandu talk show diterima penonton sesuai dengan konteks masyarakat Indonesia yang multikultural.
Performance Prediction Equations for Linear Planar Structural Systems: Concept, Formulation, and Validation

This paper presents and validates an analytical formulation, denoted as Performance Prediction Equations (PPEs), that relates the seismic response engineering demand parameter (EDP) of buildings to earthquake parameters such as magnitude, epicentral distance, and type of faulting. PPEs are conceptually novel and can be readily included in any hazard calculation program to directly estimate EDP hazard curves. The PPEs presented herein are based on the linearization of response spectrum analysis (RSA) formulation for estimation of the seismic response of multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) models for planar structural systems. Equations for mean and variance are provided for floor displacement, interstory drift ratio, and normalized base shear. The input parameters needed to apply the proposed PPEs are the modal properties of the structural system and the selection of an existing ground motion model (GMM). The proposed PPEs are validated against simulated results using a set of planar building models and the Campbell-Bozorgnia 2014 GMM. The comparison confirms that the proposed PPEs provide an accurate estimate of the statistics of the said EDPs.
Health On You programme: Development and implementation of web-based health education intervention for university students

Objective: Engaging in healthy behaviour while studying at university is a defining factor in terms of its impact on a person’s later health in life. Therefore, university students are a priority when it comes to health education interventions. This article describes the development and implementation of a web-based health programme intervention to enable students to acquire knowledge and strategies to allow them to make decisions that favour their health by adopting healthy and positive behaviours. Design: The design of the Health On You programme was based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model and used an online platform designed to facilitate self-learning using interactive teaching strategies. The programme included six modules focusing on the following topics – Drinking responsibly; Living free of smoke; Saying no to illicit drugs and to self-medication; Balanced, Healthy and Sustainable Diet; Moving Yourself; and Preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections. Setting: Data collection took place in a public university in northern Portugal. Method: In 2021, a cross-sectional study was carried out with a convenience sample of 37 students attending a Portuguese university to assess the implementation process. Results: Overall assessment of the programme was fairly positive – 5.00 (with 5 being the highest mark), as well as for each of its developed modules (mean scores, 4.66–5.00). Conclusion: The Health On You programme appeared to be an innovative web-based health intervention due to the broad-based approach it adopted, both in terms of the topics tackled and the variety of teaching and learning strategies used to address each of the modules.
Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome in Allergic March

The association between pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS) and allergic march remains unclear. In this prospective cohort study of the general population in Tokyo (T-Child Study), we found that sensitization to Cry j 1 and Fel d 1 at ages 5 and 9 years was associated with an increased risk of PFAS at 13 years old (at 5 years, Cry j 1: adjusted odds ratio aOR, 2.74; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.53–4.91; Fel d 1: aOR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.31–5.19; at 9 years, Cry j 1: adjusted odds ratio aOR, 4.28; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.98–9.25; Fel d 1: aOR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.33–4.32). In particular, sensitization to Bet v 1 at ages 5 and 9 years was associated with a strong risk of PFAS at the age of 13 years (at 5 years: aOR, 10.6; 95% CI, 2.64–42.5; at 9 years: aOR, 9.1; 95% CI, 4.71–17.6). PFAS risk by age 13 years was increased by any allergic symptom at 5 or 9 years, a combination of wheezing, eczema, and rhinitis, and Bet v 1 sensitization. Our findings suggest that PFAS may be associated with allergic march.
Exploring the Conformational Impact of Glycine Receptor TM1-2 Mutations Through Coarse-Grained Analysis and Atomistic Simulations

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (PLGICs) are a family of proteins that convert chemical signals into ion fluxes through cellular membranes. Their structures are highly conserved across all kingdoms from bacteria to eukaryotes. Beyond their classical roles in neurotransmission and neurological disorders, PLGICs have been recently related to cell proliferation and cancer. Here, we focus on the best characterized eukaryotic channel, the glycine receptor (GlyR), to investigate its mutational patterns in genomic-wide tumor screens and compare them with mutations linked to hyperekplexia (HPX), a Mendelian neuromotor disease that disrupts glycinergic currents. Our analysis highlights that cancer mutations significantly accumulate across TM1 and TM2, partially overlapping with HPX changes. Based on 3D-clustering, conservation, and phenotypic data, we select three mutations near the pore, expected to impact GlyR conformation, for further study by molecular dynamics (MD). Using principal components from experimental GlyR ensembles as framework, we explore the motions involved in transitions from the human closed and desensitized structures and how they are perturbed by mutations. Our MD simulations show that WT GlyR spontaneously explores opening and re-sensitization transitions that are significantly impaired by mutations, resulting in receptors with altered permeability and desensitization properties in agreement with HPX functional data.
Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation on Post-Stroke Spasticity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

In recent years, the potential of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) for the therapeutic effect of post-stroke spasticity has been explored. There are various NIBS methods depending on the stimulation modality, site and parameters. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of NIBS on spasticity in patients after stroke. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PUBMED (MEDLINE), Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE) were searched for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before December 2021. Two independent researchers screened relevant articles and extracted data. This meta-analysis included 14 articles, and all included articles included 18 RCT datasets. The results showed that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) (MD = −0.40, [95% CI]: −0.56 to −0.25, p < 0.01) had a significant effect on improving spasticity, in which low-frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS) (MD = −0.51, [95% CI]: −0.78 to −0.24, p < 0.01) and stimulation of the unaffected hemisphere (MD = −0.58, [95% CI]: −0.80 to −0.36, p < 0.01) were beneficial on Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) in patients with post-stroke spasticity. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (MD = −0.65, [95% CI]: −1.07 to −0.22, p < 0.01) also had a significant impact on post-stroke rehabilitation, with anodal stimulation (MD = −0.74, [95% CI]: −1.35 to −0.13, p < 0.05) being more effective in improving spasticity in patients. This meta-analysis revealed moderate evidence that NIBS reduces spasticity after stroke and may promote recovery in stroke survivors. Future studies investigating the mechanisms of NIBS in addressing spasticity are warranted to further support the clinical application of NIBS in post-stroke spasticity.
Somatic Mutation of FAT Family Genes Implicated Superior Prognosis in Patients With Stomach Adenocarcinoma

FAT family genes encode protocadherin, which regulates tumor cell proliferation and migration. Although transcriptional levels of FAT family members had been reported in multiple malignant tumors, the association between mutation and prognosis of the FAT family in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) has not been investigated. Herein, we performed a multi-omics integrative bioinformatics analysis using genomic and mRNA expression data to explore the role of gene mutations across the FAT family on clinical outcomes of STAD. The results showed that FAT mutations occurred in 174 of 435 (40%) of the samples. Patients with FAT mutations possessed significantly better progression-free survival (P = 0.019) and overall survival (P = 0.034) than those with non-FAT mutations, and FAT mutations exhibited significantly higher tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability. Notably, FAT mutations had a greater effect on somatic single-nucleotide variation than copy number variation and resulted in more abundant DNA damage repair (DDR) mutations. Further investigation demonstrated that FAT mutations contributed to an inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME), as indicated by significantly increased numbers of activated CD4 and CD8 T cells, and significantly decreased numbers of mast cell, plasmacytoid dendritic cell, type 2 T helper cell, and high expression of immune-promoting genes. Moreover, biological process antigen processing and presentation, DNA replication, and DDR-related pathways were significantly upregulated in patients with FAT mutations. Collectively, FAT mutations significantly improved the survival of patients with STAD by enhancing tumor immunogenicity (e.g., TMB and DDR mutations) and an inflamed TME, indicating that the FAT family might be a potential prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for STAD.
Recent Advances in Separation and Analysis of Saponins in Natural Products

To better control the quality of saponins, ensure their biological activity and clinical therapeutic effect, and expand the development and application of saponins, this paper systematically and comprehensively reviews the separation and analytical methods of saponins in the past decade. Since 2010, the electronic databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, Science Direct, Wiley, Springer, CNKI (National Knowledge Infrastructure, CNKI), Wanfang Med online, and other databases have been searched systematically. As a result, it is found that ionic liquids and high-performance countercurrent chromatography are the most popular extraction and separation techniques for saponins, and the combined chromatography technique is the most widely used method for the analysis of saponins. Liquid chromatography can be used in combination with different detectors to achieve qualitative or quantitative analysis and quality control of saponin compounds in medicinal materials and their preparations. This paper provides the latest valuable insights and references for the analytical methods and continued development and application of saponins.
The combination of computed tomography‐derived muscle mass and muscle density and relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and survival in patients undergoing potentially curative surgery for colorectal cancer

Sarcopenia has been defined as a loss of muscle mass and function. CT‐derived muscle measurements, skeletal muscle index (SMI) and density (SMD), taken together may provide an objective measure of sarcopenia. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between CT‐derived sarcopenia (low SMI and SMD), clinicopathological characteristics, systemic inflammation and survival in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.
MICRO-LEAKAGE OF PREHEATED COMPOSITE AS A CEMENTATION MATERIAL IN INDIRECT ADHESIVE RESTORATION (LITERATURE REVIEW)

Introduction: Composite resin is a material that is often used to perform dental restorations, but it can cause a deficiency called polymerization shrinkage which can be overcome by preheating the composite material. In several studies, there are differences of opinion regarding using preheating techniques at 60oC to overcome polymerization shrinkage. Review: This article intends to analyze the level of microleakage on the restoration of adhesive indirectly as cementing materials with preheated composites. A total of 49 journals from PubMed, NCBI, BMC, Research gate, Z-library, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and other international journal websites were analyzed. Conclusion: The preheating method showed samples with heating of 60oC had statistically lower microleakage at cervical margins. However, preheating resulted in an increase in the contraction voltage of undesirable polymerization.
Exploring the Social Capital of Cooperative Extension Agents in Mississippi

The Cooperative Extension System has a high turnover rate. Studies indicate a need to improve collaboration and communication efforts between agents to improve their retention. This exploratory study used a social capital lens to investigate agents’ collegial relationships and access to information. Cross-sectional data were collected from a nonrandomized sample of Extension agents from Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension. Results showed agents’ engagement in professional associations depended on their programmatic responsibilities. Few agents were active members of associations that were not linked to their specific program area. Findings pointed to a low level of bridging capital and a higher level of bonding capital since agents had strong ties with colleagues in their own programmatic area. Agents mostly socialized with others in their own program area at statewide events, and most did not seek information from a district or regional director. This may adversely impact information sharing due to an overdependence on homogenous networks. This study suggested the social capital of MSU Extension agents could be more fully developed. Agents may benefit from opportunities to engage in national-level and heterogenous professional organizations to build bridging capital.
Multi-Objective Optimization of Aerodynamic Performance for a Small Single-Stage Turbine

In order to improve the performance of single-stage turbines, blade profiling optimization was conducted for the guide vane and rotor under design condition. Support vector regression (SVR) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) were used to execute the optimization, with the objective of maximizing the efficiency and total pressure ratio of single-stage turbines. The gas turbine chosen for the initial study was the KJ66, which is one of the most robust and primitive small gas turbine designs available. The influence mechanism of the stator and rotor profiling on flow field and performance was discussed. The results revealed that compared with the prototype, the adiabatic efficiency increased by 5.95% and the total pressure ratio increased by 0.9%. Furthermore, the matching of flows between the stator blade and rotor blade obviously improved. The optimized guide vane suppressed the flow separation by increasing the leading edge and improving the distribution of the inlet angle of attack. The load distribution of rotors with a 50% spanwise position changed from the original "C" loaded to post-loaded. The leading load obviously decreased, and the angle of attack was smaller than that of the prototype, which effectively weakened the flow separation at the leading edge of the rotor. Compared with the original rotor, the higher lean angle and pressure ratio of the turbine stage also improved. However, the leakage loss near the shroud of the rotor increased, which led to decreased efficiency.
Examination of Potential Factors to Predict Fieldwork Performance: A Program Evaluation Project

This program evaluation project evaluated the validity of a hypothesized model for predicting fieldwork performance using data of 121 occupational therapy students from a single university. The first aim was to evaluate the hypothesized relationships between observed measures (e.g., admission GPAs) and proposed latent factors (e.g., academic achievement) for predictor and outcome variables. Factor analysis of the outcome variable revealed a three-factor structure, measured by 13 items from the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation for the Occupational Therapy Student. However, factor analyses of the predictor variables did not support the proposed latent factors: Academic Achievement and Professional Potential. The second aim was to evaluate the hypothesized effects of predictor variables on level II fieldwork performance. Results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis supported some of the hypothesized relationships. The model was a good fit to the data; however, the final SEM model only accounted for 16.4% of the variance. Results showed that four of the eight observed variables were predictive. Two academic measures (i.e., admission overall GPA and science GPA) and two non-academic measures (i.e., Myer’s Briggs Thinking type indicator and number of observation hours) demonstrated small predictive relationships with Evaluation Skills. Admission overall GPA and thinking type indicator had positive predictive relationships; whereas, admission science GPA and number of hours had inverse relationships. None of the observed variables predicted the other two fieldwork performance factors: Professional Behaviors and Intervention Skills. Although the results of this project did not fully support the hypothesized model, some interesting findings emerged for future exploration.
Direct Interaction of Avian Cryptochrome 4 with a Cone Specific G-Protein

Background: Night-migratory birds sense the Earth’s magnetic field by an unknown molecular mechanism. Theoretical and experimental evidence support the hypothesis that the light-induced formation of a radical-pair in European robin cryptochrome 4a (ErCry4a) is the primary signaling step in the retina of the bird. In the present work, we investigated a possible route of cryptochrome signaling involving the α-subunit of the cone-secific heterotrimeric G protein from European robin. Methods: Protein–protein interaction studies include surface plasmon resonance, pulldown affinity binding and Förster resonance energy transfer. Results: Surface plasmon resonance studies showed direct interaction, revealing high to moderate affinity for binding of non-myristoylated and myristoylated G protein to ErCry4a, respectively. Pulldown affinity experiments confirmed this complex formation in solution. We validated these in vitro data by monitoring the interaction between ErCry4a and G protein in a transiently transfected neuroretinal cell line using Förster resonance energy transfer. Conclusions: Our results suggest that ErCry4a and the G protein also interact in living cells and might constitute the first biochemical signaling step in radical-pair-based magnetoreception.
On the Practical Design of a Two-Terminal Active Capacitor

A two-terminal active capacitor concept has been proposed recently based on an active power electronic circuit with a voltage control method and self-power scheme. It retains the convenience of use as a passive capacitor with two power terminals only without any additional required connections and has the potential to either increase power density or reduce design cost depending on the applications. Based on the previously proof-of-concept study, this paper addresses the design constraints, impedance modeling, and start-up solutions of two-terminal active capacitors. A design method for functionality, efficiency, lifetime, and cost-constraint applications is applied to size the active components and passive elements. A voltage feedforward control scheme is implemented to improve its dynamic response. Two start-up solutions are proposed to overcome the issues brought by the self-power scheme. A case study of an active capacitor for the dc link of a single-phase full-bridge rectifier is presented to demonstrate the theoretical analyses.