Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Key Molecular Mechanisms of Sini Decoction Plus Ginseng Soup to Rescue Acute Liver Failure: Regulating PPARα to Reduce Hepatocyte Necroptosis?

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the improvement effect of Sini Decoction plus Ginseng Soup (SNRS) on the LPS/D-GalN-induced acute liver failure (ALF) mouse model and the molecular mechanism of the SNRS effect. Methods To study the protective effect of SNRS on ALF mice, the ICR mice were firstly divided into 4 groups: Control group (vehicle-treated), Model group (LPS/D-GalN), SNRS group (LPS/D-GalN+SNRS), and Silymarin group (LPS/D-GalN+Silymarin), the therapeutic drug was administered by gavage 48h, 24h before, and 10 min after LPS/D-GalN injection. On this basis, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α agonist (WY14643) and inhibitor (GW6471) were added to verify whether the therapeutic mechanism of SNRS is related to its promoting effect on PPARα. The animals are grouped as follows: Control group (vehicle-treated), Model group (LPS/D-GalN+DMSO), SNRS group (LPS/D-GalN+SNRS+DMSO), Inhibitor group (LPS/D-GalN+GW6471), Agonist group (LPS/D-GalN+WY14643), and Inhibitor+SNRS group (LPS/D-GalN+GW6471+SNRS). Results The protective effect of SNRS on the ALF model is mainly reflected in the reduction of serum alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransaminase (AST) as well as the ameliorated pathology of the liver tissue. The survival rate of ALF mice treated with SNRS was significantly increased. Further mechanism studies showed that SNRS significantly promoted the protein expression of PPARα and decreased the expression of necroptosis proteins (RIP3, MLKL, p-MLKL) in ALF mice. Reduced necroptosis resulted in decreased HMGB1 release, which in turn inhibited the activation of TLR4-JNK and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathways and the expression of NF-κB protein induced by LPS/D-GalN. The expression of CPT1A, a key enzyme involved in fatty acid β-oxidation, was found to be significantly up-regulated in the SNRS treated group, accompanied by an increased adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) level, which may be the relevant mechanism by which SNRS reduces necroptosis. Conclusion The potential therapeutic effect of SNRS on ALF may be through promoting the expression of PPARα and increasing the level of ATP in liver tissue, thereby inhibiting necroptosis of hepatocytes, reducing hepatocyte damage, and improving liver function.
The complete chloroplast genome of Bauhinia racemosa Lam. (Fabaceae): a versatile tropical medicinal plant

Abstract Bauhinia racemosa Lam. (1783), a versatile medicinal plant, belongs to the family Fabaceae (subfamily Cercidoideae). In this study, we analyzed the complete chloroplast genome to facilitate its use in genetic research. The complete chloroplast genome of B. racemosa was found to be 155,501 bp long, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,446 bp, which are separated by a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,295 bp and a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,314 bp. The overall GC content is 36.4%. The genome of B. racemosa contains 129 genes, including 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, 8 rRNAs, and 1 pseudogene (rps19). Phylogenetic analysis suggests that B. racemosa forms a monophyletic clade with the other four Bauhinia species (B. brachycarpa, B. purpurea, B. blakeana and B. variegata var. variegata).
TNF-α Predicts Endothelial Function and Number of CD34+ Cells after Stimulation with G-CSF in Patients with Advanced Heart Failure

Patients with advanced heart failure (HF) have reduced cardiac output and impaired peripheral blood flow, which diminishes endothelial shear stress and consequently flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). The aim of our study was to find out whether endothelial dysfunction is associated with the number of CD34+ cells and TNF-α levels in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic HF after stimulation with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). We included 56 patients with advanced HF (LVEF < 35%). Eighteen patients (32.14%) had ischemic and 38 (67.86%) patients had non-ischemic HF. FMD of the brachial artery was performed before the patients underwent 5-day bone marrow stimulation with daily subcutaneous injections of G-CSF (5 μg/kg bid). On the fifth day peripheral blood CD34+ cell count was measured. No statistically significant differences were found between the patient groups in NT-proBNP levels ((1575 (425–2439) vs. 1273 (225–2239)) pg/mL; p = 0.40), peripheral blood CD34+ cell count ((67.54 ± 102.32 vs. 89.76 ± 71.21) × 106; p = 0.32), TNF-α ((8.72 ± 10.30 vs. 4.96 ± 6.16) ng/mL; p = 0.13) and FMD (6.7 ± 5.4 vs. 7.2 ± 5.9%; p = 0.76). In a linear regression model, only FMD (p = 0.001) and TNF-α (p = 0.003) emerged as statistically significant predictors of CD34+ cells counts. Our study suggests that TNF-α is a good predictor of impaired endothelial function and of CD34+ cells mobilization after G-CSF stimulation in patients with advanced HF of ischemic and non-ischemic origin.
The effect of housing problems on older people’s subjective well-being in 21 European countries (Los efectos de los problemas de vivienda sobre el bienestar subjetivo de las personas mayores en 21 países europeos)

ABSTRACT Housing has been acknowledged as a basic human need with an impact on health and well-being. Since older people tend to be more exposed to features in their home environment, it is important to identify specific vulnerabilities. This study used cross-sectional data of 40,185 respondents from the 2014 European Social Survey Round 7 to explore the relationship between housing problems, age group (≤ 70 years and > 70 years) and evaluative (life satisfaction) and hedonic (happiness) dimensions of subjective well-being (SWB) of 21 European countries. Housing problems were significantly associated with lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction (LS) in a multilevel model. The age group was found to be a moderator of that association. When exposed to housing problems, older people (> 70 years) presented lower levels of happiness than younger adults (≤ 70 years). These findings shed light on the differentiation of age groups and call for maintenance and improvement of housing conditions in later life, aiming to promote well-being.
Influence of concrete strength on the distribution of bending moment in widened curved bridges

abstract: The study proposes to analyze the distribution of bending moment due to live load in curved bridges that have undergone a process of widening, considering the influence of concrete’s strength variation. The results show that the bending moment redistribution is more significant the higher the stiffness in the widenings. In addition, the redistribution induced by the variation of stiffness depends on the live load positioning but, generally, it results in the migration of bending moments to the stiffer regions, relieving the original girders. The curvature did not significantly alter the response induced by the stiffening of the widened segments. Also, the divergences found between the MEF and the V-load Method results for models with uniform and variable stiffness were similar. Finally, the Modification Factors (MF) proved to be more sensitive to the influence of curvature than to the concrete strength in the widenings.
Testosterone Enanthate: An In Vitro Study of the Effects Triggered in MG-63 Cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the androgenic hormone testosterone enanthate (TE) on human MG-63 cells. MG-63 were cultured for 24 h in the presence of TE at increasing concentrations to assess its lethal dose. Therefore, the suitable concentration for a prolonged use of TE in vitro was assessed by viability assay over 9 days. Finally, MG-63 were exposed to TE for 14 days and assayed for differentiation by qPCR and Alizarin Red S staining. TE in the amount of 100 µM resulted as the maximum dose tolerated by MG-63 cells after 24 h. However, a prolonged exposure in culture TE in the amount of 100 µM showed a cytostatic effect on cell proliferation. On the contrary, TE 10 µM was tolerated by the cells and did not boost cell proliferation, but did enhance new bone formation, as revealed by COL1A1, ALPL, BGLAP, and IBSP gene expression after 3, 7, and 14 days, and calcium deposition by Alizarin Red S staining after 14 days. Based on the current study, 10 µM is the critical dose of TE that should be used in vitro to support bone differentiation of MG-63 cells.
Amplitude and Phase Modulation in CoRoT RR Lyrae Stars

We analyzed the light curves of RR Lyrae stars in the the first long run field (LRc01) of the CoRoT mission. A high incidence rate of the Blazhko phenomenon was found in the RRab sample. Two of these stars are blended and exhibit low amplitude pulsation. Utilizing the outstanding photometric accuracy of CoRoT we derived accurate instantaneous amplitudes and periods and compared the amplitude and phase modulation properties of the CoRoT Blazhko stars.
Testing the disclosure decision-making model: disclosing birth control status among college women

ABSTRACT Reproductive health communication can greatly benefit college women by providing informational and emotional support for their reproductive sexual health. However, communication about birth control with friends and sexual partners can be difficult especially if there is stigma around the topic. Applying the Disclosure Decision-Making Model, this study employs a survey of 104 college women regarding their disclosure of birth control status to a peer (Model 1) and a sexual partner (Model 2) to understand the mechanisms of decision-making (i.e., stigma, relational quality, anticipated response, disclosure efficacy) on the depth of disclosing reproductive health information. Results suggest that for both models, relational quality and anticipated response were the predictors of disclosure depth. Although all the significant paths were equivalent in the two models, relational quality predicted anticipated response more strongly in partner model. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
The Influence of Partners’ L2 Proficiency on Test-Takers’ Performance in Paired Oral Assessment

This study is intended to explore the influence of partners’ L2 proficiency on test-takers’ performance and on their interaction patterns in paired oral assessment, and it tries to analyze the underlying causes on the basis of Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and Storch’s patterns of interaction. An experiment including three rounds of tests was carried out with 12 students who were selected out of 60 from a top university in China. The findings showed that the high-level test-takers received the highest scores when paired with middle-level partners; the middle-level test-takers scored the highest and the lowest when paired with high-level partners and low-level partners respectively; the low-level test-takers had basically the same scores when paired with those of the other two different levels. The results could be partly explained by the fact that the higher level partners stimulated the lower level test-takers to the upper limit of ZPD through language interaction, but the mechanism of ZPD might not work when partners’ proficiency levels were much higher than the ceiling of test-takers’ ZPD. Besides, test-takers’ performance was mediated by pair interaction patterns. The implications of the study not only deliver suggestions for fairness of paired oral assessment but also provide alternatives for test-takers to achieve higher scores in a paired speaking test by choosing partners of different L2 proficiency levels.
Frequency of Intron 22 Inversion in Severe Hemophilia A Patients

Objective: The aim of our study was to find the frequency of Intron 22 inversion (Inv22) in severe hemophilia A (HA) patients and to evaluate the association between Inv22 and FVIII inhibitor formation. Method: Data analysis was carried out on IBM SPSS Statistics Version 23.00 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Descriptive statistics were applied to measure the frequencies, percentages, and mean ± SD of the clinical and general history of HA patients, including age, family history, inhibitor status, intron22 inversion, and FVIII levels. Chi-square was applied to evaluate the association between Inv22 and F8 inhibitor formation. Results: A total of 62 HA patients were enrolled in the study with mean±SD age of (14.39±13.2) years. A family history of HA was observed in 36 (58.1%) patients. Out of 62 patients, 28(45.2%) were reported as Inv22 positive while inhibitor status was observed as positive in three (4.83%) patients. However, an insignificant association was observed between the inhibitor and Inv22 positive patients with a p-value=0.443. Conclusion: In our study, Inv22 was found to be the major cause of severe HA in our patients, i.e., 45.1%. However, no significant relation was computed between Inv22 and inhibitor formation.
An Analytical Solution for Stress Transfer between a Broken Prestressing Wire and Mortar Coating in PCCP

A prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) consists of a concrete core, a steel cylinder, prestressing wires, and a mortar coating. Most PCCP failures are related to the breakage of prestressing wires. It is thus expected that the load-bearing capacity of PCCP is significantly affected by the length of the prestress loss zone and the stress distribution in the broken wire. Based on a tri-linear bond-slip model, the length of prestress loss zone and the stress transfer mechanism between a broken wire and a mortar coating are analysed in this paper. During the breaking (unloading) process of a prestressing wire, the interfacial bondline exhibits the following three stages: elastic stage, elastic-softening stage, and elastic-softening-debonding stage. The closed-form solutions for the interfacial slip, the interfacial shear stress, and the axial stress in the broken wire are derived for each stage. The solutions are verified by the finite element predictions. A parametric study is presented to investigate the effects of the size of the prestressing wires, the prestressing level, the interfacial shear strength, and the residual interfacial shear strength on the interfacial stress transfer. For an example PCCP with an inner diameter of 4 m, the length of prestress loss zone increases from 500 mm to 3300 mm as the radius of prestressing wire increases from 1 mm to 7 mm. It increases from 2700 mm to 7700 mm when the interfacial shear strength reduces from 3.94 MPa to 0.62 MPa and reduces from 13,200 mm to 7300 mm as the residual interfacial shear stress factor increases from 0.1 to 0.9.
Adjuvant Radiation after Primary Resection of Atypical Lipomatous Tumors of the Extremity Reduces Local Recurrence but Increases Complications: A Multicenter Evaluation

Background Radiation after resection of an atypical lipomatous tumor (ALT) is controversial. This study evaluates local control and complications after the first resection of ALTs of the extremity with or without adjuvant radiation. Methods A dual institution, retrospective review of patients treated from 1995 to 2020 with first-time resection of an ALT in the extremity was performed. In total, 102 patients underwent adjuvant radiation (XRT group) and 68 patients were treated with surgery alone (no-XRT group). The median follow-up time was 4.6 years (interquartile range (IQR) 2.0–7.3 years). The median radiation dose was 60 Gy (IQR 55–66 Gy). Univariable and multivariable analyses evaluated the association of patient, tumor, and treatment variables with recurrence and complications. Kaplan–Meier analysis evaluated local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and time to complication. Results The overall incidence of local recurrence was 1% (1/102) in the XRT group and 24% (16/68) in the no-XRT group (p < 0.001). The median time-to-recurrence was 8.2 years (IQR 6.5–10.5 years). In the XRT and the no-XRT groups, 5-yr LRFS was 98% and 92% (p=0.21) and 10-yr LRFS was 98% and 41% (p < 0.001), respectively. The absence of radiation (HR = 23.63, 95% CI (3.09–180.48); p < 0.001) and R2 surgical resection margins (HR = 11.04, 95% CI (2.07–59.03); p < 0.001) incurred a 23-fold and 11-fold increased risk of local recurrence, respectively, while tumor size, depth, location, and neurovascular involvement were not found to be independent predictors of recurrence. The complication rate was 37% (38/102) in the XRT group and 10% (7/68) in the no-XRT group (p < 0.001). Eight patients (8/102, 8%) required surgical management for complication in the XRT group compared with two patients (2/68, 3%) in the no-XRT group (p=0.10). Higher radiation dose had a modest correlation with increased severity of complication (ρ=0.24; p=0.02). Conclusions Adjuvant radiation after first-time resection of an ALT of the extremity was associated with a significantly reduced risk of local recurrence but a three-fold increase in complication rate. These data support a 10-year follow-up for these patients and inform a notable clinical trade-off if considering adjuvant radiation for this tumor with recurrent potential.
Genome-Wide Associative Study of Phenotypic Parameters of the 3D Body Model of Aberdeen Angus Cattle with Multiple Depth Cameras

Simple Summary This article aims to develop a new approach to the lifetime evaluation of cattle by 3-D visualization of economic-biological and genetic features. The following indicators were selected as phenotypic features: chest width and chest girth retrieved by 3-D model and meat output on the bones. Correlation analysis showed a reliable positive relationship between chest width and meat output on the bones, which can potentially be used for lifetime evaluation of meat productivity of animals. Genome-wide associations analysis revealed the following potential loci of quantitative traits on cattle chromosomes for chest width, chest girth, and meat output on bones. Abstract In beef cattle breeding, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) arrays can reveal many loci of various production traits, such as growth, productivity, and meat quality. With the development of genome sequencing technologies, new opportunities are opening up for more accurate identification of areas associated with these traits. This article aims to develop a novel approach to the lifetime evaluation of cattle by 3-D visualization of economic-biological and genetic features. The purpose of this study was to identify significant variants underlying differences in the qualitative characteristics of meat, using imputed data on the sequence of the entire genome. Samples of biomaterial of young Aberdeen-Angus breed cattle (n = 96) were the material for carrying out genome-wide SNP genotyping. Genotyping was performed using a high-density DNA chip Bovine GPU HD BeadChip (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA), containing ~150 thousand SNPs. The following indicators were selected as phenotypic features: chest width and chest girth retrieved by 3-D model and meat output on the bones. Correlation analysis showed a reliable positive relationship between chest width and meat output on the bones, which can potentially be used for lifetime evaluation of meat productivity of animals.
Effects of Vestibular Stimulation on Balance in Children with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the effects of vestibular stimulation on balance in quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Methodology: This was quasi experimental study in which total 44 quadriplegic cerebral palsy children were included who have no associated neurogenic conditions which may be aggravated with vestibular stimulation such as epilepsy or other orthopedic or functional complication. The children were assessed by an independent assessor before and after 6 weeks of vestibular stimulation. The assessment was made on gross motor measure and pediatric evaluation disability index. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Paired sample t test was used for pre-post testing. Results: The descriptive statistics of paired samples regarding Gross Motor Function Measure showed mean and standard deviation to be 49.61±1.75 and 64.54±1.04 before and after treatment, respectively. Paired sample testing for pre-post treatment measurement of mean score of Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) showed that mean difference and standard deviation found to be 14.93±1.90 with a significant p value 0.00. The descriptive statistics of paired samples regarding Total PEDI score showed mean and standard deviation to be 42.88±0.86 and 51.47±1.24 before and after treatment, respectively. Paired sample testing for pre-post treatment measurement of mean score of total Pediatric Evaluation Disability Inventory (PEDI) showed that mean difference and standard deviation found to be 8.59±1.48 with a significant p value 0.00. Conclusion: The findings of study concluded that vestibular stimulation has significant effect of vestibular stimulation on balance in quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Moreover, there were seen significant improvement in other domains such as behavior, emotions, psychology and interactive learning approach. Keywords: Cerebral Palsy, Quadriplegia, Child, Vestibular Stimulation
The Interaction Between Renewable Energy Consumption and the Institutional Framework from a Circular Economy-Based Perspective

The European Green Deal describes the vision and strategic orientation of EU members of future public policies, which is designed to harmonize countries’ efforts to align national economies with the principles of the circular economy. Among the directions prescribed by the European Green Deal, we find an increase of renewable energy (RE) consumption in parallel with improving energy efficiency and reducing the energy sources that involve significant negative environmental impact in the long run. Our study addressed the association between RE consumption, management decision-making factor, policy landscape addressing energy efficiency, and sustainability innovation capabilities, at a firm-level analysis. For this purpose, we assess the causality between these variables, performing a time series analysis on a sample that covers the period between 2011 and 2019. Regression models are estimated with panel time series FMOLS (Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares) and DMOLS (Dynamic Modified Ordinary Least Squares) estimation methods. The results underscore that the evolution of renewable energy consumption by firms depends on the management decision, related both to the commitment of managers to sustainable strategies and the effectiveness of governance processes. Nonetheless, our results emphasize the essential role of the country’s institutional factor, which should ensure proper regulation, effective enforcement mechanisms, and financial incentives that promote the RE usage.