Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low Butyric Acid is Associated With Constipation in Geriatrics

Constipation is a disorder in bowel movement indicated by reduced defecation frequency to less than three times a week. About half of worldwide geriatrics experience constipation. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetic, butyric, propionic and valeric acids, are the main products of microbial fermentation affecting bowel motility. Studies have shown the therapeutic effect of butyric supplements in reducing bowel pain, but less study assessed the role of SCFAs in constipation. This study evaluated levels of fecal SCFAs in 30 patients above 60 years old, both with and without constipation. No different level of SCFAs was found between constipation and non-constipation groups. Additionally, levels of acetic and propionic acids were not different between both groups. Interestingly, the level of butyric acid in the constipation group was significantly lower than the other group. The exact mechanism of how butyric acid affects constipation or constipation leads to reduced butyric acid in geriatrics remains unclear. Since butyric acid is associated with anti-inflammatory effects, increasing contractility of colonic smooth muscle and regulating intestinal neurotransmission; reduced level of butyric acid may decrease intestinal peristaltic, thus increased incidence of constipation. The future experimental study should address exact mechanism of role of butyric acids in constipation.
Erythropoeitin in Sickle Cell Anaemia: A Review

Sickle Cell Disease is a haemoglobinopathy in which there is substitution of a single amino acid in the beta chain of adult haemoglobin resulting in haemoglobin S, C, D or E depending on amino acid substitution. Haeamoglobin S and C are present in Nigeria while haemoglobin G (HbG), haemoglobin D (HbD) and haemoglobin E (HbE) rarely exist in West Africa (Emechebe et al., 2017). These abnormal haemoglobins are transmitted as autosomal recessive genes. Heterozygous inheritance of an abnormal haemoglobin with a normal one results in a symptomless carrier state or ‘trait’. Inheritance of haemoglobin S (HbS) with any other abnormal haemoglobin like beta thalassemia (Bo or B+), HbC, HbS results in SCD. However homozygous inheritance of HbSS is called SCA. In HbS, Valine replaces glutamic acid at position 6 in amino acid sequence of beta chain. In haemoglobin C (HbC) lysine replaces glutamic acid at position 6 in the beta chain. While in haemoglobin D (HbD) glutamine replaces glutamic acid at position121 in the amino acid sequence. These amino acid substitutions lead to decreased solubility of the haemoglobin molecule in low oxygen tension (Emechebe et al., 2017). The genetic disorder is due to the mutation to a single nucleotide, from a GAG to GTG codon mutation. This is normally a benign mutation, causing no apparent effects on the secondary, tertiary, or quaternary structure of haemoglobin. What it does allow for, under conditions of low oxygen concentration, is the polymerization of the HbS itself. The deoxy form of haemoglobin exposes a hydrophobic patch on the protein between the E and F helices. The hydrophobic residues of the valine at position 6 of the beta chain in haemoglobin are able to associate with the hydrophobic patch, causing haemoglobin S molecules to aggregate and form fibrous precipitates (Obeagu et al., 2015)
Magnetostriction and magnetic texture to 100.75 Tesla in frustrated SrCu2(BO3)2

Strong geometrical frustration in magnets leads to exotic states such as spin liquids, spin supersolids, and complex magnetic textures. SrCu2(BO3)2, a spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet in the archetypical Shastry–Sutherland lattice, exhibits a rich spectrum of magnetization plateaus and stripe-like magnetic textures in applied fields. The structure of these plateaus is still highly controversial due to the intrinsic complexity associated with frustration and competing length scales. We discover magnetic textures in SrCu2(BO3)2 via magnetostriction and magnetocaloric measurements in fields up to 100.75 T. In addition to observing low-field fine structure with unprecedented resolution, the data also reveal lattice responses at 73.6 T and at 82 T that we attribute, using a controlled density matrix renormalization group approach, to a unanticipated 2/5 plateau and to the long-predicted 1/2 plateau.
Diagnostic value of four coagulation function indicators for distinguishing between tuberculous pleural effusions and malignant pleural effusions due to lung adenocarcinoma

Background: Coagulation function indicators are often used to evaluate patients’ coagulation function.They are rarely used in disease diagnosis;their use is limited to somecoagulopathies. We described the pattern of coagulation function indicators in patients with pleural effusions and determined the diagnostic value of different abnormal patterns of these indicators for distinguishing tuberculous pleural effusions (TPEs) from malignant pleural effusions associated with lung adenocarcinoma (AD-MPEs). Methods: Patients with AD-MPEs or TPEs participated in this retrospective study.Coagulation functionindicators, including activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time (PT), fibrinogen (FIB), thrombin time, fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), and D-dimer(D-D), were measured; their levels and abnormal patterns were analyzed separately and in combination,to determine the diagnostic performance of individual and combined values and the optimal diagnostic model.Results: One hundred patients with AD-MPEs and 84 patients with TPEs participated.PT, FIB, FDP, and D-Dlevels in patients with TPE were significantly higher than those in patients with AD-MPE (all P<0.01). Receiver operating characteristiccurves revealed that PT, FIB, FDP, and D-Dvalues, particularly FDP and D-D, could distinguish betweenAD-MPE and TPE. The diagnostic performance was better for the combination of the four indicators than for any single indicator (Youden’s index: 0.513; area under the curve: 0.810). The proportion of patients with abnormal patterns of all four indicators was significantly higher in those with TPE than in those with AD-MPE (P<0.001). Conclusions: Thecombined values of PT, FIB, FDP, and D-Dhave diagnostic value for distinguishing TPE from AD-MPE.
Comparison of oxidation behaviors of Cr7C3 at 1173 K and 1273 K

Cr7C3 has properties of high strength, low density, good chemical stability, and resistance against corrosion and oxidation at high temperature. With these excellent properties, Cr7C3 is considered especially suitable as a high temperature material. However, little attention has been paid to the oxidation behavior of Cr7C3. In this work, the oxidation behavior of Cr7C3 at 1173 K and 1273 K, with seven durations from 10 h to 70 h, was investigated. After testing, oxide morphology and phase composition were observed, and identified by SEM and XRD respectively. The results indicate that the anti-oxidation levels of Cr7C3 at the oxidation times of 1173 K and 1273 K both belong to the total anti-oxidation grade; the oxidation rate constant and oxidation rate of Cr7C3 at 1273 K show improvement over those at 1173 K by about one order of magnitude and more than two-fold respectively. The result also indicates that Cr2O3 does not peel off from the surface of Cr7C3 at 1173 K; however, at 1273 K it does peel off. Furthermore, the calculation result indicates that the critical compressive stress value for Cr2O3 peeling from the surface of Cr7C3 lies between 1.14 GPa and 1.27 GPa.
Crocodilians are promising intermediate model organisms for comparative perception research

Crocodilians are the closest living relatives of birds and share many ecological challenges with mammalian apex predators. They evolved perception pathways that share similarities with both taxa, birds and mammals. Due to their position in the tree of life, crocodilians therefore represent a promising intermediate model for comparative research. In this review, the different modalities of perception in crocodilians are discussed: vision, audition, olfaction, gustation, sense of touch, and (the potential for) magnetoreception. The anatomy and physiology of the sensory organs are briefly described, and behavioral studies on perception summarized. Throughout the review, the similarities and differences between crocodilians and other vertebrate taxa are addressed. Overall, crocodilian sensory organs seem to have evolved for a terrestrial environment, as their eyes are adapted for vision in air, their hearing resembles that of birds, and they do not seem to use olfaction under water. A clear exception are the integumentary sensory organs, which allow them to perceive minute water movements. While crocodilian sensory organs have received quite some attention, there are relatively few behavioral studies on perception. Future research on the perceptual capacities of crocodilians will provide insight into the evolutionary origins of perception in all amniotes. (Less)
Assessing the Effectiveness of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) in the Prevention of Malaria among Children of Under Five Years Old In Ikorodu Local Government, Lagos State, Nigeria

Effective implementation of IRS with DDT or other recommended insecticides should be a central part of national malaria control strategies where this intervention is appropriate. It is implemented to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality and accelerate progress towards global and national malaria targets. However, there are important considerations that must be taken into account when considering whether to introduce or scale up the IRS. In particular, there must be sufficient capacity to deliver the intervention effectively, prevent unauthorized and unrecommended use of public health pesticides, and manage insecticide resistance. Intensified research efforts are needed, for example, to develop new insecticides, long-acting formulations and improved application technologies (WHO, 2006).
The Role of TPM in Enterprise Security

Establishing trust in a remote computer system is an essential building block for distributed systems. Unfortunately trust is a hard property to achieve without appropriate hardware support. In this article we describe our trusted computing platform where we extend the hardware rooted trust guarantees of TCG technology to the (Linux) operating system and all its applications and allow remote parties to verify these trust guarantees.
Cultural influence on COVID-19 cognitions and growth speed: the role of cultural collectivism

Many challenges faced by humans require large-scale cooperation for communal benefits. We examined what motivates such cooperation in the context of social distancing and mask wearing to reduce the transmission intensity of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We hypothesized that collectivism, a cultural variable characterizing the extent that individuals see themselves in relation to others, contributes to people’s willingness to engage in these behaviors. Consistent with preregistered predictions, across three studies (n=2864), including a U.S. nationally representative sample, people’s collectivist orientation is positively associated with intentions, positive beliefs, norm perceptions, and policy support for the preventive behaviors. In separate analyses at the country level (n=69 countries), more collectivist countries demonstrated lower growth rate in both COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths. Together, these studies demonstrate the positive role of collectivism at the individual- and country-level in reducing COVID-19 transmission, and highlight the need to consider culture in public health policies and communications.
Millennial Teachers’ Use of Technology in ESL Classroom: A Review of Literature

Although there is an explosion of technology readily available for teaching and learning, questions arise as to why online learning is not effective especially during pandemic times like now due to Covid-19. This brings to the ultimate question of what technology does the millennial teachers use in ESL classroom. This is because, owing to the time that this generation has grown up in, this Net generation is also known to be accustomed using technology easily and at ease. A systematic literature review is thus conducted to review the gap that exists in researches between millennial teachers and technology, concept of millennial teachers, what technology tools are and also the effects of integrating technology in ESL classroom. Through this review the use of technology in ESL classroom in terms of advantages and disadvantages and concept of millennial teachers in Malaysia was discussed and defined. The findings from the review shall serve as the base or guideline for future studies related to millennial teachers and the use of technology.
The Effect of Nucleotide Changes in Exon 2 of CYP1B1 (Arg48Gly) on Serum Concentration of Estrogen in Patients with Breast Cancer

Introduction: Cytochrome P450 enzymes play an important role in the removal of carcinogenic compounds from the body. CYP1B1 is a member of this family that is involved in the metabolism of steroids and acts as a promoter or suppressor of tumor progression through hormonal control. In this study, we investigated the effect of Arg48Gly amino acid change in CYP1B1 (RS 10012) gene on the serum concentration of estrogen and risk of breast cancer. Materials and Methods: We selected 128 breast cancer patients and 128 healthy control subjects for this study. After venipuncture, DNA was extracted using the salting out method and genotyping was done through the restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction method. The ELISA method was used to measure the serum concentration of estrogen in the samples. The data were analyzed with the IBM SPSS 23 software using Chi-square and logistic regression. Results: The mean age and BMI of the patients and controls had significantly association between two groups. Statistical analysis showed that the CC genotype had a protective role against cancer in carriers (P = 0.017, OR: 0.548, CI 95%; 0.334–0.901) while the mutant GG genotype increased the odds of breast cancer by 1.653 times (P = 0.046, OR: 1.653, CI 95%; 1.009–2.709). The heterozygous genotype had no significant relationship between the two groups (P = 0.309, OR: 2.049, CI 95%; 0.501–8.378). Evaluation of the relationship between the genotypes and other variables showed that the CC and GG genotypes had a relationship with the serum concentration of estrogen. Conclusions: The odds ratio of breast cancer in the carriers of the G allele showed that genetic changes related to estrogen metabolism may have a role in the progression of breast cancer. A larger sample size may introduce the genetic changes involved in breast cancer progression with more certainty.
Reconstructing Antarctic winter sea-ice extent during Marine Isotope Stage 5e

<p>Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e marks the peak of the last interglacial (130-116 ka) and is an important &#8216;process analogue&#8217; for understanding the high latitude climatic feedbacks and forcings active under future anthropogenic warming. Antarctic sea-ice extent is a critical component of the Earth&#8217;s climate system through its impact on global albedo and its roles in Southern Hemisphere atmospheric and ocean circulation. Published marine sediment core records are located too far north to accurately constrain the timing and extent of the winter sea-ice (WSI) minimum during MIS 5e (Chadwick et al., 2020) and researchers/models have therefore assumed that this minimum occurs synchronously with the Antarctic peak warming in ice core records (Holloway et al., 2017). </p><p>This study presents new reconstructions of Southern Ocean WSI extent for MIS 5e based on the diatom species assemblage records in marine sediment cores. These records have robust age models, which allow for the different timings and patterns of WSI retreat throughout the Southern Ocean to be examined. In particular, the difference between the relatively stable WSI extent in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean and the more dynamic WSI extent in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Using sediment cores located south of 55 <sup>o</sup>S creates a novel synthesis for assessing the evidence for the considerable MIS 5e WSI reduction (67% in the Atlantic sector) predicted by model simulations (Holloway et al., 2017). </p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Chadwick M. , Allen C.S. , Sime L.C. , Hillenbrand C-D. (2020). Analysing the timing of peak warming and minimum winter sea-ice extent in the Southern Ocean during MIS 5e. <em>Quaternary Science Reviews,</em> <strong>229</strong>: 106134. </p><p>Holloway M.D., Sime L.C. , Allen C.S. , Hillenbrand C-D. , Bunch P., Wolff E. , Valdes P.J. (2017). The Spatial Structure of the 128 ka Antarctic Sea Ice Minimum. <em>Geophysical Research Letters,</em> <strong>44 </strong>(21): 11129-11139. </p>
B4DS @ PRELEARN: Ensemble Method for Prerequisite Learning (short paper)

English. In this paper we describe the methodologies we proposed to tackle the EVALITA 2020 shared task PRELEARN. We propose both a methodology based on gated recurrent units as well as one using more classical word embeddings together with ensemble methods. Our goal in choosing these approaches, is twofold, on one side we wish to see how much of the prerequisite information is present within the pages themselves. On the other we would like to compare how much using the information from the rest of Wikipedia can help in identifying this type of relation. This second approach is particularly useful in terms of extension to new entities close to the one in the corpus provided for the task but not actually present in it. With this methodologies we reached second position in the challenge 1 .
Black soldier fly larvae: multidimensional prospects in household waste management, feed, fertilizer and bio-fuel industries of Bangladesh

Overexploitation pressure on natural resources increases gradually to meet the protein demand for aquaculture, livestock, and pet animal feed production. To minimize the pressure sustainably, live feed, i.e., insects and their larvae, could be the most promising alternative source of protein. The most widely used insect as animal feed is Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens L.), fed on organic waste voraciously while building their body composition of 40-48% protein, 30-38% fat and a range of essential minerals. The higher amount of protein content could be used either as the complete or partial replacement of highly expensive fishmeal, wherein the higher value of fat content of BSFL could be an essential source for biodiesel production. Besides, the BSFL has higher organic waste conversion capability and reduces certain harmful bacteria and insect pests. The insect utilization is, however, hindered by limited information on BSF production strategies. However, the ever-increasing world population has catapulted the demand for animal proteins beyond supply and organic waste generation. This review will shed light on the biological and cultural features of BSFL, its role in eco-friendly waste management and its potential in fish, poultry and livestock feed industries of Bangladesh.
Computational Modelling of Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease: A Critical Review

We review the use of numerical and computational models to explore deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease (DBS PD). It is a review for the modeler and those interested in PD DBS modelling methods and their value. The main model categories of active fiber, mean field, driving force, and volume of tissue activated are described as well as many modelling techniques. We give the basic requirements for a DBS PD model and current theories of DBS mechanism of action, PD etiology, and movement selection. The emphasis is on providing the reader with a representative sample of the variety of models and the range of techniques that have been applied to DBS PD, describing and critiquing them, and less so on study results. However, an extensive set of data and results that can be used for model calibration, validation, and comparison is provided in a Supplement.
The Welfare Costs of Job Loss and Decarbonization– Evidence from Germany's Coal Phase Out

IZA DP No. 14464 JUNE 2021 The Welfare Costs of Job Loss and Decarbonization– Evidence from Germany’s Coal Phase Out Decarbonizing economies is an enormous task. Public debate often focuses on the job loss of workers in fossil industries. Why is job loss costly? Who is most affected? Can delaying transition reduce welfare costs? What other policy instruments may be available? We present a simple job search framework that calculates life-time welfare costs of job loss. We apply the model to the archetypical fossil industry coal mining. Based on the universe of German coal employment biographies, we estimate the model and decompose welfare costs. We find that unemployment is a small factor: Higher wages and job security in coal drive welfare costs. We distinguish welfare costs by age, education and business cycle. High-educated workers aged 31-49 face highest losses. Based on a detailed demographic projection, we estimate that advancing coal exit from 2038 to 2030 increases unmitigated welfare costs by one third. Labor market policy promoting career switches rather than retirement can alleviate these welfare costs: A wage insurance scheme is estimated to reduce welfare losses by 80-99% at reasonable costs. JEL Classification: J64, L16, Q54
Study of Relationship of Self-Concept and Academic Performance of Distance Learners

Current research explored correlation between distance learners’ self-concept and academic performance at post graduate level (M.A Education). The purpose of this research was to find out relationship between self-concept of students and their academic achievement. This was a quantitative study which used questionnaire as main tool of data collection along with the analysis of end of term result of students. To achieve the purpose of the study, distance learners (240) of Master in Education (M.A.) of AIOU were randomly selected by employing table of random numbers for sample selection. The study was delimited to Islamabad region and Rawalpindi region respectively. Data was collected through “Self-Concept Scale” developed by researchers. National language (Urdu) was used in the scale to make it more understandable for the respondents. The prototype of the scale was also content validated. In this regard, opinions of five educational experts were sought and their suggestions were incorporated in the final version of prototype. Data collection process was done through mail. Academic achievement was measured in three courses’ results 0512, 0652 & 0655. For data analysis, Pearson correlation was used. Analysis of results showed statistically significant positive relationship between self-concept of distance learners and their academic achievement. It was recommended that the future research and development studies may be conducted to design training programs for distance learners to enhance their self-concept.