Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Underlying Anticancer Mechanisms and Synergistic Combinations of Phytochemicals with Cancer Chemotherapeutics: Potential Benefits and Risks

Cancer therapies are associated with various challenges including the emergence of multidrug resistant tumors, toxicological issues, severe side effects, and economic burden. To counteract these effects, natural products as substitutes and adjuvant therapies have received considerable attention owing to their safety, efficacy, and economic aspects. Various preclinical and clinical studies revealed that natural products and their combinations with chemotherapeutics mediate their anticancer effects via modulation of various signaling pathways implicated in promoting apoptosis, inhibiting excessive cellular proliferation, and mobilizing the immune system. Several lead phytochemicals including curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin, and cannabinoids synergistically act with cancer chemotherapeutics reducing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. However, clinical studies on the subject matter are limited and need further extensive studies. It has been observed that patients undergoing chemotherapy use alternative therapies to ameliorate the symptoms associated with the use of chemotherapeutic agents. Nevertheless, some of the patients inform their physicians regarding herbal medicine during chemotherapy while others do not, and even most of the patients do not know the composition of herbal medicine they consume during chemotherapy. Herbal interactions with chemotherapeutics are associated with both beneficial and harmful aspects, but the beneficial aspect overweighs the harmful ones in terms of controlling the symptoms associated with the chemotherapy. Nonetheless, a large number of herbal medicines have been demonstrated to have synergistic effect with chemotherapy and alleviate the side effects of chemotherapeutic agents. The concomitant use of the majority of herbal medicines with chemotherapy has been demonstrated to be beneficial in multiple malignant tumors like cancer of blood, lungs, kidneys, liver, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. However, herbal medicines which possess positive interaction and improve the quality of life of patients should be sorted out and integrated with the chemotherapy. There should be a quality control system for the appraisal of herbal medicine, and there should also be an appropriate system of patient-doctor communication to counsel the patients regarding the beneficial and deleterious effects of the herbal medicine in combination with chemotherapy.
Spatial characteristics of stray current corrosion of reinforcing bars in pseudo concrete

This paper focuses on the spatial characteristics of reinforcing‐bars corrosion under stray current. In the study, a corrosion experiment using a specimen with three steel bars embedded in pseudo concrete was carried out, the distribution of corrosion was obtained by three‐dimensional scanning. Further, a numerical model with the same dimension of the specimen was simulated to explain experimental results. The distribution of electric field driven by stray current was discussed in detail. Results show that by observation through the transparent matrix and by three‐dimensional scanning, the distribution of corrosion could be estimated qualitatively and quantitatively. Additionally, the spatial characteristics of corrosion state under stray current could be realized by the numerical simulation which combines polarization reaction with an extra stray current field. The stray current field around reinforcing bars was uneven in the cross‐sectional plane, leading to the difference of corrosion rate, which reflects the strong positive correlation between the field and corrosion rate.
Who counts as a sexual partner? Women’s criteria for defining and sorting through their sexual histories

ABSTRACT Notions of who counts as a sexual partner – that is, what specific actions, feelings, or relationships become defined as part of one’s sexual history – often carry assumptions about sexual scripts, power, and social identities. In this exploratory study, we analysed semi-structured interviews with eighteen women from a diverse 2019 community sample (mean age = 36.39, SD = 12.24) collected in a large Southwestern U.S. city in order to examine how women made decisions about who was classified as a sexual partner throughout their lifetime when reviewing their sexual histories and previous sexual encounters. We identified six behavioural, relational, and emotional themes in how women defined and demarcated sexual versus nonsexual partners: 1) Having penile-vaginal intercourse; 2) Engaging in non-penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) forms of sex; 3) Having an orgasm with someone; 4) Any physical sexual contact involving genitals; 5) Having a romantic relationship with someone; and 6) Feeling attraction and desire for a person. Tensions about heterosexist biases in sexual inventories were discussed, as were methodological implications for measuring, studying, and identifying non-PVI sexual encounters.
Indigenous additives: Effects on the physico-chemical and sensory properties of fermented yam flour and its product - amala

The inclusion of indigenous additives during the processing of elubo (fermented yam flour) has been alleged to result in high quality amala (reconstituted fermented yam flour) by improving its colour characteristics, which is a major quality index of amala, and other sensory attributes. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of indigenous food additives on the colour and chemical properties of elubo and the sensory properties of amala. Five (5) batches of Elubo were processed from Dioscorea rotundata var. atoja with indigenous additives (ewe okan, popooro oka, omikan and ewe abafe) and a control sample with no additive. Amala samples were prepared from the elubo samples using standard method. The chemical properties (proximate composition, pH, starch and sugar content) of the elubo; colour parameters: L* (lightness), a* (red-green axis) and b* (yellow-blue axis) of elubo and amala; and sensory evaluation properties of amala were determined using standard procedures. The study showed that indigenous additives had significant (p<0.05) effect on the pH, ash content, crude fat and starch content. The results of the colour parameters showed that L* and b* values of the elubo samples without additives were the highest (92.22) and lowest (11.92) respectively, as the samples with additives had reduced L* values ranging between 87.71 to 75.37 and increased b* values of 12.46 to 13.68 respectively. The additives had significant effect on the L* (46.78 to 52.90), a* (3.49 – 6.08) and b* (9.04 – 13.12) values of the amala samples. There were also significant (P<0.05) effects of the additives on the sensory properties of amala. Hence, the selected additives used in processing of fermented yam flour (elubo) had significant impact on the sensory attributes and colour parameters of the fermented yam flour and its resulting product (amala), but no significant effect on most of the chemical properties. Key words: Fermented yam flour, Popooro oka, ewe okan, omikan, quality attributes
Length-weight relationship and condition factor of Sarotherodon melanotheron and Tilapia guineensis in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria

The length-weight relationship and condition factor of Sarotherodon melanotheron and Tilapia guineensis inhabiting Lagos lagoon were examined and the relationship among the parameters was determined by correlation. The mean total length and weight was 16.33±2.24cm and 71.44±30.04g for S. melanotheron and 16.08±2.92cm and 84.93±44.24g for T. Guineensis, respectively. The regression coefficient (b) of length and weight revealed that S. melanotheron exhibited negative allometry (b=2.36; a=-2.39; R2=0.67) while T. guineensis exhibited positive allometry (b=3.19; a=-4.54; R2=0.87). The condition factor which measures the physiology (wellbeing) of fish was greater than 1 for the two species although, it was higher in T. guineensis (2.04) than S. melanotheron (1.64). This difference may be due to variation in the weights of the two fish species as well as environmental factors in the lagoon. The study revealed that both species were healthy despite that Lagos lagoon receives wastewater from different anthropogenic sources. This shows that the study area is conducive for the development and sustenance of fisheries resources.
Performance analysis of a digital fiber optic link incorporating gain‐levered laser diode transmitter

In this paper, digital modulation performance of two‐section, multiple quantum well gain‐levered laser diode in a fiber optic link is analyzed. This study involves numerical simulation of gain‐levered laser diode along with single‐mode fiber for evaluating gigabit rate digital transmission. The optical link performance is analyzed by evaluating the eye diagram, extinction ratio, and quality factor for different bit rates, modulation current, and fiber lengths. The results are compared with unlevered or normal laser diode–based fiber optic link with similar operating conditions. A 12‐dB improvement in extinction ratio is obtained for gain‐levered laser diode when the longer section and shorter section currents are kept as 30 and 0.5 mA, respectively. The Q parameter is found to increase with increasing modulation current in the gain‐levered case, and a maximum Q factor of 11 is obtained for a modulation current of 5 mA. The Q value is improved by a factor of 8 and 5 at 1‐ Gbps and 10‐Gbps data rates, respectively, under gain‐levered condition, when compared to normal laser diode–based link.
Development of Radiotracers for Imaging of the PD-1/PD-L1 Axis

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has emerged as a major treatment option for a variety of cancers. Among the immune checkpoints addressed, the programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 are the key targets for an ICI. PD-L1 has especially been proven to be a reproducible biomarker allowing for therapy decisions and monitoring therapy success. However, the expression of PD-L1 is not only heterogeneous among and within tumor lesions, but the expression is very dynamic and changes over time. Immunohistochemistry, which is the standard diagnostic tool, can only inadequately address these challenges. On the other hand, molecular imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) provide the advantage of a whole-body scan and therefore fully address the issue of the heterogeneous expression of checkpoints over time. Here, we provide an overview of existing PET, SPECT, and optical imaging (OI) (radio)tracers for the imaging of the upregulation levels of PD-1 and PD-L1. We summarize the preclinical and clinical data of the different molecule classes of radiotracers and discuss their respective advantages and disadvantages. At the end, we show possible future directions for developing new radiotracers for the imaging of PD-1/PD-L1 status in cancer patients.
Deep-BERT: Transfer Learning for Classifying Multilingual Offensive Texts on Social Media

Offensive messages on social media, have recently been frequently used to harass and criticize people. In recent studies, many promising algorithms have been developed to identify offensive texts. Most algorithms analyze text in a unidirectional manner, where a bidirectional method can maximize performance results and capture semantic and contextual information in sentences. In addition, there are many separate models for identifying offensive texts based on monolingual and multilingual, but there are a few models that can detect both monolingual and multilingual-based offensive texts. In this study, a detection system has been developed for both monolingual and multilingual offensive texts by combining deep convolutional neural network and bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (Deep-BERT) to identify offensive posts on social media that are used to harass others. This paper explores a variety of ways to deal with multilingualism, including collaborative multilingual and translation-based approaches. Then, the Deep-BERT is tested on the Bengali and English datasets, including the different bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) pre-trained word-embedding techniques, and found that the proposed DeepBERT’s efficacy outperformed all existing offensive text classification algorithms reaching an accuracy of 91.83%. The proposed model is a state-of-the-art model that can classify both monolingual-based and multilingual-based offensive texts.
Improving disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment using novel bionic technologies

Abstract Increased human life expectancy, due in part to improvements in infant and childhood survival, more active lifestyles, in combination with higher patient expectations for better health outcomes, is leading to an extensive change in the number, type and manner in which health conditions are treated. Over the next decades as the global population rapidly progresses toward a super‐aging society, meeting the long‐term quality of care needs is forecast to present a major healthcare challenge. The goal is to ensure longer periods of good health, a sustained sense of well‐being, with extended periods of activity, social engagement, and productivity. To accomplish these goals, multifunctionalized interfaces are an indispensable component of next generation medical technologies. The development of more sophisticated materials and devices as well as an improved understanding of human disease is forecast to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of conditions ranging from osteoarthritis to Alzheimer's disease and will impact disease prevention. This review examines emerging cutting‐edge bionic materials, devices and technologies developed to advance disease prevention, and medical care and treatment in our elderly population including developments in smart bandages, cochlear implants, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence and nanorobotics in medicine.
Board attributes and corporate social responsibility performance: evidence from Vietnam

Abstract Nowadays, there is increasing attention on corporate social responsibility (CSR) matters after some serious CSR-related scandals happening around the world. However, most of the research is carried out in developed countries, but not developing countries where environmental issues and firms’ unethical behaviors are always serious problems. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand and contribute more about the CSR issues in Vietnam, focusing on the effect of board attributes, particularly, board size, board independence, CEO duality, and board gender diversity, on CSR performance under the support of agency and stakeholder theories. The data is taken from CSRHub and companies’ reports. Based on the sample of 68 companies at the beginning of October 2019, board size and board independence are found to positively affect CSR performance while CEO duality and board gender diversity exhibit a non-significant relationship with CSR performance.
Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Release Using Liquid Water Treatment Residuals

Water treatment residuals (WTRs) have been land‐applied at 20% solids to reduce phosphorus (P) release, but liquid WTRs (2% solids) may be more effective. Our objectives were to show the variability of phosphorus release within a field treated with solid WTRs, determine an optimal application rate for liquid WTRs, and evaluate the long‐term effectiveness of that rate. Six liquid WTR treatment rates (220–4,400 kg/ha) were applied in triplicate to soil cores at varying soil test phosphorus (STP) levels and then flooded. Soluble reactive phosphorus was measured in overlying water, release rates were calculated, and the soil was analyzed for Mehlich‐III and water extractable phosphorus. Release rates were highly variable (2–14 mg/m2/h) within a WTR‐treated field. A small application rate (440 kg/ha) was sufficient to control release at an STP level <100, but greater or repeated application may be necessary for long‐term control.
The Slow Development of Real-Time Processing: Spoken-Word Recognition as a Crucible for New Thinking About Language Acquisition and Language Disorders

Words are fundamental to language, linking sound, articulation, and spelling to meaning and syntax; and lexical deficits are core to communicative disorders. Work in language acquisition commonly focuses on how lexical knowledge—knowledge of words’ sound patterns and meanings—is acquired. But lexical knowledge is insufficient to account for skilled language use. Sophisticated real-time processes must decode the sound pattern of words and interpret them appropriately. We review work that bridges this gap by using sensitive real-time measures (eye tracking in the visual world paradigm) of school-age children’s processing of highly familiar words. This work reveals that the development of word recognition skills can be characterized by changes in the rate at which decisions unfold in the lexical system (the activation rate). Moreover, contrary to the standard view that these real-time skills largely develop during infancy and toddlerhood, they develop slowly, at least through adolescence. In contrast, language disorders can be linked to differences in the ultimate degree to which competing interpretations are suppressed (competition resolution), and these differences can be mechanistically linked to deficits in inhibition. These findings have implications for real-world problems such as reading difficulties and second-language acquisition. They suggest that developing accurate, flexible, and efficient processing is just as important a developmental goal as is acquiring language knowledge.
The Impact of Whirlpool Hop Addition on the Wort Metal Ion Composition and on the Flavor Stability of American Style Pale Ales Using Citra® Hop Extract and Pellets

Abstract The characteristic hoppy flavor of pale ales is known to be unstable and deteriorates during the beer’s shelf life. Metal ions, in particular iron and copper, have a prooxidative effect and therefore accelerate beer flavor deterioration. Recent studies suggest that hop constituents may complex metal ions in beer thereby suppressing their negative effect on beer flavor stability. Using benchtop wort boiling experiments and quantitating metal ions in the cast wort, this study determined that different whirlpool additions of up to 3.0 g/L hop extract or up to 17.4 g/L pellets significantly reduced metal ion concentrations in wort, especially Fe, which was reduced by a factor of up to 6 compared to the control. Based on identified dose- and product-related effects, 2.5-hL brewing trials were performed using a selection of whirlpool hopping levels with either extract or pellets revealing significant differences in resinous and sweaty flavor. The flavor of the beer hopped with 5.8 g/L pellets was perceived as 8 times more resinous and 9 times sweatier than the control revealing clear differences between extract and pellets, especially at the lower hopping levels. The beer flavor stability was predicted using ESR spectroscopy and verified by performing forced aging experiments at 30 °C and monitoring beer flavor changes by sensory evaluation. Results indicate that both extract and pellet whirlpool hopping improve beer flavor stability by reducing the formation of age-related off-flavors and by supporting the retention of flavors related to freshness with only minor variations between the two hop products.
From the dominant engineering education perspective to the aim of promoting service to humanity and the common good: the importance of rethinking engineering education

ABSTRACT Recognising the broader role and impact of engineering in contemporary society makes it necessary to rethink engineering education to strengthen its purpose of service to humanity and to the common good. From this perspective, future engineers need a more comprehensive education that is not only bound to the technical area but also incorporates critical reflection and ethical education. With the objective of facilitating the process of rethinking engineering education, the present study analyses the official mission of Portuguese higher education institutions offering engineering courses to identify current engineering education conceptions and the importance attached in them to the service to humanity view. The results reveal that the dominant conception is centred on the economic view of engineering and of the engineer. These results reinforce the need to build a new perspective that strengthens the role of engineering as a service to humanity, social justice and the common good.
Jihadist Journalism: Exploring the Geographic Coverage of al-Masra Newspaper

ABSTRACT Recent terrorism research has explored jihadist groups’ discourse surrounding different countries by exploring the content of various magazines. We build on existing literature by examining al-Masra, an Arabic-language newspaper linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). We created an original dataset from 1,250 articles in fifty-eight al-Masra editions, utilizing content analysis to code for each article’s main country of focus. Overall, we found that fifty-four countries formed the central focus of at least one al-Masra article. Although the United States was the most covered country, the combined coverage provided to countries in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa far outweighed al-Masra’s concentration on “the West. ” Despite al-Masra’s stated commitment to covering global Muslim affairs, however, a number of countries with large Muslim populations, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nigeria, received little attention. Interestingly, al-Masra’s focus on certain countries varied over time. While coverage of Libya, Somalia, and Syria decreased during 2017, al-Masra’s concentration on the United States increased over time, especially following Donald Trump’s electoral victory. This article contributes to research on terrorist media campaigns and framing strategies by examining an understudied Arabic-language jihadist publication and its propaganda related to dozens of countries.