Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of L-Glutamine on Chylomicron Formation and Fat-Induced Activation of Intestinal Mucosal Mast Cells in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Glutamine (Gln) is required for intestinal mucosal homeostasis, and it can promote triglyceride absorption. The intestinal mucosal mast cells (MMCs) are activated during fat absorption. This study investigated the potential role of Gln on fat absorption-induced activation of MMCs in rats. Lymph fistula rats (n = 24) were studied after an overnight recovery with the infusion of saline only, saline plus 85 mM L-glutamine (L-Gln) or 85 mM D-glutamine (D-Gln), respectively. On the test day, rats (n = 8/group) were given an intraduodenal bolus of 20% Intralipid contained either saline only (vehicle group), 85 mM L-Gln (L-Gln group), or 85 mM D-Gln (D-Gln group). Lymph was collected hourly for up to 6 h for analyses. The results showed that intestinal lymph from rats given L-Gln had increased levels of apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and A-I (ApoA-I), concomitant with an increased spectrum of smaller chylomicron particles. Unexpectedly, L-Gln also increased levels of rat mucosal mast cell protease II (RMCPII), as well as histamine and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in response to dietary lipid. However, these effects were not observed in rats treated with 85 mM of the stereoisomer D-Gln. Our results showed that L-glutamine could specifically activate MMCs to degranulate and release MMC mediators to the lymph during fat absorption. This observation is potentially important clinically since L-glutamine is often used to promote gut health and repair leaky gut.
Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography as a Powerful Strategy for the Exploration of Broas Volatile Composition

Broa is a Portuguese maize bread with characteristic sensory attributes that can only be achieved using traditional maize varieties. This study intends to disclose the volatile compounds that are mainly associated with the baking process of broas, which can be important contributors to their aroma. Twelve broas were prepared from twelve maize flours (eleven traditional maize varieties and one commercial hybrid). Their volatile compounds were analyzed by GC×GC–ToFMS (two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry) for an untargeted screening of the chemical compounds mainly formed during baking. It was possible to identify 128 volatiles that belonged to the main chemical families formed during this stage. Among these, only 16 had been previously detected in broas. The most abundant were furans, furanones, and pyranones, but the most relevant for the aroma of broas were ascribed to sulfur-containing compounds, in particular dimethyl trisulfide and methanethiol. Pyrazines might contribute negatively to the aroma of broas since they were present in higher amounts in the commercial broa. This work constitutes the most detailed study of the characterization of broas volatile compounds, particularly those formed during the Maillard reaction. These findings may contribute to the characterization of other maize-based foodstuffs, ultimately improving the production of foods with better sensory features.
Exploring Factors Associated With the Work Hours of Attending Physicians Working in Hospitals

Background: Long work hours for physicians not only harm the health of physicians, but also endanger patient safety. Compared with resident physicians, attending physicians—especially hospital-employed attending physicians—assume more responsibilities but has not gotten enough attention. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a hospital’s geographic location and emergency care responsibility might influence the number of hours worked. Methods: The respondents of 2365 attending physicians from 152 hospitals in the 2018 survey of Taiwan physician work hours were used as the data source. The total work hour per week and its components, the regular scheduled shift and three types of on-call shifts, were used as outcome variables. Hospital geographic location and emergency care responsibility were the independent variables. The multilevel random effect model was employed to examine the study objective after adjusting for clinical specialty, hospital teaching status, and ownership. Results: The average number of total working hours was 69.09 hours per week; the regular scheduled shift was account for 75% of total work hours. The results showed the total work hours were only varied by the level of hospital’s emergency care responsibility. However, the results also demonstrated the hours of duty shifts were varied by hospital’s geographic location and emergency care responsibility. The results of the multilevel random effect model revealed that the hospital’s emergency care responsibility was the factor consistently associated with attending physician’s work hour, no matter the total work hours or its composition. Conclusion: In this study, we explored how a hospital’s location and its level of emergency care responsibility were associated with physicians’ work hours for each type of shift. Our findings offer an opportunity to review the rationality of physician workforce allocation, and financial incentives and administrative measures could be the next steps for balancing the work hours of attending physicians.
Effect of Various Fly Ash and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Content on Concrete Properties: Experiments and Modelling

Concrete is known as the most globally used construction material, but it releases a huge amount of greenhouse gases due to cement production. Recently, Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) such as fly ash and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) have been widely used in concrete to reduce the cement content. However, SCMs can alter the mechanical properties and time-dependent behaviors of concrete and the early age mechanical properties of concrete significantly affect the concrete cracking in the engineering field. Therefore, evaluation of the development of the mechanical properties of SCMs-based concrete is vital. In this paper, the time development of mechanical properties of concrete mixes with various fly ash and GGBFS was experimentally investigated. Four different cement replacement levels including 0%, 20%, 30%, and 40% by fly ash and GGBFS as well as ternary binders were considered. Compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and elastic modulus of concrete were measured until 28 days. Three additional concrete mixes with ternary binders were also cast to investigate the early-age autogenous shrinkage development until 28 days. In addition, prediction models in existing standards were used and compared to experimental results. The comparison results showed that the prediction models overestimated the compressive strength but underestimated the splitting tensile strength development and autogenous shrinkage. As a result, a model capturing the effect of fly ash and GGBFS on the development of compressive and splitting tensile strength is proposed to improve the prediction accuracy for current standards and empirical models.
A Systematic Review on Marine Algae-Derived Fucoxanthin: An Update of Pharmacological Insights

Fucoxanthin, belonging to the xanthophyll class of carotenoids, is a natural antioxidant pigment of marine algae, including brown macroalgae and diatoms. It represents 10% of the total carotenoids in nature. The plethora of scientific evidence supports the potential benefits of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical uses of fucoxanthin for boosting human health and disease management. Due to its unique chemical structure and action as a single compound with multi-targets of health effects, it has attracted mounting attention from the scientific community, resulting in an escalated number of scientific publications from January 2017 to February 2022. Fucoxanthin has remained the most popular option for anti-cancer and anti-tumor activity, followed by protection against inflammatory, oxidative stress-related, nervous system, obesity, hepatic, diabetic, kidney, cardiac, skin, respiratory and microbial diseases, in a variety of model systems. Despite much pharmacological evidence from in vitro and in vivo findings, fucoxanthin in clinical research is still not satisfactory, because only one clinical study on obesity management was reported in the last five years. Additionally, pharmacokinetics, safety, toxicity, functional stability, and clinical perspective of fucoxanthin are substantially addressed. Nevertheless, fucoxanthin and its derivatives are shown to be safe, non-toxic, and readily available upon administration. This review will provide pharmacological insights into fucoxanthin, underlying the diverse molecular mechanisms of health benefits. However, it requires more activity-oriented translational research in humans before it can be used as a multi-target drug.
Degradation Mechanism and Numerical Simulation of Pervious Concrete under Salt Freezing-Thawing Cycle

In order to explore the occurrence area of pervious concrete freeze-thaw deterioration, the mass loss, strength deterioration, ultrasonic longitudinal wave velocity and dynamic elastic modulus attenuation of pervious concrete under freeze-thaw cycles were measured, and a prediction model of freeze-thaw damage was established. The mechanical properties of hardened cement pastes with the same W/C ratio under freeze-thaw cycles were also measured. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) was used to measure the pore structure characteristic parameters and pore size distribution changes of cement paste under freeze-thaw cycle, and the microstructure evolution of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of paste and aggregate was observed by SEM scanning electron microscopy. Finally, a pervious concrete model was established by DEM to analyze the relationship between the number of freeze-thaw cycles and the mesoscopic parameters. The results indicated that the quality, strength and dynamic elastic modulus of pervious concrete deteriorate to different degrees under the conditions of water freezing and salt freezing. The damage sensitivity and strength loss of freeze-thaw damage is greater than the dynamic elastic modulus loss, which is greater than mass loss. In the pervious concrete paste which underwent 100 freeze-thaw cycles, the pore structure and macro strength had no obvious change, and hardened paste and the aggregate-interface-generated defects increased with the increase in freezing and thawing times, indicating that the deterioration of pervious concrete performance under freeze-thaw cycles was closely related to the deterioration of the interface strength of the aggregate and hardened paste. The pervious concrete model established by DEM can accurately simulate the change of the compressive modulus and the strength of pervious concrete during freeze-thaw cycles.
Leveraging Deep Learning Techniques and Integrated Omics Data for Tailored Treatment of Breast Cancer

Multiomics data of cancer patients and cell lines, in synergy with deep learning techniques, have aided in unravelling predictive problems related to cancer research and treatment. However, there is still room for improvement in the performance of the existing models based on the aforementioned combination. In this work, we propose two models that complement the treatment of breast cancer patients. First, we discuss our deep learning-based model for breast cancer subtype classification. Second, we propose DCNN-DR, a deep convolute.ion neural network-drug response method for predicting the effectiveness of drugs on in vitro and in vivo breast cancer datasets. Finally, we applied DCNN-DR for predicting effective drugs for the basal-like breast cancer subtype and validated the results with the information available in the literature. The models proposed use late integration methods and have fairly better predictive performance compared to the existing methods. We use the Pearson correlation coefficient and accuracy as the performance measures for the regression and classification models, respectively.
Perceptions of Good Health and Impact of COVID-19 Among Adolescents in a Low-Income Urban Agglomerate in Delhi, India: A Qualitative Study

Adolescents constitute 16% of the global population and are susceptible to adverse health and illness from substance abuse, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and high-risk sexual behaviors. We conducted this study to assess the perceptions of good health, health-seeking behavior, and health service utilization among adolescents living in a low-income urban neighborhood after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 23 adolescents, including 12 males and 11 females, were interviewed. Adolescents' perceived body image and size considerations apart from functioning at an optimum physical capacity as the principal attributes of good health, which was possible through the intake of a healthy diet and exercise. Adolescents were likely to be aware of the addiction potential and risk of cancer from using tobacco and alcohol, but attitudes towards eschewing their use were ambivalent. Adolescents perceived themselves as lacking access to reliable, adequate, and validated sources of sexual and reproductive health information. Knowledge and utilization of adolescent health services in this area were negligible, suggestive of the need to strengthen these services and improve the program outreach.
Protective Role of Adansonia digitata Extract Against Glyphosate-induced Hepatorenal Toxicity in Adult Male Wistar Rats

Background: Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide, and it poses numerous health risks to the environment and living organisms. This study aimed at assessing the protective role of Adansonia digitata (A. digitata) on glyphosate-induced hepatorenal toxicity in a Wistar rat model. Methods: Twenty-five rats were randomly divided into five groups of five animals each. The first group did not receive glyphosate and served as the control group. The second group received a single daily dose of only glyphosate (375 mg/kg). The treatment groups 3 and 4 were given a single daily dose of glyphosate (375 mg/kg) together with 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of A. digitata extract, respectively. Group 5 was administered glyphosate (375 mg/kg) with Ascorbic Acid (200 mg/kg) as a comparison. At the conclusion of the study, blood serum samples from the rats were used for biochemical analysis. Then, the liver and kidneys were removed for histological examinations. Results: In comparison to the control rats in group I, those in group 2 that were given glyphosate had increased liver enzymes biomarkers, urea, creatinine and malondialdehyde levels, but their superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase levels decreased (P<0.05). Groups 3 and 4 rats that received fruits of A. digitata did not show the upsurge of liver enzymes biomarkers creatinine, urea and malondialdehyde. Furthermore, the extract of the fruits increased endogenous antioxidant biomarkers. A. digitata protected the glomeruli from degeneration and prevented histological liver steatosis. Conclusion: This study’s findings suggest that the pre-treatment of rats with A. digitata extract provides a hepatorenal protective effect against glyphosate toxicity.
Roadside Unit Deployment in Internet of Vehicles Systems: A Survey

In recent years, the network technology known as Internet of Vehicles (IoV) has been developed to improve road safety and vehicle security, with the goal of servicing the digital demands of car drivers and passengers. However, the highly dynamical network topology that characterizes these networks, and which often leads to discontinuous transmissions, is one of the most significant challenges of IoV. To address this issue, IoV infrastructure-based components known as roadside units (RSU) are designed to play a critical role by providing continuous transmission coverage and permanent connectivity. However, the main challenges that arise when deploying RSUs are balancing IoVs’ performances and total cost so that optimal vehicle service coverage is provided with respect to some target Quality of Service (QoS) such as: service coverage, throughput, low latency, or energy consumption. This paper provides an in-depth survey of RSU deployment in IoV networks, discussing recent research trends in this field, and summarizing of a number of previous papers on the subject. Furthermore, we highlight that two classes of RSU deployment can be found in the literature—static and dynamic—the latter being based on vehicle mobility. A comparison between the existing RSU deployment schemes proposed in existing literature, as well as the various networking metrics, are presented and discussed. Our comparative study confirms that the performance of the different RSU placement solutions heavily depends on several factors such as road shape, particularity of road segments (like accident-prone ones), wireless access methods, mobility model, and vehicles’ distribution over time and space. Besides that, we review the most important RSU placement approaches, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Finally, this survey concludes by presenting some future research directions in this domain.
Noncoding-RNA mediated high expression of zinc finger protein 268 suppresses clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression by promoting apoptosis and regulating immune cell infiltration

ABSTRACT Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most common malignant kidney tumors with a poor prognosis. Accumulating evidence proves that zinc finger protein 268 (ZNF268) is associated with tumor progression, but the detailed regulatory functions of ZNF268 in ccRCC require further exploration. Thus, here we aim to characterize the role of ZNF268 in ccRCC. The clinical significance of ZNF268 was evaluated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases. Subsequently, tumor-infiltrating immune cells, as well as upstream noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) related to the tumor-suppressing function of ZNF268, were identified by in silico analyses. The expression of ZNF268 was significantly decreased in ccRCC samples compared with adjacent normal tissues. In addition, ZNF268 expression was negatively correlated with tumor progression and positively correlated with overall and disease-specific survival. TCGA and GTEx databases proved the potential tumor-suppressing function, which was measured both in vitro and in vivo after ZNF268 over-expression. Overexpression of ZNF268 effectively inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and promotied apoptosis of the Caki-1. The level of ZNF268 was positively related to the immune cell infiltration in the tumor. Moreover, we determined that the AC093157.1/miR-27a-3p axis can potentially regulate ZNF268 function in ccRCC. Our work describes a novel ncRNA-mediated ZNF268 function in ccRCC. ZNF268 acts as a tumor suppressor, and it is associated with apoptosis and immune cell infiltration in ccRCC. Graphical abstract
Data-driven campaigning and democratic disruption: Evidence from six advanced democracies

Data-driven campaigning has become one of the key foci for academic and non-academic audiences interested in political communication. Widely seen to have transformed political practice, it is often argued that data-driven campaigning is a force of significant democratic disruption because it contributes to a fragmentation of political discourse, undermines prevailing systems of electoral accountability and subverts ‘free’ and ‘fair’ elections. In this article, we present one of the very first cross-national analyses of data-driven campaigning by political parties. Drawing on empirical research conducted by experts in six advanced democracies, we show that the data-driven campaign practices seen to threaten democracy are often not manifest in party campaigns. Instead, we see a set of practices that build on pre-existing techniques and which are far less sophisticated than is often assumed. Indeed, we present evidence that most political parties lack the capacity to execute the hyper-intensive practices often associated with data-driven campaigning. Hence, while there is reason to remain alert to the challenges data-driven campaigning produces for democratic norms, we argue that this practice is not inherently disruptive, but rather exemplifies the evolving nature of political campaigning in the 21st century.
Relationship between the Cost of Capital and Environmental, Social, and Governance Scores: Evidence from Latin America

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores play a pivotal role in the strategic design of firms. The literature has demonstrated the importance of sustainability issues in the financial performance of firms around the world. In particular, understanding the relationship between sustainability and the cost of capital is crucial for determining financial strategy and decision making. We identify an opportunity in the literature to analyze this relationship within Latin America (LatAm) firms. Thus, this study analyzes the relationship between ESG scores with the cost of capital of firms with headquarters in LatAm using a data set that includes 606 observations corresponding to information about 202 firms from 2017 to 2019. To conduct our analysis, two fixed effects panel data models were estimated. We model this relationship by taking ESG scores and each of its ESG Pillar scores—i.e., Environmental, Social, and Governance pillar scores—as independent variables and analyzing how they affect the cost of capital. According to the results, there is an inverse effect relationship between ESG scores and the cost of capital. Additionally, we did not find a relationship between the Social Pillar score and the Environmental Pillar score with the cost of capital. By contrast, the Governance Pillar score shows a negative relationship with the cost of capital. This indicates that the increase in transparency about internal processes and governance entities can be an essential driver of value creation for firms and higher financing confidence in LatAm firms. This study represents a breakthrough in explaining the impact of ESG scores on the cost of capital in LatAm. Ultimately, the current study presents the potential for further research in this field.
The Teaching and Learning of Communication Skills in Social Work Education

Purpose: This article presents a systematic review of research into the teaching and learning of communication skills in social work education. Methods: We conducted a systematic review, adhering to the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews for Interventions and PRISMA reporting guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Results: Sixteen records reporting on fifteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Studies consisted of randomised trials and quasi-experimental designs. Outcome measures included knowledge, attitudes and skills. Significant heterogeneity meant a narrative synthesis rather than meta-analysis was undertaken. Systematic communication skills training supports the development of students’ communication skills including the demonstration of expressed empathy and interviewing skills. Discussion: The existing body of literature is limited but promising. Researchers conducting studies into communication skills training should seek to carry out robust and rigorous outcomes-focused studies. Further investigation into the theoretical underpinnings of the educational interventions and the roles played by key stakeholders is also required.