Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Association between Childhood Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic; 340 million of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2016, and this number continues to grow at a rapid rate. Epidemiological research has suggested that air pollution affects childhood obesity and weight status, but the current evidence remains inconsistent. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to estimate the effects of childhood exposure to air pollutants on weight. A total of four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library) were searched for publications up to December 31, 2021, and finally 15 studies met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. Merged odds ratios (ORs), coefficients (β), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) that were related to air pollutants were estimated using a random-effects model. The meta-analysis indicated that air pollutants were correlated with childhood obesity and weight gain. For obesity, the association was considerable for PM10 (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.18), PM2.5 (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.45), PM1 (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.30, 1.53), and NO2 (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.18). Similarly, BMI status increased by 0.08 (0.03–0.12), 0.11 (0.05–0.17), and 0.03 (0.01–0.04) kg/m2 with 10 μg/m3 increment in exposure to PM10, PM2.5, and NO2. In summary, air pollution can be regarded as a probable risk factor for the weight status of children and adolescents. The next step is to conduct longer-term and large-scale studies on different population subgroups, exposure concentrations, and pollutant combinations to provide detailed evidence. Meanwhile, integrated management of air pollution is essential.
Underlying Familial Factors for Aggressive Behavior in Romantic Relationships: A Systematic Review

Aggressive behavior in romantic relationship has serious effects, including both intra- and inter-personal issues. Aggressive behaviors in romantic relationships have been linked to underlying familial problems. While there have been previous reviews that studied on many interpersonal and dyadic implications of aggressive behavior in romantic relationships, there is nonetheless a lack of studies on the various components of familial factors for aggressive behavior in romantic relationships. The databases Scopus, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and SAGE Journals were used to search for terms that are related to familial factors (family factor, family support, family relationship) as well as terms related to aggressive behavior in romantic relationships (aggression in romantic relationship, violence in intimate relationship). The articles considered for this review were original studies, samples, or subsamples of males or females who reported any underlying familial factors in childhood or adulthood that contributed to aggressive behavior in romantic relationship, and the studies must be written in English. This review has 27 papers that met the inclusion criteria. The findings from this review revealed the presence of inconsistent conclusions between familial factors and aggressive behavior in romantic relationships, with some studies failing to establish such links. These findings are reviewed with regards to the existing gaps in the literature as well as potential research options.
Isolation of endophytic bacterial isolates from healthy banana trees and determination of their in vitro antagonistic activities against crown rot disease agent Fusarium verticillioides

tarihi/Accepted:28.12. 2021 : Fungal diseases are one of the most important biotic factors causing serious losses in banana cultivation in field or greenhouses during cultivation, harvest, storage and transportation periods. Crown rot, caused by Fusarium verticillioides, is considered one of the most important postharvest fungal disease of banana fruits. In this study, endophytic bacterial isolates were obtained from fruits, branches and leaves of healthy banana trees and their antagonistic potentials were investigated against F. verticillioides as a biological control agent (BCA) in vitro conditions. Methods and Results : A total of 23 putative endophytic bacterial isolates were obtained from fruits, stems and leaves of healthy banana trees. All bacterial isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF MS (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometry) analysis. In vitro antagonistic efficiencies of 12 different bacterial isolates, from eight different species ( Bacillus ssp. spizizenii (3), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (2), Bacillus subtilis ssp. subtilis (2), Bacillus mojavensis , Enterococcus faecium, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter ludwigii and Pseudomonas stutzeri ), were tested on inhibiting mycelial growth by using dual culture tests. Among bacterial isolates, the highest antagonistic activity was displayed by Bacillus mojavensis BEn3 isolate which significantly inhibited the mycelial growth by 50.83%. Enterobacter BEn1, Enterobacter BEn2, Enterobacter BEn7, however, failed to inhibit the mycelial growth of fungi. Conclusions : Significant suppression in the mycelial growth caused by endophytic bacterial isolates indicates that Bacillus mojavensis BEn3 isolate could be considered as possible BCA against crown rot disease agent. Significance and Impact of the Study : Our findings suggest that B. mojavensis Ben3, as the most successful endophyte bacterial isolate that suppresses the growth of F. verticillioides , can be used as a promising biological control agent as an alternative to chemical control against crown rot
The Effects of the Food Additive Titanium Dioxide (E171) on Tumor Formation and Gene Expression in the Colon of a Transgenic Mouse Model for Colorectal Cancer

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is present in many different food products as the food additive E171, which is currently scrutinized due to its potential adverse effects, including the stimulation of tumor formation in the gastrointestinal tract. We developed a transgenic mouse model to examine the effects of E171 on colorectal cancer (CRC), using the Cre-LoxP system to create an Apc-gene-knockout model which spontaneously develops colorectal tumors. A pilot study showed that E171 exposed mice developed colorectal adenocarcinomas, which were accompanied by enhanced hyperplasia in epithelial cells, and increased tumor size. In the main study, tumor formation was studied following the exposure to 5 mg/kgbw/day of E171 for 9 weeks (Phase I). E171 exposure showed a statistically nonsignificant increase in the number of colorectal tumors in these transgenic mice, as well as a statistically nonsignificant increase in the average number of mice with tumors. Gene expression changes in the colon were analyzed after exposure to 1, 2, and 5 mg/kgbw/day of E171 for 2, 7, 14, and 21 days (Phase II). Whole-genome mRNA analysis revealed the modulation of genes in pathways involved in the regulation of gene expression, cell cycle, post-translational modification, nuclear receptor signaling, and circadian rhythm. The processes associated with these genes might be involved in the enhanced tumor formation and suggest that E171 may contribute to tumor formation and progression by modulation of events related to inflammation, activation of immune responses, cell cycle, and cancer signaling.
An Ideology of Sustainability under Technological Revolution: Striving towards Sustainable Development

The recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented surge in global warming occasioned by human anthropogenic activities. The ensuing effects have brought devastating threats to human existence and the ecosystem, with the sustainability of the future generations highly uncertain. Resolving this pervasive issue requires evidence-based policy implications. To this end, this study contributes to the ongoing sustainable development advocacy by investigating the impacts of renewable energy and transport services on economic growth in Germany. The additional roles of digital technology, FDI, and carbon emissions are equally evaluated using data periods covering 1990 to 2020 within the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) framework. The results show the existence of cointegration among the variables. Additionally, renewable energy and transport services positively drive economic growth. Furthermore, economic growth is equally stimulated by other explanatory variables, such as digital technology and carbon emissions. These outcomes are robust for both the long-run and short-run periods. More so, departures in the long run are noted to heed to corrections at an average of 60% speed of adjustment. The estimated models are confirmed to be valid based on the outcomes of the postestimation tests. Policy implications that support the path to sustainability are highlighted based on the findings.
What If? Electricity as Money

Responding to the influences of climate change, on the one hand, and selected benefits of digital technology, on the other hand, an energy transition of global scale appears to be underway. Many observers project that a significant element of the energy transition will be a growing dependence on electricity, a dependence possibly doubling by 2050. Such a transformation, however, would likely require re-configuring the architecture of complex, centralized electricity grids, an artifact of a context of more than a century ago. In concert with the energy transition, we argue to modify the objective of the electricity grid to enable efficient, pervasive optimization in local service areas that provides incentives for users to be efficient in their energy use. At the core of our argument is the presentation of economic incentives denominated in an electricity-backed commodity currency such that incumbent electricity generators could augment their economic purpose of electricity production and electricity distribution to include financial intermediation. A direct consequence of this institutional transformation is the opportunity for all users to generate wealth. There are others who have been inspired to conjure ways that energy could be a candidate currency. Our argument is distinctive, though, in exploiting how an institution (the power grid system) could be repositioned and how all agents in the system could benefit by the institutionalization of electricity as money.
Commentary on "The tumour microenvironment shapes innate lymphoid cells in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma".

HepatoBiliary Surg Nutr 2022;11(2):288-291 | https://dx.doi. org/10.21037/hbsn-21-521 We read with great interest the article by Heinrich et al. that investigated the roles of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and their regulatory cytokines in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor microenvironment (TME) (1). The authors demonstrated a relationship between the expression of cytokines in the HCC TME and patient prognosis. The total cells and cytokines from tumor (T), non-tumor (NT), and margin (M) tissues were extracted from HCC patients. Using bulk tissue RNA sequencing and unbiased clustering, gradual changes in mRNA expression between NT, M, and T tissues were confirmed. The upregulated genes in the tumor were identified and found to be associated with poor survival using The Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) cohort. Moreover, differential expression of 14 cytokines (protein level) in T and NT tissues were identified, and the corresponding transcripts were also determined to be related to survival in the TCGA-LIHC cohort. These findings indicated that HCC has certain characteristic upregulated and downregulated cytokines that may induce the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Interestingly, some of these differentially expressed cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-33, and tumor growth factor (TGF)-β, have previously been reported to potentially affect the plasticity of ILCs (2,3). Heinrich and colleagues determined the phenotype, proportion, and distribution pattern of the ILCs in HCC using flow cytometry and t-stochastic neighbor embedding analysis. The results showed that the proportion of ILCs was different in NT, M, and T tissues in HCC. Specifically, the proportion of ILC2 and the ratio of ILC2/ILC1 increased in T tissues compared to NT tissues, whereas the proportion of ILC3 decreased in the majority of patients. The patients were divided into a high and low ILC2/ ILC1 group according to the proportion characteristics. Interestingly, only ILC2/ILC1 patients were found to have the abovementioned changes. The authors also confirmed the presence of a cytokine gradient, specifically for the ILC-influencing cytokines in the T and M samples, in all the different groups. A CD127 population within the Lin cells, named the “natural killer (NK)-like cells”, was identified. These had common characteristics of NK cells and ILC1, as well as the potential for differentiating into ILC1 and ILC3. There is a good reason to believe that subsets like ILC2 and NK-like cells mainly originate from the T tissues, while NK-like cells expressing markers similar to that of NK cells mainly exist in the NT tissues. However, ILC3, as the dominant subgroup of ILCs, exist in all regions. The study also evaluated the heterogeneity of helper ILCs present in the high and low ILC2/ILC1 groups, and demonstrated that activation of ILC subgroups in the tumor was higher in ILC2/ILC1 patients, Editorial
Evaluation of Microbiological Quality of Water, Sediment and Soil Characteristics in Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

Water is the most important resource on earth and safe drinking water is essential to sustain life. Most rural communities do not treat their water before consumption. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of water, sediment and soil characteristic in Okrika LGA, Nigeria. Samples were collected using sterile bottles from boreholes, hand-dug wells, surface water, sediments and soils using standard methods and analysed accordingly. Results show that Total Heterotrophic Bacterial Count (THBC) ranged from in Kalio-Ama to at Okari-Ama. Total Fecal count (TFC) ranged from 0 to at Isaka Town. Total Coliform Count (TCC) ranged from 0 to at Ogan-Ama. Total Salmonella Shigella Count (TSSC) ranged from 0 to in Ogan-Ama. Total Vibio Count (TVC) ranged from 0 to at Kalio-Ama. The most prominent bacterial isolates from all the stations are of the genera such as Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Escherichia Coli, Micrococcus, Kiebsiella, Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Aeromonas, Serratia and Alcaligenes which were isolated across the samples with Bacillus as more frequent with 50%. In the dry season, bacterial isolates were 100% susceptible to Gentamycin and Ofloxacin and 100% resistance to Augumentin, Cefuroxime and Cefixime. In the wet season, isolates had 100% susceptibility to Ciprooflozacin and 100% resistance to Cloxacin, Augmentin and Gentamicine. The result of this study poses a public health risk to consumers who use these sources of water for domestic purposes, recreation and treatments. Diseases like typhoid, cholera, polio, skin and lung infections are eminent.
Seen and Heard: The Long-Term Impact of Arts Projects on Young People Living in Poverty

This article presents unique findings from research in Scotland of the long-term impact of arts projects on young people living in poverty. Through the support of creative skilled practitioners sensitive to their challenges, these initiatives provided spaces of inspiration for young people to feel seen and heard, and their area not completely forgotten. Crucially, this promoted bridging social capital or access to opportunities outside of their local environment. The young people, reflecting more than five years on from their engagement, reported that it had increased their wellbeing, confidence, hopes for the future, reduced isolation, and for some, had opened up career pathways, thus mediating against some of the effects of poverty. In an increasingly challenging funding environment and uncertain times, it is vital that the impact of the arts is understood in policy contexts, and these are accessible to young people, from all walks of life as a right.
Acceptance of vulgarity in marketing: The moderating roles of product type and consumers’ political ideology

One debate about theories of disgust surround whether the emotion is elicited by adaptationist or by cultural sensitivities. We examine this question by examining the disgust that profanity elicits. This research examines two moderators that predict consumers’ acceptance of vulgar language within advertising contexts. Specifically, we focus on product type (new vs old) and consumers’ political ideology (conservative vs liberal), proposing that conservatives (vs liberals) are less accepting of new (vs existing) products advertised using vulgar language. This is potentially because, we propose and find, conservative consumers are more sensitive to the disgust emotion, and new products advertised with vulgar language elicit more disgust. We conducted three experiments to test the hypotheses. Experiment 1 finds support for our overall hypothesis while Experiments 2 and 3 find evidence for the role of disgust via both mediation and moderation techniques. Our findings suggest that the disgust emotion is driven by cultural and not purely by evolutionary sensitivities. We are also the first authors, to our knowledge, to connect the disgust literature to vulgar language. Hence, our findings offer both practical and theoretical implications regarding the use of vulgar language in marketing.
Measuring the Critical Influence Factors for Predicting Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Expanding Megacities by XGBoost

CO2 is the main greenhouse gas. Urban spatial development, land use, and so on may be affected by CO2 and climate change. The main questions studied in this paper are as follows: What are the drivers of CO2 emissions of expanding megacities? How can they be analyzed from different perspectives? Do the results differ for megacities at different stages of development? Based on the XGBoost model, this paper explored the complex factors affecting CO2 emissions by using data of four Chinese megacities, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing, from 2003 to 2017. The main findings are as follows: The XGBoost model has better applicability and accuracy in predicting carbon emissions of expanding megacities, with root mean square error (RMSE) as low as 0.036. Under the synergistic effect of multiple factors, population, land size, and gross domestic product are still the primary driving forces of CO2 emissions. Population density and population become more important in the single-factor analysis. The key drivers of CO2 emissions in megacities at respective developmental stages are different. This paper provides methods and tools for accurately predicting CO2 emissions and measuring the critical drivers. Furthermore, it could provide decision support for megacities to make targeted carbon-emission-reduction strategies based on their own developmental stages.
Integrating Point of Care Ultrasound Education into Clinical Practice at the Emergency Department

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) competency is now required learning for emergency medicine trainees. However, there is a wide range of areas that need to be assessed when determining competence. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate competence levels of POCUS skill acquisition including the areas of image acquisition, image interpretation and clinical integration of the emergency medicine residents while on shift in real clinical practice situations. This was a retrospective descriptive study. This study was conducted at Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand from January 2021 through December 2021. The data were collected and reviewed from electronic medical records, ultrasound images and video clips. All POCUS competency skills were assessed by researcher staff. Our results demonstrated that our learners had overall satisfactory competence of image acquisition, satisfactory image interpretation skills, and good clinical integration skills. However, obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) ultrasound scores were poor and cardiac ultrasound had the most varied score of image quality. This study clearly showed the measurable benefits of a POCUS course being integrated into real clinical practice.
Grammarly as a Tool to Enhance Students' Self-Directed Learning

The goal of this study was to examine whether Grammarly can help students improve their self-directed learning in L2 writing. Qualitative research methods were used. Data were collected from 20 students in the third semester of the English Education Study Program at IAIN Kendari using questionnaires, reflections, and interviews. According to the findings, Grammarly aided students’ self-directed learning by educating them on the benefits of using Grammarly to improve their writing quality and encouraging them to self-evaluate their progress. Based on the results, lecturers and prospective teachers should use a helpful technology like Grammarly to help students improve their writing Keywords: Grammarly, self-directed learning, L2 writing
Does the recent revival of Western Disturbances govern the Karakoram Anomaly?

The global retreat in glaciers is considered to be one of the critical indicators of climate change. However, the glaciers of the Karakoram (KR) region of Karakoram-Himalayas (KH) stand out because of their divergent response, displaying a surge as opposed to glaciers in other regions. This phenomenon is known as the “Karakoram Anomaly. ” Although many factors control the establishment and sustenance of the anomaly, the present study establishes winter precipitation associated with Western Disturbances (WDs) over the KH as one of the key drivers behind its emergence. To examine the role of WDs, a tracking algorithm is applied to 39-seasons (Nov-Mar) for three separate (ERA5, MERRA2, and NCEP-CFSR/CFSv2) reanalysis datasets. The associated reanalysis ensemble statistics of WDs properties produced in terms of their intensity, precipitation/snowfall volumes, and wind-speed suggest a revival in recent years over the core-anomaly regions. However, the frequency has remained steady. The Karakoram has witnessed a rise of ∼10% in precipitation intensity associated with WDs in recent decades. The high percentage of snowfall received by the Karakoram (∼65%) from WDs relative to the total seasonal snowfall suggests a crucial role in modulating the regional mass-balance anomaly. Simultaneously, the amount of snowfall from non-WD sources in the Karakoram has had a statistically significant decline of ∼17% in recent decades, coinciding with the anomaly period. The enhanced intensity of WDs is found to be associated with changes in increased baroclinic instability and a shift of the Subtropical Westerly Jet mean latitudinal position.
Application of Citrus By-Products in the Production of Active Food Packaging

Some citrus by-products such as orange peel contains valuable compounds that could be recovered and restored into the food chain. In this study, an efficient valorization of orange peel has been investigated using green extraction, fractionation, and impregnation techniques. The first step included its extraction using CO2 and ethanol under different pressure (200–400 bar) and temperature (35–55 °C) conditions. The extracts obtained at 300 bar and 45 °C showed strong antioxidant with moderate antimicrobial activity. Then, the extract was subjected to a sequential fractionation process. The fraction obtained at 300 bar, 45 °C, and using 32% ethanol showed the strongest antioxidant and antimicrobial activity with a high extraction yield. Finally, the potential of the two best extracts (obtained at 400 bar and 45 °C before any fractionation and the fractions obtained at 300 bar, 45 °C using 32% ethanol) was determined by conducting an impregnation process to obtain an antioxidant food-grade rigid plastic that would preserve fresh food. The percentage of cosolvent (1 and 2% ethanol), the impregnation time (1 and 3 h), the pressure (200 and 400 bar), and the temperature (35 and 55 °C) were evaluated as variables of this process. The impregnated plastic showed good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.