Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tendril extract of Cucurbita moschata suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation in murine macrophages and human trophoblast cells

Inflammation is the root cause of many diseases that pose a serious threat to human health. Excessive inflammation can also result in preterm birth or miscarriage in pregnant women. Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne, CMD) is a well-known traditional health food and medicinal herb used in many countries to treat diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, cancer and other diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of hot water extract derived from the tendrils of C. moschata Duchesne (TCMD) on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in murine macrophages and human trophoblast cells. The TCMD treatment of LPS-primed bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and human trophoblast cells attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by inflammasome activators such as ATP, nigericin, and monosodium urate (MSU). TCMD treatment suppressed IL-1β secretion in a dose-dependent manner, without affecting IL-6 secretion. In addition, TCMD inhibited NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis in BMDMs. TCMD also suppressed the release of mature IL-1β and activation of cleaved-caspase-1 via limited ASC oligomerization. Furthermore, TCMD significantly inhibited IL-1β secretion and pyroptotic cell death in human trophoblast cells. These results suggest that TCMD exhibits anti-inflammatory effects mediated via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation suggesting therapeutic potential against inflammatory diseases, preterm birth, and miscarriage.
Preparation and Characterization of Cu (II), Mn(II) and Zn(II)complexes with new sulfamethoxazole Compounds

Acetophenone sulfamethoxazole and 3-Nitrobenzophenone sulfamethoxazole were prepared from the reaction of sulfamethoxazole with two ketones. The prepared ligands were identified by (C.H.N) analysis and UV-VIS, FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. Metal complexes of the two ligands were prepared in an aqueous alcohol with Zn (II) , Mn (II) and Cu (II) ions with a molar ratio1:1. The proposed general formula for the resulting complexes was [ML.CL2. H2O]H2O . The complexes were characterized by (C.H.N) technique , spectroscopic methods ,conductivity, atomic absorption ,magnetic susceptibility measurements and melting point. According to the results obtained, the suggested geometry is to be octahedral for all the complexes.
Thermodynamic and theoretical evaluation of binary liquid mixtures using ultrasonic NDE

Ultrasonic velocities, densities and viscosities of the binary liquid mixtures, butan-2-one with benzene and butan-2-one with carbon tetrachloride at 308 K by applying 2 MHz frequency over the entire mole fraction range. A detailed ultrasonic speed study on the binary liquid mixtures using thermodynamically derived acoustical parameters like free length, molecular interaction parameter, molar cohesive energy and internal pressure shows the extent of intermolecular interactions. Comparing the experimental values with theoretically evaluated ultrasonic velocities from Nomoto relation, Van Deal and Vangeel relation, Junjee relation and ideal mixing relation with different mole fraction range shows the interaction between the unlike molecules. Validity and application of these theories were correlated.
Nonparametric estimation of the local Hurst function of multifractional processes

Consistency, almost sure convergence and central limit theorems are provided for two nonparametric estimators of the local Hurst function of Gaussian multifractional processes. In the case of multifractional Brownian motions, we correct results of Coeurjolly (2005) [11] and Benassi et al. (1998a) [8].
Geophysical properties of the crust and upper mantle of the ocean-continent transition in Svalbard area

This paper presents a review of geophysical studies of the crust and the lithosphereasthenosphere boundary (LAB) in the ocean-continent transition in the area of Spitsbergen (Svalbard Archipelago) in high Arctic. Over last decades many investigations were performed during Polish geophysical expeditions, as well as in the framework of international cooperation with scientists from Germany, Japan, Norway and USA. We compiled here existing seismic, gravity and thermal models down to LAB depth along the 800 km long transect extending from the actively spreading Knipovich Ridge, across southern Spitsbergen to the Kong Karls Land Volcanic Province. The results of all methods are very consistent, although they are sensitive to different physical parameters: seismic wave velocities, densities and thermal. The thinnest lithosphere of only 12 km is found beneath the Knipovich Ridge. Only 50 km to the west and 50 km to the east of the ridge the LAB depth increases to about 30 km, and this value corresponds to the oceanic structure of the North Atlantic Ocean. Beneath southern Spitsbergen the LAB depth is about 55 km and increases to 90–100 km beneath continental structure of the Barents Sea. The uplift of the LAB close to distance of 700 km along transect could be correlated with Kong Karls Land Volcanic Province.
The avian gut microbiota: community, physiology and function in wild birds

Gastrointestinal microbiota play a vital role in maintaining organismal health, through facilitating nutrient uptake, detoxification and interactions with the immune system. The gastrointestinal microbiota of birds has been poorly studied, especially in wild species under natural conditions. Studies of avian gut microbiota are outnumbered ten to one by studies of mammals, and are dominated by research on domestic poultry. Unlike domestic poultry, wild birds vary widely in environmental preferences, physiology, and life-history traits, such as migratory behavior and mating systems. Species characteristics result in a vast diversity in gut microbiota and its composition and function. Avian life-history characteristics pose selection pressures on the gut microbiota, and ultimately affect host health. Here, we review current knowledge of the gut microbiota of wild birds, including: partitioning of digestive function and microbiota among different gastrointestinal compartments, microbial diversity and function in the context of host diet, energetics and behavior, and the intrinsic and extrinsic factors impacting gut microbiota in free-living birds. The shared core microbiota of wild bird species is dominated by members of four major phyla: Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. However, microbial communities varies interand intra-specifically, and among gastrointestinal tract sections. To conclude, we identify three key research areas that warrant further investigation: 1) expanding the range of avian host taxa investigated, 2) identifying the function of avian gut microbiota in physiology and immunology, and 3) transitioning from observational studies to experimental manipulations to identify key determinants of wild bird gut microbiota composition.
Epidemiology of lung cancer in northeast of Iran: A 25-year study of 939 patients

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is a global public health priority. In this study, the epidemiology and current trends of primary LCs were investigated in northeast of Iran. Methods: Demographic and pathologic records of primary LCs during 1985-2012 in Mashhad (capital of northeast of Iran) were reviewed. Data were obtained from archives of the largest referral oncologic hospital and the only private outpatient radiation-oncologic clinic in the region. To investigate trends, study duration was classified into 3 periods: 1985-1995, 1995-2005, and 2005-2012. Patients were placed in one of these 3 groups, based on the date of their pathologic diagnosis. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software. T test, chi-squared, and ANOVA tests were used for data analysis, and statistical significant level was set at < 0.05. Results: Among 939 cases with pathologic diagnosis of primary LC, male-to-female ratio was 2.36. Mean±SD age at diagnosis was 61.47±12.01 years in males and 58.45±12.75 in females (p=0.001). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most frequent pathologic subtype. Mean age at diagnosis and rate of smokers were unchanged during the study (p= 0.978 and 0.153, respectively). Relative frequency of leading pathologic subtypes changed in 3 intervals (p<0.001): it was increasing in adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma and decreasing in SCC and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). There were statistically significant differences in the mean age at diagnosis (p<0.001), rate of smokers (p<0.001), and male-to-female ratio (p=0.011) between leading pathologic subtypes. Conclusion: Similar to universal picture, rate of adenocarcinoma in northeast of Iran was rising during recent decades, especially among younger patients, women, and nonsmokers. These trends are indicative of changes in exposures and smoking habits and reveal the need for regional studies in these contexts.
Impaction of Canine Tooth after Alveolar Bone Graft in Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate: A Systematic Review

Cleft Lip and Palate (CL/P) is the most common congenital facial malformation. One of the surgeries that need to be performed to CL/P rehabilitation is the alveolar bone graft which has as one of its functions to allow the eruption of the canine tooth. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review on articles that showed the rate of impacting permanent canine tooth in the alveolar cleft area after the secondary bone grafting surgeries in patients with CL/P. An electronic search with Englishlanguage studies was undertaken in the following databases: Medline/PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. A total of 468 were selected and 119 were fully read and 35 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The articles analyzed showed that the impacted canine tooth rate in the alveolar bone grafted region is not frequently reported after the secondary alveolar bone graft and a very wide variation in the canine impaction rate, ranging from 0% to 93.75%. Due to the risk of bias in the studies included in this literature review we observed that there is insufficient evidence to relate the impact rate of permanent canines after the alveolar bone graft with the type of bone source used or with the achievement of orthodontic maxillary expansion prior to the secondary bone graft. Marinho N1, Leyendecker AJr1, De Arruda AJA2, Tanikawa DYS1,3,4, Calasans-Maia M5 and Bueno DF1,3* 1Department of Surgery, Hospital Sírio Libanês, Brazil 2Department of Oral Surgery and Pathology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil 3Department of Surgery, Hospital Municipal Infantil Menino Jesus, Brazil 4Department of Plastic Surgery, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil 5Department of Oral Surgery, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
The Rise of Psychological Acceptance and Mindfulness

So it is too that in the eyes of the world it is dangerous to venture. And why? Because one may lose. But not to venture is shrewd. And yet, by not venturing, it is so dreadfully easy to lose that which it would be diffi cult to lose in even the most venturesome venture, and in any case never so easily, so completely as if it were nothing . one’s self. —Kierkegaard, Th e Sickness Unto Death (1849) Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has now become the dominant force in psychotherapy in much of the world, including North America, the United Kingdom, much of Europe, and increasingly throughout Asia and Latin America. Th e rise of CBT is due to the confl uence of several factors, primary among which is the increased focus on evidence-based practice and associated calls for accountability in the delivery of behavioral health services (Baker, McFall, & Shoham, 2009). Th roughout its history, CBT has been committed to a scientifi c perspective to the study of psychopathology and its treatment. Hundreds of studies have evaluated various cognitive behavioral theories of psychopathology, and hundreds more have assessed the effi cacy of CBT interventions. Th is scientifi c literature has placed CBT in a unique position to dominate the fi eld of psychotherapy. Th is extraordinary growth immediately raises the question: What exactly is CBT? Does the term refer to a specifi c model of psychopathology or psychotherapy? Or perhaps to a domain of treatment, either in terms of targeted processes or pathologies? In fact, the term CBT has become so broad as to defy clear defi nition. Th e Web site of the Association for Advancement of Behavioral and Cognitive Th erapies, the premier multidisciplinary, international organization devoted to CBT, avoids a specifi c defi nition of the term, instead describing the organization’s mission as “the advancement of a scientifi c approach to the understanding and amelioration of problems of the human condition. ” Various theories, principles, models, and techniques fall under the general rubric of CBT, and these approaches have been applied to the full range of human experience, from the assessment and treatment of severe psychopathology and profound developmental delays to primary prevention eff orts to enhancing peak performance among athletes. CBT has become
Dissociating Confidence and Accuracy: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Shows Origins of the Subjective Memory Experience

Successful memory typically implies both objective accuracy and subjective confidence, but there are instances when confidence and accuracy diverge. This dissociation suggests that there may be distinct neural patterns of activation related to confidence and accuracy. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the encoding of novel facename associations, assessed with a postscan memory test that included objective measures of accuracy and subjective measures of confidence. We showed specific neural activity in the left inferior prefrontal cortex associated with trials when subjects expressed high confidence that they had chosen the correct name for the face and made a correct identification. Moreover, we found that this region was also associated with imparting high confidence when subjects chose the incorrect name. However, medial temporal lobe regions showed activity only for high-confidence correct trials. Many functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that the medial temporal lobe and left prefrontal regions are particularly important for the successful formation of memories by using a combination of subjective and objective measures. Our findings suggest that these regions may be differentially involved in the objective and subjective components of memory and that the origins of confidenceaccuracy dissociations may be related to incomplete activation of the neural pattern seen in successful encoding. These findings may also aid understanding of eyewitness misidentifications and memory distortions.
Anti-cancer therapeutic benefit of red guava extracts as a potential therapy in combination with doxorubicin or targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer cells

Guava extracts purified from leaf and bark have many bio-active molecules with anti-cancer activities. In addition, lycopene-rich extracts obtained from red guava fruit can induce apoptosis in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and, therefore, hormone therapy and targeted therapy are not used in the clinic. The purpose of this study was to determine whether red guava fruit extracts can affect the proliferation of TNBC cells. In this study, cell viability was determined by using the MTT assay. Apoptosis and necrosis were analyzed using flow cytometry. Cleaved caspase-3 and PARP were analyzed by western blotting. We found that red guava extracts can, through caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage signaling, induce apoptotic and necrotic death in TNBC cells. Our results thus show the therapeutic benefit of red guava extracts as a potential cancer treatment for TNBC in combination with doxorubicin or targeted therapy.
A National survey on substance use among Iranian industrial workers

Background: Recent evidence shows that the prevalence of substance abuse is 2.1% in Iranians aged 15-64 years, while reported rates are higher in studies that target industrial workplaces. Our study intends to provide a national picture of substance use among industrial workers in Iran. Methods: This survey was designed to collect data through interviews and dipstick urine tests. Using a multi-stage sampling approach, we recruited our study subjects from a representative sample of industrial workers from all provinces in 2015. Data were weighted to estimate the prevalence rate of substance use. Odds ratios were calculated through adapting logistic regression to test the strength of association between substance use (based on self-report and urine test) and sociodemographic factors including sex, age group, education level, marital status and worker’s professional training status. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 22. P <0.05 was considered significant. Results: We analyzed the data collected from 13,128 participants; both self-reported use and urine test results. Majority of the respondents were male (n=12077, 92%), aged 21-40 years old (n=9491, 72.3%), had finished middle/secondary school (n=8353, 63.6%) and were married (n=11012, 83.9%). Opium was the most popular abused substance (n=352, 2.7%) followed by alcohol (304, 2.3%), based on self-reports. Urine tests showed that 23.8% (n=3105) of the participants had a positive result for the use of opiates/opioids, crystal meth and/or cannabis. The highest rate of substance use reported from a province was 60.50%; the lowest provincial rate was 9.0%. Conclusion: Nearly a one-fourth of Iranian industrial employees are engaged in use of substances with significant geographical distribution. Urine test is the recommended method to assess the prevalence of drug use among industrial workers in Iran.
Impact of physical activity and energy restriction on immune regulation of cancer

Cancer is a major public health issue worldwide. Lifestyle factors, such as body weight and physical activity (PA), significantly impact cancer risk and progression. There is strong evidence that PA reduces and obesity increases risk and mortality from numerous cancer types. Energy restriction (ER) in non-obese hosts significantly reduces tumor incidence in a variety of preclinical models, and reduces body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors in humans. Emerging data suggest that PA- and ER-induced changes in inflammatory and immune mediators may contribute to the cancer prevention effects of these interventions. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify studies that evaluated the impact of PA and ER on tumor and immune outcomes in humans and animal models. A total of 97 eligible studies were identified (68 studies reporting PA interventions and 30 studies reporting ER interventions). Thirty-one studies investigated the effect of PA on cancer immune outcomes using preclinical cancer models of breast (n=17, 55%), gastrointestinal (n=6, 19%), melanoma (n=4, 13%), and several other cancer types (n=4, 13%). Despite the heterogeneity in study designs, the majority of studies (n=23, 74%) reported positive effects of PA on tumor outcomes. Thirty-seven clinical studies investigated the effect of PA on cancer immune outcomes. None reported tumor outcomes, thus only immune outcomes were evaluated in these studies. PA studies were conducted in patients with breast (n=22, 59%), gastrointestinal (n=5, 14%), prostate (n=2, 5%), esophageal (n=1, 3%), lung (n=1, 3%) cancer, leukemia (n=1, 3%), or mixed cancer types (n=5, 14%). Twenty-two studies investigated the effect of ER interventions on cancer immune outcomes using preclinical cancer models including breast (n=5, 23%), gastrointestinal (n=5, 23%), lung (n=2, 9%), liver (n=2, 9%), pancreatic (n=2, 9%), and several other cancer types (n=6, 27%). Positive effects of ER on tumor outcomes were reported in 21 of 22 studies. Six clinical studies investigated the effect of ER (in combination with PA) on tumor immune outcomes in cancer patients with overweight or obesity. Five were conducted in breast cancer patients, and one recruited patients of a mix of cancer types. A wide range of immunological parameters including immune cell phenotype and function, cytokines, and other immune and inflammatory markers were assessed in multiple tissue compartments (blood, spleen, lymph nodes and tumor) in the included studies. Results from preclinical and clinical studies suggest that both PA and ER exert heterogeneous effects on circulating factors and systemic immune responses. PA + ER alters the gene expression profile and immune infiltrates in the tumor which may result in a reduction in immune suppressive factors. However, additional studies are needed to better understand the effect of PA and/or ER on immunomodulation, particularly in the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Changes in seed yield and quality resulting from lodging in Italian ryegrass crop

Rainfall accompanied with winds favour lodging of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Thus, the main objective was to determine the changes in seed yield and quality resulting from lodging of Italian ryegrass crop grown under various nitrogen (N) fertilization rates. Nitrogen fertilization consistently increased lodging score and seed moisture content at harvest. The onset of considerable lodging (>50%) was observed before crop heading at the highest N fertilization, while delayed lodging occurred at lower N fertilization rates. Seed yield decreased at the highest N rate. In spite of increased lodging score, the 1000-seed weight tended to increase with higher N fertilization rates, which was not found for seed germination.
Using the interactive whiteboard to resource continuity and support multimodal teaching in a primary science classroom

Abstract All communication is inherently multimodal, and understandings of science need to be multidimensional. The interactive whiteboard offers a range of potential benefits to the primary science classroom in terms of relative ease of integration of a number of presentational and ICT functions, which, taken together, offers new opportunities for fostering multifaceted pedagogic strategies. In this case study, we examine in detail how a teacher pursues two themes across four science lessons. We examine how the teacher creates continuity in her students’ learning experiences through taking up some of the affordances of the IWB in order to represent scientific phenomena and engage children in activities to consolidate their understandings. Support is offered for the notion that while pedagogic goals and strategies must determine the selection of tools, rather than the ‘tail wagging the dog’ as in technology-focussed hyperbole, planned use of the interactive whiteboard, conceptualized as a ‘heterogeneous mediational tool kit’ (Wertsch 1991), can be effectively integrated into teaching practice.