Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Drying Parameters on the Physical Properties of Extruded Fish Feed

Commercial catfish feed is sometimes manufactured through extrusion, usually are of high moisture content which cannot be stored or transported without it being damaged, hence, the need for effective drying of fish feed. Fish feed was formulated, mixed, extruded (single screw extruder), dried (mechanical convective dryer) and evaluated upon to examine the impact of the drying parameters (air drying temperature and air-drying velocity) and some physical properties of the fish feed. Five levels of drying air temperature (40° C, 50° C, 60° C, 70° C and 80° C) and three levels of drying air velocity (1.0 m/s, 1.5 m/s and 2.0 m/s) were used during the drying experiments. The final moisture content reduces with increase in drying air temperature and drying air velocities. The drying temperature does not significantly affect the unit density and porosity. Bulk density reduces with increased drying air temperature and drying air velocity. The extrudate porosity increases with drying air temperature. The drying air velocities does not significantly affect the sinking velocity and porosity. The optimum floatation time is from the feed dried at 1.5 m/s drying air velocity and 80oC drying air temperature.
Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents Improve Detection of Recurrent Soft-Tissue Sarcoma at MRI.

Purpose To determine the diagnostic efficacy of gadolinium-based contrast agents for the detection of recurrent soft-tissue sarcoma compared with non-contrast-enhanced conventional MRI sequences. Materials and Methods A retrospective study of patients with soft-tissue sarcomas who were imaged from January 2009 to December 2014 was performed. MRI studies from 69 patients (mean age, 61 years ± 15 [standard deviation], 45 men) with recurrent soft-tissue sarcoma and 63 age-, sex-, and tumor-matched controls with positive findings (nonrecurrence) were presented to six musculoskeletal radiologists at a tertiary cancer center in three image groupings. Group 1 consisted of precontrast T1-weighted and fat-suppressed T2-weighted images (no contrast agent). Group 2 consisted of precontrast and postcontrast fat-saturated T1-weighted images. Group 3 consisted of precontrast and fat-saturated postcontrast T1- and fat-suppressed T2-weighted images. Images within these three groups contained either recurrent soft-tissue sarcomas or positive postoperative findings (nonsarcoma). The presentation order of the first two image sets was reversed for half the readers. The readers were asked to classify presence of tumor on a five-point scale. The average score from the readers was used as consensus score for each case, and a case was considered positive if the average score was less than 3. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed using the average score for each image set. Results Assessment of the group 3 image set resulted in higher sensitivity (74%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 62%, 83%) than the group 2 image set (64%, 95% CI: 51%, 75%), which was also more sensitive than the assessment of the group 1 images set (49%, 95% CI: 37%, 61%), with P = . 02 for both. There was no significant difference in specificity between the three groups. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the assessment of group 1 was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.86), which was significantly lower than that of group 2, 0.92 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.96) and group 3, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88, 0.97), with P values of . 0006 and < . 0001, respectively. There was no difference between the AUCs of groups 2 and 3 (P = .58). Conclusion Gadolinium-based contrast agents improved diagnostic performance in detection of recurrent soft-tissue sarcoma. Addition of fat-saturated T2-weighted images provided modest improvement in sensitivity.Keywords: Efficacy Studies, MR-Contrast Agent, Oncology, Soft Tissues/Skin© RSNA, 2020.
PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF CUMIN (CUMINUM CYMINUM L.) SEED EXTRACT ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, TOXICITY, AND HEMATOLOGY ON HYPERLIPIDEMIC RABBITS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Objective: The present study is related with the assessment of anti-atherosclerotic efficacy of 70% EtOH extract of cumin seed in diet-induced hyperlipidemic rabbits.Methods: Rabbits were rendered hyperlipidemic by oral administration of cholesterol for 15 days. Then, the animals were treated with 70% EtOH (ethanolic extract) of cumin seed extract for 45 days (Group III). Another set of animals was treated with atorvastatin, the standard drug for 45 days. At the end of experimental period, the serum biochemical, hematological, and histological analysis of thoracic aorta was done.Results: The cumin seed extract showed contain hypolipidemic effect by reducing plasma cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, and triglycerides level. While toxicological studies suggest no adverse effect on renal and liver function tests, hematological parameters were also observed in a normal range. Histological analysis showed that cholesterol administration caused a narrowing of the aortal lumen while treatment with 70% EtOH and atorvastatin decreased the plaque size and restored the luminal size of the aorta to normal.Conclusion: The present study suggests that commonly used culinary spice cumin seed possesses hypolipidemic and cardioprotective effect with a positive effect on serum biochemistry, histology, and hematology.
Thermal Runaway of a Li-Ion Battery Studied by Combined ARC and Multi-Length Scale X-ray CT

Lithium ion battery failure occurs across multiple length scales. In this work, the properties of thermal failure and its effects on electrode materials were investigated in a commercial battery using a combination of accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) and multi-length scale X-ray computed tomography (CT). ARC measured the heat dissipated from the cell during thermal runaway and enabled the identi ﬁ cation of key thermal failure characteristics such as onset temperature and the rate of heat generation during the failure. Analysis before and after failure using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray CT were performed to reveal the effects of failure on the architecture of the whole cell and microstructure of the cathode material. Mechanical deformations to the cell architecture were revealed due to gas generation at elevated temperatures ( > 200 °C). The extreme conditions during thermal runaway caused the cathode particles to reduce in size by a factor of two. Electrode surface analysis revealed surface deposits on both the anode and cathode materials. The link between electrode microstructure and heat generation within a cell during failure is analysed and compared to commercially available lithium ion cells of varying cathode chemistries. The optimisation of electrode designs for safer battery materials is discussed.
The Effects of Strenght Exercises on Body Composition and Irisin

This is the first study to determine the effects of strenght exercises on irisin and correlation of bady composition and irisin. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects on body fat and irisin of static strength exercises with Tera-Bant® in elite boxers. 9 volunteered elite male boxers participate in the study who are non-smokers and did not use any nutritional supplements. Boxers were instructed to perform strength exercises with Thera-Band for 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Blood samples were taken before exercises (resting), after the first exercise (acute) and after 8 weeks following the last exercise (chronic), and measurement of body fats were made at the same time. Irisin levels of blood were examined. Statistical analyses were carried out using the SPSS 22 for Windows. The data were found to not be distributed normally. Thus, Friedman, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney U and Speraman’s correlations tests were used. The results were evaluated using an alpha level of . 05. Body Fat Percentage (BFP) and Fat Mass (FM) levels of athletes increased, Lean Mass (LM) decreased relatively both after a single session and after 8 weeks. While irisin concentration increased after a single session, (correlation in pre exercise and after a single exercise. Static strength exercise is effective on body fat both acutely and chronically, and effective on irisin only acute. Farther, the body fat and irisin are related to the negative.
Development of novel drug screening assays and molecular characterization of rifampicin and pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Es gibt einen dringenden Bedarf fur ein besseres Verstandnis der Mechanismen, die zu Antibiotikaresistenzen bei M. tuberculosis fuhren. Daruberhinaus ist die Entwicklung schneller Verfahren notwendig, die ein High-throughput screening fur die Entwicklung neuer Wirkstoffe moglich machen, die nicht nur gegen arzneimittelresistente Tuberkulose (TB), sondern auch fur die Behandlung persistenter und latenter Tuberkuloseinfektionen verwendbar sind. Rifampicin ist eines der starksten und wirkungsvollsten Medikamente gegen TB. Dennoch wird eine Resistenz gegen Rifampicin bei M. tuberculosis durch eine Mutation im rpoB Gen, einer Untereinheit der RNA-Polymerase (RNAP), verursacht. Der Enzymkomplex als Ganzes ist ein weithin bekanntes Ziel fur neue Wirkstoffentwicklungen, daher wurde in der (vorliegenden) Arbeit ein RNAP assay fur das Drug screening (erfolgreich) realisiert . Die hierzu etablierteMethode, ist fur den Hochdurchsatz geeignet ,kosteneffektiv und verwendet naturliche Nukleotide. Mittels dieses Tests wurden einige Wirkstoffkanditaten gepruft. Pyrazinamide (PZA) ist eine Nikotinamid ahnlich Substanz, die auch als Frontliniedroge verwendet wird, um TB zu behandeln. Der genaue Wirkmechanismus von PZA, eines der wichtigsten antimykobakteriellen Medikamente, ist jedoch noch nicht geklart. Fur eine Resistenz gegen PZA sind meistens Veranderungen im pncA Gen von M. tuberculosis verantwortlich. Um zum weiteren Verstandnis der molekularen Grundlagen der PZA-Resistenzs in M. tuberculosis beizutragen, wurden pncA DNS Sequenzen von PZA-resistenten und -resistenzanfalligen klinischen Isolaten von M. tuberculosis analysiert. Die Analyse identifizierte einige bis jetzt nicht berichtete Veranderungen. Weiterhin wurde das pncA Gen von M. tuberculosis H37Rv in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) kloniert, gereinigt und charakterisiert. Es konnte ein Hochdurchsatz–Pyrazinamidase-Test in 96-Well-Platten entwickelt werden, der fur die Erforschung neuer Therapien bei TB weiter genutzt werden kann.
Overexpression of LBX2 associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common carcinomas with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of CRC are unclear. The aim of the present study was to establish the role that overexpression of LBX2 serves in CRC and to investigate the associated biological pathways. The difference in the expression levels of LBX2 between CRC tissues and adjacent normal colorectal tissues was assessed using the Oncomine database and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource. The expression levels of LBX2 and its prognostic significance in CRC were analyzed using a t-test and χ2 test using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to estimate the prognostic value of LBX2 in CRC. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms of LBX2 dysregulation and its underlying molecular mechanisms in CRC were investigated using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). LBX2 expression levels were significantly upregulated in CRC samples compared with corresponding normal colorectal tissues (P<0.05). LBX2 upregulation was correlated with advanced tumor stage (III or IV), vascular invasion, lymphatic invasion and the male sex (all P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that high expression levels of LBX2 were associated with a less favorable overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in CRC (all P<0.05). Multivariate analyses further confirmed that LBX2 upregulation was an independent indicator of less favorable OS and DFS (all P<0.05). In addition, LBX2 DNA hypomethylation and microRNA (miR)-378a-3p downregulation correlated with LBX2 upregulation in CRC (all P<0.05). The downregulation of miR-378a-3p in CRC was also significantly associated with less favorable OS and DFS, as demonstrated using Kaplan-Meier analyses (all P<0.05). Moreover, GSEA indicated that ‘VEGF signaling’, ‘Cell adhesion molecules CAMs’, ‘Toll-like receptor signaling’ and ‘Natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity’ signaling pathways were enriched in the high LBX2 expressing cohort (all P<0.05). Thus, overexpression of LBX2 may be associated with the development of CRC and may serve as a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target in CRC. The mechanisms of LBX2 upregulation in CRC are possibly associated with LBX2 DNA hypomethylation and miR-378a-3p downregulation. The potential mechanisms of LBX2 upregulation in CRC might be regulated via the ‘Cell adhesion molecules CAMs’, ‘Toll-like receptor signaling’ and ‘Natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity’ signaling pathways.
Operationalizing triple bottom line harvest strategies

Over the past 50 years, the diversity of fisheries types being actively managed has changed from mainly data-rich, industrial sectors to more socially, economically, and environmentally complex multispecies and multisector fisheries. Accompanying this change has been a broadening of management objectives to include social and economic considerations with traditional resource sustainability objectives, the so-called triple bottom line, and the need to include these considerations into harvest strategies. The case of a line fishery in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is used as a demonstration of the first steps in implementing triple bottom line harvest strategies. This fishery has several disparate sectors including commercial, tourism, and recreation; targets multiple but important reef species; and is undertaken in a World Heritage Site. This work highlights the need for a much-expanded set of objectives elicited from stakeholders that are either included in the trade-off analyses of the different harvest strategies or directly in an optimization. Both options demonstrated that a paradigm shift is required to emphasize representative participatory management systems that assemble teams from quite different backgrounds and viewpoints; use much broader set of objectives; and modify tools and (especially) the data collected within revised monitoring programmes to underpin these tools.
MUTAGENIC POTENTIAL OF TELOMERIC REPEATS AND THE ROLE OF WERNER SYNDROME HELICASE PROTEIN IN FACILITATING TELOMERIC DNA REPLICATION

Chromosome termini form nucleoprotein structures called telomeres that consist of tandem repeats of TTAGGG DNA sequences (mammals) and telomeric proteins. Telomeres play a critical role in cell survival and genomic stability. Biochemical studies showed that the G-rich strand of telomeres can fold into secondary DNA structures called G-quadruplexes (G4-DNA), which are thought to impact telomere length regulation and telomeric DNA stability. G4 DNA structures are capable of interfering with DNA synthesis by blocking DNA polymerases in vitro and are proposed to hinder replication in vivo. We cloned telomeric repeats into reporter cassettes on shuttle vectors and replicated them in normal human somatic cells to determine if telomeric repeats induce mutations and deletions due to their ability to fold into G4 DNA structures. We demonstrated for the first time that G-rich telomeric repeats, in spite of their G4 DNA forming ability are stable upon replication in normal human cells. In contrast, ciliate telomeric sequences that form more stable G4 DNA than human telomeric sequences, induce more mutations. Stochastic telomere loss is seen in the premature aging disorder Werner Syndrome, which is caused by loss of the RecQ helicase protein WRN. We hypothesized that WRN deficiency leads to replication fork stalling and collapse due to G4 DNA formed by telomeric repeats resulting in deletions of DNA sequence. Shuttle vectors with a telomeric or control sequence were replicated in U2OS cells deficient or proficient for WRN. Replication of shuttle vectors in normal cells did not influence shuttle vector mutant frequencies, while WRN depleted cells exhibited elevated mutant frequencies for both telomeric and control vectors but the increase was significantly higher for the telomeric vector. We demonstrated that WRN is involved in suppressing mutagenesis in shuttle vectors with telomeric sequences. We are also testing DNA synthesis in plasmids through regions of single stranded DNA containing telomere repeats in WRN proficient and deficient cells. Public health significance: Shortened telomeres are associated with age related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and premature aging disorders. These assays will help us investigate factors that cause accelerated telomere loss with the goal of preventing or delaying disease.
A Self-Adaptive Extra-Gradient Methods for a Family of Pseudomonotone Equilibrium Programming with Application in Different Classes of Variational Inequality Problems

The main objective of this article is to propose a new method that would extend Popov’s extragradient method by changing two natural projections with two convex optimization problems. We also show the weak convergence of our designed method by taking mild assumptions on a cost bifunction. The method is evaluating only one value of the bifunction per iteration and it is uses an explicit formula for identifying the appropriate stepsize parameter for each iteration. The variable stepsize is going to be effective for enhancing iterative algorithm performance. The variable stepsize is updating for each iteration based on the previous iterations. After numerical examples, we conclude that the effect of the inertial term and variable stepsize has a significant improvement over the processing time and number of iterations.
Surface waves along liquid cylinders. Part 1. Stabilising effect of gravity on the Plateau–Rayleigh instability

We study the shape and the geometrical properties of sessile drops with translational invariance (namely ‘liquid cylinders’) deposited upon a flat superhydrophobic substrate. We account for the flattening effects of gravity on the shape of the drop using a pendulum rotation motion analogy. In the framework of the inviscid Saint-Venant equations, we show that liquid cylinders are always unstable because of the Plateau–Rayleigh instability. However, a cylindrical drop deposited upon a superhydrophobic non-flat channel (here, wedge-shaped channels) is stabilised beyond a critical cross-sectional area. The critical threshold of the Plateau–Rayleigh instability is analytically computed for various profiles of the channel. The stability analysis is performed in terms of an effective propagation speed of varicose waves. Experiments are performed in order to test these analytical results. We measure the critical drop size at which breakup occurs, together with the decreasing effective propagation speed of varicose waves as the threshold is approached. Our theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements.
Antihyperuricemic and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities of Silymarin in a rat gout model

Introduction: Gout is a common metabolic defect spread around the world. It characterized by hyperuricemia, which resulting from the prolonged rise of uric acid (UA) levels in the blood, leading to increase the deposition of urate crystals in the joints and kidneys. The present study performed to investigate the efficacy of silymarin as antihyperuricemic agent. Materials and Methods: Enzyme assay was done using bovine milk xanthine oxidase (XO). The XO inhibitory activity in vitro was carried out using different doses of silymarin, and the degree of XO inhibition (XOI) was expressed as IC50. The antihyperuricemic of silymarin was investigated in the potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic rat model for 7 consecutive days of oral treatment of 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg doses. Results: The study results revealed that the silymarin has a potent activity of XOI with IC50 = 5.84 μg/mL as compared to standard drug, allopurinol IC50 = 1.85 μg/mL. In addition, these results showed that all doses of silymarin were able to be significant reduced serum UA levels in the hyperuricemic rats. Conclusion: Silymarin showed a significant effect on lowering the level of UA in the evaluated model, and therefore, it may be a promising agent for treating gout because of the possession of an antihyperuricemic effect through the inhibitory activity of xanthine oxide.
Is “Whole Child” Education Obsolete? Public School Principals’ Educational Goal Priorities in the Era of Accountability

Objectives: Working under the constraints of external accountability policy, public school principals are faced with challenges in prioritizing educational goals. Using the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data sets, this study examined the nature and sources of changes in principals’ educational goal priorities in the era of accountability, including the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Method: Difference-in-differences method was used to compare the national average trends of educational goal priorities between public and private schools during 1991–2012 period. Comparative interrupted time series method was also used to explore the impact of NCLB accountability policy on those trends across 50 states. At the school level, logistic regression was applied to examine the effect of NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress status on principals’ educational priorities. Results: While academic goals gained traction over the 1991–2012 period, there were setbacks for other goals of education, particularly personal growth and vocational skills. Notably, public schools’ priority changes were more drastic than private schools’ changes. The divergent trends largely persisted after NCLB across the states. On the other hand, public school principals who previously failed to meet NCLB targets gave more emphasis on basic skills and less emphasis on academic excellence and personal growth. Conclusion: Public school principal’s priorities on academic goals have been shaped by test-driven accountability measures, while other equally important goals have been possibly deprioritized. It gives implications for the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, in which educational leaders can redesign accountability systems and incorporate nonacademic measures for whole child education.
Semiparametric Bayesian networks for continuous data

Abstract The Bayesian network is crucial for computer technology and artificial intelligence when dealing with probabilities. In this paper, we extended a new semiparametric model for Bayesian networks which is more flexible and robust than the parametric or linear one, providing a further generalization of the Gaussian Bayesian network. In the classical Gaussian Bayesian networks, the regression function between nodes has always been assumed to be linear. Actually, this is not necessary because the links between nodes may be more complex than simply linear relationships. Learning the structure of the semiparametric Bayesian network, by adding the nonlinear structures, was an important issue discussed in this work. We have illustrated the problem of estimating and testing both parameters and regression functions of the proposed model. We, then, introduced a new algorithm for constructing the proposed semiparametric Bayesian network. Some sensitivity analyses have been explained in order to validate the correctness of the network. Simulation studies and a real application for the energy field were used to examine the fitted model.