Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunological mechanisms of arterial damage in pediatric patients with primary hypertension

Primary hypertension is a disease that is being diagnosed with increasing frequency in pediatric patients, and many of them are found to have hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD), including arterial damage. The pathophysiology of primary hypertension and the formation of HMOD is multifactorial. One mechanism studied in recent years is the subclinical inflammation accompanying the elevation of blood pressure. Experimental studies, studies in adults and children, revealed the involvement of immune mechanisms in the formation of vascular lesions in the course of primary hypertension. The paper summarizes the current knowledge on this subject and points to possible therapeutic targets. Particular emphasis is placed on data from pediatric patients with primary hypertension, as a relation between arterial damage (early vascular aging) and immune system activation had already been found in children. The correct identification of immunological mechanisms may not only broaden our understanding of primary hypertension as a disease but also, more importantly, lead to the most effective methods of its treatment.
White kidney bean extract as a nutraceutical: effects on gut microbiota, alpha-amylase inhibition, and user experiences

Abstract White kidney bean extract (WKBE) is a nutraceutical often advocated as an anti-obesity agent. The main proposed mechanism for these effects is alpha-amylase inhibition, thereby slowing carbohydrate digestion and absorption. Thus, it is possible that WKBE could impact the gut microbiota and modulate gut health. We investigated the effects of supplementing 20 healthy adults with WKBE for 1 week in a randomised, placebo-controlled crossover trial on the composition of the gut microbiota, gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation (faecal calprotectin), GI symptoms, and stool habits. We conducted in vitro experiments and used a gut model system to explore potential inhibition of alpha-amylase. We gained qualitative insight into participant experiences of using WKBE via focus groups. WKBE supplementation decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and increased that of Firmicutes, however, there were no significant differences in post-intervention gut microbiota measurements between the WKBE and control. There were no significant effects on GI inflammation or symptoms related to constipation, or stool consistency or frequency. Our in vitro and gut model system analyses showed no effects of WKBE on alpha-amylase activity. Our findings suggest that WKBE may modulate the gut microbiota in healthy adults, however, the underlying mechanism is unlikely due to active site inhibition of alpha-amylase.
New Insights into the Role and Therapeutic Potential of Heat Shock Protein 70 in Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Infection

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a positive-strand RNA virus of the genus Pestivirus in the Flaviviridae family, is the causative agent of bovine viral diarrhea–mucosal disease (BVD-MD). BVDV’s unique virion structure, genome, and replication mechanism in the Flaviviridae family render it a useful alternative model for evaluating the effectiveness of antiviral drugs used against the hepatitis C virus (HCV). As one of the most abundant and typical heat shock proteins, HSP70 plays an important role in viral infection caused by the family Flaviviridae and is considered a logical target of viral regulation in the context of immune escape. However, the mechanism of HSP70 in BVDV infection and the latest insights have not been reported in sufficient detail. In this review, we focus on the role and mechanisms of HSP70 in BVDV-infected animals/cells to further explore the possibility of targeting this protein for antiviral therapy during viral infection.
Corruption and Voter Turnout: Evidence From Second Generation Americans

When studying corruption’s consequences for voter turnout, reverse causality hinders identification; corruption may affect turnout, but an engaged citizenry may also improve governance. However, because good instruments are hard to find, most studies do not adjust for the issue. Here, I surmount the endogeneity problem by predicting turnout among second generation Americans with the level of corruption in their ancestral country. The core intuition is that the best predictors of turnout—education, income, and civic duty—are endogenous to corruption, internationally mobile, and reproduced inter-generationally. Thus, corruption in one country can affect turnout among the American-born children of the country’s émigrés. However, because turnout in US elections does not affect corruption in the ancestral country, there is no threat of reverse causality. Estimating the model with data from the Current Population Survey and the Varieties of Democracy Project reveals a statistically robust, substantively sizable negative effect of corruption on turnout.
Real-Time Detection of Bud Degeneration in Oil Palms Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

This paper presents a novel methodology for the early detection of oil palm bud degeneration based on computer vision. The proposed system uses the YOLO algorithm to detect diseased plants within the bud by analyzing images captured by a drone within the crop. Our system uses a drone equipped with a Jetson Nano embedded system to obtain complete images of crops with a 75% reduction in time and with 40% more accuracy compared to the traditional method. As a result, our system achieves a precision of 92% and a recall of 96%, indicating a high detection rate and a low false-positive rate. In real-time detection, the system is able to effectively detect diseased plants by monitoring an entire hectare of crops in 25 min. The system is also able to detect diseased plants other than those it was trained on with 43% precision. These results suggest that our methodology provides an effective and reliable means of early detection of bud degeneration in oil palm crops, which can prevent the spread of pests and improve crop production.
The Prevalence of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Patients With Celiac Disease in Jordan

Background Celiac disease is an immune-mediated intestinal disorder with a global prevalence of 1% that results from gluten sensitivity in a genetically susceptible person. It presents with gastrointestinal symptoms, consequences of malabsorption, and/or extraintestinal manifestations that include neuropsychiatric symptoms. Aim The aim of this study was to measure the frequency of anxiety and depressive symptoms in Jordanian patients with celiac disease. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was sent electronically to celiac disease patients who were members of the Friends of Celiac Disease Patients Association through WhatsApp using Google Forms (Google, Mountain View, California). The questionnaire contained demographic and disease-related questions, in addition to questions that assessed anxiety and depressive symptoms using validated Arabic versions of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively. Results A total of 133 patients answered the questionnaires. Of the respondents, 82.7% were females, and the mean age was 33.9 +/- 11.22 years; 31.6% of patients were non-compliant with a gluten-free diet, and 56.4% were symptomatic at the time of the questionnaire. The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 85% and 82.7%, respectively. There was no correlation between any of the variables and the presence of anxiety or depressive symptoms. Conclusion A significant proportion of celiac disease patients in Jordan have evidence of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Given this high prevalence and the possible impact on the quality of life, physicians need to screen patients for the presence of psychiatric comorbidities and refer those who have symptoms for further evaluation.
Cuckoo Search Algorithm for the Problem of Permutation Flow Shop Scheduling

Being inspired by the breeding behavior such as brood parasitism of cuckoos,the cuckoo search(CS) was proposed as a novel bionic swarm intelligence optimization method.The optimization mechanism and characteristics of CS were analyzed.Then,the proposed search strategy was applied to solve the minimization of makespan for the problem of permutation flow shop scheduling,adopting the code rule of randomized key representation based on the smallest position value.Comparing with the firefly algorithm and particle swarm optimization,simulation results of benchmark instances validate the efficiency and superiority of CS.
ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF CAUSES, SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS AS A DETERMINANT OF KIDNEY FAILURE RISK BEHAVIOUR AMONG WORKERS IN EDE NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Background Kidney diseases are silent killers with huge consequences that man has been attempting to eradicate for years, but with little success. Knowing the exact nature of the cause, signs, and symptoms that indicate a decline in kidney function could help detect disease development earlier. This study looked at people's knowledge of kidney failure's causes, signs, and symptoms as a determinant of kidney failure risk behavior. Objective The goal was to discover if people's knowledge of kidney failure's causes, signs, and symptoms could help with early illness identification. Methods A descriptive survey research design with a multistage sampling procedure was used to pick 331 respondents for the study. The study's instrument was a structured self-administered questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.81. Three hypotheses were developed and using SPSS, the chi-square test was employed to assess the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Results The findings revealed that knowledge of causes and knowledge of signs and symptoms were significant determinants of kidney failure risk behaviors (X2cal= 110.97, X2crit= 19.68, df= 11, p 0.05; X2cal= 52.70, X2crit= 35.172, df= 23, p 0.05) and that there was no significant gender difference in knowledge of kidney failure causes (F=0.049, df=329, p> 0.05). Conclusion We found that knowledge of causes, signs, and symptoms is a significant factor of kidney failure risk behaviors among workers in Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria, based on the findings of this study. We also concluded that there is no significant gender difference in knowledge of the causes of kidney failure among these workers.
A behavioral reasoning theory of nonprofit competition for grant acquisition

ABSTRACT This study examines nonprofit competition for grant acquisition from the behavioral reasoning theory. The study was conducted in 2 phases. Personal interviews were conducted with the senior managers of 44 Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs), and information was processed using a coding technique to find out the ‘reason for’ and the ‘reason against’ nonprofit competition for grant acquisition (study 1). Post that, responses were collected from 377 senior NPO managers and the information was processed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (study 2). The ‘reason for’ nonprofit competition was the reputational benefit and sustainability benefit, and the ‘reason against’ nonprofit competition was the organizational barrier, knowledge barrier, and image barrier. The ‘reason for’ positively impacted and the ‘reason against’ negatively impacted the motive and intention of nonprofit leaders for grant acquisition. The motive for grant acquisition positively impacted the intention for grant acquisition in nonprofit leaders.
Modeling Growing Stock Volume Using SAR Data and OBIA: Effects of Scale Parameter and Textural and Geometrical Features

This study applies an object-based image classification approach to the modeling of growing stock volume (GSV) for three test sites in boreal forests of Central Siberia. Assessing GSV is of great importance in the context of climate change and modeling of the global carbon cycle. In this study, dual-polarized (HH and HV) L-band radar data are used. The main objective of this study is to improve the model accuracy of object-based GSV estimation. Thus, the applied methodology uses backscatter intensities as well as geometrical and textural features computed using Trimble eCognition Developer. Furthermore, the impacts of these feature groups and of different scale parameters on the model accuracy are analyzed. The scale parameter is of great importance in image segmentation, defining the size of the resulting objects. For modeling GSV, the random forest algorithm is used, and is trained using forest inventory data. The application of this method yields a coefficient of correlation (R²) between 0.42 and 0.51, and a relative root mean square error (RMSE) between 27% and 37%. These results reveal that the combined use of spectral, textural, and geometrical features and a smaller scale parameter enhance the model accuracy. These findings are encouraging and indicate that the model performance of object-based GSV estimation models can still be improved.
Pedagogical Entrepreneurship in Teacher Education Curricula. Comparison of Latvian and Finnish Teacher Education Programs

Earlier research has shown that teachers do not feel sufficiently prepared to develop entrepreneurial competences in the classroom, both theoretically and practically, and that the lack of pedagogical entrepreneurship competences hinders the development of entrepreneurial skills in the learning processes. The aim of this study is to analyse the extent to which entrepreneurial skills are emphasised in current teacher preparation programs and to identify differences between Latvian and Finnish educational programs. Curricula and course outlines from five teacher education programs in two different contexts were analysed. Deductive qualitative content analysis was based on 14 pedagogical entrepreneurship components identified in the previous studies. The results indicate that there are major differences between the programs how entrepreneurial skills were emphasised in the curricula and course outlines. In the data from Latvia, 10 from 14 components of pedagogical entrepreneur were acknowledged fully or partly at least in one of the four programs’ curricula and course outlines. In addition, four components were not identified in any of the programs’ curricula. In contrast, in the Finnish teacher education program, all 14 components of pedagogical entrepreneurship were acknowledged fully or partly in the analysed curriculum and course outlines. This bears consequences for what kind of opportunities to learn pedagogical entrepreneurship students have during their teacher education studies. Based on the research findings, more attention should be paid to entrepreneurship competences in teacher education curricula.
Endometriosis Symptoms and Their Impacts on the Daily Lives of US Women: Results from an Interview Study

Objective This interview study sought to capture patients’ experiences and perceptions of endometriosis symptoms and their impacts on daily life, as described by women in their own words. Using open-ended questions and a concept-elicitation approach, this study assessed the signs and symptoms of endometriosis and their impacts on different aspects of quality of life, including daily activities, functioning, and well-being. Materials and Methods This interview study included US women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis-associated pain who completed one of two Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (SPIRIT 1 or SPIRIT 2; ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT03204318, NCT03204331). Interviews were conducted via a web/Internet-based video platform or telephone by trained interviewers, using open-ended questions in a concept-elicitation approach, and probes as needed to obtain additional feedback on the burden of endometriosis. Qualitative data from the interviews were analyzed, and emerging concepts were coded by independent coders. Concept saturation was evaluated to determine if all endometriosis-related symptoms and impacts had been described by the sample of women interviewed. Results Forty women participated in this study. In total, 18 unique symptoms of endometriosis emerged from the interviews; pelvic pain (92.5%), dyspareunia (80.0%), and heavy bleeding (75.0%) were the most commonly reported endometriosis symptoms. A total of 33 unique impacts of endometriosis symptoms were identified across 11 concepts: physical impacts, impacts on activities of daily living, social impacts, sleep impacts, emotional impacts, appearance impacts, financial impacts, sex-related impacts, work/school-related impacts, fertility impacts, and cognitive impacts. Concept saturation was achieved for both symptoms and impacts of endometriosis. Conclusion This interview study provides substantive qualitative data on the burden of endometriosis, from the perspective of affected women in the US. The findings demonstrate the debilitating effect of endometriosis symptoms, which limit and adversely impact women’s daily lives.
Faculty Members Perspectives on the Impact of Educational Technology on the Teaching and Learning Process at the University of Sharjah

Educational technology is increasingly being employed in universities to boost students' learning and performance. It became a key component of communication, information storage and transmission, audio-visual media usage and creation, and knowledge sharing. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of modern educational technologies on education quality and development at the College of Arts and Humanities at Sharjah University from the perspective of faculty members by developing a questionnaire with (20) items and distributing it to a random sample of (91) faculty members. According to the study's findings, the usage of educational technology has a significant impact on education, not just in terms of boosting instructors' communication skills, instructional techniques, and advising students on how to utilize this technology. We actively support the employment of as much information technology as possible in the classroom in order to increase instructors' abilities and students' knowledge.
Study of patient satisfaction in anesthesia OPD: A study in Shaheed Ziaur Rahman medical college hospital, Bogura, Bangladesh

Background : Anesthesiologists play a significant role in perioperative medical care of the patients. In Anesthesia OPD, preanesthesia evaluation is done to assess patient’s medical condition before surgery and formulate anesthetic plan based on risk assessment and streamline the preoperative experience of patients. But the patient experience and satisfaction with such clinics has not been adequately studied in Bangladesh. Objective: The main objective of this study is to assess the satisfaction of patients who have availed services of preanesthesia evaluation, identify problems, and suggest measures to improve the services. Materials and Methods: We conducted this study at Anesthesia Out Patient Department by means of a questionnaire designed to assess patient satisfaction about preanesthetic evaluation services in Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, Bogura, Bangladesh. A total of 100 adult patients were randomly selected to respond to a multiple item questionnaire. A database was created and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Results: In this study, major reasons leading to dissatisfaction of patients were difficulty in locating Anesthesia OPD, delayed fitness, lack of information about purpose and prerequisites of Anesthesia visit by surgical faculty and lack of explanation of preanesthesia instructions. Also 40 % patients found that their privacy and confidentiality not maintained. Most of the patients were not satisfied by basic amenities in hospital. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction about Anesthesia OPD can be improved by measures taken in infrastructure, basic amenities
Application and Significance of the Wavelet–Fractal Method on the Data of the Induced Polarization Method in the Graphite Deposits of Datong, China

Wavelet transformation has been widely used in geophysical and geochemical exploration, and the fractal feature of wavelet coefficients has recently stood out from many wavelet threshold methods. We introduced the wavelet–fractal method to analyze the polarizability and resistivity of graphite deposits. Due to the unique nature of graphite-bearing gneiss, characterized by high polarizability and low resistivity, we concluded that the polarizability background mode is better suited to depict the morphology of the graphite-bearing formation, with the resistivity background mode serving as complementary information for verification. Symlets5 is regarded as the optimal mother wavelet to indicate the characteristics of graphite ore by means of comparison and analysis. The polarizability anomalies showed two different linear forms: the direction of the measuring line and the strike of the ore bodies. According to the data of drill holes on the profile, we inferred that the high values of the anomaly mode can be used to delineate the target area where the graphite is enriched. Combining the application of both modes, we used the wavelet–fractal method for the quantitative prediction and effective selection of a potential area with a high grade. The approach used in this current study can be extended to the prospecting of other graphite deposits or sedimentary–metamorphic deposits containing conductive minerals, where geochemical and geophysical data are available.
Eulerian-Eulerian Modeling of the Features of Mean and Fluctuational Flow Structure and Dispersed Phase Motion in Axisymmetric Round Two-Phase Jets

The features of the local mean and fluctuational flow structure, carrier phase turbulence and the propagation of the dispersed phase in the bubbly and droplet-laden isothermal round polydispersed jets were numerically simulated. The dynamics of the polydispersed phase is predicted using the Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid approach. Turbulence of the carrier phase is described using the second-moment closure while taking into account the presence of the dispersed phase. The numerical analysis was performed in a wide range of variation of dispersed phase diameter at the inlet and particle-to-fluid density ratio (from gas flow laden with water droplets to carrier fluid flow laden with gas bubbles). An increase in the concentration of air bubbles and their size leads to jet expansion (as compared to a single-phase jet up to 40%), which indicates an increase in the intensity of the process of turbulent mixing with the surrounding space. However, this makes the gas-droplet jet narrower (up to 15%) and with a longer range in comparison with a single-phase flow. The addition of finely dispersed liquid droplets to an air jet suppresses gas phase turbulence (up to 15%). In a bubbly jet, it is found that small bubbles (Stk < 0.1) accumulate near the jet axis in the initial cross-sections, while concentration of the large ones (Stk > 0.2) along the jet axis decreases rapidly. In the gas-droplet jet, the effect of dispersed phase accumulation is also observed in the initial cross-section, and then its concentration decreases gradually along the jet axis. For gas bubbles (Stk < 0.1), small turbulence attenuation (up to 6%) is shown.