Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental knowledge and perceptions of good environmental education practices for affirmative climate actions in rural schools of Manabí-Ecuador

Climate change is the greatest threat that humanity faces nowadays. Therefore, the present work had the purpose of determining the environmental knowledge and perceptions of good environmental education practices for affirmative climate actions in rural schools of Manabí-Ecuador, specifically in the school Manuel Daza Palacios. By applying the bibliographic and hypothetical deductive methods, the most appropriate affirmative climatic actions were determined. According to the results of the diagnosis, it was possible to show that, although environmental education is implicitly contained in the Plan Nacional Toda una Vida 2017-2021; in the students there is still a deficit in or referring to this matter; affirmative climate actions included limiting the amount of plastic waste and making compost to be applied in orchards, a practical guide was developed with the most relevant steps on how to carry out these processes. Finally, the results were shared through the Voces de la Naturaleza program broadcast by Radio Politécnica de Manabí 101.7 FM, as well as on social media. In a changing and uncertain environment, it is necessary to continue with the dissemination of mitigation measures against climate change according to the needs of each community.
Influence Diffusion: a Consolidated Survey, a Unifying Transformation, and the Greedy Algorithm’s Demonstration of Force

Influence diffusion concerns the propagation of an entity throughout a network. The naming alludes to the application that motivated the study of this process: the influence that social network users have on each other’s opinions. Influence diffusion has a plethora of applications in the real world, ranging from marketing campaigns, to the spread of fake news, to reinforcement learning. In this work, we provide a broad survey of the models proposed for this process in the relevant literature. We consolidate this survey of models by providing missing pieces, i.e. proofs and new models. We show intuitive connections between the introduced models, a unifying transformation between two fundamentally different models, and finally, we show the remarkable performance of the greedy algorithm in a subfield of influence diffusion that has been receiving increasing attention recently, adaptive influence diffusion.
A novel antibacterial peptide derived from Crocodylus siamensis hemoglobin hydrolysate induces membrane

25 Aims: A novel antibacterial peptide from Crocodylus siamensis hemoglobin hydrolysate (CHHs) was characterised 26 for antimicrobial activity. 27 Methods and Results: CHHs was hydrolysed for 2 h (2h-CHH), 4 h (4h-CHH), 6 h (6h-CHH) and 8 h (8h-CHH). 28 8h-CHH showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia and 29 Pseudomonas aeruginosa at concentrations of 20, 20, 20 and 10 mg ml (w/v), respectively. Fluorescent 30 microscopy revealed that 8h-CHH had bactericidal activity against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. β-galactosidase assay 31 supported by RT-qPCR demonstrated that 8h-CHH resulted in differential expression of genes involved in iron 32 homeostasis (ftnA and bfd) and oxidative stress (sodA, soxR and oxyR). Siderophore assay indicated that 8h-CHH 33 also impaired siderophore production with diminished expression of pvdF. This pattern of gene expression suggests 34 that 8h-CHH triggers the release of free ferric ions in the cytoplasm. However, decreased expression of genes 35 associated with the SOS response (recA and lexA) in combination with neutral comet revealed that no DNA damage 36 was caused by 8h-CHH. Membrane permeabilisation assay indicated that 8h-CHH caused membrane leakage 37 thought to mediate the antibacterial and iron-stress responses observed, due to loss of regulated iron transport. The 38 novel active peptide from 8h-CHH was determined as QAIIHNEKVQAHGKKVL (QL17), with 41 % 39 hydrophobicity and +2 net charge. 40 Conclusions: The QAIIHNEKVQAHGKKVL fragment of Crocodylus siamensis hemoglobin is antibacterial via a 41 mechanism that likely relies on iron dysregulation and oxidative stress which results in bacterial death. 42 Significance and Impact of the Study: We have described for the first time, a novel peptide derived from 43 Crocodylus siamensis hemoglobin hydrolysate, that has the potential to be developed as a novel antimicrobial 44 peptide. 45 46
Revealing the sulfur dioxide emission reductions in China by assimilating surface observations in WRF-Chem

Abstract. The anthropogenic emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) over China has significantly declined as a consequence of the clean air actions. In this study, we have developed a new emission inversion system based on a four-dimensional local ensemble transform Kalman filter (4D-LETKF) and the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) to dynamically update the SO2 emission grid by grid over China by assimilating the ground-based hourly SO2 observations. Sensitivity tests for the assimilation system have been conducted firstly to tune four system parameters: ensemble size, horizontal and temporal localization lengths, and perturbation size. Our results reveal that the same random perturbation factors used throughout the whole model grids with assimilating observations within about 180 km can efficiently optimize the SO2 emission, whereas the ensemble size has only little effect. The temporal localization by assimilating only the subsequent hourly observations can reveal the diurnal variation of the SO2 emission, which is better than updating the magnitude of SO2 emission every 12 h by assimilating all the observations within the 12 h window. The inverted SO2 emission over China in November 2016 has declined by an average of 49.4 % since 2010, which is well in agreement with the bottom-up estimation of 48.0 %. Larger reductions of SO2 emission are found over the a priori higher source regions such as the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). The simulated SO2 surface mass concentrations using two distinguished chemical reaction mechanisms are both much more comparable to the observations with the newly inverted SO2 emission than those with the a priori emission. These indicate that the newly developed emission inversion system can efficiently update the SO2 emissions based on the routine surface SO2 observations. The reduced SO2 emission induces the sulfate and PM2.5 surface concentrations to decrease by up to 10 µg m−3 over central China.
A feature-based network analysis and fMRI meta-analysis reveal three distinct types of prosocial decisions

Tasks that measure correlates of prosocial decision-making share one common feature: agents can make choices that increase the welfare of a beneficiary. However, prosocial decisions vary widely as a function of other task features. The diverse ways that prosociality is defined and the heterogeneity of prosocial decisions have created challenges for interpreting findings across studies and identifying their neural correlates. To overcome these challenges, we aimed to organize the prosocial decision-making task-space of neuroimaging studies. We conducted a systematic search for studies in which participants made decisions to increase the welfare of others during fMRI. We identified shared and distinct features of these tasks and employed an unsupervised graph-based approach to assess how various forms of prosocial decision-making are related in terms of their low-level components (e.g., task features like potential cost to the agent or potential for reciprocity). Analyses uncovered three clusters of prosocial decisions, which we labeled cooperation, equity, and altruism. This feature-based representation of the task structure was supported by results of a neuroimaging meta-analysis that each type of prosocial decisions recruited diverging neural systems. Results clarify some of the existing heterogeneity in how prosociality is conceptualized and generate insight for future research and task paradigm development.
Targeted inhibition of SIRT6 via engineered exosomes impairs tumorigenesis and metastasis in prostate cancer

The treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients remains a great challenge in the clinic and continuously demands discoveries of new targets and therapies. Here, we assess the function and therapeutic value of SIRT6 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Methods: The expression of SIRT6 was examined in prostate cancer tissue microarray by immunohistochemistry staining. The functions of SIRT6 and underlying mechanisms were elucidated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. We also developed an efficient method to silence SIRT6 by aptamer-modified exosomes carrying small interfering RNA and tested the therapeutic effect in the xenograft mice models. Results: SIRT6 expression is positively correlated with prostate cancer progression. Loss of SIRT6 significantly suppressed proliferation and metastasis of prostate cancer cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. SIRT6-driven prostate cancer displays activation of multiple cancer-related signaling pathways, especially the Notch pathway. Silencing SIRT6 by siRNA delivered through engineered exosomes inhibited tumor growth and metastasis. Conclusions: SIRT6 is identified as a driver and therapeutic target for metastatic prostate cancer in our findings, and inhibition of SIRT6 by engineered exosomes can serve as a promising therapeutic tool for clinical application.
ROBO1 Promotes Homing, Dissemination, and Survival of Multiple Myeloma within the Bone Marrow Microenvironment.

The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment actively promotes multiple myeloma pathogenesis, and therapies targeting both cancer cells and the niche are highly effective. We were interested in identifying novel signaling pathways supporting multiple myeloma-BM cross-talk. Mutations in the transmembrane receptor Roundabout 1 (ROBO1) were recently identified in patients with multiple myeloma; however, their functional consequences are uncertain. Through protein structure-function studies, we discovered that ROBO1 is necessary for multiple myeloma adhesion to BM stromal and endothelial cells and that ROBO1 knockout (KO) compromises BM homing and engraftment in a disseminated mouse model. ROBO1 KO significantly decreases multiple myeloma proliferation in vitro and intra- and extramedullary tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, the ROBO1 C-terminus is cleaved in a ligand-independent fashion and is sufficient to promote multiple myeloma proliferation. Vice versa, mutants lacking the cytoplasmic domain, including the human-derived G674* truncation, act dominantly negative. Interactomic and RNA-sequencing studies suggest that ROBO1 may be involved in RNA processing, supporting further studies. SIGNIFICANCE: ROBO1 is highly expressed in t(4;14) multiple myeloma and supports homing and dissemination to the BM niche. ROBO1 knockout causes reduced tumor growth in intramedullary and extramedullary myeloma animal models, while the ROBO1 C-terminus is cleaved in multiple fragments and it is necessary and sufficient to sustain myeloma proliferation.
GABAB receptor inhibits tumor progression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition via the regulation of Hippo/YAP1 pathway in colorectal cancer

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Type B Receptor (GABABR) plays essential roles in tumor progression. However, the function of GABABR in colorectal cancer (CRC) needs further clarification. As the main part of GABABR, GABABR1 expression was identified significantly lower in tumor tissues than those in non-tumor normal tissues and that CRC patients with high GABABR1 expression lived longer. Further studies indicated that knockdown of GABABR1 elevated CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, knockdown of GABABR1 activated the expression of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins N-cadherin and Vimentin, whereas decrease the protein level of E-cadherin. In addition, activation of Hippo/YAP1 signaling contributes to the GABABR1 down-regulation promoted proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT in CRC cells. At last, we verified the contribution of Hippo/YAP1 signaling in the GABABR1 down-regulation impaired biological phenotype of colon cancer cells in vivo. In summary, these data indicate that GABABR1 impairs the migration and invasion of CRC cells by inhibiting EMT and the Hippo/YAP1 pathway, suggesting that GABABR1 could be a potential therapeutic target for CRC.
MTFR2, A Potential Biomarker for Prognosis and Immune Infiltrates, Promotes Progression of Gastric Cancer Based on Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiments

Background: Mitochondrial fission regulator 2 (MTFR2) which can promote mitochondrial fission, has recently been reported to be involved in tumorigenesis. However, little is known about its expression levels and function in gastric cancer (GC). This study aims to clarify the role of MTFR2 in GC. Methods:We firstly determined the expression level and prognostic value of MTFR2 in GC by integrated bioinformatics (Oncomine, GEPIA, Kaplan-Meier Plotter database) and experimental approaches (RT-qPCR, western blot, immunohistochemistry). After constructing stable down-regulated GC cells, the biological functions of MTFR2 in vitro and in vivo were studied through cell clone formation, wound healing, transwell and tumor formation experiments.To understand the reason for the high expression of MTFR2 in GC, copy number alternation, promoter methylation and mutation of MTFR2 were detected by UALCAN and cBioPortal. TargetScanHuman and PROMO databases were also used to explore the miRNAs and transcription factors of MTFR2, and the regulatory network was visualized by Cytoscape. LinkedOmics was used to detect the co-expression profile, and then these co-expressed genes were used for gene oncology function and pathway enrichment analysis to deepen the understanding of MTFR2 mechanism. The protein interaction network of MTFR2 was constructed by the GeneMANIA platform. Docking study of the binding mode was conducted by H DOCK webserver, and PYMOL is used for visualization, and analysis. TIMER database was used to explore the correlation between MTFR2 expression level and immune cells infiltration and gene markers of tumor infiltrating immune cells. Results: We demonstrated that MTFR2 was up-regulated in GC, and its overexpression led to poorer prognosis. MTFR2 downregulation inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. By bioinformatics analysis, we identified the possible factors in MTFR2 overexpression. Moreover, function and pathway enrichment analyses found that MTFR2 was involved in chromosome segregation, catalytic activity, cell cycle, and ribonucleic acid transport. A MTFR2-protein interaction network revealed a potential direct protein interaction between MTFR2 and protein kinase adenosine-monophosphate-activated catalytic subunit alpha 1 (PRKAA1), and their potential binding site was predicted in a molecular docking model. In addition, we also found that MTFR2 may be correlated with immune infiltration in GC. Conclusions: Our study has effectively revealed the expression, prognostic value, potential functional networks, protein interactions and immune infiltration of MTFR2 in GC. Altogether, our data identify the possible underlying mechanisms of MTFR2 and suggest that MTFR2 may be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in GC.
Emotional Labour and the Autonomy of Dependent Self-Employed Workers: The Limitations of Digital Managerial Control in the Home Credit Sector

Changes to the labour process in the home credit sector have exposed the industry’s agency workforce to increased levels of digital managerial control through the introduction of lending applications and algorithmic decision-making techniques. This article highlights the heterogeneous nature of the impact of digitalisation on the labour process and worker autonomy – specifically, in terms of workers’ engagement in unquantified emotional labour. By considering the limitations of digital control in relation to qualitative elements of the labour process, it becomes evident that emotional labour has the scope to be a source of autonomy for dependent self-employed workers when set against a backdrop of heightened digital control. This article therefore contributes to ongoing labour process debates surrounding digitalisation, quantified workers and digital managerial control.
The complete genome sequence of Toxicodendron radicans, Eastern Poison Ivy [version 1; peer review: 1 approved]

Eastern Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, Anacardiaceae) is well known in Eastern North America for causing contact dermatitis, an itchy and painful rash in most people who come in contact with it. We present the whole genome sequence and annotation of this species. A total of 96,255,779 paired-ends reads consisting of 28.9 G bases were obtained by sequencing one leaf from a wild-collected plant. The reads were assembled by a de novo method followed by alignment to related species. Annotation was performed via GenMark-ES. The raw and assembled data is publicly available via GenBank: Sequence Read Archive (SRR10325927) and Assembly (GCA_009867345).
Plasma Metabolomic Profiling of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients Before and After Surgical Myectomy Suggests Postoperative Improvement in Liver and Kidney Function

Abstract: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common inherited heart disorder complicated by left ventricle outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, which can be treated with surgical myectomy. To date, no reliable biomarkers for LVOT obstruction exist. To determine whether metabolomic biomarkers for obstruction can be identified, we conducted metabolomic profiling on plasma samples of 18 HCM patients before and after undergoing surgical myectomy to measure changes in the plasma metabolome in the postoperative state. Plasma was collected approximately 4 weeks before surgery at the preoperative visit and approximately 3 months after the surgery at the postoperative visit. We found that 215 metabolites were altered in the postoperative state (p-value < 0.05). Identified metabolites that were significantly reduced post-myectomy included metabolites of heme, such as bilirubin, and phenylacetylglutamine, a biomarker of urea cycle disorders, which suggests that liver and kidney function are improved in the postoperative state. Markers of arginine metabolism such as homoarginine and dimethylarginine are also decreased in the postoperative state, suggestive of reduction in nitric oxide production, inflammation and heart failure after surgery. 3-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) was also decreased, suggesting possible increased fatty acid utilization and a return to normal heart function. 12 of these metabolites were notably significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons (q-value < 0.05), including bilirubin, PFOS, PFOA, 3,5dichloro-2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2-hydroxylaurate, trigonelline and 6 unidentified compounds, which support improved kidney and liver function and increased lean soft tissue mass. These findings suggest improved organ metabolic function after surgical relief of LVOT obstruction in HCM and further underscore the beneficial systemic effects of surgical myectomy.
THE ESTIMATION OF TEACHING PROFESSION EDUCATION (TPE) PARTICIPANTS’ ABILITY IN INDONESIA: AN ASSESSMENT MODEL WITH PARTIAL SCORING

The ability of TPE participants in arranging lesson plans is essential to be mastered as an indicator of pedagogical competence which should be possessed before conducting a teaching process in the class. This research aimed to analyze the estimation of TPE participants’ ability in composing a lesson plan which uses the assessment with partial scoring. This research used quantitative descriptive explorative approach. Data were collected through document study of lesson plan made by TPE participants assessed by lecturers in a workshop. In the sample were 236 respondents selected by using purposive sampling technique. The data analysis was performed to estimate participants’ skill using Item Response Theory through Partial Credit Model (PCM). The estimation result produced the interpretation of items with 5 categories of scoring 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and has 4 thresholds such as the threshold of category 0 to category 1, category 1 to category 2, category 2 to category 3, and from category 3 to category 4. Besides that the information function value of the instrument and Standard Error of Measurement based on the analysis obtained items in the instrument which have higher information function value compared to the mistakes of the measurement or the estimation of measurement which has relatively small errors, so it can be stated that learning model is using accurate partial scoring to estimate the ability of TPE participants in composing lesson plans.
Very High Concentration Solubility and Long-Term Stability of DNA in an Ammonium-Based Ionic Liquid: A Suitable Medium for Nucleic Acid Packaging and Preservation

Packaging as well as preservation of DNA in nonaqueous media at ambient conditions for long durations is an important research endeavor considering the biomacromolecule as nanoscale substrate for functional biomaterial design and for biotechnological applications. From this perspective, the present work reports both very high concentration dissolution and packaging of DNA in an ionic liquid (IL) without affecting the structural integrity of the biopolymer upon long-term storage. 2-Hydroxyethylammonium formate (2-HEAF), which is an ammonium based IL was able to solubilize 25% w/w of DNA (salmon testes) within 12 h at 25 °C. The solubilized DNA in the IL showed long-term chemical and structural stability upon storage under ambient conditions for more than 1 year, which makes the IL a suitable medium for nucleic acid preservation. From isothermal calorimetric (ITC) studies it was evident that the hydrogen bond formed between the IL and DNA was responsible for the high concentration solubility and extended st.
Postoperative Adjuvant Treatment Strategy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer after Neoadjuvant Treatment

Background Neoadjuvant (chemo) radiotherapy is used as a standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), but there is no general consensus on either the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with LARC after neoadjuvant treatment and surgery, or whether the addition of oxaliplatin to adjuvant chemotherapy provides survival benefits. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of data from the PubMed and Embase databases. We included patients with LARC who received neoadjuvant (chemo) radiotherapy and curative surgery. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), toxicity, and compliance were analyzed in the oxaliplatin/fluorouracil- (OX/FU-) based group compared with the FU-based group, and in the chemotherapy group compared with the observation group. Results Twenty studies were included in the analysis. Our results indicated that adjuvant chemotherapy prolonged OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.67–0.91) in patients with LARC treated with neoadjuvant (chemo) radiotherapy and surgery compared with those in the observation group. Subgroup analysis showed the same results in both the ypStage II and ypStage III groups. Compared with those in the observation group, patients in the chemotherapy group also showed an increase in DFS (HR = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.60–0.93). No significant increase was observed in OS (HR = 1.04, 95%CI = 0.87–1.24) or DFS (HR = 0.98, 95%CI = 0.76–1.27) when oxaliplatin was added to FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy, as compared with the FU-based treatment, and subgroup analysis also indicated no survival benefits in the clinical stage II, clinical stage III, ypStage II, and ypStage III groups. Conclusions For patients with LARC who have already received neoadjuvant (chemo) radiotherapy and curative surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy improves OS over that in the observation group. Adding oxaliplatin to FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy does not confer survival benefits beyond those from FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy.