Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleep quality and quantity in Italian University students: an actigraphic study

ABSTRACT According to international recommendations, young adults should sleep at least 7 h per night and experience good sleep quality to avoid physical and mental health problems. University students are particularly exposed to the risk of sleep issues due to their tendency to go to bed late at night and other social and environmental factors. Here, we aimed to objectively characterize the weekly sleep habits using actigraphy (in terms of quantity, quality, and timing) in 82 Italian university students (mean age = 23.89, SD = 2.51 yrs, 44 women). Exploratory analyses were performed using linear mixed-effect regression to account for several factors (e.g., gender, circadian preferences, depressive symptomatology). We showed that participants spent in bed (TIB) about 7 h and 31 min during weekdays and 7 h and 46 min during the weekend, with 76.83% of the sample showing a TIB longer than 7 h. Women students spent more time in bed than men (~25 min) and went to bed earlier (~29 min). One-third of the sample showed a sleep efficiency <85%, whereas 70.73% of the sample showed a wake after sleep onset >40 min, with no differences between men and women. Depressive symptoms, alcohol and coffee consumption affected sleep onset latency, whereas circadian preference was strongly associated with bed and waketime. Moreover, most of the students did not take daytime naps to catch-up with sleep loss. Overall, our sample spent adequate time in bed, but they experienced a moderate low sleep quality, mainly due to high wake after sleep onset.
TNNT2 as a potential biomarker for the progression and prognosis of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. At present, there are limited effective biomarkers of CRC. The present study aimed to identify potential signatures associated with the tumorigenesis and prognosis of CRC using publicly available databases, and further validate the identified biomarkers in CRC cell lines. Identification of differentially expressed mRNAs between CRC and paracancerous samples was conducted based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; 471 tumor samples and 41 normal samples). Survival analysis was performed to explore the prognostic value of troponin 2 (TNNT2) in the TCGA training set, which was further validated in an external dataset, GSE17531. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted to determine the possible biological functions using GSEA 3.0. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting were utilized to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of TNNT2 between CRC and normal colorectal cells. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the protein expression of TNNT2 in CRC and normal tissues. TNNT2 was significantly upregulated in CRC samples compared with adjacent normal samples in the TCGA dataset. Increased expression of TNNT2 was associated with inferior prognosis in the TCGA training dataset and GSE17531 validation dataset. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the ErbB signaling pathway and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway were significantly activated in the TNNT2 high expression group. Overexpression of TNNT2 mRNA and TNNT2 protein in CRC tumor cells was confirmed by RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively. Immunohistochemistry indicated increased protein expression levels of TNNT2 in CRC tissues in comparison with normal tissues. TNNT2 was associated with the tumorigenesis and prognosis of CRC, which may be useful for novel biomarker identification and targeted therapeutic strategy development.
Prognostic significance of histologic grade and Ki‐67 proliferation index in follicular lymphoma

The prognostic value of histologic grading and the Ki‐67 proliferation index in follicular lymphoma (FL) is controversial. This study investigated the clinical usefulness of these two factors in Asian FL patients. Four hundred and thirty‐three patients diagnosed with FL were retrospectively reviewed with a median follow‐up time of 47.0 months (range, 24.0‐168.0). The 10‐year overall survival (OS) rate and progression‐free survival (PFS) rate were 91.0% and 47.1%, respectively. Grade 3B and grade 3B with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) showed a better PFS than grade 1‐3A (P < 0.001), and similar findings were noted in patients who received rituximab‐containing regimens (P = 0.002). In contrast, no significant differences in terms of OS or PFS were observed between grades 1‐2 and 3A. In addition, patients with Ki‐67 ≥ 30% had a significantly better PFS than patients with Ki‐67 < 30% (P = 0.014), although the difference was eliminated in the multivariate analysis. Both grade and Ki‐67 index had no impact on prognosis in patients who did not receive rituximab treatment. In conclusion, grade 3A is closely related to grade 1‐2, as reflected by a similar indolent clinical course and a lower PFS rate than grade 3B/3B + DLBCL. In addition, a higher Ki‐67 index seems to have a positive effect on PFS in FL patients.
Calpain‐2 plays a pivotal role in the inhibitory effects of propofol against TNF‐α‐induced autophagy in mouse hippocampal neurons

Calpains are calcium‐dependent proteases and play critical roles in neuronal autophagy induced by inflammation. Propofol has been reported to exert anti‐inflammatory effects in neurons. We aimed to identify whether and how propofol‐modulated calpain activity and neuron autophagy in response to tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α). Mouse hippocampal neurons were pre‐treated with propofol and exposed to TNF‐α. Autophagy was evaluated by fluorescent autophagy assay and by measuring LC3I and LC3II expression. Intracellular calcium concentration was measured by fluorescent assay. Calpain activation was measured by calpain activity assay. The protein expression of intracellular signalling molecules was detected by Western blot analysis. Compared with untreated control neurons, 40 ng/mL TNF‐α treatment for 2 hours induced neuron autophagy, which was attenuated by 25 μmol/L propofol. TNF‐α induced intracellular calcium accumulation, the phosphorylation of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CAMK II) and calpain‐2, calpain activation and lysosomal cathepsin B release as well as tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) truncation. These effects were alleviated by propofol, calcium chelator, CAMK II inhibitor, calpain‐2 inhibitor, calpain‐2 siRNA transfection and N‐Methyl‐d‐aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist. Propofol, via NMDA receptor, inhibited TNF‐α‐mediated hippocampal neuron autophagy. The mechanism may involve calcium and calcium‐dependent signalling pathway, especially CAMK II and calpain‐2.
Increased resistance to generalist herbivores in invasive populations of the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

Escape from enemies in the native range is often assumed to contribute to the successful invasion of exotic species. Following optimal defence theory, which assumes a trade‐off between herbivore resistance and plant growth, some have predicted that the success of invasive species could be the result of the evolution of lower resistance to herbivores and increased allocation of resources to growth and reproduction. Lack of evidence for ubiquitous costs of producing plant toxins, and the recognition that invasive species may escape specialist, but not generalist enemies, has led to a new prediction: invasive species may escape ecological trade‐offs associated with specialist herbivores, and evolve increased, rather than decreased, production of defensive compounds that are effective at deterring generalist herbivores in the introduced range. We tested the performance of two generalist lepidopteran herbivores, Trichoplusia ni and Orgyia vetusta, when raised on diets of native and invasive populations of the California poppy, Eschscholzia californica. Pupae of T. ni were significantly larger when reared on native populations. Similarly, caterpillars of O. vetusta performed significantly better when raised on native populations, indicating that invasive populations of the California poppy are more resistant to herbivores than native populations. The chance of successful establishment of some non‐indigenous plant species may be increased by retaining resistance to generalist herbivores, and in some cases, invasive species may be able to escape ecological trade‐offs in their new range and evolve, as we observed, even greater resistance to generalist herbivores than native plants.
Impact Assessment of Farm Tractor Engine Fuel Injector Damage on Engine Oil Properties

Abstract It is justified that the problems related to changes in physico-chemical properties, concentration of trace elements in lubricat-ing oil and the impact of these changes and their dynamics on vehicle structural elements should be considered in detail. It is important that empirical data, theoretical relationships and test results should be taken into account. The paper presents re-search results of the selected physico-chemical parameters and the content of metals in samples of the used engine oil. The samples were collected both after the fuel system failure and during the operation of the farm tractor according to the date of changing engine oil assumed by the producer. An instrumental chemical analysis method HDXRF was used to determine chang-es of the content of trace elements Fe, Sn, Cu, Pb, P, Zn, Ca in engine oil. Additionally, changes in physico-chemical properties were determined with the use of FT-IR spectrometry. Courses of these changes were analysed on account of their impact on the utility properties of the engine oil.
The L-ordered L-semihypergroups

Abstract This study pursues an investigation on L-semihypergroups equipped with an L-order. First, the concept of L-ordered L-semihypergroups is introduced by L-posets and L-semihypergroups, and some related results are obtained. Then, prime, weakly prime, and semiprime L-hyperideals of L-ordered L-semihypergroups are studied. Moreover, the relationships among the three types of L-hyperideals are established. Finally, the intra-regular L-ordered L-semihypergroups are characterized in terms of these L-hyperideals. The results of the study show that some well-known results on ordered semihypergroups also hold in the case of L-ordered L-semihypergroups.
Well-Being and Satisfaction of Nurses in Slovenian Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Introduction Well-being is one of the most important factors in whether nurses decide to remain in the nursing profession. This study aims to examine well-being and satisfaction among nurses working in Slovenian hospitals and to identify the related demographic factors. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study uses standardised instruments. The sample included 640 nurses working in Slovenian hospitals. The difference between individual variables were analysed using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results Nurses self-assessed their satisfaction and well-being as moderate. Forty-seven per cent of nurses were satisfied with their job, 49% assessed their psychological well-being as good, 52% were often exposed to stress at the workplace and 30% were always exposed to stress at the workplace. Levels of job satisfaction (p=0.031), psychological well-being (p=0.029) and subjective well-being (p=0.014) were found to differ significantly according to level of education, while levels of job satisfaction (p=0.005), life satisfaction (p<0.001), psychological well-being (p<0.001) and subjective well-being (p<0.001) were also found to differ according to years of nursing service and from hospital to hospital (p<0.001). Conclusions The key finding of the study is that nurses are moderately satisfied with their work and life and that they display moderate levels of psychological and subjective well-being. Hospitals can be successful and achieve the goals of the organisation if their employees are satisfied with work and enjoy good levels of well-being. Hospital management have to recognise the importance of ensuring that nurses and other employees are satisfied and healthy.
Advances in EPR Dosimetry in Terms of Retrospective Determination of Absorbed Dose in Radiation Accidents

Abstract The electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of dosimetric signals originating from radicals generated under the influence of ionizing radiation allow to determine the dose absorbed by the casualties of radiation accidents. The study material can consist of victim’s teeth, bones or nails. Also human hair and mineral glass from personal electronic devices, that people had in the moment of accident, are considered to be useful in dosimetry. Although X-band (9.4 GHz) spectrometers predominate, Q-band devices (34 GHz) enable to increase the sensitivity of measurements and reduce the size of specimens, whereas L-band machines (1.1 GHz) are suitable for in vivo dosimetry. The EPR tooth enamel dosimetry has been used many times to assess the cumulative radiation dose and health risk in people living in areas contaminated due to the radiation accidents and to determine the unknown absorbed doses in patients after the overexposures during radiotherapy treatment.
Renal Changes and Apoptosis Caused By Subacute Exposure To Aroclor 1254 in Selenium-deficient and Selenium-supplemented Rats

Abstract Aroclor 1254 (A1254), a mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls, exerts hepatic, renal, and reproductive toxicity in rodents. This study aimed to determine a protective role of selenium on histopathological changes, oxidative stress, and apoptosis caused by A1254 in rat kidney. It included a control group, which received regular diet containing 0.15 mg/kg Se (C), a Se-supplemented group (SeS) receiving 1 mg/kg Se, a Se-deficient group (SeD) receiving Se-deficient diet of ≤0.05 mg/kg Se, an A1254-treated group (A) receiving 10 mg/kg of Aroclor 1254 and regular diet, an A1254-treated group receiving Se-supplementation (ASeS), and an A1254-treated group receiving Se-deficient diet (ASeD). Treatments lasted 15 days. After 24 h of the last dose of A1254, the animals were decapitated under anaesthesia and their renal antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid peroxidation (LP), glutathione, protein oxidation, and total antioxidant capacity levels measured. Histopathological changes were evaluated by light and electron microscopy. Apoptosis was detected with the TUNEL assay. Kidney weights, CAT activities, and GSH levels decreased significantly in all A1254-treated groups. Renal atrophic changes and higher apoptotic cell counts were observed in the A and ASeD groups. Both groups also showed a significant drop in GPx1 activities (A – 34.92 % and ASeD – 86.46 %) and rise in LP (A – 30.45 % and ASeD – 20.44 %) vs control. In contrast, LP levels and apoptotic cell counts were significantly lower in the ASeS group vs the A group. Histopathological changes and renal apoptosis were particularly visible in the ASeD group. Our findings suggest that selenium supplementation provides partial protection against renal toxicity of Aroclor 1254.
Linking sustainability and happiness. What kind of happiness?

Abstract Sustainability is part of the scientific mainstream; in the following paper we connect it with the phenomenon of happiness, which is becoming a discussed concept not only among researchers but also amongst public. This is due to the fact that today’s society has become a consumer society. This knowledge has provoked criticism of the prevailing lifestyle. The unprecedented growth of prosperity in the second half of the last century and at the beginning of the 21st century was achieved at the cost of environmental devastation. This presented the urgent question of how to improve the quality of life or bring happiness to a growing number of people. At the same time, efforts to replace GDP as a general measure of development with quality of life began to grow. In connection with happiness, it is important that it is defined in two ways: hedonic or eudaimonic. The aim of the paper is to find out which form of happiness is sustainable on the basis of the analysis of relevant works. Happiness is understood as part of the subjective dimension of quality of life, it represents the highest level of well-being. The combination of sustainability and quality of life or happiness is not new, some authors consider quality of life as the fourth pillar of sustainability. A key criterion for assessing which happiness is sustainable and which is not is the following assumption: The happiness of us – contemporaries − cannot be achieved at the expense of future generations. The knowledge-which of the forms is sustainable - is the result of the analysis of both forms of happiness.
Nomogram based on pre-treatment inflammatory biomarkers predicting survival in patients with head and neck soft tissue sarcoma.

BACKGROUND Systemic inflammatory biomarkers reflect level of inflammatory response, which have been suggested as prognostic factors in cancer patients. OBJECTIVE To estimate the prognostic value of inflammatory biomarkers in 149 patients with head and neck soft tissue sarcoma (HNSTS). METHODS Pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-platelet score (NPS) and Aarhus Composite Biomarker Score (ACBS) were analyzed for association with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Nomograms were consisted of independent predictors for OS and PFS, and evaluated by calibration curve and concordance index (C-index). RESULTS In multivariate analysis, LMR (HR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.19-0.94, P= 0.035), ACBS (HR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.02-4.12, P= 0.045) and AJCC stage were independent prognostic markers of OS. Moreover, high NLR (HR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.07-2.94, P= 0.024) and advanced AJCC stage were independently related with worse PFS. Calibration curves reflected good discriminative ability of prognosis. The nomograms showed better accuracy of predicting OS (C-index: 0.748 vs. 0.690, P= 0.009) and PFS (C-index: 0.644 vs. 0.612, P= 0.028) than stage. CONCLUSIONS Pre-treatment LMR, ACBS and AJCC stage were effective predictor of OS. The NLR and AJCC stage could independently predict PFS. The nomogram might act as a promising prognostic model for OS and PFS in HNSTS.
Field Tests with A Fluorescent Brightener to Enhance infectivity of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus

The nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), was applied in combination with Fluorescent Brightener 28 (Calcofluor White M2R, Tinopal LPW) to whorl-stage corn. Concentrations of NPV ranged from 5 larval equivalents (1 LE = 6 x 109 polyhedral occlusion bodies) to 1235 LE per ha. Concentrations of fluorescent brightener ranged from 0.1 to 5% by weight in water and the water volume ranged from 234 to 926 liters per ha. Two days after treatment, fall armyworm larvae were collected from the treated plants and held on bean diet to observe mortality due to NPV, parasitoids, and ascovirus. The fluorescent brightener interacted significantly with virus concentration and with water volume to increase larval mortality. There was no increase in mortality due to NPV as the percent fluorescent brightener increased beyond 1%. In the higher volumes of water, 0.25% fluorescent brightener resulted in the highest percent mortality due to NPV. Cotesia marginiventris was the most abundant parasitoid recovered from fall armyworm in these tests, and as the percent mortality due to NPV increased, the percent mortality due to parasitoids and ascovirus decreased. Thus, the total mortality was not affected as greatly as the percent mortality due to NPV by changes in water volume or fluorescent brightener concentration. The reduction in mortality due to parasitoids did not appear to be a direct effect of the fluorescent brightener on the parasitoids. However, increased infectivity of the NPV and earlier mortality from NPV associated with the fluorescent brightener resulted in more host larvae dying of NPV before the parasitoids could complete development.
Temporal and Spatial Variation in Fish Larvae in Gamak Bay and Yeoja Bay, South Sea of Korea

Fish larvae were collected monthly with an ichthyoplankton net from 18 stations (including four stations located in eelgrass beds) in Gamak Bay and Yeoja Bay, southern Korea, in 2007. In total, 33 species of fish larvae were collected, of which Engraulis japonicus (48.5%), Tridentiger trigonocephalus (21.5%), and Omobranchus elegans (9.2%) were dominant. Dominant species varied seasonally: Hexagrammos otakii during December and January, Pholis nebulosa during January and March, Acanthogobius flavimanus in April, T. trigonocephalus in May, E. japonicus during June, July, September, and November, and Sillago japonica in August. Dominant species also differed between sites inside and outside the bays. Leiognathus nuchalis, O. elegans, and T. trigonocephalus were more abundant inside, while H. otakii was more abundant outside. From cluster analysis, three groups were identified according to sampling months (January-April, MaySeptember, and October-December) and two groups according to station (inside and outside bays). The occurrence of small larvae of almost all major fish species indicated that the bays were used as spawning and nursery grounds. An exception was Lateolabrax japonicus, whose specimens were relatively large (>19 mm TL), suggesting that this fish may spawn offshore, with its juveniles approaching the bays with growth.
Identification of species of Vicia subgenus Vicia (Fabaceae) using chloroplast DNA data

Vicia subgenus Vicia (Fabaceae) contains several economically important food and forage legume species. Generally, the taxonomy and identification of these species have relied heavily on a few diagnostic morphological characters (e.g., the number of flowers per inflorescence). However, there are several specimens with intermediate morphological characters that make diagnosis of these species using those characters a difficult task for nonspecialists and render results that are not always accurate. The use of molecular markers, therefore, is the most attractive alternative strategy for a more accurate identification of species of the subgenus Vicia. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate polymorphism in the chloroplast DNA of 22 species of the subgenus Vicia using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) on 9 chloroplast regions and a set of 12 consensus chloroplast simple sequence repeat (ccSSR) primer pairs for the diagnosis of the targeted species. Based on the data generated, it was possible to identify all of the species analyzed, except for 4 species that were placed in 2 groups (1, V. noeana and V. dionysiensis; and 2, V. serratifolia and V. hyaeniscyamus), each of which had a unique chloroplast type. Species-specific markers developed here are useful for the early diagnosis of targeted Vicia species and can provide essential baseline data for the evolution of systematic breeding and conservation strategies, as well as guidance for germplasm collections.