Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetics of Cholesterol-Related Genes in Metabolic Syndrome: A Review of Current Evidence

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to a cluster of metabolic dysregulations, which include insulin resistance, obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia and hypertension. The complex pathogenesis of MetS encompasses the interplay between environmental and genetic factors. Environmental factors such as excessive nutrients and sedentary lifestyle are modifiable and could be improved by lifestyle modification. However, genetic susceptibility to MetS, a non-modifiable factor, has attracted the attention of researchers, which could act as the basis for future diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy for MetS. Several cholesterol-related genes associated with each characteristic of MetS have been identified, such as apolipoprotein, lipoprotein lipase (LPL), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and adiponectin. This review aims to summarize the genetic information of cholesterol-related genes in MetS, which may potentially serve as biomarkers for early prevention and management of MetS.
Cover crop mixtures versus single species: Water quality and cash crop yield

Cover crops promote environmental health and agricultural production, but most research in the Midwest focuses solely on winter cereal rye (Secale cereal L.) (CR). We evaluated cover crop mixtures compared to single species in terms of cover crop biomass (n = 32 site-years), cash crop yield (n = 32), and subsurface water quality (n = 17) spanning six sites and seven years in Iowa. Before soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr), the single species was CR and the mixture species were CR, radish (Raphanus sativus), and rapeseed (Brassica napus). Before corn (Zea mays L.), the single species was oats (Avena sativa) and the mixture species were oats, radish, and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). Before soybeans, average fall growth of CR in the single species was significantly greater than or similar to the mixture. Fall growth before corn with oats was significantly less than or similar to the oat mixture. Before soybeans/during soybean growth, both cover crop treatments had significantly lower spring nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in soil pore water than the control, and single species had lower concentrations than mixtures. Even with mostly winterkill cover crops before corn, spring NO3-N concentrations of soil pore water were significantly lower in the single species treatment than in the no cover treatment. Cover crop treatments had no influence on corn yield overall and slight negative influence on soybean yield at two of the sites. We propose the following to increase diversity of cover crops in the Midwest: CR before soybeans, oats and/or an oat mixture before corn, and introducing brassicas and hairy vetch in southern Iowa. In this project, these diverse species were possible after broadcast seeding in late August, and that would be our planting recommendation to promote fall growth.
Cavitation detection during and following HIFU exposure in vitro

Is the existence of a sustained hyperechogenic region on B‐scan images following HIFU treatment a necessary and sufficient condition for cavitation to have occurred during HIFU exposure? Three means of cavitation monitoring were used synchronously, before, during, and after continuous‐wave HIFU exposure of an agar‐graphite tissue phantom. A 1.1‐MHz HIFU transducer was confocally aligned with a 15‐MHz passive cavitation detection (PCD) transducer and a 5‐MHz scan head. The HIFU pressure amplitude was increased in steps of 0.26 MPa every 5 s. A peak detector recorded the peak PCD signal level and a dynamic signal analyzer monitored broadband noise emissions (5–10 MHz). The sudden onset of a PCD output signal occurred at a peak‐negative focal pressure of 1.25 MPa; no post‐HIFU hyperechogenic region was visible on the B‐scan images. A hyperechogenic region did eventually appear, but only for focal pressures in excess of 1.8 MPa. Inertial cavitation can therefore occur during HIFU exposure in the absence of a .
Five-Dimensional Straw Utilization Model and Its Impact on Carbon Emission Reduction in China

Enormous quantities of straw in China are burnt in open fields or discarded randomly, leading to a serious waste of biomass resources and environmental pollution. To accelerate sustainable development, straw resources must be used efficiently and reduce carbon emissions. Based on a systematic literature review, this study summarizes China’s latest development in straw utilization. It analyzes the accounting methods, carbon emission reduction effects and potential of straw utilization. The study highlights that straw utilization in China can be categorized into five-dimensional straw utilization models (FDSUM). The cost of collection, storage and transportation, and straw utilization technology are the main factors affecting straw utilization. FDSUM contributes greatly to agricultural carbon reduction. Straw-to-fertilizer has the highest contribution, and straw-to-fuel has the largest carbon emission reduction potential. The carbon emission reduction from straw–to-fuel utilization in 2020 was 63.43 × 109 kg CO2. In addition, China has not developed a standardized carbon accounting method for straw utilization. China needs to prioritize straw-to-fertilizer and straw-to-fuel conversion and develop low-carbon production technologies. This study will serve as a reference to further improve the utilization of straw in China and provide preliminary ideas for establishing a unified national carbon accounting system for straw utilization.
Translocation capacity of some heavy metals in aquatic food chain of crude oil impacted community of Imiringi in Bayelsa state, Nigeria

The translocation capacity of metals (Cd, Cr, As, Pb, and Hg) was determined in water and fish, and in the serum and vitreous humor harvested from New Zealand White (albino) rabbits fed with the processed fish. The sample size comprised 12 male rabbits divided equally into control and experimental groups. Both groups were fed with normal rabbit meal void of detectable metals for 3 months. Only animals grouped under the experimental group were fed fish meal harvested from River Imiringi, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The metals of interest were estimated using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Similarly, the choice statistical tool was the student t-test analyzed on SPSS version 18–22. The findings revealed that the studied heavy metal concentrations were higher in water and fish sourced from River Imiringi when compared with the World Health Organization’s minimum permissible limits. In the same vein, concentrations of cadmium, chromium, and total arsenic were significantly higher, whereas mercury was lower in fish when compared to that in the water. In addition, vitreous cadmium and lead concentrations were higher in the experimental group when compared with the control group, whereas vitreous chromium was lower. Furthermore, serum cadmium and chromium concentration comparisons were similar to that in the vitreous. The findings are indicative of the translocation capacity of metals from water to fish and then to serum and vitreous humor of rabbits. The increase in metal concentrations and their translocation capacity are potential risks to inhabitants of Imiringi that depends heavily on the river water resources.
Experimental Determination of the Dominant Type of Auger Recombination in InGaN Quantum Wells

We investigate theoretically the influence of type and density of background carriers in the active region on the quantum efficiency of InGaN-based light emitters using an extension of the ABC rate model. A method to determine experimentally whether a certain type of Auger recombination is relevant in InGaN quantum wells is derived from these considerations. Using this approach, we show that the physical process which is the dominant cause for the efficiency droop is superlinear in the electron density and can thus be assigned to nnp-Auger recombination.
Satellites of spiral galaxies

We present a survey of satellites around a homogeneous set of late-type spirals with luminosity similar to that of the Milky Way. On average, we find fewer than 1.5 satellites per primary, but we argue that we can treat the survey as an ensemble and so derive the properties of the halo of a 'typical' isolated spiral. The projected density profile of the ensemble falls off approximately as 1/r. Within 50 kpc the azimuthal distribution of satellites shows some evidence for the 'Holmberg effect', an excess near the minor axis of the primary; however, at larger projected distances, the distribution appears isotropic. There is a weak but significant correlation between the size of a satellite and its distance from its primary, as expected if satellites are tidally truncated. Neither Hubble type nor spectral characteristics correlate with apparent separation. The ensemble of satellites appears to be rotating at about 30 km/s in the same direction as the galactic disk. Satellites on prograde orbits tend to be brighter than those on retrograde orbits. The typical velocity difference between a satellite and its primary shows no clear dependence either on apparent separation, or on the rotation speed of the primary. Thus our survey demonstrates that isolated spiral galaxies have massive halos that extend to many optical radii.
On the spatial length scales of scalar dissipation in turbulent jet flames

Spatial length scales of the rate of dissipation, χ, of fluctuations of a conserved scalar, Z, are inferred numerically using a DNS database of a turbulent planar jet flame. The Taylor-scale Reynolds numbers lie in the range of 38 to 58 along the centreline of the simulated jet flame. Three different methods are used to study the spatial length scales associated with χ. First, analysis of the one-dimensional dissipation spectra shows an expected Reδ−3/4 (Kolmogorov) scaling with the outer-scale Reynolds number, Reδ. Secondly, thin sheet-like three-dimensional scalar dissipation structures have been investigated directly. Such structures were identified within the computational domain using level-sets of the χ-field, and their thicknesses were subsequently computed. The study shows, in accordance with experimental studies, that the captured dissipation-layer thickness also shows a Kolmogorov scaling with Reδ. Finally, spatial filters of varying widths were applied to the instantaneous Z field in order to model the averaging effect that takes place with some experimental measurement techniques. The filtered scalar dissipation rate was then calculated from the filtered scalar field. The peaks in the instantaneous filtered χ-profiles are observed to decrease exponentially with increasing filter width, yielding estimates of the true value of χ. Unlike the dissipation length scales obtained from the spectral analysis and the level-set method, the length-scale estimates from the spatial-filtering method are found to be proportional to Reδ−1. This is consistent with the small-scale intermittency of χ which cannot be captured by techniques that just resolve the conventional Batchelor/Obukhov–Corrsin scale. These results have implications when considering resolution requirements for measuring scalar dissipation length scales in experimental flows.
UBVI CCD PHOTOMETRY OF THE OPEN CLUSTER NGC 559

We have conducted UBVI CCD photometry of an intermediate-age open cluster NGC 559 to investigate the effect of dynamical evolution on the stellar distributions in NGC 559. Our photometry allows better estimates of distance and age of the cluster owing to much deeper photometry (V 21) than previous ones. It is found that the luminosity function and mass function as well as the spatial stellar distributions are affected by the dynamical evolution. Mass segregation leads to the central concentration of the high mass stars, which results in the flattened mass function inside the half mass radius.
Scaling of longitudinal and transverse structure functions in cylinder wake turbulence

In this paper, a cylinder wake flow has been experimentally studied in order to examine the scaling properties of turbulence at moderate Reynolds numbers (R λ = 500). Two types of measurements are carried out to measure the transverse velocity structure functions, one using an X hot wire and the other using a single-wire probe rake. It is verified that the transverse scaling exponents are considerably smaller than the longitudinal ones, revealing a stronger intermittency for the transverse velocity increments. A six-wire probe is applied to measure the fluctuations of vorticity components in the turbulence. The scaling properties of the energy dissipation rate and enstrophy are then evaluated and compared. It is proved that the locally averaged enstrophy is more intermittent than the locally averaged energy dissipation rate. Chen et al (1997 Phys. Rev. Lett. 79 2253–6) proposed the so-called refined similarity hypothesis for the transverse velocity increments (RSHT), which models the different scaling of .
Evaluation of the Rationality of OTC (Over The Counter) Drug Self-Medication in Patients in Pasaman Barat District Pharmacy

Self-medication is simply a person's attempt to treat symptoms of illness or disease without consulting a doctor first. Self-medication also means treating all complaints about oneself with medicines purchased directly at pharmacies or drug stores on their initiative without a doctor's prescription. OTC (Over The Counter) drugs are medicines that can be purchased without a prescription, namely over-the-counter and limited over-the-counter drugs, including fever-reducing drugs, pain relievers and inflammation relievers, cough medicines, cold medicines, ulcer medicines, diarrhea medicines, and skin medicines. The use of drugs in self-medication is carried out correctly to ensure the accuracy, rationality, and safety of drug use in self-medication. This study aimed to determine the demographic data characteristics of self-medication patients, the rationality of self-medication, and the influence of patient demographic data characteristics on rationality in OTC (Over Counter) drug self-medication patients. This study used a cross-sectional method. As many as 100 respondents aged 18-60 who self-medicated OTC (Over Counter) drugs at the West Pasaman District Pharmacy were involved in this study. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Statistical Product And Servicer Solution (SPSS) 23. The results of this study showed that the majority of respondents who self-medicated OTC (Over Counter) drugs were 58% women, 63% of the age group 18-60 years, the last education group was low ( SD, SMP, SMA) by 77% and the non-PNS/non-private employee group is 82%. Respondents who used self-medication rationally were quite large, namely 86%. The factor that influences self-medication is age. While gender, education, and occupation do not affect self-medication
Three new 'nonterrestrial' molecules

Eight new interstellar lines have been detected from three molecules not previously observed spectroscopically in space or in the laboratory. One is a linear or nearly linear molecule with microwave constants B/sub O/ = 21,337.15 +- 0.06 MHz, D/sub O/ = 21.4 +- 1.5 kHz. This is the thioformyl ion HCS/sup +/, first identified because B/sub O/ and D/sub O/ are close to those calculated, and now confirmed by laboratory detection of one of our lines (Gudeman et al.). The second molecule, also linear or nearly so, has microwave constants B/sub O/ = 10,691.406 +- 0.043 MHz, D/sub O/ = 1.84 +- 0.91 kHz close to those expected for the isoelectronic systems HOCO/sup +/ and HOCN; a choice between the two cannot be made on the basis of the available astronomical data. The existence of a third molecule is deduced from an unidentified line at 85,338 MHz that has been found in many sources, is fairly intense in several, and may be self-absorbed in Sgr B2. No hfs or harmonically related lines to reveal the identity of this molecule have been detected.
A 56 MG field at the second pole in VV Puppis

Des observations spectropolarimetriques de VV Puppis montrent, pour la premiere fois, des raies cyclotrons des 2 poles. Les 2 regions d'emission ont des forces de champ de 56 MG (pole secondaire) et 30.5 MG (pole principal). Les observations soutiennent un modele dans lequel le dipole est decale du centre de la naine blanche
Intermittent Fasting Alleviates Risk Markers in a Murine Model of Ulcerative Colitis by Modulating the Gut Microbiome and Metabolome

Clinical trials have demonstrated the health benefits of intermittent fasting (IF). However, the potential mechanism of IF in alleviating dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis is not fully understood. The present study was mainly designed to explore the dynamic changes in the gut microbiota and metabolome after short-term (2 weeks) or long-term (20 weeks) IF and therefore clarify the potential mechanisms by which IF ameliorates DSS-induced colitis in a murine model. Thirty-two C57BL/6 male mice were equally divided into four groups and underwent IF intervention for 2 weeks (SIF group, n = 8), 20 weeks (LIF group, n = 8), or were allowed free access to food for 2 weeks (SAL group, n = 8) or 20 weeks (LAL group, n = 8). The thirty-two C57BL/6 male mice were accepted for the diet intervention of 2 weeks of IF or fed ad libitum. Colitis was induced by drinking 2% DSS for 7 days. Our findings showed that short-term IF prominently elevates the abundance of Bacteroides, Muibaculum and Akkermansia (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively), and decreased the abundance of Ruminiclostridium (p < 0.05). Long-term IF, however, decreased the abundance of Akkermansia and obviously increased the abundance of Lactobacillus (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, respectively). Metabolites mainly associated with nucleoside, carbohydrate, amino acid, bile acid, fatty acid, polyol, steroid and amine metabolism were identified in the faeces using untargeted GC/MS. In particular, inosine was extremely enriched after short-term IF and long-term IF (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, respectively); butyrate, 2-methyl butyric acid and valeric acid were significantly decreased after short-term IF (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively); and 2-methyl butyric acid was significantly increased after long-term IF (p < 0.001). The abundance of lithocholic acid (LCA), one of the secondary bile acids, increased significantly after short-term and long-term IF based on UPLC–MS/MS (p < 0.001, p < 0.5, respectively). Of note, IF markedly mitigated DSS-induced acute colitis symptoms and down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-6, keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) and G-CSF levels in the serum (p < 0.01, p < 0.001, p < 0.05, p < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, a correlation analysis indicated that the disease activity index (DAI) score and serum levels of IL-1α, IL-6, KC, and G-CSF were negatively correlated with the relative abundance of Akkermansia and the faecal metabolites LCA and inosine. This study confirmed that IF altered microbiota and reprogramed metabolism, which was a promising development in the attempt to prevent DSS-induced colitis. Moreover, our findings provide new insights regarding the correlations among the mucosal barrier dysfunction, metabolome, and microbiome.
Propagation of truncated focused astigmatic laser beams

This paper presents an analytical model that allows calculation of the intensity distribution of beams emitted by laser diodes, focused by a thin lens and truncated by a circular aperture. The intensity is evaluated in two orthogonal axes at any transversal plane of the focal region. This model holds for systems operating in conditions ranging from strong to weak diffraction. Experimental results are also compared successfully with theoretical results, confirming the viability of the approach proposed.
Charge exchange near Mars: The solar wind absorption and energetic neutral atom production

Charge exchange between solar wind protons and neutral atmospheric atoms is expected to affect the solar wind interaction with Mars, but its influences and significance have only been touched upon in previous work. Here several features associated with the charge exchange process between the solar wind protons and Martian neutral upper atmospheres are described. The analysis is based on an empirical proton model derived from Phobos 2 observations interacting with the Martian atomic (H) and molecular (H2) hydrogen, and oxygen (O) upper atmospheres representing solar minimum and solar maximum conditions. The region where the largest fraction of solar wind protons is lost by the charge exchange process is found to be a thin layer above the surface of Mars on the dayside resulting from charge exchange with the thermal oxygen. In general, the magnetosheath and “magnetosphere” (where the observed plasma takes on a different character in the Phobos 2 data) produce two distinguishable regions where the loss rate of solar wind protons is highest. Increasing solar activity increases the loss rate in the magnetosheath but decreases it in the magnetosphere. No significant increase of the absorption of the solar wind was found near the “magnetopause” suggesting that the decrease of the solar wind protons observed by Phobos 2 are not due to the charge exchange process. In addition to a reduction in the solar wind density, the charge exchange reaction results in energetic neutral atom (ENA) production. This paper considers some of the detailed properties expected for the ENA population at Mars. The ENA differential fluxes were found to be typically 106–107 cm−2 s−1 keV−1 in the energy range 0.01–1 keV. During solar minimum, the ENA production rate and ENA integral fluxes were found to be highest in the magnetosheath. At solar maximum the ENA production rate is highest in the magnetosphere, and ENA integral fluxes in the dayside magnetosphere appear to become comparable to the fluxes in the magnetosheath if the proton temperature in the magnetosphere is low. It is found that 1–3% of the original solar wind proton flux converts into ENAs before the bow shock. The ENAs produced upstream are undeflected and so may precipitate into the Martian upper atmosphere, depositing an energy flux of up to 3 × 109 eV cm−2 s−1 derived from the solar wind. These results both suggest the possible benefits of observing ENA fluxes around Mars and suggest the necessary parameters for detector design.
Portuguese version of Brown, Treviño and Harrison’s Ethical Leadership Scale: Study of its psychometric properties

Abstract This paper investigates the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the Ethical Leadership Scale across five field studies. The Portuguese ELS (P-ELS) was compared with subscales of a reduced version of the Ethical Leadership at Work questionnaire to check convergent validity (CFI = .95; TLI = .95; RMSEA = .06) and with subscales of organizational justice scale to confirm discriminant validity (all r < .18; p < .05). To assess criterion validity, the extent of the P-ELS’s ability to predict organizational ethical climate was tested (all β coefficients p < .01, except for profit subscale). To check nomological validity, the relationship between ethical leadership and job-related affective well-being mediated by leader-member exchange quality was analyzed (B indirect effect = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.41). Results support P-ELS’s unidimensional structure and suggest that it has good construct validity and reliability, therefore, being a useful tool to assess leaders’ ethical behaviors in the workplace.