Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Machinability and Energy Efficiency in Micro-EDM Milling of Zirconium Boride Reinforced with Silicon Carbide Fibers

Several types of advanced materials have been developed to be applied in many industrial application fields to satisfy the high performance required. Despite this, research and development of process suited to machine are still limited. Due to the high mechanical properties, advanced materials are often considered as difficult to cut. For this reason, EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) can be defined as a good option for the machining of micro components made of difficult to cut electrically conductive materials. This paper presents an investigation on the applicability of the EDM process to machine ZrB2 reinforced by SiC fibers, with assessment of process performance and energy efficiency. Different fractions of the additive SiC fibers were taken into account to evaluate the stability and repeatability of the process. Circular pocket features were machined by using a micro-EDM machine and the results from different process parameters combinations were analyzed with respect to material removal, electrode wear and cavity surface quality. Discharges data were collected and characterized to define the actual values of process parameters (peak current, pulse duration and energy per discharge). The characteristics of the pulses were used to evaluate the machinability and to investigate the energy efficiency of the process. The main process performance indicators were calculated as a function of the number of occurred discharges and the energy of a single discharge. The results show interesting aspects related to the process from both the performances and the removal mechanism point of view.
Coarse‐grained and atomic resolution biomolecular docking with the ATTRACT approach

The ATTRACT protein‐protein docking program has been employed to predict protein‐protein complex structures in CAPRI rounds 38‐45. For 11 out of 16 targets acceptable or better quality solutions have been submitted (~70%). It includes also several cases of peptide‐protein docking and the successful prediction of the geometry of carbohydrate‐protein interactions. The option of combining rigid body minimization and simultaneous optimization in collective degrees of freedom based on elastic network modes was employed and systematically evaluated. Application to a large benchmark set indicates a modest improvement in docking performance compared to rigid docking. Possible further improvements of the docking approach in particular at the scoring and the flexible refinement steps are discussed.
The Effects of a Fixed Combination of Berberis aristata and Silybum marianum on Dyslipidaemia – A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review

Abstract A fixed combination of Berberis aristata and Silybum marianum (Berberol) has been used by patients with dyslipidaemia. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed combination of B. aristata and S. marianum (Berberol) on serum lipid levels compared to placebo in a meta-analysis based on randomised, controlled trials. The meta-analysis was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement, using the PICO (patients, intervention, comparison, outcome) format, and it was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies. Placebo-controlled clinical studies involving adult patients with a condition of dyslipidaemia and receiving a fixed combination of B. aristata and S. marianum were included. Four randomised trials, including a total of 491 patients, were pooled in statistical analysis. According to the present meta-analysis, Berberol significantly lowered the low-density lipoprotein level, total cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose levels, and the Homeostatic Model Assessment index compared to placebo; however, its effects on the high-density lipoprotein level, triglyceride level, and body mass index were not statistically significant by the end of a 3-month treatment period. Berberol appeared to be safe, and it did not increase the levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and creatine kinase enzymes. Berberol is an effective and presumably safe complementary therapy for the treatment of dyslipidaemia; however, the evidence supporting its use is very limited. The optimum dose and duration of treatment are unclear. A comprehensive evaluation of efficacy and safety is required in further high-quality clinical studies involving larger patient populations.
OTT_A_224325 10441..10453

Shanxi Key Laboratory of OtorhinolaryngologyHead and Neck Cancer, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, People’s Republic of China; Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, People’s Republic of China; OtolaryngologyHead &Neck Surgery Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, People’s Republic of China; The Key Scientific and Technological Innovation Platform for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer, Shanxi Province, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China; Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of China; School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230027, People’s Republic of China; Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Dalian Municipal Friendship Hospital, Dalian, Liaoning 116001, People’s Republic of China; Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Beijing Chest Hospital, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 101149, People’s Republic of China; Department of Pathology, Shanxi Cancer Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030000, People’s Republic of China; Department of Pathology, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, People’s Republic of China; Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, The First Hospital, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China; Health Management Center, the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China
State of Life Satisfaction and Physical Fitness in Elderly through Gateball Sports in Terms of Economics

This study departs from elderly people who experience problems with the level of life satisfaction and physical fitness. The research design used is causal-comparative, namely knowing how much the state of life satisfaction and physical fitness in elderly through gateball sports in terms of economics. The study sample was an elderly gateball athlete PELATCAB PORDA XII Jawa Barat 2018 Kota Bandung numbering> 100 athletes located in the training center. The sampling technique uses Random Sampling. The instrument used was using a life satisfaction questionnaire and a senior fitness test. Analysis of the data in this study using SPSS series 23 with the test equipment used include: normality test with kolmogorovsmirnov, homogeneity test with lavene statistics, and hypothesis testing with t test (independent sample t-test) to determine the differences between sample groups. Based on the questions and objectives of this study through relevant research with higher levels of physical activity and fitness, the risk of death is lower and older adults experience greater life satisfaction if they are involved in physical activity than those who are less involved in physical activity. Keywords—elderly; life satisfaction; physical fitness
Highly Stable & Oppositely charged Hybrid Nanomaterials Fine tuning of their Electro-static interactions to fabricate Functional surfaces

We report on the generation of Smart hybrid functional surfaces via a novel surface functionalization pathway termed as Surface Grown Hybrid Functional Layers or SgL, which competes with the conventioanl Layer-by-Layer (LbL) approach. In SgL approach, the smart surfaces were generated in a single step at a fluid/solid interface through fine tuning of electro-static interaction between the stable oppositely charged building blocks (BBs) as a function of the ionic strength of the dispersion. Admixing of the oppositely charged BBs at high ionic strength resulted a dormant solution, where the elctrostatic interaction is completely switched off. The complexation between the BBs can be triggered by switching back on the interaction via a controlled removal of salt (desalting) by dialysis or dilution with water yield a reactive solution. The onset of this desalting transition at a given substrate enabled the fabrication of smart hybrid layers with unique morphology, properties and applications.
Does the End Justify the Means?

To use or not to use Google Translate to perform translation assignments can be a grey area among teachers and students in some translation classrooms. This study attempted to explore EFL students’ purposes, patterns, and perceptions of Google Translate use. The study sample was a total of 90 Thai undergraduate students completing two translation courses offered in a Thai university. The students were asked to answer the questionnaire on their Google Translate use and perceptions. The quantitative data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and one-way ANOVA. The qualitative data from the open-ended questions were analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that the most frequent purpose of Google Translate use for English-Thai and Thai-English translation was at the word level, to find meanings of English words and to translate Thai words into English. When high and low achievers were compared, the low achievers used Google Translate to help with their translation at the sentence and paragraph levels more often. With regards to their perceptions, the students valued the benefits of Google Translate due to its two features, ease of use and accessibility. Nevertheless, most of them disapproved of Google Translate products because of its quality. The students’ reasons to justify and to reject classroom policies of allowing them to use Google Translate and using it as a learning tool, as well as their intention to use Google Translate in their future work, were discussed. Keywords— translation training; Google Translate; translation machine; acquisition of translation competence, translation process
DENDROCLIMATIC AND DENDROHYDROLOGICAL RESPONSE OF TWO TREE SPECIES FROM GILGIT VALLEYS

Picea smithiana and Juniperus excelsa are two tree species growing in Gilgit valleys are used to explore growth climate and growth river flow response. About 100 wood samples in the form of cores from three sites were collected. Picea smithiana from Bagrot and Haramosh (only chronologies published) and Juniperus excelsa from Nalter were sampled. A large number of Juniperus excelsa samples were rejected due to various associated problems. Crossmatched and standardized chronologies of three sites were compared with temperature, precipitation (meteorological and gridded data) and instrumental Indus river flow data. Juniperus excelsa showed strong lag year response. These species showed significant negative relationship of tree ring index with MayJune temperature and positive response with March-April precipitation using instrumental and gridded data. Tree ring of these species indicate significant positive response with May-June river flow. It is shown that these species have potential to evaluate past climatic variations of the area and past water flow response of Indus River.
Change and continuity : the experience of living with a terminal illness

While participation in meaningful occupation has been shown to positively influence subjective health and well-being, there has been a neglect of the experience and meaning of occupation for palliative care clients to guide Occupational Therapists (O.T.s) in defining their role in this practice area. The intent of this study was to explore the experience and meaning of occupation for individuals with a terminal illness and to examine how different dimensions of their environment (social, physical, cultural or institutional) influenced their experience. A qualitative research approach was implemented to explore the unique perspectives of the participants. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were completed with nine individuals diagnosed with a terminal illness, such as cancer or AIDS. Two main themes emerged from the stories of the study participants. The first theme 'The Impact of Illness on Daily Life' outlines the changes following diagnosis in the participants' approaches to life, relationships, changing ability to engage in meaningful occupation, and independent living. The second theme 'Shrinking Worlds: The Importance of Home, Neighbourhood and Community Resources' describes the increasing significance and changing meanings of various spaces making up the context of the participants' lives. The manner in which these individuals restructured and renegotiated their environment to accommodate their changing physical, social and financial needs are also discussed. The participants described many losses as a result of decreased involvement in meaningful roles and occupations. Challenges related to living with a terminal illness (and specifically participating in occupation) were a result not only of their illness but Change and Continuity iii also dimensions of their environment which mediated their experience (for example, social policies, the meaning of spaces, attitudes of others and availability of supports). Participants used a multitude of strategies to remain engaged in meaningful occupations and roles, despite their changing abilities, and described many benefits of this continued involvement. Strategies included applying energy conservation techniques, residential relocation, utilizing equipment and services and discovering new activities in which to
Minimal in vivo requirements for developmentally regulated cardiac long intergenic non-coding RNAs

ABSTRACT Long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) have been implicated in gene regulation, but their requirement for development needs empirical interrogation. We computationally identified nine murine lincRNAs that have developmentally regulated transcriptional and epigenomic profiles specific to early heart differentiation. Six of the nine lincRNAs had in vivo expression patterns supporting a potential function in heart development, including a transcript downstream of the cardiac transcription factor Hand2, which we named Handlr (Hand2-associated lincRNA), Rubie and Atcayos. We genetically ablated these six lincRNAs in mouse, which suggested genomic regulatory roles for four of the cohort. However, none of the lincRNA deletions led to severe cardiac phenotypes. Thus, we stressed the hearts of adult Handlr and Atcayos mutant mice by transverse aortic banding and found that absence of these lincRNAs did not affect cardiac hypertrophy or left ventricular function post-stress. Our results support roles for lincRNA transcripts and/or transcription in the regulation of topologically associated genes. However, the individual importance of developmentally specific lincRNAs is yet to be established. Their status as either gene-like entities or epigenetic components of the nucleus should be further considered. Highlighted Article: Although cardiac-specific long intergenic noncoding RNAs display striking expression patterns in the embryo, they appear largely dispensable for proper heart development.
Polyphenolic Composition and Hypotensive Effects of Parastrephia quadrangularis (Meyen) Cabrera in Rat

Parastrephia quadrangularis (Pq), commonly called “Tola”, is widely used in folk medicine in the Andes, including for altitude sickness. In this study, polyphenolic composition was determined, and hypotensive effects were measured; the ethnopharmacological use as hypotensive was related to the presence of phenolic compounds. For this purpose, male Sprague-Dawley rats (6 to 8 weeks of age, 160 to 190 g) were fed Pq extract (10 to 40 mg/kg) for 10 days through gavage. Blood pressures and heart rate were significantly (p < 0.01) reduced in normotensive rats receiving Pq extract (40 mg/kg body weight). Pq extract induced a negative inotropic effect, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation mediated by nitric oxide (NO). Furthermore, preincubation with Pq extract significantly decreased the cytosolic calcium on vascular smooth muscle cells A7r5 in response to L-phenylephrine (PE). Seven metabolites were isolated from the Pq extract, but three flavonoids (10−4 M) showed similar vasodilation to the extract in intact rat aorta as follows: 5,3′,4′-trihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone (2); 3,5,4′-trihydroxy-7,8,3′-trimethoxyflavone (6); and 5,4′-dihydroxy-3,7,8,3′-tetramethoxyflavone (7). The Pq extract and compounds 2 and 7 significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the contraction to Bay K8644 (10 nM, an agonist of CaV1.2 channels). Administration of Pq decreased cardiac contractility and increased endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation.
Flexible Pressure Sensors with a Wide Detection Range Based on Self-Assembled Polystyrene Microspheres

Flexible pressure sensors are important components of electronic skin and flexible wearable devices. Most existing piezoresistive flexible pressure sensors have obtained high sensitivities, however, they have relatively small pressure detection ranges. Here, we report flexible pressure sensors with a wide detection range using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the substrate, carbon nanotube films as the electrode material, and self-assembled polystyrene microsphere film as the microstructure layer. The obtained pressure sensor had a sandwich structure, and had a wide pressure detection range (from 4 kPa to 270 kPa), a sensitivity of 2.49 kPa−1, and a response time of tens of milliseconds. Two hundred load–unload cycles indicated that the device had good stability. In addition, the sensor was obtained by large-area fabrication with a low power consumption. This pressure sensor is expected to be widely used in applications such as electronic skin and flexible wearable devices.
Comparison of extraction methods for recovering ancient microbial DNA from paleofeces.

OBJECTIVES Paleofeces are valuable to archeologists and evolutionary biologists for their potential to yield health, dietary, and host information. As a rich source of preserved biomolecules from host-associated microorganisms, they can also provide insights into the recent evolution and changing ecology of the gut microbiome. However, there is currently no standard method for DNA extraction from paleofeces, which combine the dual challenges of complex biological composition and degraded DNA. Due to the scarcity and relatively poor preservation of paleofeces when compared with other archeological remains, it is important to use efficient methods that maximize ancient DNA (aDNA) recovery while also minimizing downstream taxonomic biases. METHODS In this study, we use shotgun metagenomics to systematically compare the performance of five DNA extraction methods on a set of well-preserved human and dog paleofeces from Mexico (~1,300 BP). RESULTS Our results show that all tested DNA extraction methods yield a consistent microbial taxonomic profile, but that methods optimized for ancient samples recover significantly more DNA. CONCLUSIONS These results show promise for future studies that seek to explore the evolution of the human gut microbiome by comparing aDNA data with those generated in modern studies.
Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the NPR1-Like Gene Family in Bread Wheat and Its Relatives

NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1), and its paralogues NPR3 and NPR4, are bona fide salicylic acid (SA) receptors and play critical regulatory roles in plant immunity. However, comprehensive identification and analysis of the NPR1-like gene family had not been conducted so far in bread wheat and its relatives. Here, a total of 17 NPR genes in Triticum aestivum, five NPR genes in Triticum urartu, 12 NPR genes in Triticum dicoccoides, and six NPR genes in Aegilops tauschii were identified using bioinformatics approaches. Protein properties of these putative NPR1-like genes were also described. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the 40 NPR1-like proteins, together with 40 NPR1-related proteins from other plant species, were clustered into three major clades. The TaNPR1-like genes belonging to the same Arabidopsis subfamilies shared similar exon-intron patterns and protein domain compositions, as well as conserved motifs and amino acid residues. The cis-regulatory elements related to SA were identified in the promoter regions of TaNPR1-like genes. The TaNPR1-like genes were intensively mapped on the chromosomes of homoeologous groups 3, 4, and 5, except TaNPR2-D. Chromosomal distribution and collinearity analysis of NPR1-like genes among bread wheat and its relatives revealed that the evolution of this gene family was more conservative following formation of hexaploid wheat. Transcriptome data analysis indicated that TaNPR1-like genes exhibited tissue/organ-specific expression patterns and some members were induced under biotic stress. These findings lay the foundation for further functional characterization of NPR1-like proteins in bread wheat and its relatives.
Retinal vasculometric characteristics and their associations with polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis in a prospective cohort: EPIC-Norfolk Eye Study

Both polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) have been associated with an increased future risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). 1 However, it remains uncertain whether this is a consequence of inflammatory disease or relates to a common underlying mechanism. Retinal vascular images are a sensitive measures of vascular health, which are emerging as important biomarkers of future cardiovascular risk with changes affecting arterioles and venules.2 In this study, we assess whether vasculometric features associated with CVD are detectable prior to the onset of PMR and GCA. We analysed data from initially healthy subjects enrolled in the EPIC-Norfolk Study, a prospective population-based cohort which enrolled participants between the years 1993 and 1997.3 4 Digital photographs of the retinal fundus were taken of 8112 participants between 2004 and 2011 using a TRC-NW6S non-mydriatic retinal camera and IMAGEnet Telemedicine System (Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) with a 10 MP Nikon D80 camera (Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). Retinal vessel widths were measured using the QUARTZ (QUantitative Analysis of Retinal vessel Topology and siZe) programme.5 The fully automated algorithm uses an ensemble classifier of bagged decision trees to allocate vessels into arterioles and venules at 80% probability and calculates summary measures for each participant with an averaged measure between right and left eyes. Cases of PMR …