Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lycopene: Multitargeted Applications in Cancer Therapy

Cancer is an uncontrolled growth and division of cells, leading to significant mor bidity and mortality and economic burden to the society. Natural products as anti - cancer molecules have drawn the attention of researchers and have resulted in the development of many successful anticancer drugs, which include camptothecins, epi - podophyllotoxins, vinca alkaloids, and taxanes. Another group of compounds with anti-cancer effects include botanicals (phytochemicals) found in the diet. In recent years, a tomato carotenoid lycopene (LYC) has gained attention for its potential health benefits, especially in prevention and treatment of cancer. The studies sug - gest that the consumption LYC in food or by itself may reduce cancer risk. However, there are insufficient clinical trial data to support the hypothesis. LYC may play a preventive role in a variety of cancers, especially in prostate cancer. It acts by multi ple mechanisms including the regulation of growth factor signalling, cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis induction, metastasis and angiogenesis, as well as by modulating the anti-inflammatory and phase II detoxification enzymes activities. The effects can be attributed to the unique chemical structure of the carotenoid which confers it a strong antioxidant property. In this chapter, we discuss the chemopreventive and anti-cancer properties of LYC, a dietary carotenoid. ” epidemiological studies investigating the relationship between LYC or LYC-rich food and
Spatio-temporal variation in phytoplankton communities along a salinity and pH gradient in a tropical estuary (Brunei, Borneo, South East Asia)

Tropical estuaries often have a low buffering capacity and may experience acidification, both naturally through microbial degradation and run-off from acid sulphate soils (ASS), or from various anthropogenic sources. Here, we describe phytoplankton communities from the turbid, acidified, and eutrophic Sungai Brunei and Brunei Bay estuarine system. Four sampling stations were selected, representing the full spectrum of the salinity (0.4-28.5 PSU) and pH (5.87-8.06) gradients associated with this system. A total of 25 microalgal families of phytoplankton (including 22 diatom and seven dinoflagellate genera) and one of ciliates were recorded in the survey, which was carried out between August 2011 and June 2012. Phytoplankton density ranged from 7 to 9107 cells ml(-1). Diatoms were a dominant component of the communities, with Nitzschia spp. , Rhizosolenia spp. , and Leptocylindrus sp. reaching the highest abundances. Phytoplankton communities present at the four sampling stations differed significantly in terms of both algal abundance and composition and were strongly influenced by the effect of season (30% of the total variance). The interactive effects of pH and salinity, and of pH and temperature, explained 16.7% and 17.5% of the total observed variation, respectively. A positive correlation between pH and the number of taxa found was detected. The functional diversity observed in phytoplankton from the Brunei River estuary was generally low with few taxa adapted well to the chronically low pH conditions. This study provides baseline data about structural and compositional changes in a tropical estuarine phytoplankton community associated with various levels of acidification of both natural and anthropogenic origins.
Adopting deep learning methods for airborne RGB fluvial scene classification

Abstract Rivers are among the world's most threatened ecosystems. Enabled by the rapid development of drone technology, hyperspatial resolution ( 5 billion pixels were labelled and partitioned for the tasks of training (1 billion pixels) and validation (4 billion pixels). We develop a novel supervised learning workflow based on the NASNet convolutional neural network (CNN) called ‘CNN-Supervised Classification’ (CSC). First, we compare the classification performance of maximum likelihood, a multilayer perceptron, a random forest, and CSC. Results show median F1 scores (a commonly used quality metric in machine learning) of 71%, 78%, 72% and 95%, respectively. Second, we train our classifier using data for 5 of 11 rivers. We then predict the validation data for all 11 rivers. For the 5 rivers that were used in model training, median F1 scores reach 98%. For the 6 rivers not used in model training, median F1 scores are 90%. We reach two conclusions. First, in the traditional workflow where images are classified one at a time, CSC delivers an unprecedented mix of labour savings and classification F1 scores above 95%. Second, deep learning can predict land-cover classifications (F1 = 90%) for rivers not used in training. This demonstrates the potential to train a generalised open-source deep learning model for airborne river surveys suitable for most rivers ‘out of the box’. Research efforts should now focus on further development of a new generation of deep learning classification tools that will encode human image interpretation abilities and allow for fully automated, potentially real-time, interpretation of riverine landscape images.
Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites under Fingernails of Primary School Children in Zakho, Kurdistan Region

In this study, 103 fingernails samples were collected (31 female and 72 male) from primary school children aged between 6 to12 years, which lived in Zakho city during the period from March to November, 2015. Each fingernail sample was immersed in normal saline, and subsequently centrifuged for 5 minutes at 2500 rpm. The supernatant was discarded; a few drops of the sediment of each sample were placed on the center of a clean glass slide with a drop of iodine or eosin, and then examined microscopically. The results revealed a total rate of 25.24% of infection with parasites. The recorded parasites with their rates included: eggs of Enterobius vermicularis, Hymenolepis nana, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichaura (7.76, 5.82, 2.91 and 0.97 %, respectively) and cysts of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia (4.85 and 2.91 %). According to age, the highest percentage of infection occurred in 9 years old children. Regarding the gender, males showed a higher rate of infection than females (17.47 % versus 7.76%, respectively). These results clarify the role of fingernails in the transmission of parasitic infections, which requires continuous cleaning and cutting.
Genetic connectivity among populations of two congeneric direct-developing whelks varies across spatial scales

ABSTRACT We examined the phylogeographic structure of two congeneric, direct-developing, intertidal whelks endemic to New Zealand, Cominella virgata and C. maculosa. A total of 855 specimens were collected from 23 rocky shore locations and we used them to determine the level of DNA sequence variation at the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. Cominella virgata and C. maculosa have relatively high levels of haplotype diversity but low levels of nucleotide diversity. Sample sites formed regional groups that were composed of genetically differentiated populations, a finding consistent with their limited dispersal abilities. Cominella virgata showed higher levels of regional differentiation than C. maculosa, and there were also species-specific differences in genetic patterns within some regions. Both species exhibited genetic homogenisation among proximate sites within groups, suggesting some dispersal does occur between areas that are not connected by contiguous rocky shore habitat.
Modelling of tribological responses of composites using integrated ANN-GA technique

In the present article, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and genetic algorithm (GA) methodology were integrated to model tribological characteristics of stir-cast Al-Zn-Mg-Cu matrix composites under two-body abrasion considering large numbers of experimentally generated results. Tribo-responses of wear rate (Wrt), coefficient of friction (COF) and roughness of abraded surface (RAS) were evaluated under wide range of intrinsic (i.e., particle quantity) and extrinsic (i.e., abrasive size, load, distance and velocity) input parameters. Characteristics of Wrt, COF and RAS are often mutually contradictory in nature and so, multi-objective optimization technique becomes imperative for selection and design of machine components. Accordingly, those were optimized through Pareto solutions. Sensitivity of different factors was analyzed on each of the tribo-performances and validated via experimental evidences. Amongst the input variables, particle quantity and abrasive size dominated significantly over other variables except load which imparted modest influences. The role of various input parameters was explained through determination of different micromechanisms via exhaustive post wear characterizations, microstructural and surface topography attributes. Lowest values of Wrt and COF with a modest value of RAS were identified at 15 ± 2 wt. % particle quantity.
A New Macro-Model of Gas Flow and Parameter Extraction for a CMOS-MEMS Vacuum Sensor

When using a MEMS sensor to measure the vacuum of a medium, the transition flow between the viscous flow and molar flow is usually used to describe the gas convection due to the physical principle, which is difficult to study through analysis and simulation. In this study, the description of gas flow under different pressures in a CMOS-MEMS vacuum sensors has been incorporated into a new behavioral ANSYS model. The proposed model was built and the characteristic parameters in the model were obtained based on a CMOS-MEMS thermopile patterned with circular symmetry and an embedded heater as a heat source. It contains a characteristic length to describe the effective distance of heat dissipation to the silicon substrate, and the corresponding transition pressure to describe the symmetrical phenomenon of gas heat conduction. The macro-model is based on the description of the physical characteristics of heat transfer and the characteristic parameters of the CMOS-MEMS vacuum sensor. The characteristic length of 49 μm and the corresponding transition pressure of 2396 mTorr for the thermoelectric-type vacuum sensor were extracted and verified successfully. The results show that the average error for the prediction of vacuum sensing by the macro-model we proposed is about 1.11%. This approach provides more applications for vacuum analysis. It can reduce the complexity of simulation and analysis and provide better simulation effects, including gas conduction mechanisms.
Purposes of peer review: A qualitative study of stakeholder expectations and perceptions

Stakeholders might have diverging or conflicting expectations about the functions that peer review should fulfil. We aimed to explore how stakeholder groups perceive peer review and what they expect from it. We conducted qualitative focus group workshops with early‐, mid‐, and senior career scholars, editors, and publishers. We recruited participants following a purposive maximum variation sampling approach. To identify purposes of peer review, we conducted a thematic analysis. Stakeholders expected peer review (1) to assess the contributions of a manuscript, (2) to conduct quality control, (3) to improve manuscripts, (4) to assess the suitability of manuscripts for a journal, (5) to provide a decision‐making tool for editors, (6) to provide feedback by peers, (7) to curate a community, and (8) to provide a seal of accreditation for published articles. Stakeholders with different roles and tasks in the peer review process differed in the value they attached to the functions of peer review. Early‐ and mid‐career researchers valued social and feedback functions of peer review, while senior career researchers and editors expected it to instead perform a technical assessment of manuscripts and serve as a decision‐making tool. Publishers expected peer review to assess the suitability of manuscripts for their journals and to provide a seal of accreditation. This revealed a potential tension between functions of peer review. Stakeholder expectations are shaped by how stakeholders perceive their own roles both in relation to the peer review process and within their scientific community.
International diversification, ownership structure and performance in an emerging market: evidence from Chile

Abstract This research analyzes the impact of international diversification on the performance of Chilean exporting firms. Considering a sample of 47 companies listed on the Santiago Stock Exchange during the period 2003–2013, we found an international diversification discount. Secondly, when investigating the relationship between international diversification and performance, we found that they are related through an inverted U curve. Finally, we investigated how the ownership structure moderates the relationship between international diversification and performance, finding that the ownership concentration and pyramidal ownership positively impacts the performance of companies initiating international diversification strategies; and that the business groups’ affiliation negatively impacts in the international diversification-performance relationship.
Thermal segregation drives patterns of alder and willow expansion in a montane ecosystem subject to climate warming

Tall‐shrub expansion into low‐statured communities, a hallmark of recent vegetative change across tundra ecosystems, involves three major genera: Alnus, Betula and Salix. Which genus expands most into tundra landscapes will determine ecosystem properties. We show that Alnus and Salix shrubs segregate thermal space (elevation × insolation) and colonize tundra landscapes differently in response to climate warming, thereby replacing different tundra types. Vegetative change estimated from repeat photography should account for hill‐slope. Methodologically, slope determines surface area estimated from orthophotos as projected pixel area times secant of pixel slope. Ecologically, the change in thermally responsive vegetative area is sensitive to terrain steepness, scaling as the cosecant of hill‐slope, so that studies should expect more shrub expansion in areas of shallow slopes than steep slopes. Repeat aerial photography in Alaska's Chugach Mountains from 1972 to 2012 orthorectified on a high‐resolution lidar digital elevation model indicated tall Salix was rare in 1972 and colonized warmer slopes by 2012. Tall Alnus colonized steeper, cooler slopes both by 2012 and by 1972. Salix and forest colonized similar thermal space. Colonization probability for both shrub genera was maximized at intermediate elevations. Alnus colonization adjacent to dwarf‐shrub tundra was twenty times as likely as Salix colonization. Salix colonization adjacent to low‐shrub/herbaceous tundra was three times as likely as Alnus colonization. Replacement of dwarf‐shrub tundra by Alnus and of low‐shrub/herbaceous communities by Salix will affect herbivores and soil properties. Good agreement between observations of plant functional type and multinomial predictions in a thermal space defined by elevation and insolation suggested that these two variables were sufficient for forecast modelling. Spatially explicit, climate‐driven generalized linear multinomial and random forest classification models in available thermal space forecast surface areas of forest, Alnus, Salix and tundra over a range of warming, modelled as upward shifted isotherms, including expected IPCC scenarios. Both modelling approaches indicated that shrubs may respond nonlinearly to warming. Synthesis. The provision of taxon‐specific coefficients for climate‐driven, spatially explicit models using high‐resolution digital elevation models is necessary for accurately forecasting vegetative change due to climate warming in montane and arctic regions.
Yerba mate: cultivation systems, processing and chemical composition. A review

: The unique chemical composition of yerba mate and its functionalities suggest that it needs to be explored for its innovation potential. New uses may boost consumption, surpassing the traditional consumption barrier, and making yerba mate accessible on a global level. Thus, to highlight the importance of yerba mate as a potential source of agro-economic resources, we present a review on its botanical, ecological, and industrial aspects, along with information on the biochemical composition of this species and its biological activity.
Ritual and Religion as Social Technologies of Cooperation

This chapter takes as its point of departure the influential French sociologist Émile Durkheim’s view that religion and ritual are inherently social phenomena (Durkheim, 1912/1965). Although we emphasize the social aspects of religion and ritual in this chapter, this is not to deny the value of approaches that focus on the individual as the unit of analysis. We focus on the role that collective rituals and religious beliefs play in fostering and maintaining cooperation and coordination. This seems to put us once again on Durkheim’s side, insofar as his theory of religion and ritual is functionalist and thus presents them as playing a role in maintaining social order in society. However, we do not seek to defend a functionalist explanation of religion and ritual here. Rather, we aim to consider the effects of these cultural technologies. Our focus is empirical, however, rather than just theoretical. We examine the effects that collective rituals can have on cooperation and coordination by reviewing recent work from experimental and developmental psychology, as well as the fields of cognitive anthropology and cultural evolution. By “ritual,” we mean a culturally sanctioned, collectively performed set of actions that are characterized by such traits as normative rigidity, repetitive redundancy, and functional or causal opacity (Boyer & Liénard, 2006; Liénard & Boyer, 2006; Rappaport, 1999; Rossano, 2012; Whitehouse, 2011). By “religion,” we mean the social and psychological phenomena associated with culturally shared beliefs in supernatural agents or forces (Boyer, 2001; Guthrie, 1993; Jong, 2015; Pyysiäinen, 2003, 2009; Sutherland, 2012)
The Link Between Cognitive Flexibility and Educational Stress Among High School Students: Mediation Through Perception of Teacher Acceptance

This study examined the relationship between adolescents’ cognitive flexibility and educational stress and the mediating role of perception of teacher acceptance on this relation. The study was based on a sample of 331 high school students in Turkey (145 male and 186 female). The age of students ranged from 14 to 18 years (Mage =16.12, SD=1.26). The child version of the Teacher Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire, Cognitive Flexibility Scale, Educational Stress Scale, and the Personal Information Form were used as measures. The results show that female students’ perception of teacher acceptance, and educational stress level were significantly higher than male students. Resuts also show that educational stress was significantly correlated with perception of teacher acceptance, cognitive flexibility, and age negatively. Finally, the result of the mediation analysis revealed that perception of teacher acceptance mediated the relationship between cognitive flexibility and educational stress. The results are discussed based on literature, and suggestions for researchers and practitioners were proposed.
MCM10 Acts as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker and Promotes Cell Proliferation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis and Experimental Validation

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common human malignant tumors. The prognosis of HCC patients is still unsatisfying. Thus, it is of great importance to identify novel molecules and functional pathways associated with the pathophysiology of HCC. In this study, we performed the integrated bioinformatics analysis and experiment validation to identify novel biomarkers in the prognosis and progression of HCC. Materials and Methods Gene expression profiles were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE33294) for the screening of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HCC tissues and matched non-tumor tissues. The DEGs were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). The key genes in HCC were further subjected to overall survival analysis of HCC patients. The in vitro functional studies were performed to validate the biological functions of the key gene in HCC cell progression. Results A total of 2,334 DEGs were screened from GSE33294 dataset, including 1,120 up-regulated and 1,214 down-regulated genes. GO, KEGG and GSEA results showed that DEGs are significantly associated with the biological process of cell cycle, cell division and DNA replication. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis results showed that the key genes from the minichromosome maintenance protein complex (MCM) family including MCM8, MCM10, MCM2, MCM3, MCM4, MCM6 and MCM7 were significantly correlated with the overall survival of the HCC patients. Further validation studies showed that MCM10 was significantly up-regulated in the HCC cell lines, and knockdown of MCM10 significantly suppressed cell proliferation as determined by the cell counting kit-8 and BrdU incorporation assays and increased the caspase-3 activity of HCC cells. Conclusion The comprehensive bioinformatics analysis identified several key genes that were associated with the prognosis of HCC patients. The validation study results indicated that MCM10 may be an important predictor for poorer prognosis of HCC patients and may act as an oncogene to promote HCC cell progression.
NUTRIENTS UTILIZATION AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF WEANER RABBITS AS INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENTLY PROCESSED RATTLE BOX (Crotolaria retusa) LEAF MEAL

In an experiment to evaluate the effect of feeding differently processed rattle box ( Crotalaria retusa ) leaf meal on nutrient retention, digestibility and carcass characteristics of weaner rabbits in Northern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria, twenty four (24) weaner rabbits of mixed breeds with an average weight of 658±0.12 g were randomly allotted to four (4) dietary treatments with six (6) rabbits per treatment in a Completely Randomized Design. The leaves of Crotalaria retusa were harvested fresh and divided into three portions of 4kg each. The first portion was ensiled in a polyethene bag for 14 days, the second portion was oven dried at 60 o C for six (6) hours while the third portion was shade-dried for three (3) days. After proper drying, all the samples were ground using hammer mill and taken to the laboratory for proximate analysis. The results of the nutrient intake and digestibility revealed that dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), ether extract, minerals (ash) and nitrogen free extract (NFE) were significantly higher (P 0.05) in oven-dried C . retusa and air-dried C . retusa diets. Dietary treatments have no significant (P >0.05) effect on chest, loin, stomach, length of large intestine, empty weight of the small intestine and large intestines. But significant (P<0.05) difference were observed across the treatments for pre-slaughter weight, dressing percentage, heart, lungs, head, liver, kidney, thigh, tail, fat, spleen, weight of small intestine and empty weight of the small intestine. It was concluded that processed leaves of Crotalaria retusa could be efficiently utilized by weaner rabbits without any deleterious effect. However, further studies into the long term effect on internal organs and reproductive performance is suggested.