Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Longevity Assurance Homolog 2/Ceramide Synthase 2 in Bladder Cancer

The human CERS2 gene encodes a ceramide synthase enzyme, known as CERS2 (ceramide synthase 2). This protein is also known as LASS2 (LAG1 longevity assurance homolog 2) and TMSG1 (tumor metastasis-suppressor gene 1). Although previously described as a tumor suppressor for different types of cancer, such as prostate or liver cancer, it has also been observed to promote tumor growth in adenocarcinoma. In this review, we focus on the influence of CERS2 in bladder cancer (BC), approaching the existing literature about its structure and activity, as well as the miRNAs regulating its expression. From a mechanistic point of view, different explanations for the role of CERS2 as an antitumor protein have been proposed, including the production of long-chain ceramides, interaction with vacuolar ATPase, and its function as inhibitor of mitochondrial fission. In addition, we reviewed the literature specifically studying the expression of this gene in both BC and biopsy-derived tumor cell lines, complementing this with an analysis of public gene expression data and its association with disease progression. We also discuss the importance of CERS2 as a biomarker and the presence of CERS2 mRNA in extracellular vesicles isolated from urine.
Taxes and income inequality in the European Union: A quantile regression approach

This paper tests the role of taxes in reducing income inequality in the European Union members. Using Eurostat data on Gini coefficients in a 14-year period, a slight growing trend of income inequality is found. The main findings indicate that taxes have a negative and statistically significant impact on income inequality, though this impact is relatively weak. A quantile regression estimates suggest that the redistributive power of taxes is highest in the most unequal societies and vice versa. It implies that taxes reduce income inequality mostly in the early stages of government efforts toward reducing income inequality. In the paper it is argued that combating cross-border tax avoidance is of the first-order importance for reducing income inequality instead of increasing statutory tax rates or progressivity of taxes. Research results are robust to changes of sampling period and lagging independent variables.
The Petrographic Study of the Pottery Assemblage from Naḥal Tsafit and Its Implications for Chalcolithic Copper Production Systems

Petrographic analysis of ceramics from the Naḥal Tsafit (ca. 4000 b.c.e.) campsite located in the Rotem Plain of the eastern Negev reflects pottery origins both in the Hebron Hills and environs, and most notably in the Faynan region. Attributed to the Chalcolithic Middle Timnian pastoral culture, mostly in deserts and contemporary with the Ghassulian culture, the analysis indicates connections to the copper source region in Faynan. Given the nomadic nature of the site, the absence of Ghassulian remains in Faynan, and the location of Naḥal Tsafit between Faynan and the Mediterranean subhumid climatic zone, the role of nomads as prime players in the Chalcolithic copper trade is suggested.
A Signature‐Based Hydrologic Efficiency Metric for Model Calibration and Evaluation in Gauged and Ungauged Catchments

Rainfall‐runoff models are commonly evaluated against statistical evaluation metrics. However, these metrics do not provide much insight into what is hydrologically wrong if a model fails to simulate observed streamflow well and they are also not applicable for ungauged catchments. Here, we propose a signature‐based hydrologic efficiency (SHE) metric by replacing the statistical components of current efficiency metrics with hydrologic signatures that can be regionalized for model evaluation in ungauged catchments. We test our new efficiency metric across 633 catchments from Great Britain. Strong correlations with Spearman rank and Pearson correlation values around 0.8 are found between our proposed metric and commonly used statistical evaluation metrics (NSE, KGE, and NP) demonstrating that the proposed SHE metric is related to existing metrics as much as these metrics are related to each other. For ungauged catchments, we regionalize the three signatures included in SHE and find that 78% of catchments have an absolute difference of SHE values between gauged and ungauged cases of less than 0.2. This difference varies depending on the quality of the regionalized bias and variance signature values. It means that the SHE metric is applicable for model evaluation in ungauged catchments if its signatures can be regionalized well. When applying the SHE metric in other domains with different hydrologic properties, modellers should carefully consider the components of the proposed metric with signatures best suited to their research domains and their regionalization potential.
The Correlation Between Nurse Competence and Nurse Preparedness in The Disaster of The Covid-19 Pandemic

The prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic disaster that has been carried out so far still has various forms of challenges so that positive cases of Covid-19 have the potential to continue to increase every day. One of the ways to handle the Covid-19 pandemic disaster in hospitals is by nursing who have competencies that have been set according to standards. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between nurse competence and preparedness in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic disaster at the Regional Hospital of Ende Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. This research used a quantitative design method with a correlational analytic approach. The technique of determining respondents used purposive sampling method.The results of the Spearman Rank variable test of knowledge, attitude and skills show no significant correlation to preparedness in dealing with non-natural disasters Covid 19 with p-value > 0.05. 0.097 for the p-value of the knowledge, 0.188 for the p-value of attitude and 0.720 p-value for skill. Meanwhile, the direction of the correlation between the three variables has a undirectional nature in accordance with the positive value of the correlation coefficient. The correlation level of the three variables were moderate level of correlation (0.308), very weak correlation level (0.247) and very weak correlation level (0.068) for knowledge, attitude and skills, respectively. The competence of nurses as part of the Covid 19 pandemic response team needs to be improved in the hope of minimizing casualties and greater material and non-material loss.
Estimation of the vertical eddy diffusion-coefficient of heat in the gulf of trieste (northern adriatic)

The vertical eddy diffusion coefficient of heat has been computed from a least squares trigonometric fit of temperatures measured in the Gulf of Trieste (approximately 21 m depth), at four levels of the water column, from January 1986 to September 1989. This coefficient is supposed to be in the form of a constant plus a time and depth function. In climatological time scales, the constant coefficient is sufficient for the description of annual temperature changes in the lower part (approximately 10-21 m depth) of the water column. For the upper part of the column, the possible range of values of the coefficient for the shallow Gulf of Trieste is discussed.
Human factors issues at selected workplaces in Nigeria: practice, status and future research needs

Human factor or ergonomics animates a productive system with the capability of a community of production factors that are not productive. The current paper aims to identify research and practice issues of human factors (HF) in the existing literature on Nigerian scenarios. The specific objectives include conducting a review on ergonomics awareness, collating thought-provoking lived experiences gained from human factors practice across sectors of the economy, highlighting their status, and offering valuable tips on the emerging future of HF for workplaces in Nigeria. Understanding HF issues helps to plan and improve productivity at workplaces. The issues treated herein were topical subjects in recent debates about the COVID-19 era, work evolution, human factors, or ergonomics (E) practice in Nigeria. This review article applied a cross-sectional approach involving the descriptive survey and qualitative analytical methods. Analysis carried out incorporated computation of frequency of publication on each issue, which aided the discussion on status. Findings have shown that knowledge or awareness of HF/E is low, and applying the practice at work positions is equally low in Nigeria. Furthermore, the results suggested an insignificant rise in the status of HF/E by research studies. Surreptitiously, the high prospects for growth of HF/E and the ancillary factors like AI and robotics are foreshadowed in low levels of both practice and awareness. The analysis mentioned that the rising frequency of HF/E issues at the workplace has all-inclusive and mutually exclusive implications for the employee. The study’s outcome can contribute to positive change in organizational productivity, product design and process design since scientific research on the gaps can facilitate advancement in knowledge.
Challenging the Value of Authenticity: The Consumption of Counterfeit Luxury Goods in Morocco

Morocco, known for its rich cultural diversity, is witnessing a significant shift in consumer behavior, especially among its youth, who are demonstrating an increased interest in counterfeit luxury goods. This phenomenon, driven by a growing income gap and heightened digital accessibility, has attracted considerable academic attention. The present research delves into the concept of popular innovation and analyses the consumption dynamics of young adults in Morocco's souks, with a particular emphasis on the prevalence of boutiques selling counterfeit goods. Despite being fully aware of the products' inauthenticity, young consumers appear to be influenced by broader cultural and social forces. They strive to stay current with trends and establish their uniqueness through their consumption choices. To investigate attitudes towards brand authenticity and perceived value, as well as their interaction with digital technologies, a survey was conducted among a selected sample. This study aims to explore the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods among Moroccan university students, delving specifically into their attitudes toward brand authenticity and perceived value. A cross-sectional study design was adopted for the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. The questionnaire consisted of two main parts, viz section A and section B. The first section consisted of sociodemographic characteristic questions such as gender, age, income, educational level, place of residence, and occupation. The remaining section encompassed questions and solicited responses concerning behaviors and knowledge of counterfeiting. Overall, there were 22 items in the questionnaire (6 items for section A and 16 items for section B). The data obtained from the study participants were cleaned and coded in Microsoft Excel running on Windows 13. The coded data were further imported into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 2023 for statistical analysis. In conclusion, this research deepens our understanding of the evolving consumer landscape in Morocco, highlighting the appeal of counterfeit luxury goods among young adults. The study emphasizes the necessity of considering socio-cultural factors and digital influences when devising effective marketing strategies for this unique consumer segment.
Preface: the international polar year project ‘kinnvika’– arctic warming and impact research at 80° n

Pohjola, V.A. , Kankaanpää, P., Moore, J.C. and Pastusiak, T. , 2011. The International Polar Year Project ‘KINNVIKA’– Arctic warming and impact research at 80° N. Geografiska Annaler, Series A, Physical Geography, 93, 201–208. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468‐0459.2011. 00436.x
On Turbulence Production by Swimming Marine Organisms in the Open Ocean and Coastal Waters

Abstract Microstructure and acoustic profile time series were collected near Ocean Station P in the eastern subarctic North Pacific and in Saanich Inlet at the south end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, to examine production of turbulent dissipation by swimming marine organisms. At Ocean Station P, although a number of zooplankton species are large enough to generate turbulence with Reynolds numbers Re > 1000, biomass densities are typically less than 103 individuals per cubic meter (<0.01% by volume), and turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates e were better correlated with 16-m vertical shear than acoustic backscatter layers. In Saanich Inlet, where krill densities are up to 104 individuals per cubic meter (0.1% by volume), no dramatic elevation of dissipation rates e was associated with dusk and dawn vertical migrations of the acoustic backscatter layer. Dissipation rates are a factor of 2 higher [〈e〉 = 1.4 × 10−8 W kg−1, corresponding to buoyancy Re = 〈e〉/(νN 2) ∼ 140] in acoustic bac.
Weekly time series of LAI maps at river basin scale using MODIS satellite data

Abstract Knowledge of the spatial distribution of Leaf Area Index (LAI) is of great interest in ecology, hydrology and natural resources surveying. Besides, LAI estimation at medium resolutions is a key parameter for the understanding of watershed ecosystem processes. However, LAI is changing in time following the phenological cycle of natural vegetation and the farming practices of agricultural vegetation. The aim of this work is to present a method for producing time series of spatially distributed LAI data at medium resolution at river basin scale, capitalizing on available satellite products. The input data were the LAI (MOD15A2) at 1 Km spatial resolution and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI, MOD13Q1) at 250m spatial resolution, both acquired by the Terra/MODIS satellite (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). The MOD15A2 product was downscaled to 250m through the generation of an artificial image, which takes into account the statistical properties of EVI within a 3×3 cell moving window. The resulting image is retaining the quantitative properties of the original LAI, but distributed to a finer spatial resolution. The method was applied for a hydrological year (2012-2013) to five river basins in Greece, Portugal, The Netherlands, Brazil and Mozambique. In-situ measured LAI with hemispherical fish-eye photographs was used to estimate the accuracy of the produced maps. The produced datasets will be used in hydrological modelling, and participate in services related to water management.
Precise relative locations for earthquakes in the northeast Pacific region

Double‐difference methods applied to cross‐correlation measured Rayleigh wave time shifts are an effective tool to improve epicentroid locations and relative origin time shifts in remote regions. We apply these methods to seismicity offshore of southwestern Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, occurring along the boundaries of the Pacific and Juan de Fuca (including the Explorer Plate and Gorda Block) Plates. The Blanco, Mendocino, Revere‐Dellwood, Nootka, and Sovanco fracture zones host the majority of this seismicity, largely consisting of strike‐slip earthquakes. The Explorer, Juan de Fuca, and Gorda spreading ridges join these fracture zones and host normal faulting earthquakes. Our results show that at least the moderate‐magnitude activity clusters along fault strike, supporting suggestions of large variations in seismic coupling along oceanic transform faults. Our improved relative locations corroborate earlier interpretations of the internal deformation in the Explorer and Gorda Plates. North of the Explorer Plate, improved locations support models that propose northern extension of the Revere‐Dellwood fault. Relocations also support interpretations that favor multiple parallel active faults along the Blanco Transform Fault Zone. Seismicity of the western half of the Blanco appears more scattered and less collinear than the eastern half, possibly related to fault maturity. We use azimuthal variations in the Rayleigh wave cross‐correlation amplitude to detect and model rupture directivity for a moderate size earthquake along the eastern Blanco Fault. The observations constrain the seismogenic zone geometry and suggest a relatively narrow seismogenic zone width of 2 to 4 km.
Exercise of professional autonomy of intensive care nurses in the pandemic scenario.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the exercise of professional autonomy of intensive care nurses during times of the new coronavirus pandemic. METHOD A descriptive, qualitative study, conducted with 19 nurses from Intensive Care Units of two public hospitals and one private hospital. The information was produced from October 2020 to January 2021, through semi-structured interviews, using content analysis in thematic modality, guided by Eliot Freidson's Sociology of Professions. RESULTS Nursesargued that it was difficult, amidst the pandemic, to act with all the prerogatives assigned to them by their social mandate, for various reasons, such as limited knowledge about the disease, fragile teamwork communication, and scarcity of material and human resources. CONCLUSION The exercise of professional autonomy is shaped by the confrontation of multiple factors that impact the performance of intensive care nurses, especially in a context of pandemic crisis.
Wild Avian Gut Microbiome at a Small Spatial Scale: A Study from a Mediterranean Island Population of Alectoris rufa

Simple Summary Our study is one of the few comparative and within-a-species descriptions of microbiomes in wild non-passerine birds. Particularly, it focuses on red-legged partridges, which are medium-sized gamebirds inhabiting open dry countryside and low-intensity cultivations with a mix of fallow and uncultivated areas in southwestern Europe. We wanted to study microbes living in their gut as their occurrence and diversity may affect both survival and reproduction of these birds. We collected fresh red-legged partridge fecal pellets at different sites located on both the western (two) and eastern (one) sides of Elba Island (central Italy). Although most represented bacteria were the same in all the three sites, we found differences between western and eastern Elban subpopulations in terms of microbiome composition and diversity. This result might be related to locally diverging individual physiological needs and/or to different intensities in past releases of captive-bred birds between the two sides of Elba. Overall, we suggest that the two partridge subpopulations should be managed separately to avoid any loss or significant variation in their microbiome structure. Abstract This research is one of the few comparative descriptions at an intraspecific level of wild non-passerine microbiomes. We investigated for the first time the gut microbiome of red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) using fecal pellets in order to provide a more informed management. We focused on a small Italian population consisting of two demes (WEST, EAST) separated by about 20 km on the opposite sides of Elba Island. Given the small spatial scale, we set up a sampling protocol to minimize contamination from environmental bacteria, as well as differences due to variations in—among others—habitat, season, and age of feces, that could possibly affect the investigation of the three Elban sites. We found a significant divergence between the WEST and EAST Elban subpopulations in terms of microbial composition and alpha diversity. Although most represented bacterial phyla were the same in all the sites (Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes), microbiomes displayed a much higher diversity in western than in eastern partridges. This result might be related to locally diverging individual physiological needs and/or to different intensities in past releases of captive-bred birds between the two sides of Elba. We suggest that the two subpopulations should be treated as distinct management units.
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF GOOGLE DOCS FOR ONLINE COLLABORATIVE WRITING

The existence of technology, particularly Google Docs, is vital to supporting students in surviving the online learning environment. This research, therefore, aims to investigate students’ perceptions of using Google Docs for online collaborative writing, as well as its benefits and limitations. There are two research questions addressed: (1) What are the students’ perceptions of the use of Google Docs for the ELESP students’ online collaborative? (2) What are the possible benefits and challenges of using Google Docs for the ELESP students’ online collaborative writing? This study employed a qualitative case study. This qualitative case study was conducted at the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. A close-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interview were utilized to collect data. The researcher discovered that most students had positive perceptions of using Google Docs for online collaborative writing. With the aid of its capabilities, Google Docs made online collaborative writing easier and more successful, particularly in students’ performance during group work, communication, and accessibility. Aside from the functionality of Google Docs, students’ active participation was also an important factor for successful online collaborative writing.
Daptomycin-Impregnated PMMA Cement against Vancomycin-Resistant Germs: Dosage, Handling, Elution, Mechanical Stability, and Effectiveness

Background: The number of periprosthetic joint infections caused by vancomycin-resistant pathogens is increasing. Currently, no PMMA cement is commercially available to cover VRE. Daptomycin shows promising results in treating infection, offering a good safety profile and a reduced risk of developing resistance. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the mechanical stability, handling properties, elution behavior, and antimicrobial effectiveness of PMMA cement loaded with three different daptomycin concentrations in comparison to commercially available antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC). Methods: Mechanical properties and handling characteristics (ISO 5833, DIN 53435), HPLC elution, antimicrobial effectiveness with proliferation assay (DIN 17025), and inhibition zone testing were investigated. Results: All tested daptomycin concentrations met the ISO and DIN standards for mechanical strength. Loading of 40 g of PMMA cement with 0.5 g of daptomycin did not show any antimicrobial effectiveness, in contrast to 1.0 g and 1.5 g. PMMA cement with 1.5 g of daptomycin was the best in terms of elution and effectiveness, and it showed good ISO mechanical strength; ISO doughing was sticky for a little longer and setting was faster compared to the vancomycin-containing reference cement. Conclusion: PMMA cement containing 0.5 g of gentamicin and 1.5 g of daptomycin could be a good alternative to the already established COPAL® (Wehrheim, Germany) G+V for the treatment of PJIs caused by VRE.
Impact of present aircraft emissions of nitrogen oxides on tropospheric ozone and climate forcing

A two-dimensional (2-D) model in which dynamics, radiation and chemistry are treated interactively is used to investigate the seasonal changes in tropospheric ozone due to current nitrogen oxide emissions from aircraft and to assess the associated radiative forcing on the climate system. Our results confirm the high efficiency of nitrogen oxide in-situ emissions in producing ozone in comparison to surface emissions. The ozone increase is characterized by a strong seasonal variation; it reaches more than 7% during summer in the upper troposphere at northen mid-latitudes. On a global average basis, the radiative forcing associated with this ozone increase appears to be small in comparison to that of other greenhouse gases. However, it may play a significant role in the anthropogenic forcing on northern hemisphere climate.