Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Medical Cannabis Use Reduces Opioid Prescriptions in Patients With Osteoarthritis

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) can result in significant pain, requiring pain management with opioids. Medical cannabis (MC) has the potential to be an alternative to opioids for chronic pain conditions. This study investigates whether MC used in the management of OA-related chronic pain can reduce opioid utilization. Methods Forty patients with chronic OA pain were certified for MC. Average morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per day of opioid prescriptions filled within the six months prior to MC certification was compared to that of the six months after. Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and Global Health scores were measured at baseline, three, and six months post MC certification. Results Average MME/day decreased from 18.2 to 9.8 (n=40, p<0.05). The percentage of patients who dropped to 0 MME/day was 37.5%. VAS scores decreased significantly at three and six months, and Global Physical Health score increased significantly by three months. Conclusions MC reduces opioid prescription for patients with chronic OA pain and improves pain and quality of life.
Characterization of Gentisate 1,2-Dioxygenase from Pseudarthrobacter phenanthrenivorans Sphe3 and Its Stabilization by Immobilization on Nickel-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles

The aim of this study was the biochemical and kinetic characterization of the gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (GDO) from Pseudarthrobacter phenanthrenivorans Sphe3 and the development of a nanobiocatalyst by its immobilization on Ni2+-functionalized Fe3O4-polydopamine magnetic nanoparticles (Ni2+-PDA-MNPs). This is the first GDO to be immobilized. The gene encoding the GDO was cloned with an N-terminal His-tag and overexpressed in E. coli. The nanoparticles showed a high purification efficiency of GDO from crude cell lysates with a maximum activity recovery of 97%. The immobilized enzyme was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The reaction product was identified by 1H NMR. Both free and immobilized GDO exhibited Michaelis–Menten kinetics with Km values of 25.9 ± 4.4 and 82.5 ± 14.2 μM and Vmax values of 1.2 ± 0.1 and 0.03 ± 0.002 mM·s−1, respectively. The thermal stability of the immobilized GDO was enhanced at 30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C, compared to the free GDO. Stored at −20 °C, immobilized GDO retained more than 60% of its initial activity after 30 d, while the free enzyme completely lost its activity after 10 d. Furthermore, the immobilized nanoparticle–enzyme conjugate retained more than 50% enzyme activity up to the fifth cycle.
How Optimism Bias and Safety Climate Influence the Risk-Taking Behavior of Construction Workers

Risk taking among construction workers is a critical topic in construction safety research. The aim of this study was to empirically investigate how optimism bias and safety climate influence construction worker risk-taking behavior. A survey with a designed questionnaire was conducted to collect data from construction workers. A total of 183 construction workers participated in this study and completed the designed questionnaire. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis by using structural equation modeling. Results show that optimism bias related to work risks positively influences construction worker risk-taking behavior, whereas safety climate and optimism bias related to hazard perception skills negatively affect the risk-taking behavior. These findings can enrich the literature on construction worker risk-taking behavior from the perspective of optimism bias and safety climate. Practical implications are provided for discouraging construction workers from taking risks at work.
Quality of care and utilisation of MCH and FP services at Kenyan health facilities

Quality of services is playing an increasingly important role in many family planning (FP) programs. In 1995, a national Situation Analysis Study of 254 health facilities was conducted in Kenya to assess the status and quality of FP services in the country. An in-depth survey of a subsample of 28 health facilities was conducted the following year. From these facilities, 1,834 women were interviewed about their experiences with services at facilities when they sought antenatal, child health, and FP services. The goal of the survey was to examine the links between quality of care in FP services and contraceptive behavior. A key focus was directed at information and counseling as elements of service quality. Further, the subject of quality was explored in the context of how women switched facilities for the same and different services of antenatal care, child health, and FP. As noted in this report, this study highlights the gap that exists in the provision of quality reproductive health services. Despite the call for client-centered services, there is evidence that a wide gap still remains in providing relevant information to clients.
Frequency of Post-Operative Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Leak in Retromastoid Surgery for Vestibular Schwannoma: A Three-Year Experience of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: Descriptive study was aimed is to find out the frequency of CSF leak in retro mastoid surgery for Vestibular Schwannoma. Material and Methods: From 2017 to 2020, 63 patients underwent microsurgical excision of Vestibular Schwannoma with retro sigmoidal approach in the Department of Neurosurgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar. All patients of either sex underwent retro mastoid approach for Vestibular Schwannoma surgery, having complete dural closure per operatively were included in this study. Data was collected which included symptoms, clinical assessment, radiological findings, per-operative and postoperative findings. Patients were monitored for 30 days after surgery and checked for any CSF leaks. Results: There were 36 male and 27 female patients. In our study, the postoperative CSF leak was present in 9(14%) of cases. There was no significant difference (p-value 0.097) whether the dura was closed with graft and without graft. Insignificant differences existed in CSF leak vs. different age groups (p-value 0.964) and gender (p-value: 0.917). Conclusion: Our study found that after retro sigmoid approach for vestibular Schwannoma surgery, the frequency of CSF leak was 14%, which gives us insight into our complication rate and allows us to change our surgical procedure technique, such as using fibrin glue or less frequently artificial dura, to reduce this rate.
Comprehensive scaling study of NbO2 insulator-metal-transition selector for cross point array application

The transition metal oxide, NbO2, which exhibits an insulator to metal transition (IMT) is regarded as a promising selector device to be integrated with a resistive memory for cross point array application. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the scaling of an NbO2 selector using a mushroom device structure. A thorough understanding of the scaling behavior of forming voltage (Vf), threshold voltage (Vth), and current (Ith) is essential to evaluate the potential of voltage as well as current scaling and selectivity of NbO2 selector. Importantly, by analyzing the scaling trend of threshold current, we believed that the IMT behavior is strongly affected by filamentary conducting path formed during the forming process. The findings provide the promise to maximize the selector device performance by minimizing the conducting path inside the NbO2 layer.
Cement stabilisation of crude-oil-contaminated soil

Crude-oil-contaminated soils are usually considered unsuitable construction materials for earthworks. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the effects of applying Portland cement on the plasticity, strength and permeability of a crude-oil-contaminated soil in order to ascertain its suitability for use as an earthworks construction material. Series of specific gravity, Atterberg limits, compaction, strength and permeability characteristics were determined for a natural soil, the soil after being artificially contaminated with crude oil and the contaminated soil with varying proportions of added cement. It was found that the geotechnical properties of the soil became less desirable after contamination with crude oil, but the application of cement to the contaminated soil improved its properties by way of cation exchange, agglomeration and cementation. Cement stabilisation of crude-oil-contaminated soil provides a stable supporting structure, as well as a capping layer, that prevents the crude oil from interacting with the construction materials above. Thus, instead of disposing of contaminated soils, creating unnecessary waste and incurring costs, stabilisation with cement – which is practically feasible to undertake on site – makes such soils useful for supporting structural foundations or road pavement structures.
Copper and Zinc Levels in Commercial Marine Fish from Setiu, East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in edible marine fish have been widely reported from at least 15 different regions or countries in the literature. This evidently demonstrates the importance of monitoring the PTMs in fish fillets from a human health risk (HHR) point of view. This study aims to assess the HHR of Cu and Zn in 19 species of marine fish from popular marine fish loading sites at Setiu in Terengganu, on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, collected between August 2016 and February 2017. With overall ranges of concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) of Cu (1.50–7.83), and Zn (24.1–80.5), the 19 species of marine fishes from Setiu are good sources of these essential elements because they are below the maximum permissible limits set by seafood safety guidelines. The target hazard quotient values of Cu and Zn were lower than one, indicating non-carcinogenic risks of Cu and Zn in fish consumption. It was also found that the calculated values of the estimated weekly intake were below the established provisional tolerable weekly intake of Cu and Zn. It can be concluded that the consumption of fish from Setiu would not pose adverse effects from the PTMs to consumers. Nonetheless, continuous monitoring is necessary to ensure the safety of consumers who rely heavily on marine fish in Setiu coastal waters.
Music 4 Cancer: Appreciation of an underground music festival and its philanthropic purpose among festival goers

Music 4 Cancer (M4C) is an underground music festival that has taken place every September, in Sainte-Therese, Quebec, since 2010. One of its purposes is philanthropic: to raise funds for cancer research. This disease, responsible for 30% of deaths in Canada, is considered the deadliest and for which there is no effective treatment. M4C is one of five philanthropic festivals in Quebec, but the only one that combines music and cancer. This article presents the evaluation of the overall appreciation of the M4C festival, both of the underground music being played and its philanthropic purpose, as well as the motivations of the festival-goers for attending and returning (becoming loyal) to it. In order to better know and understand their appreciation, a double data collection was carried out. An online questionnaire collected quantitative data from 107 festival-goers in the fall of 2017, and a semi-structured interview was conducted with nine of them in the winter of 2018. Three strong points emerged from the results analysis. First, most of the festival-goers have a very high overall appreciation of M4C. Second, most of them have a very high appreciation of the underground music being played and its philanthropic purpose. Third, fundraising for cancer research is a big part of the motivation among most of the festival-goers for attending and returning (becoming loyal) to it.
Use of Mustard Extracts Fermented by Lactic Acid Bacteria to Mitigate the Production of Fumonisin B1 and B2 by Fusarium verticillioides in Corn Ears

Corn (Zea mays) is a worldwide crop subjected to infection by toxigenic fungi such as Fusarium verticillioides during the pre-harvest stage. Fusarium contamination can lead to the synthesis of highly toxic mycotoxins, such as Fumonisin B1 (FB1) and Fumonisin B2 (FB2), which compromises human and animal health. The work aimed to study the antifungal properties of fermented yellow and oriental mustard extracts using nine lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in vitro. Moreover, a chemical characterization of the main phenolic compounds and organic acids were carried out in the extracts. The results highlighted that the yellow mustard, fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains, avoided the growth of Fusarium spp. in vitro, showing Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) values, ranging from 7.8 to 15.6 g/L and 15.6 to 31.3 g/L, respectively. Then, the lyophilized yellow mustard fermented extract by L. plantarum TR71 was applied through spray-on corn ears contaminated with F. verticillioides to study the antimycotoxigenic activity. After 14 days of incubation, the control contained 14.71 mg/kg of FB1, while the treatment reduced the content to 1.09 mg/kg (92.6% reduction). Moreover, no FB2 was observed in the treated samples. The chemical characterization showed that lactic acid, 3-phenyllactic acid, and benzoic acid were the antifungal metabolites quantified in higher concentrations in the yellow mustard fermented extract with L. plantarum TR71. The results obtained confirmed the potential application of fermented mustard extracts as a solution to reduce the incidence of mycotoxins in corn ears.
Influence of organic aerosol molecular composition on particle absorptive properties in autumn Beijing

Abstract. Organic aerosol (OA) is a major component of fine particulate matter (PM), affecting air quality, human health, and the climate. The absorptive and reflective behavior of OA components contributes to determining particle optical properties and thus their effects on the radiative budget of the troposphere. There is limited knowledge on the influence of the molecular composition of OA on particle optical properties in the polluted urban environment. In this study, we characterized the molecular composition of oxygenated OA collected on filter samples in the autumn of 2018 in Beijing, China, with a filter inlet for gases and aerosols coupled to a high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (FIGAERO–CIMS). Three haze episodes occurred during our sampling period with daily maximum concentrations of OA of 50, 30, and 55 µg m−3. We found that the signal intensities of dicarboxylic acids and sulfur-containing compounds increased during the two more intense haze episodes, while the relative contributions of wood-burning markers and other aromatic compounds were enhanced during the cleaner periods. We further assessed the optical properties of oxygenated OA components by combining detailed chemical composition measurements with collocated particle light absorption measurements. We show that light absorption enhancement (Eabs) of black carbon (BC) was mostly related to more oxygenated OA (e.g., dicarboxylic acids), likely formed in aqueous-phase reactions during the intense haze periods with higher relative humidity, and speculate that they might contribute to lensing effects. Aromatics and nitro-aromatics (e.g., nitrocatechol and its derivatives) were mostly related to a high light absorption coefficient (babs) consistent with light-absorbing (brown) carbon (BrC). Our results provide information on oxygenated OA components at the molecular level associated with BrC and BC particle light absorption and can serve as a basis for further studies on the effects of anthropogenic OA on radiative forcing in the urban environment.
PEGylated versus Non-PEGylated pH-Sensitive Liposomes: New Insights from a Comparative Antitumor Activity Study

PEGylated liposomes are largely studied as long-circulating drug delivery systems. Nevertheless, the addition of PEG can result in reduced interactions between liposomes and cells, hindering liposomal internalization into target cells. The presence of PEG on the surface of pH-sensitive liposomes is not advantageous in terms of biodistribution and tumor uptake, raising the question of whether the indiscriminate use of PEG benefits the formulation. In this study, two doxorubicin-loaded pH-sensitive liposomal formulations, PEGylated (Lip2000-DOX) or non-PEGylated (Lip-DOX), were prepared and characterized. Overall, the PEGylated and non-PEGylated liposomes showed no differences in size or morphology in Cryo-TEM image analysis. Specifically, DLS analysis showed a mean diameter of 140 nm, PDI lower than 0.2, and zeta potential close to neutrality. Both formulations showed an EP higher than 90%. With respect to drug delivery, Lip-DOX had better cellular uptake than Lip2000-DOX, suggesting that the presence of PEG reduced the amount of intracellular DOX accumulation. The antitumor activities of free-DOX and both liposomal formulations were evaluated in 4T1 breast tumor-bearing BALB/c mice. The results showed that Lip-DOX was more effective in controlling tumor growth than other groups, inhibiting tumor growth by 60.4%. Histological lung analysis confirmed that none of the animals in the Lip-DOX group had metastatic foci. These results support that pH-sensitive liposomes have interesting antitumor properties and may produce important outcomes without PEG.
Total Electron Detachment and Induced Cationic Fragmentation Cross Sections for Superoxide Anion (O2−) Collisions with Benzene (C6H6) Molecules

In this study, novel experimental total electron detachment cross sections for O2− collisions with benzene molecules are reported for the impact energy range (10–1000 eV), as measured with a transmission beam apparatus. By analysing the positively charged species produced during the collision events, relative total ionisation cross sections were derived in the incident energy range of 160–900 eV. Relative partial ionisation cross sections for fragments with m/z ≤ 78 u were also given in this energy range. We also confirmed that heavier compounds (m/z > 78 u) formed for impact energies between 550 and 800 eV. In order to further our knowledge about the collision dynamics governing the fragmentation of such heavier molecular compounds, we performed molecular dynamics calculations within the framework of the Density Functional Theory (DFT). These results demonstrated that the fragmentation of these heavier compounds strongly supports the experimental evidence of m/z = 39–42, 50, 60 (u) cations formation, which contributed to the broad local maximum in the total ionisation observed from 550 to 800 eV. This work reveals the reactivity induced by molecular anions colliding with hydrocarbons at high energies, processes that can take place in the interstellar medium under various local conditions.
Factors Influencing Students’ Behavioral Intention on Using Mobile Learning (M-Learning) in Tourism and Hospitality Major in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Technology has rapidly improved and become a crucial tool for education. It provides both new content and opportunities that learners could employ for learning, especially mobile learning. To get an effective adoption and operation of new technology, it is imperative to understand factors influencing student’s intentions to use it. The paper presents student behavioral intentions on using mobile learning among university students in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, by adopting the extended technology acceptance model (TAM). A quantitative method was employed using a survey with a 5-Point-Likert scale. Questionnaires were administered to 420 students majoring in Tourism and Hospitality in Cambodia through a stratified sampling method, with the return rate of 98.33 percent. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the relationship between the proposed determinants of the research model by employing AMOS. The results illustrate that self-efficacy, personal innovativeness, perceived enjoyment, and social influence have significant effects on the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness towards students’ behavioral intention to use mobile learning in the proposed model. Based on these results, some recommendations for implications and further research have been proposed.
Social media use in professional organizations: boosting and draining workforce

ABSTRACT Social media use in professional organisations can have several psychological and physiological consequences. The aim of this study was to examine how social media is used in five professional organisations from distinct occupational fields and how such use relates to job demands, job resources, and personal resources. We collected survey data (N = 563) to analyze professional social media use. We also conducted theory-driven content analysis utilising focus group interviews (N = 52). Based on the results, internal and external social media platforms were mainly used for content following and sharing as well as communication with work communities. Social media use was not identified very straining or conflicting with private life. Those using social media more often experienced more strain and conflict but also considered social media more useful. Social media use was associated with job demands, such as physiological symptoms, fears, social pressure, and unclear rules, as well as job resources, such as organisational encouragement and support, social networks, information, and autonomy, and the personal resource of personal identity development. Professional social media use is perceived more as a job resource than as a job demand.