Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on Seed Germination Characteristics in Two Brassicaceae Family Species: Camelina sativa and Brassica napus L

Introduction. Zinc is one of the essential micronutrients for living organisms; so, the right performance of several enzymes depends on this element. This micronutrient is a regulator of phytohormones and chlorophyll synthesis, and also, it is an essential element for the carbohydrates’ metabolisms in plants. Considering the relatively high solubility of ZnO-NPs and also the ability of plants to uptake and accumulate these nanoparticles in their biomass, ZnO-NPs can be used as an effective nanofertilizer for plants’ growth. Methods. In the present study, zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using chemical method and the effect of ZnO-NPs (as a nanofertilizer) on seeds’ germination, seedlings’ rootlet, seedlings’ plumule, and seedling’s vigour index in two oilseed crops from the Brassicaceae family, including Brassica napus L. and Camelina sativa, were investigated. After treating the seeds with different concentrations of ZnO-NPs (from 0.1 to 1000 ppm) for 6 days, the germination percentage (GP) of each treatment was measured. Results. The results indicated an increase in GP for both plants treated with 10 ppm ZnO-NPs. For B. napus, the maximum GP occurred in treated seeds with 5 ppm ZnO-NPs which showed a 30% increase of GP compared with the control condition. For Camelina, this maximum GP was observed in 0.1 ppm concentration of ZnO-NPs which showed a 15% increase compared with the control condition. After the germination test, germinated seedlings were planted in Hoagland hydroponic solution and treated with ZnO-NPs again for a week. For both species, treatment with ZnO-NPs showed a great effect on rootlet growth, while the effects of these treatments on plumule were negligible. The maximum rootlet length was observed in treated B. napus seedlings with 5 ppm ZnO-NPs which showed a 32% increase in this parameter compared with the control condition. In contrast, the high concentrations of ZnO-NPs showed toxic effects on B. napus seedlings’ rootlets. Results showed a 41% decrease in B. napus seedlings treated with 50 ppm ZnO-NPs compared with control seedlings. Similar results were observed in the treated seedlings of Camelina. For Camelina seedlings treated with 1 ppm ZnO-NPs, 15% increase in rootlets’ length was observed, while treated Camelina seedlings with 50 ppm ZnO-NPs showed a 68% decrease in rootlet length compared with the control condition. The results of this study indicated the potential of using ZnO-NPs as nanofertilizer for B. napus and Camelina in low concentrations (lower than 10 ppm). In addition, these results suggest the toxicity effects of these nanoparticles on both species in concentrations higher than 50 ppm.
Graphene Oxide/Polyvinyl Alcohol–Formaldehyde Composite Loaded by Pb Ions: Structure and Electrochemical Performance

An immobilization of graphene oxide (GO) into a matrix of polyvinyl formaldehyde (PVF) foam as an eco-friendly, low cost, superior, and easily recovered sorbent of Pb ions from an aqueous solution is described. The relationships between the structure and electrochemical properties of PVF/GO composite with implanted Pb ions are discussed for the first time. The number of alcohol groups decreased by 41% and 63% for PVF/GO and the PVF/GO/Pb composite, respectively, compared to pure PVF. This means that chemical bonds are formed between the Pb ions and the PVF/GO composite based on the OH groups. This bond formation causes an increase in the Tg values attributed to the formation of a strong surface complexation between adjacent layers of PVF/GO composite. The conductivity increases by about 2.8 orders of magnitude compared to the values of the PVF/GO/Pb composite compared to the PVF. This means the presence of Pb ions is the main factor for enhancing the conductivity where the conduction mechanism is changed from ionic for PVF to electronic conduction for PVF/GO and PVF/GO/Pb.
The Association of Vitamin D and Its Pathway Genes’ Polymorphisms with Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objective: We aimed to explore the effect of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the genes of the vitamin D (VitD) metabolic pathway and its interaction with VitD level during pregnancy on the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Methods: The study was conducted in the Zhoushan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, China, from August 2011 to May 2018. The SNPs in VitD metabolic pathway-related genes were genotyped. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels was measured at first (T1), second (T2), and third (T3) trimesters. The information of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and the diagnosis of HDP were extracted from the electronic medical record system. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models and crossover analysis were applied. Results: The prospective cohort study included 3699 pregnant women, of which 105 (2.85%) were diagnosed with HDP. After adjusting for potential confounders, VitD deficiency at T2, as well as the change of 25(OH)D level between T1 and T2, were negatively associated with DBP at T2 and T3, but not HDP. Polymorphisms in CYP24A1, GC, and LRP2 genes were associated with blood pressure and HDP. In addition, VitD interacted with CYP24A1, GC, and VDR genes’ polymorphisms on blood pressure. Furthermore, participants with polymorphisms in CYP24A1-rs2248137, LRP2-rs2389557, and LRP2-rs4667591 and who had VitD deficiency at T2 showed an increased risk of HDP. Conclusions: The individual and interactive association between VitD deficiency during pregnancy and SNPs in the genes of the VitD metabolic pathway on blood pressure and HDP were identified.
Optimized Treatment of Refractory Hypercholesterolemia in Patients With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease or Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia With Alirocumab (OPTIMIZE)

Background Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). In confirmatory trials, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor alirocumab substantially lowered LDL-C and reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the routine clinical use of alirocumab in Switzerland has not yet been studied. Methods In this prospective nation-wide cohort study, we aimed to investigate the patient profile and routine clinical efficacy and safety of alirocumab in 207 patients with ASCVD or heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and increased LDL-C despite maximally tolerated statin therapy. LDL-C was measured at baseline and after 3-months follow-up. Results Overall, mean age was 63 ± 11 years, 138 (67%) were men, and 168 (81%) had statin intolerance (SI). Patients with SI had a higher baseline LDL-C (4.3 ± 1.4 vs. 3.3 ± 1.4 mmol/l; p < 0.001) and less frequently ASCVD (71% vs. 95%; p = 0.002). After 3 months of treatment with alirocumab, LDL-C was reduced from 4.1 ± 1.5 to 2.0 ± 1.2 mmol/l (50.5%; p < 0.001). Mean absolute and relative reductions in LDL-C were similar in patients with vs. without SI (2.2 ± 1.2 vs. 1.9 ± 1.3 mmol/l; p = 0.24 and 49.0 vs. 56.6%; p = 0.11, respectively). In total, adverse events were recorded in 25 (12%) patients, with no new safety signals. Conclusions In routine clinical practice, alirocumab was predominantly used in patients with SI suggesting that the great majority of patients with insufficient LDL-C control who would be candidates for alirocumab are not receiving this therapeutic option in Switzerland. LDL-C lowering was potent and similar in patients with and without SI, replicating the favorable efficacy-safety profile of alirocumab from randomized trials.
A Deep Learning Framework for Earlier Prediction of Diabetic Retinopathy from Fundus Photographs

Diabetic patients can also be identified immediately utilizing retinopathy photos, but it is a challenging task. The blood veins visible in fundus photographs are used in several disease diagnosis approaches. We sought to replicate the findings published in implementation and verification of a deep learning approach for diabetic retinopathy identification in retinal fundus pictures. To address this issue, the suggested investigative study uses recurrent neural networks (RNN) to retrieve characteristics from deep networks. As a result, using computational approaches to identify certain disorders automatically might be a fantastic solution. We developed and tested several iterations of a deep learning framework to forecast the progression of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic individuals who have undergone teleretinal diabetic retinopathy assessment in a basic healthcare environment. A collection of one-field or three-field colour fundus pictures served as the input for both iterations. Utilizing the proposed DRNN methodology, advanced identification of the diabetic state was performed utilizing HE detected in an eye's blood vessel. This research demonstrates the difficulties in duplicating deep learning approach findings, as well as the necessity for more reproduction and replication research to verify deep learning techniques, particularly in the field of healthcare picture processing. This development investigates the utilization of several other Deep Neural Network Frameworks on photographs from the dataset after they have been treated to suitable image computation methods such as local average colour subtraction to assist in highlighting the germane characteristics from a fundoscopy, thus, also enhancing the identification and assessment procedure of diabetic retinopathy and serving as a skilled guidelines framework for practitioners all over the globe.
The effects of desiccation and salinity gradients on the PSII photochemical efficiency of an intertidal brown alga, Sargassum fusiforme from Kagoshima, Japan

The responses of photochemical efficiency to desiccation and salinity gradients in an intertidal edible brown macroalga, Sargassum fusiforme (Harvey) Setchell (Sargassaceae, Fucales), were determined using a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)‐chlorophyll fluorometer. The effective quantum yields (ΔF/Fm'; = ΦPSII) of photosystem II (PSII) dropped to zero after 360‐min aerial exposure under low irradiance (20 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and 120‐min exposure under high irradiance (700 μmol photons m−2 s−1) for this species at 20°C and 50% relative humidity. Under these conditions, ΔF/Fm' failed to recover to initial levels even after 1‐day rehydration in seawater. In general, ΔF/Fm' decreased as desiccation reduced the absolute water content (AWC, %). Nevertheless, when AWC was above ca. 20%, ΔF/Fm' was mostly restored to initial levels after 1‐day rehydration in seawater, suggesting strong tolerance to dehydration. Furthermore, S. fusiforme appeared to tolerate a broad range of salinity (i.e. 15–50 psu) during six days of culture; however, ΔF/Fm' declined when salinity was <10 and 60 psu. Strong tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress likely provides S. fusiforme an advantage that allows it to flourish in the intertidal habitat.
Legitimacy and innovation in social enterprises

This article examines the interrelationship between legitimacy building efforts – the different ways in which social enterprises (SEs) conform to stakeholder expectations – and types of innovation – the different approaches by which they create social and economic value through product, process and business model innovation. Using a multi-case study research design of twenty SEs in Scotland and Romania, we find that the SEs adjusted their approach to legitimacy building depending upon the types of innovation and stakeholder involved. Also, while all SEs pursued pragmatic and moral legitimacy through conforming with their stakeholders’ expectations, the type of innovation shaped the way in which they prioritised one form of legitimacy over another to deal with the tensions involved in pursuing legitimacy with heterogeneous stakeholders. This finding emphasises the importance of innovation type when explaining how SEs balance the tensions involved in trying to conform to a wide range of heterogeneous stakeholders with different expectations.
Comparing the Muscle Nutritional Quality of Eight Common Wild-Caught Economic Shrimp Species from the East China Sea

ABSTRACT There are abundant resources of wild shrimp in the East China Sea. In this study, the muscle yield and levels of proximate biochemical composition, fatty acids, amino acids, nutritional minerals, and toxic heavy metal elements composing the muscles were determined in eight common wild-caught economic shrimp species (Parapenaeopsis hardwickii, Exopalaemon carinicauda, Solenocera melantho, Palaemon gravieri, Marsupenaeus japonicus, Oratosquilla oratoria, Fenneropenaeus chinensis, Solenocera crassicornis). The results were as follows: the muscle yields of F. chinensis and M. japonicus were relatively high, with up to approximately 51%. O. oratoria had the lowest muscle yield, which was only 27.71%. In terms of proximate biochemical composition, F. chinensis and S. crassicornis had better high protein and low fat characteristics among the eight shrimp species. For fatty acid profile, S. crassicornis and P. hardwickii had better nutritional values, which was mainly due to their higher content of important fatty acids, such as C20:4n6, C20:5n3, ΣPUFA, Σn-3PUFA, Σn-6PUFA, and ΣHUFA. In contrast, E. carinicauda and F. chinensis had poor fatty acid composition, and their ΣMUFA and ΣSFA contents were higher, while their ΣPUFA and ΣHUFA contents were lower. There were significant differences in the amino acid composition of the different shrimp species. Overall, F. chinensis had the highest contents of essential amino acids (EAA), nonessential amino acids (NEAA), and total amino acids (TAA), followed by S. crassicornis, while the O. oratoria amino acid content was the lowest. The essential amino acid score (EAAS) of the eight shrimp species was above 100, indicating that there were no restricted amino acids. The mean values of EAAS were also slightly different in the eight shrimp species. Considering the contents of various mineral nutrients, the contents in F. chinensis were low, while those in E. carinicauda, S. crassicornis, and P. hardwickii were higher. The contents of toxic heavy metal elements in the eight shrimp species were similar to each other, and the values were extremely low and within the food safety standards range. Overall, the different shrimp species exhibited some differences in the nutritional composition, and each had its advantages and disadvantages. However, it was obvious that S. crassicornis had a relatively good composition of proximate biochemical, fatty acids, amino acids, and mineral elements, and it had the highest comprehensive nutritional value among the eight shrimp species.
Novel Graphene Oxide/Quercetin and Graphene Oxide/Juglone Nanostructured Platforms as Effective Drug Delivery Systems with Biomedical Applications

In this paper, novel drug delivery systems (DDS) were designed based on graphene oxide (GO) as nanocarrier, loaded with two natural substances (quercetin (Qu) and juglone (Ju)) at different concentrations. The chemical structure and morphology of the synthesized GO-based materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity was evaluated against standard strains, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. Results demonstrated excellent antimicrobial activity, with a 5 log reduction of E. coli and a 1 log to 3.04 log reduction of S. aureus populations. Reduction rates were above 90%. Biocompatibility tests were also performed on GO-based materials, and the results showed biocompatible behavior for both L929 fibroblast cell line and BT474 breast cancer cells at lower concentrations. The identity of Qu and Ju was demonstrated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) analysis, showing the compounds’ mass with high accuracy. In addition, specific properties of GO made it a versatile matrix for the MALDI analysis. The results of this study indicated that GO-based platforms may be suitable for applications in many areas for the effective and beneficial use of hydrophobic compounds such as Ju and Qu.
Common Mode Voltage Minimization for Generalized Dual Inverter-Fed Aircraft Starter/Generator: Realization and Sub-Load Asymmetry Influence Analysis

In multistages aircraft starter/generator system, the main machine (MM) and main exciter (ME) are fed by a generalized dual-inverter configuration, allowing for common-mode voltage (CMV) elimination. However, the distinction in load impedances and voltage requirements between the two subinverters has evidently contributed to the subload asymmetry, which may impair the suppression effect of system common mode (CM) noises. This article presents a CMV minimization method for the generalized dual-inverter application. The available freedom, such as the selection and action sequence of voltage vectors, is appropriately arranged in the suggested implementation to eliminate the total CMV, restrict the sub-CMVs and fulfill the voltage requirements of subinverters all at the same time. In the meanwhile, a theoretical study is performed to evaluate the CM noise features of zero CMV technique in the generalized dual inverter-fed system. In the situation of subload asymmetry, the premise and main influence element for CM noise reduction are assessed. Finally, these findings are verified by simulation and experiments.
Crafting international apologies that work: A conjoint analysis approach

Apologies by political leaders to the citizens of a victimized country have attracted attention in recent years as a means of improving relations between nations. Existing studies have identified several elements that make such an apology effective, but from the politician's point of view, it is difficult to issue a statement containing all these elements, and they must then be chosen while considering domestic backlash and relations with countries other than the victimized one. However, it is not sufficiently clear how the victimized country's citizens weigh the elements of the apology when they accept it and how the nature of the harm caused changes this. Therefore, we conducted a survey experiment in Japan, adopting a conjoint design using scenarios depicting fictional US presidential apologies to Japan. Our experiment demonstrated three attributes particularly regarded as important in determining whether people would accept an apology: the reparation amount, whether the apology was official (formality), and the voluntariness of the apology. However, when something that people consider “sacred” has been harmed, reparation proposals are counterproductive, and the optimal apology form may depend on the nature of the harm.
Exploring the impact of chloride-induced corrosion on seismic damage limit states and residual capacity of reinforced concrete structures

Abstract A non-linear finite element (FE) framework for time-dependent capacity assessment of corroded rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns is developed. The proposed non-linear FE model includes the impact of corrosion on inelastic buckling and low-cycle fatigue degradation of longitudinal reinforcement. The proposed non-linear FE model is validated against a set of experimental data and then extended to evaluate the impact of corrosion on damage limit states to be used in seismic performance and evaluation of corroded structures. This is done through a parametric study on hypothetical RC columns, varied in axial force ratios, mass loss ratios, cover crack widths and confinement levels. Moreover, the application of the proposed model in seismic collapse capacity assessment of corroded structures is shown through non-linear dynamic analyses of prototype columns. Results show that, depending on the axial force ratio, corrosion changes the failure mechanism of the columns. The results of this study suggest that in seismic fragility analysis of corroded structures, the damage limit states should be considered as time-variant parameters.
Bimekizumab for the Treatment of Psoriasis: A Review of the Current Knowledge

Abstract Bimekizumab, a novel humanized monoclonal IgG1 antibody that neutralizes both IL-17A and IL-17F, was recently approved the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy. Bimekizumab represents the latest anti IL-17 treatment available for the management of moderate to severe psoriasis. Bimekizumab safety and efficacy profiles were evaluated in four Phase III clinical trials, which evaluated bimekizumab versus placebo and ustekinumab (BE VIVID), versus placebo (BE READY), versus adalimumab (BE SURE), and versus secukinumab (BE RADIANT). Overall, bimekizumab displayed promising results in terms of both efficacy and safety, allowing reach PASI90 and PASI100 in short time (as early as week 4) and maintain it in the long term (52 weeks), with acceptable safety profile. Also, bimekizumab showed a rapid onset of response and a higher efficacy when compared to adalimumab, ustekinumab and secukinumab, with comparable safety profile. Herein, we carried out a comprehensive literature review of the available literature data about bimekizumab in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis.
Spatio‐temporal patterns in the abundance of active terrestrial leeches in a Malaysian rainforest

Terrestrial leeches can be useful tools for wildlife assessment. However, limited information is available on their fundamental ecology, such as temporal activity patterns and habitat preferences in tropical rainforests. Therefore, this study aimed to reveal the temporal (diel and seasonal) and spatial patterns of active leech abundance and identify abiotic and biotic factors (abundance of potential hosts) involved in shaping the abundance patterns at Endau Rompin National Park (ERNP) in southern peninsular Malaysia. We conducted surveys on the relative abundance of active brown leeches (Haemadipsa sp.) at 99 sampling points repeatedly over 18 months, and installed camera traps to quantify the relative abundance of wildlife and humans at 24 of the sampling points. Although no consistent diel and seasonal patterns were observed in leech relative abundance, the abundance showed a strong positive correlation with air humidity at the sampling time. Similarly, the spatial pattern of leech relative abundance was positively correlated with air humidity and proximity to the nearest river at the sampling sites. The mean relative abundance of active leeches was 2–3 times higher on trails than off trails. However, there was no significant correlation between relative abundance of leeches and that of wildlife and humans on trails. Therefore, leech abundance was largely determined by air humidity rather than host abundance, suggesting the difficulty of its use as an indicator of wildlife abundance at fine spatial scales. Instead, utilizing the sensitivity of leeches to drier environments, terrestrial leeches could be useful as an indicator of intact tropical rainforests.