Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis, Anticancer Activity and Molecular Docking Studies of Hybrid Benzimidazole-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2-N-Alkyl/Aryl Amines

Abstract In the present study, the synthesis of benzimdazolyl 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (5a-j) and their in vitro anticancer activities against HeLa, MCF7, A549, and HEK293 cell lines were reported. Compound 5f showed most promising anticancer activity with IC50 values 4.68 ± 0.04, 4.16 ± 0.02, 5.40 ± 0.08 µM against the HeLa, MCF-7, and A549 cell lines respectively. Compounds 5b and 5e have also shown excellent anticancer activity with IC50 values 6.07 ± 0.028, 5.30 ± 0.09, 7.16 ± 0.061 µM and 7.56 ± 0.073, 7.20 ± 0.048, 11.30 ± 0.018 µM against the HeLa, MCF-7, and A549 cell lines respectively. The rest of the compounds displayed moderate to good anticancer activity. The tested compounds were nontoxic to normal HEK293 cell lines, and even the more active compounds (5b, 5e, and 5f) also less toxic on HEK-293 cells. Molecular docking results of the synthesized compounds with the target EGFR protein were also discussed.
AI for Social Justice: New Methodological Horizons in Technical Communication

ABSTRACT This Methodologies and Approaches piece argues artificially intelligent machine learning systems can be used to effectively advance justice-oriented research in technical and professional communication (TPC). Using a preexisting dataset investigating patient marginalization in pharmaceuticals policy discourse, we built and tested 49 machine learning systems designed to identify and track rhetorical features of interest. Three popular and one new approach to feature engineering (text quantification) were evaluated. The results indicate that these systems have great potential for use in TPC research.
Investigation of Mid-Infrared Broadband Second-Harmonic Generation in Non-Oxide Nonlinear Optic Crystals

The mid-infrared (mid-IR) continuum generation based on broadband second harmonic generation (SHG) (or difference frequency generation) is of great interest in a wide range of applications such as free space communications, environmental monitoring, thermal imaging, high-sensitivity metrology, gas sensing, and molecular fingerprint spectroscopy. The second-order nonlinear optic (NLO) crystals have been spotlighted as a material platform for converting the wavelengths of existing lasers into the mid-IR spectral region or for realizing tunable lasers. In particular, the spectral coverage could be extended to ~19 µm with non-oxide NLO crystals. In this paper, we theoretically and numerically investigated the broadband SHG properties of non-oxide mid-IR crystals in three categories: chalcopyrite semiconductors, defect chalcopyrite, and orthorhombic ternary chalcogenides. The technique is based on group velocity matching between interacting waves in addition to birefringent phase matching. We will describe broadband SHG characteristics in terms of beam propagation directions, spectral positions of resonance, effective nonlinearities, spatial walk-offs between interacting beams, and spectral bandwidths. The results will show that the spectral bandwidths of the fundamental wave allowed for broadband SHG to reach several hundreds of nm. The corresponding SH spectral range spans from 1758.58 to 4737.18 nm in the non-oxide crystals considered in this study. Such broadband SHG using short pulse trains can potentially be applied to frequency up-conversion imaging in the mid-IR region, in information transmission, and in nonlinear optical signal processing.
Fe-Oxide Nanomaterial: Synthesis, Characterization and Lead Removal

Organic solvent free iron oxide nanomaterial used for lead removal was synthesized by co-precipitation method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopic with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo gravimetric-differential thermal (TG-DTA) analysis were used to determine the surface characteristics and analysis of iron oxide. Optimization of solution pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, agitation speed and initial lead ion concentration were conducted for further adsorption isotherm, kinetics, thermodynamics and desorption study. Langmuir sorption isotherm model fits the adsorption data better than Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-RK) and Flory-Huggins (FH) models. The mean adsorption energy and free energy obtained from D-RK and FH models guides that the mechanism was under control of physical adsorption and actuality of spontaneous reaction, respectively. From kinetics of adsorption pseudo second (PSO) model fits well than pseudo first (PFO) and Elovich adsorption-reaction models. And to test whether the reaction is under control of adsorption-diffusion or not the intra particle diffusion (IPD) model was tested, but it fails to pass through the origin. This indicates that the reaction mechanism only under control of adsorption-reaction. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of the adsorbent was 70.422 mg/g.
The Linkage of Soil CO2 Emissions in a Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachysedulis (Carriere) J. Houzeau) Plantation with Aboveground and Belowground Stoichiometry

Understanding the effects of soil stoichiometry and nutrient resorption on soil CO2 emissions is critical for predicting forest ecosystem nutritional demands and limitations tooptimal forest growth. In this study, we examined the effects of above- and belowground stoichiometry on soil CO2 emissions and their mediating effect on soil respiration in subtropical moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) plantations. Our results showed that the soil respiration rate did not differ significantly among four bamboo stands. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) concentrations were higher in bamboo leaves than litter, whereas the C:N and C:P ratios showed the opposite trend. Significant positive correlations of soil cumulative CO2 emission with litter C:P (p = 0.012) and N:P (p = 0.041) ratios indicated that litter stoichiometry was a better predictor of soil respiration than aboveground stoichiometry. Cumulative soil CO2 emissions were significantly negatively correlated with soil microbe C:N (p = 0.021) and C:N (p = 0.036) ratios, and with soil respiratory quotients (p < 0.001). These results suggest that litter and soil stoichiometry are reliable indicators of the soil respiration rate. This study provides important information about the effects of ecosystem stoichiometry and soil microbial biomass on soil CO2 emissions and highlights them editing role of soil nutritional demands and limitations in the association between soil respiration rates and aboveground plant tissues.
Identifying anti-TNF response biomarkers in ulcerative colitis using a diffusion-based signalling model

Abstract Motivation Resistance to anti-TNF therapy in subgroups of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients is a major challenge and incurs significant treatment costs. Identification of patients at risk of nonresponse to anti-TNF is of major clinical importance. To date, no quantitative computational framework exists to develop a complex biomarker for the prognosis of UC treatment. Modelling patient-wise receptor to transcription factor (TF) network connectivity may enable personalized treatment. Results We present an approach for quantitative diffusion analysis between receptors and TFs using gene expression data. Key TFs were identified using pandaR. Network connectivities between immune-specific receptor-TF pairs were quantified using network diffusion in UC patients and controls. The patient-specific network could be considered a complex biomarker that separates anti-TNF treatment-resistant and responder patients both in the gene expression dataset used for model development and separate independent test datasets. The model was further validated in rheumatoid arthritis where it successfully discriminated resistant and responder patients to tocilizumab treatment. Our model may contribute to prognostic biomarkers that may identify treatment-resistant and responder subpopulations of UC patients. Availability and implementation Software is available at https://github.com/Amy3100/receptor2tfDiffusion. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
The Influences of Psychological Capital and Job Resources Towards Work Engagement

This study aims to investigate how work engagement of the employees of PT X in Jakarta, Indonesia, may be influenced and promoted by psychological capital and job resources. Work engagement is a unique, positive, satisfying, work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption that eventually will lead to positive outcomes, such as work performance. Bakker & Demerouti (2016) [1] conceptualized that psychological capital and job resources consist of factors that may predict the work engagement. In this research, the influences of psychological capital and job resources will be measured partially and simultaneously to find out how significant the influences that both of the two variables cause towards work engagement. Applying the non-experimental quantitative research method, data is collected by distributing the questionnaires to the employees and being analyzed by using single regression and multiple regression analysis method. The result of this research shows that both variables contribute significantly towards work engagement (p= 0.039 < 0.05, and job resources p= 0.014 < 0.05), and partially psychological capital contributes 4.3% and job resources contribute 7.7% towards work engagement, while simultaneously both psychological capital and job resources yield contribution as many as 8.5% while proving that it is also significant while being developed together (R = 0.085 and p = 0.014 < 0.05).
Uncertainty Analysis of Quasi-Zero Stiffness Air Suspension based on Polynomial Chaos Method

In order to improve the vibration isolation performance of suspensions, various new structural forms of suspensions have been proposed. In this paper, a quasi-zero stiffness isolator is used in automotive suspensions to form a new suspension-quasi-zero stiffness air suspension(QZSAS). Due to the strong nonlinearity and structural complexity of quasi-zero stiffness suspensions, changes in structural parameters may cause dramatic changes in suspension performance, so it is of practical importance to study the effect of structural parameter uncertainty on the performance of such suspensions. In order to solve this problem, three suspension structural parameters d0,L0,Pc0 are selected as random variables in this paper, and the polynomial chaos expansion(PCE) theory is used to solve the suspension performance parameters such as body acceleration, suspension dynamic deflection, and wheel relative dynamic load response under different excitation. The sensitivity of the performance parameters to different structural parameters was discussed and analysed in the frequency domain. This paper verifies the feasibility of the PCE method for solving the uncertainty problem of complex nonlinear systems, and the research in this paper can provide a reference for the future structural design and optimization of such suspension systems.
Reconstructing the Changes in Sedimentation and Source Provenance in East African Hydropower Reservoirs: A Case Study of Nyumba ya Mungu in Tanzania

This study aimed to reconstruct the sedimentation rates over time and identify the changing sources of sediment in a major hydropower reservoir in Tanzania, the Nyumba ya Mungu (NYM). Fallout 210Pb measurements were used to estimate age of sediment deposits and broad changes in sedimentation rates were reconstructed. Sedimentation peaks were cross referenced to geochemical profiles of allogenic and autogenic elemental constituents of the sediment column to confirm a causal link. Finally, geochemical fingerprinting of the sediment cores and potential sources were compared using a Bayesian mixing model (MixSIAR) to attribute the dominant riverine and land use sources to the reservoir together with changes through recent decades. Reservoir sedimentation generally increased from 0.1 g cm−2 yr−1 in the lower sediment column to 1.7 g cm−2 yr−1 in the most recent deposits. These results correlated to changes in allogenic and autogenic tracers. The model output pointed to one of two major tributaries, the Kikuletwa River with 60.3%, as the dominant source of sediment to the entire reservoir, while the other tributary, Ruvu River, contributed approximately 39.7%. However, downcore unmixing results indicated that the latest increases in sedimentation seem to be mainly driven by an increased contribution from the Ruvu River. Cultivated land (CU) was shown to be the main land use source of riverine sediment, accounting for 38.4% and 44.6% in Kikuletwa and Ruvu rivers respectively. This study explicitly demonstrated that the integration of sediment tracing and dating tools can be used for quantifying the dominant source of sediment infilling in East African hydropower reservoirs. The results underscore the necessity for catchment-wide management plans that target the reduction of both hillslope erosion reduction and the sediment connectivity from hillslope source areas to rivers and reservoirs, which will help to maintain and enhance food, water and energy security in Eastern Africa.
The Application of Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks in Open and Distance Learning Research

Conceptual and theoretical frameworks are the major ingredients of social research. Conceptual or theoretical frameworks assist researchers in framing their studies and explaining social phenomenon. Many researchers have difficulties in applying and understanding the utility of conceptual or theoretical frameworks when conducting research. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application and understanding of conceptual and theoretical frameworks in open and distance education. Using content analysis, the researchers studied a total of 336 open and distance learning research articles from five core open and distance education journals. It was discovered that the use of one theory in a study is more prevalent. In most cases where more than one theory was used, the researchers referred to it as a theoretical framework. In some studies, they confused theoretical with conceptual frameworks. Some researchers regarded research frameworks, such as paradigms, as theoretical frameworks. Many studies did not explain the way in which conceptual and theoretical frameworks helped them to design their research. Furthermore, researchers did not demonstrate how and why a theory was more applicable to their studies than an alternative one. The study identified that there is a need for more clarification of these concepts when they are used by researchers.
Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Dry Eye in People with Low Serum Vitamin D

Background: Dry eye is a disease (DED) of the tear film and ocular surface, leading to ocular discomforts and pain. The pathophysiology of DED includes tear film instability and ocular surface inflammation. Vitamin D refers to a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for enhancing intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, and zinc. It is not strictly a vitamin, and may be considered a hormone as its synthesis and activity occur in different locations. Objective: Thisstudy aimed to investigate tear film function in patients with vitamin D deficiency. Patient and methods: A case-control study included 75 eyes of 39 patients who were referred to the Ophthalmologic Clinic, Menoufia University during the period from March 2020 to December 2020. Patients of dry eye underwent tear break up time, Schirmer I test without anesthesia and special tests as well as measurement of serum vitamin D level were assessed. Results: 25-hydroxy vitamin D level of the studied group ranged from 6-18.50 ng/ml with mean value of 8.22 ± 4.814 ng/ml. Also, majority of studied sample (92.3%) had bilateral affected eyes, followed by Gelinya (30%). Schirmer's test, tear film breakup time (TFBUT) and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) were increased significantly when compared the values at baseline and after treatment to be after 10 weeks (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Vitamin D replacement appears to improve ocular surface health in patients with vitamin D deficiency. However, further clinical trials with a large sample size and control group are warranted to define the role of vitamin D. Vitamin D supplementation is an effective and useful treatment for patients with dry eye syndrome (DES) that is refractory to conventional treatment.
Income thresholds in the remittances-growth association? a case study of Fiji

ABSTRACT Research indicates that remittances have mixed effects on growth. In this study, we investigate the role of income thresholds in this association for Fiji. Income thresholds are measured by thresholds in per-worker real GDP and are identified using the self-exciting threshold autoregression model over the period 1980 to 2017. A threshold autoregressive distributed lag model is subsequently developed. A single threshold in per-worker real GDP is estimated at US$5891. Remittances promote growth if income exceeds the threshold but is negative otherwise. Hence, remittances support growth-enhancing activities at high-income levels but may finance imports at the expense of domestic production at lower income levels.
Simultaneous Determination of Four Bioactive Alkaloid Components in the Stems of Three Mahonia Plant Species by HPLC

Is a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb and is derived from the dried stems of Mahonia bealei (Fort) Carr and Mahonia fortunei (Lindl.) Fedde, as recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020). The dried stem of Mahonia confusa Sprague can also be used as a substitute material of Mahoniae caulis in Tujia Nationality residence areas. Alkaloids are thought to be the bioactive chemical constituents in Mahoniae caulis. In this article, a high-performance liquid chromatography method was established for rapid quantitative determination of columbamine, jateorhizine, palmatine and berberine in the three Mahonia plant materials to evaluate and compare their quality. This work provides information for exploration and utilization of potential medicinal resources. In the developed method, a Diamonsil ODS C18 column (5μm, 250mm × 4.6 mm) was used at 30°C. The mobile phase consisted of solution A (acetonitrile) and solution B (50 mm potassium phosphate buffer, pH3.0) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was 348 nm. The calibration curves for columbamine, jateorhizine, palmatine and berberine were linear over the range of 0.25–10, 1.50–20, 0.50–10 and 2.5–25 μg/mL, with relative standard deviations of 3.74%, 1.85%, 2.21%, and 1.83%, respectively. Results confirmed the accuracy and repeatability of the method as well as its feasibility for quality control of medicinal materials. The determination results showed that the dried stems of M. bealei and M. fortunei exhibited better quality than those of M. confusa. Nevertheless, the dried stem of M. confusa possessed certain quantities of efficient components.
Between-week reliability of motion tracking screening: A preliminary study with youth male football players

We investigated the reliability of fundamental movements in thirteen youth football players (mean age = 16.8 ± 0.6 y). Following a habituation warm-up, players performed three trials of stride-for-distance and bodyweight squats between two weeks. A motion tracking device was used to measure stride distance and squat depth. The weekly mean changes in mean and maximum performance were moderate for the stride (2.8%; 90% confidence interval: 1.1 to 4.5 and 3.6%; 2.1 to 5.2, respectively) and small for the squat (-2.7%; -12.3 to 7.9 and 3.3%; -5.2 to 12.6). ICCs for stride mean and maximum performance were moderate (0.74; 0.43 to 0.90) and high (0.76; 0.46 to 0.90), respectively, and low for the squat (0.22; -0.27 to 0.61 and 0.42; -0.04 to 0.74, respectively). Typical errors for mean and maximum performance were moderate for the stride (2.4%; 1.8 to 3.6 and 2.1%; 1.6 to 3.3, respectively) and large for the squat (15.9%; 11.8 to 25.1 and 13.1%; 9.7 to 20.5, respectively). The motion tracking reliability was encouraging in the stride. This finding warrants further investigation and consideration of the stride test for use in applied practice with a group of youth footballers.
Assessing the sustainability of cloud computing service providers for Industry 4.0: a state-of-the-art analytical approach

While interests in Industry 4.0 technologies such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are growing, an ongoing challenge is to properly evaluate the performance of the providers of such technologies. Methods have been developed and applied to assess the efficiency of cloud service providers (CSPs) for Industry 4.0. However, most existing methods suffer from such shortcomings as subjective weights and computing complexity, rendering it difficult to succinctly differentiate the performance of CSPs in a competitive market. Besides, the literature has not taken into account many different types of data such as ratios, integers, and undesirable factors that can affect the performance of CSPs. Most importantly, most existing studies do not consider the sustainability of CSPs in evaluating their performance. To address the above issues, we present a comprehensive analytical method based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) to gauge the sustainability of CSPs for Industry 4.0. Validating the usefulness of our method using a real-life dataset, we provide not only a viable means with sound academic underpinning but also significant managerial insights for practitioners to assess the sustainability of CSPs for Industry 4.0.
Joint Optimization of Fractional Frequency Reuse and Cell Clustering for Dynamic TDD Small Cell Networks

In dense small cell networks, dynamic time-division duplex (D-TDD) technology has emerged as a promising solution to accommodate the fast variants of volatile traffic conditions because it allows each cell to dynamically configure the uplink and downlink transmission directions. However, the flexibility of traffic configuration introduces additional inter-cell interference, which largely deteriorates network throughput. This paper proposes an interference coordination technology for D-TDD small cell networks by integrating fractional frequency reuse (FFR) with cell clustering. To evaluate the system performance, we develop a theoretical framework to analytically characterize the mean packet throughput (MPT) performance by considering the impact of spatio-temporal traffic. The analytical model can be extended to further study the FFR-based D-TDD, clustered D-TDD, and traditional D-TDD networks. We verify the accuracy of our analysis through simulations and whereby explore the effect of different network parameters. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed scheme outperforms clustered D-TDD and traditional D-TDD for both the downlink and uplink spatially averaged MPT, and can significantly improve the performance in uplink while slightly decreasing that in downlink compared with FFR-based D-TDD. Furthermore, by jointly optimizing network parameters, the spatially averaged MPT can be maximized while enduring MPT per user.