Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of Severe Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Multi-Organ Inflammation by Airborne Allergens is Associated with IL-4/IL-13 and CCL11 but Not IgE in Genetic Susceptible Mice

Background Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is an increasingly common chronic inflammatory disease. The pathological mechanisms underlying EoE are largely unknown. Objective We sought to understand the mechanisms underlying aeroallergen-induced EoE in Sharpin gene deficient (Sharpin-/-) mice that is prone to inflammatory response. Methods Sharpin-/-mice were exposed with Aspergillus fumigatus and ovalbumin intranasally every alternate day for 4 weeks. Wild type (WT) naïve mice, WT exposed, and un-exposed Sharpin-/- mice were controls. Histopathological analysis was performed by H&E, trichrome and major basic protein staining. Total and specific IgE, IgG, and IgA levels were measured by ELISA and Th2 cytokine and CCL11 chemokine gene expression were determined. Results Airborne allergen exposed Sharpin-/- mice showed severe eosinophilic inflammation in the esophagus (p < 0.001), and markedly increased epithelial thickening (p < 0.0001) compared to WT normal controls, whereas airborne allergen exposed WT mice and unexposed Sharpin-/- mice only showed mild eosinophilic inflammation in the esophagus. These exposed Sharpin-/- mice also showed over 7-fold increase in blood eosinophils (p < 0.0001), 60-fold increase in eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (p < 0.0001) and 4-fold increase in eosinophils in the skin (p < 0.0001) compared to normal controls. Surprisingly, exposed Sharpin-/- mice did not show elevation of serum total or antigen-specific IgE levels but reduced total IgA and IgG levels than normal controls There was a marked increase in IL-4, IL-13 and CCL11 gene expression in esophageal tissue (p < 0.001) in exposed Sharpin-/- mice compared to WT normal mice. Conclusion Th2 cytokines and chemokines, but not IgE may play an important pathologic role in aeroallergen-induced EoE. This study may provide insight into new therapeutics for EoE.
Relationship between Sports Education Students’ Team Loyalty and Sports Organization Consumption

This research aims to analyze how students who acquire sports education feel about their teams and how they consume sports organizations in terms of many aspects. The Sports Organizations Consumption Scale (SOTS), which has 25 questions and 5 factors, and the Team Loyalty Scale, which has 10 items and 2 factors, were used as evaluation tools. Using the SPSS 25.0 package program, parametric analyses were performed on the acquired data. Then, a “Pearson correlation analysis was used to establish the level and direction of the association between the dependent variables. The students’ team loyalty levels and their consumption of sports organizations have been found to have a positive and moderate level relationship (r= 0.44; p.000). In terms of gender, class, and being a national athlete, there was a significant difference in the perspectives of students who had athletic training (p0.05).
Volatile Olfactory Profiles of Umbrian Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Their Discrimination through MOX Chemical Sensors

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the best vegetable oil worldwide but, at the same time, is one of the product victims of fraud in the agri-food sector, and the differences about quality within the extra-virgin olive oil category are often missed. Several scientific techniques were applied in order to guarantee the authenticity and quality of this EVOO. In the present study, the volatile compounds (VOCs) by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with solid-phase micro-extraction detection (GC–MS SPME), organoleptic analysis by the official Slow Food panel and the detection by a Small Sensor System (S3) were applied. Ten EVOOs from Umbria, a central Italian region, were selected from the 2021 Slow Food Italian extra virgin olive oil official guide, which includes hundreds of high-quality olive oils. The results demonstrated the possibility to discriminate the ten EVOOs, even if they belong to the same Italian region, by all three techniques. The result of GC–MS SPME detection was comparable at the discrimination level to the organoleptic test with few exceptions, while the S3 was able to better separate some EVOOs, which were not discriminated perfectly by the other two methods. The correlation analysis performed among and between the three methodologies allowed us to identify 388 strong associations with a p value less than 0.05. This study has highlighted how much the mix of VOCs was different even among few and localized EVOOs. The correlation with the sensor detection, which is faster and chipper compared to the other two techniques, elucidated the similarities and discrepancies between the applied methods.
Integrating Radiosensitivity Gene Signature Improves Glioma Outcome and Radiotherapy Response Prediction

Abstract: Background Response to radiotherapy (RT) in gliomas varies widely between patients. It is necessary to identify glioma-associated radiosensitivity gene signatures for clinically stratifying patients who will benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy after glioma surgery. Methods: Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) glioma patient datasets were used to validate the predictive potential of two published biomarkers, the radiosensitivity index (RSI) and 31-gene signature (31-GS). To adjust these markers for the characteristics of glioma, we integrated four new glioma-associated radiosensitivity predictive indexes based on RSI and 31-GS by the Cox analysis and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression analysis. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used to compare the radiosensitivity predictive ability of these six gene signatures. Subgroup analysis was used to evaluate the discriminative capacity of those gene signatures in identifying radiosensitive patients, and a nomogram was built to improve the histological grading system. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were used to explore related biological processes. Results: We validated and compared the predictive potential of two published predictive indexes. The AUC area of 31-GS was higher than that of RSI. Based on the RSI and 31-GS, we integrated four new glioma-associated radiosensitivity predictive indexes—PI10, PI12, PI31 and PI41. Among them, a 12-gene radiosensitivity predictive index (PI12) showed the most promising predictive performance and discriminative capacity. Examination of a nomogram created from clinical features and PI12 revealed that its predictive capacity was superior to the traditional WHO classification system. (C-index: 0.842 vs. 0.787, p ≤ 2.2 × 10−16) The GO analysis and GSEA showed that tumors with a high PI12 score correlated with various aspects of the malignancy of glioma. Conclusions: The glioma-associated radiosensitivity gene signature PI12 is a promising radiosensitivity predictive biomarker for guiding effective personalized radiotherapy for gliomas.
Characteristics of Drawing Process Differentiate Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Background: Early differential diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is important for treatment and disease management, but it remains challenging. Although computer-based drawing analysis may help differentiate AD and DLB, it has not been studied. Objective: We aimed to identify the differences in features characterizing the drawing process between AD, DLB, and cognitively normal (CN) individuals, and to evaluate the validity of using these features to identify and differentiate AD and DLB. Methods: We collected drawing data with a digitizing tablet and pen from 123 community-dwelling older adults in three clinical diagnostic groups of mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to AD (n = 47) or Lewy body disease (LBD; n = 27), and CN (n = 49), matched for their age, sex, and years of education. We then investigated drawing features in terms of the drawing speed, pressure, and pauses. Results: Reduced speed and reduced smoothness in speed and pressure were observed particularly in the LBD group, while increased pauses and total durations were observed in both the AD and LBD groups. Machine-learning models using these features achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.80 for AD versus CN, 0.88 for LBD versus CN, and 0.77 for AD versus LBD. Conclusion: Our results indicate how different types of drawing features were particularly discriminative between the diagnostic groups, and how the combination of these features can facilitate the identification and differentiation of AD and DLB.
Hypoplastic model with fabric change effect and semifluidized state for post‐liquefaction cyclic behavior of sand

This paper presented the formulation of a novel hypoplastic model for sand considering both the cyclic mobility and large accumulative shear deformation in the post‐liquefaction stage. Based on experimental observations and existing modeling response, two constitutive ingredients were incorporated into the hypoplastic model to improve its prediction accuracy. First, the fabric change effect was considered, enabling a satisfactory simulation of effective stress reduction under undrained cyclic loading. The second component was the introduction of the semifluidized state concept to reflect the modulus degradation and deviatoric strain development of sand at low‐stress state. The capability of the proposed model is demonstrated by the comparisons between the model responses and experimental results of the cyclic behavior of sand under different test conditions. Remarkably, the liquefaction phenomenon and increasing deviatoric strain amplitude during the post‐liquefaction stage were reproduced well by the model.
Impacts of smart and active packaging on the quality and storage period of ‘Barhi’ dates

The climacteric nature of ‘Barhi’ dates makes their shelf life very short after harvest. This research aimed to explore the impact of using different packaging materials along with reducing the negative effects of ethylene gas on the quality of ‘Barhi’ date fruit by determining the changes in physical and chemical characteristics of stored fruit. For this purpose, ‘Barhi’ date fruits were picked during the Khalal stage and stored using three different packaging materials [carton boxes (control), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP)] with or without ethylene absorbent sachet (EAS) at 0 °C for 40 days. The results indicated that the EMAP bags with EAS under 0 °C gave the highest quality properties of all studied parameters compared to the control treatment. The control treatment recorded the lowest date fruit quality, which lasted only for 20 days of cold storage before converting to the Rutab stage. Using LDPE with EAS instead of the more expensive EMAP bags could be a cheaper way to keep the quality of ‘Barhi’ date fruit and make it last longer during cold storage.phoenix dactylifera
Informal Sector Employment and Economic Growth: Evidence from Developing Countries in SDG Perspective

The understanding of the role of informal employment in economic growth is important to facilitate developing countries in safeguarding the decent work, productive employment, and inclusive growth agenda mentioned in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8. The present study attempts to this end by investigating the role of informal employment on economic growth with an aim to assist in fulfilling target 8.3 of SDG. This study utilizes the data available for 20 developing countries for the period 2011–2019. Panel data analysis techniques have been applied, considering the percentage of total employment in the informal sector as the main explanatory variable of the models. The relevant macroeconomic indicators are included in the model as control variables. Empirical findings from Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), and Dynamic Fixed Effect (DFE) models indicate a positive effect of informal employment on the economic growth of developing countries. The other macroeconomic indicators, per capita income, national expenditure, money supply, and economic freedom, are also found to contribute to the economic growth of the selected countries. This study reveals an important bidirectional causal association between informal employment and economic growth, a unidirectional causal link from per capita income to informal employment and from informal employment to national expenditure. Taking into account the contribution of the informal sector to the economy, this study fosters the need for achieving the targets mentioned in SDG 8 by adopting appropriate policies rather than punishing this sector immediately.
The effect of expressive writing intervention and neutral task writing intervention on positive affect and meaning in life among late middle-aged and older adults

ABSTRACT Background This study examined the effects of different writing interventions on late middle-aged and older adults’ positive affect (PA) and meaning in life (MIL) and explored the mediating role of MIL in the relationship between PA and physical health. Methods A total of 162 participants from China who were over 55 years old participated in this 3 × 3 mixed experimental design. The between-subjects variable constituted the participant group, including the expressive writing intervention (EWI) group, neutral task writing intervention (NTWI) group, and blank control group. The within-subject variable was time, including pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up. PA, MIL, physical health, and perceived benefits were measured at each time point. We used a mixed linear model from SPSS on the entire sample data to examine the effects of writing interventions. To determine the mediation effect, we conducted structural equation model analysis using the “lavaan” package in R. Results MIL showed significant interaction with time and group, but PA showed no significant interaction. Compared with the blank control group, EWI buffered the decline of MIL and had no significant intervention effect on PA. NTWI had no significant intervention effect on MIL and PA. Considering the entire sample, MIL mediated the relationship between PA and physical health. Conclusions This study is the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of EWI on healthy late middle-aged and older adults’ MIL. The mediating effect of MIL facilitated a better understanding of the relationship between PA and physical health.
VARIATIONAL INEQUALITIES OF ELLIPTIC AND PARABOLIC TYPE

This paper constitutes a short survey of existence methods for variational inequalities of parabolic type. After discussing several illustrative examples in detail, we discuss some of the common methods for proving existence of solutions to such problems: the translation method, Rothe’s method, and the penalty method. As these methods rely on existence results for elliptic variational inequalities, we also provide a summary of basic results and techniques for static problems.
Environmental gravitational decoherence and a tensor noise model

We discuss decrease of coherence in a massive system due to the emission of gravitational waves. In particular we investigate environmental gravitational decoherence in the context of an interference experiment. The time-evolution of the reduced density matrix is solved analytically using the path-integral formalism. Furthermore, we study the impact of a tensor noise onto the coherence properties of massive systems. We discuss that a particular choice of tensor noise shows similarities to a mechanism proposed by Diósiand Penrose.
The effect of ethanol immersion on fit performance and comfort of a fit tested reusable mask

Reusable high-filtration mask could be a solution for the global demand of disposable N95 and the environmental problems caused during a pandemic. We evaluated the effect of ethanol cleaning on the fit performance and comfort rating of Totobobo Masks, a reusable high-filtration mask. Healthy volunteers underwent quantitative fit testing with the Totobobo mask using a PortaCount Plus respirator fit tester. Fit factor ≥100 was considered adequate fit. Masks were then cleaned in 70% ethanol and air drying. Volunteers underwent a second and third fit test after each 15 cycles of ethanol cleaning. The proportion of adequate fit for Totobobo masks and overall fit factor were compared before and after each clean. Forty nine participants were recruited, of which 22/49 (44.9%) achieved adequate fit with Totobobo mask on the first fit test. Subsequently, 17/22 (77%) and 9/17 (53%) participants achieved adequate fit during the second and third fit tests, respectively. Proportion of adequate fit was similar before and after the first 15 cycles of ethanol cleaning (p = .063) but lower after the second 15 cycles of ethanol cleaning (p = .008). Fit factor was similar between the first and second fit tests (p = 0.808) and the second and third fit tests (p = .125). Twenty out of 22 rated the Totobobo mask more comfortable than commercially available N95 masks. All participants rated the comfort level as either better or similar before and after cleaning. There is no significant drop in fit performance and comfort of Totobobo mask with up to 15 cycles of cleaning with 70% ethanol.
Geotechnical characterization of Viña del Mar for areas where buildings were affected by mega-earthquakes in Central Chile

Over the course of little more than a century, several large-magnitude earthquakes have struck Central Chile. In the area within the Marga-Marga basin in the city of Viña del Mar, notable damage to buildings suggests the occurrence of local seismic site effects. While seismic microzonation studies have attempted to explain such effects, the geotechnical characteristics adopted are generally oversimplified. This article addresses this with a thorough geotechnical characterization of the areas in Viña del Mar that sustained outsized damage to structures. The article provides a robust and updated geotechnical and geophysical database of the area, with additional analysis from records of the city’s urban development, geomorphology, and geology features. The study builds on geotechnical data from previous seismic zonation studies following the 3 March 1985 earthquake; building design projects undertaken between 1977 and 2018, including 89 standard penetration test (SPT) boreholes, 58 dynamic cone penetration tests (DCPT), 18 refraction microtremor surveys (ReMI), and 16 Down-Hole tests; and rock depth estimates from 63 horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) tests. These data were used in data spatialization techniques to model geotechnical units along one (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) profiles, for the foundations of buildings damaged after the 1906, 1985, and 2010 earthquakes. The results show the existence of deep the existence of deep soft soils, high impedance contrast between geotechnical units shape of rock, and the dynamic soil properties can explain the damage observed in the studied area damage in the studied area. The study provides significant background and experimental information for the area, where there is enough seismic potential available to produce a large earthquake in the coming decades of similar characteristics as the 1730 Valparaiso earthquake (9.1–9.3 Mw).
Kelulut Honey Ameliorates Oestrus Cycle, Hormonal Profiles, and Oxidative Stress in Letrozole-Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Rats

Kelulut honey (KH) has been proven to have excellent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties with unique physicochemical characteristics. Therefore, we investigated the isolated and combined effects of KH, metformin, or clomiphene in alleviating oxidative stress and reproductive and metabolic abnormalities in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given 1 mg/kg/day of letrozole for 21 days to induce PCOS. PCOS rats were then divided into six treatment groups: untreated, metformin (500 mg/kg/day), clomiphene (2 mg/kg/day), KH (1 g/kg/day), combined KH (1 g/kg/day) and metformin (500 mg/kg/day), and combined KH (1 g/kg/day) and clomiphene (2 mg/kg/day). All treatments were administered orally for 35 days. The physicochemical characteristics of KH were assessed through hydroxymethylfurfural, free acidity, diastase number, moisture content, sugar profile, metals, and mineral compounds. Additionally, we determined the semivolatile organic compounds present in KH through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. KH and its combination with metformin or clomiphene were shown to improve the oestrus cycle, hormonal profile, and oxidative stress in PCOS rats. However, KH did not reduce the fasting blood glucose, insulin, and body weight gain in PCOS rats. These findings may provide a basis for future studies to discover the potential use of KH as a complementary treatment for women with PCOS.
Differential Response of Ileal and Colonic Microbiota in Rats with High-Fat Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis

Growing evidence suggests that gut microbiota are associated with atherosclerosis (AS). However, the functional heterogeneity of each gut segment gives rise to regional differences in gut microbiota. We established a rat model of AS by feeding the rats a high-fat diet for a long period. The pathological and microbiota changes in the ileum and colon of the rats were examined, and correlations between AS and microbiota were analyzed. The aortic mesothelium of the experimental rats was damaged. The intima showed evident calcium salt deposition, indicating that the AS rat model was successfully developed. We noted varying degrees of pathological damage in the ileum and colon of the experimental rats. The 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing showed significant differences in α-diversity, β-diversity, and microbiota comparisons in the ileum and colon. Furthermore, the ileum and colon of AS rats showed varying degrees of intestinal microbiota disturbance. This article contributes to the study of the relationship between the microbiota in different regions of the gut and AS, and provides new approaches in gut microbiota intervention for the treatment of AS.