Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lockdown experience, beliefs in and practice of spirituality: Implications for health and self-protective behaviours

ABSTRACT The research aims to understand the relationship between spiritual beliefs and practices with perceived general health and adherence to recommended self-protective behaviour during lockdown period of COVID 19 pandemic. Additionally, the study intends to find out the differences among socio-demographic segments of the Indian society across these variables. Online survey was carried out with 1,416 willing adult participants from different socio-demographic segments. Findings suggest that irrespective of age and faith, participants used spirituality as a method of coping. Various socio-demographic segments of the population differed in their self-protective behaviors, perceived general mental health, and practice of spirituality. Regular practice of spirituality was positively correlated with self-protective behaviors and perception of better general mental health. Findings suggest that improved understanding of behavioral responses of different socio-demographic segments under conditions of uncertainty would enhance the cultural competence of the intervention design and aid personalized care under uncertain and crisis situations like COVID-19.
A transfer-learning fault diagnosis method considering nearest neighbor feature constraints

Aiming at the problem of low diagnostic accuracy of fault diagnosis models due to changes in actual operating conditions, a novel fault diagnosis method based on transfer learning considering nearest neighbor feature constraints is proposed. First, nearest neighbor samples are considered to measure data features. In addition, a nearest neighbor feature constraint strategy is designed to improve the feature extraction performance of the network. Second, a multiple-alignment strategy of nearest neighbor samples is proposed to enhance the domain adaptation performance of the network model utilizing multiple alignments. Then, a loss function dynamic weight strategy is used to improve the convergence of the loss function during model training. Finally, the experimental verification is carried out on the public data set of the Western Reserve University and the private data set. The experimental results show that the proposed method exhibits superior transfer performance with reliability and stability compared to the existing methods.
Fatty Acid Content and Tumor Growth Changes in Mice After Exposure to Extremely High-Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation and Consumption of N-3 Fatty Acids

Abstract The topical problem is to find new, more effective and safe treatments for cancer. The purpose of the present work was to study the combined effects of low-intensity extremely high-frequency electromagnetic radiation (EHF EMR) and consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on tumor growth and the content of FAs in the thymus and tumor tissue in mice. Fatty acid composition was determined using gas chromatography. Exposure of tumor-bearing mice with solid Ehrlich carcinoma to EHF EMR with effective parameters (42.2 GHz, 0.1 mW/cm2, 20 min daily for 5 consecutive days beginning on the first day after the tumor inoculation) led to delaying the tumor growth and restored the content of almost all FAs in thymic tissue to the level of intact animals. Animal intake of the preparation enriched with n-3 PUFAs increased the content of n-3 PUFAs in thymic tissue significantly, but did not affect the tumor growth, even in combination with EHF EMR exposure. Combined action of EHF EMR exposure and n-3 preparation promoted recovery of thymus weight in tumor-bearing animals. The data obtained assume a complex interaction between the immune system and the tumor, and the important role of FAs in the regulation of this interaction.
Evaluation of Angiogenesis in an Acellular Porous Biomaterial Based on Polyhydroxybutyrate and Chitosan Using the Chicken Ex Ovo Chorioallantoic Membrane Model

Simple Summary The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is an avian extraembryonic membrane widely used as an experimental assay to study angiogenesis and its inhibition in response to tissues, cells, or soluble factors. In recent years, the CAM has become popular in scientific studies focused on the use of its potential for the study of biocompatibility of materials for regenerative strategies and tissue engineering applications. Great research efforts are being made to develop innovative biomaterials able to treat hard tissue defects, including diseases such as a bone cancer. In this article, we describe an approach to detect the formation of blood vessels inside the porous acellular biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate/chitosan (PHB/CHIT) scaffold using the CAM assay as an in vivo alternative animal model, including macroscopic, histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular evaluation of the biocompatibility. Abstract The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is a highly vascularized avian extraembryonic membrane widely used as an in vivo model to study angiogenesis and its inhibition in response to tissues, cells, or soluble factors. In recent years, the use of CAM has become an integral part of the biocompatibility testing process for developing biomaterials intended for regenerative strategies and tissue engineering applications. In this study, we used the chicken ex ovo CAM assay to investigate the angiogenic potential of innovative acellular biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate/chitosan (PHB/CHIT) scaffold, which is intended for the treatment of hard tissue defects, depending on treatment with pro- and anti-angiogenic substances. On embryonic day (ED) 7, the experimental biomaterials were placed on the CAM alone or soaked in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), saline solution (PHY), or tyrosine kinase inhibitor (SU5402). After 72 h, the formation of vessels was analyzed in the surrounding area of the scaffold and inside the pores of the implants, using markers of embryonic endothelium (WGA, SNA), myofibroblasts (α-SMA), and macrophages (KUL-01). The morphological and histochemical analysis showed strong angiogenic potential of untreated scaffolds without additional effect of the angiogenic factor, VEGF-A. The lowest angiogenic potential was observed in scaffolds soaked with SU5402. Gene expression of pro-angiogenic growth factors, i.e., VEGF-A, ANG-2, and VE-CAD, was upregulated in untreated scaffolds after 72 h, indicating a pro-angiogenic environment. We concluded that the PHB/CHIT has a strong endogenous angiogenic potential and could be promising biomaterial for the treatment of hard tissue defects.
Cyclic feeding interactions between finite-state mal-rules

Intelligent Language Tutoring Systems typically attempt to automatically diagnose learner errors in order to provide individualized feedback. One common approach is the use of mal-rules to extend norma- tive grammars by licensing specific types of learner errors. In finite-state morphologies, mal-rules can be implemented as two-level rules or replace rules. However, unlike the phonological rules of natural languages, mal-rules do not necessarily behave as a coherent system, especially with respect to feed- ing interactions. Using examples from learner errors attested in the RULEC corpus of Russian learner texts, we illustrate the problem of cyclic feeding interactions that can occur between mal-rules. We then describe a formal algorithm for identifying an optimal ordering for mal-rules to be applied to a transducer.
Predictive Evaluation of Microbiological Stability of Soft Drinks with Lycium barbarum L. Stored at Temperature Shifts

Lycium barbarum L. , used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries, has gained popularity in Europe in the last decade because of its health-promoting properties assigned to phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. Goji fruits and extracts are often used as ingredients in popular homemade milk cocktails. Within this study, the microbiological stability of the milkshake, with the addition of berries from NingXia Province and their extract, was evaluated using the ComBase® prognostic model. The extraction of dry berries in water at 70 °C for 72 h produced an extract showing radical inhibition of 64.9% and a total phenol content of 63.6 mg g−1. The phenolic compounds with the highest concentrations were in turn: 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, procyanidin B2, and catechin. The milkshake inoculated with the reference B. subtilis was a model for the study of its microbiological stability. Using ComBase®, a microbiological response to the delayed cooling of goji berry extract and the milkshake with the addition of goji berries was predicted and the model’s accuracy assessed. The best-performing models were constructed for extract (Bias factor Bf 1.33, Accuracy factor Af 3.43) and milkshake (Bf 1.29, Af 1.65) in a profile simulating delayed refrigeration (22.5 °C–9 °C–23 °C). Despite discrepancies between predicted and observed bacterial growth due to the antimicrobial effect of the derivatives of goji berries, the models were validated as „overpredict”, i.e., „fail safe”, and may be used to prognose the stability of these products in the given temperature profile.
Grothendieck local duality and Cohomological Hasse principle

We prove a local duality for some schemes associated to a 2-dimensional complete local ring whose residue field is an n-dimensional local field in the sense of Kato-Parshin. Our results generalize the Saito works in the case n=0 and are applied to study the Bloch-Ogus complex for such rings in various cases.
Polish Translation and Validation of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30)

Traditional voice evaluations, including imaging techniques, auditory-perceptual ratings, and acoustic and aerodynamic analyses, fail to assess the global handicap that a patient experiences as a result of a voice disorder. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is currently one of the most widely used and psychometrically robust instruments for measuring voice disability. The aim of the study is to translate and validate a Polish version of the VHI. The original English-language version of VHI-30 was translated into Polish. We enrolled 188 subjects—123 patients (91 women and 32 men) with voice disorders and 65 controls (53 women and 12 men) without voice disorders. Results obtained by the patients were significantly higher than those obtained by the controls on the Emotional subscale (U = 519.0; p < 0.001), Functional (U = 829.0; p < 0.001), Physical (U = 331.0; p < 0.001), and the global score (U = 390.0; p < 0.001). There were statistically significant negative correlations between maximum phonation time and global score (rho = −0.31; p < 0.01) as well as all three subscales. Shimmer and Smoothed Amplitude Perturbation Quotient were correlated positively with the global score (rho = 0.22; p < 0.05; rho = 0.25; p < 0.01, respectively) and with all three subscales. There were also statistically significant correlations between VHI scores and auditory perceptual evaluation. In the patient group, there was excellent internal consistency (α = 0.97) and strong test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.94). The cut-off value equal to 17 points was estimated. The Polish VHI showed excellent internal consistency, good test–retest reproducibility, and clinical validity. It is a useful tool for evaluating the voice disability perceived by a patient.
Effects of Insect-Resistant Maize 2A-7 Expressing mCry1Ab and mCry2Ab on the Soil Ecosystem

Transgenic maize 2A-7 expressing mCry1Ab and mCry2Ab has excellent resistance to lepidopteran pests. Previous studies have investigated the effects of several Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins on the soil. However, the effects of artificially modified Bt proteins on soil ecosystems are still unclear. To evaluate the effects of transgenic maize 2A-7 on soil, the physicochemical properties, enzyme activities and functional diversities of the microbial communities in rhizosphere soils from 2A-7 and its near-isogenic non-transgenic control Dongdan 6531 were analyzed at different developmental stages under field conditions. The alteration of six physicochemical properties (pH, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic matter, available phosphorus and alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen) and six functional enzymes (catalase, alkaline phosphatase, sucrase, acid phosphatase, urease and alkaline protease) activities in the rhizosphere soils between the two maize cultivars were drastically correlated with plant growth stage, but not affected by the artificially modified Bt transgenes. An analysis of time-course Biolog data revealed that the functional diversity of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of 2A-7 and its control were similar at each developmental stage. The results suggest that transgenic maize 2A-7 has no significant impact on the soil ecosystem and provide valuable information on scientific safety assessments of 2A-7 and its commercial applications.
Silver Ions Incorporation into Nanofibers for Enhanced hMSC Viability

Antimicrobial properties of silver have been known for a long time, but there is also cytotoxicity of high concentrations of silver. Therefore, it is important to select the concentration and shape of silver depending on the goals. The ideal wound dressing should ensure that the wound remains optimally moist, protected from infections, has no toxic compounds, and stimulates regeneration. In the present work, we obtained a series of polycaprolactone-based nanomaterials fabricated by electrospinning and incorporated with silver ions (up to 0.6 at.%). By adjusting the magnetron current (0.3 A) and implanter voltage (5 kV), the deposition of TiO2 and Ag+ implantation into PCL/PEO nanofibers was optimized to achieve implantation of Ag+ without damaging the nanofibrous structure of the biodegradable nanofibers. The obtained results allow us to predict significant protection properties of the developed material not only from mechanical influence but also thanks to the antimicrobial effect due to silver ions, which is important for chronic wounds and injuries with a large area of damage and can activate host cells proliferation.
Group-Sparsity-Based Super-Resolution Dipole Orientation Mapping

The dipole orientation of fluorophores could be resolved by fluorescence polarization microscopy (FPM), which in turn reveals structural specificity for the labeled organelles. Conventional FPM can detect only the averaged fluorescence anisotropy collected from dipoles within the diffraction-limited volume. Super-resolution dipole orientation mapping (SDOM) method, which applies sparse deconvolution and least square estimation to fluorescence polarization modulation data, achieves the dipole orientation measurement within a sub-diffraction focal area. However, during SDOM analysis, some pixels with fluorescence signal are not resolved with orientation for relatively small adjusted R2. Here we report group-sparsity-based SDOM (GS-SDOM), which utilizes the relevance of modulation sequences to effectively improve the SDOM reconstruction model. More credible resolved dipole orientations with higher adjusted R2 can be mapped and false positive estimation for local dipole orientation is vitally corrected. In addition to achieving the same spatial super-resolution as SDOM does, GS-SDOM accesses more morphological information with more credible orientations and more accurate local dipole distribution estimation. During the GS-SDOM analysis of actin filaments in mammalian kidney cells, the dipole orientation of fluorescence is detected always parallel to the direction of the actin filaments. Also with dipole orientation information extracted by GS-SDOM, the reconstructed visual circle from intensity dimension is discerned as jointed by double close filaments and 3-dimensional co-localization is accomplished in the intersection of actin filaments.
Designing a Chatbot for a Brief Motivational Interview on Stress Management: Qualitative Case Study

Background In addition to addiction and substance abuse, motivational interviewing (MI) is increasingly being integrated in treating other clinical issues such as mental health problems. Most of the many technological adaptations of MI, however, have focused on delivering the action-oriented treatment, leaving its relational component unexplored or vaguely described. This study intended to design a conversational sequence that considers both technical and relational components of MI for a mental health concern. Objective This case study aimed to design a conversational sequence for a brief motivational interview to be delivered by a Web-based text messaging application (chatbot) and to investigate its conversational experience with graduate students in their coping with stress. Methods A brief conversational sequence was designed with varied combinations of MI skills to follow the 4 processes of MI. A Web-based text messaging application, Bonobot, was built as a research prototype to deliver the sequence in a conversation. A total of 30 full-time graduate students who self-reported stress with regard to their school life were recruited for a survey of demographic information and perceived stress and a semistructured interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by Braun and Clarke’s thematic method. The themes that reflect the process of, impact of, and needs for the conversational experience are reported. Results Participants had a high level of perceived stress (mean 22.5 [SD 5.0]). Our findings included the following themes: Evocative Questions and Clichéd Feedback; Self-Reflection and Potential Consolation; and Need for Information and Contextualized Feedback. Participants particularly favored the relay of evocative questions but were less satisfied with the agent-generated reflective and affirming feedback that filled in-between. Discussing the idea of change was a good means of reflecting on themselves, and some of Bonobot’s encouragements related to graduate school life were appreciated. Participants suggested the conversation provide informational support, as well as more contextualized feedback. Conclusions A conversational sequence for a brief motivational interview was presented in this case study. Participant feedback suggests sequencing questions and MI-adherent statements can facilitate a conversation for stress management, which may encourage a chance of self-reflection. More diversified sequences, along with more contextualized feedback, should follow to offer a better conversational experience and to confirm any empirical effect.
Spiral heating of galactic discs

L'equation de Fokker-Planck decrivant le chauffage d'un disque stellaire sous l'influence combinee de la structure spirale stochastique et des nuages moleculaires geants est resolue avec une simulation de Monte Carlo. Des predictions pour les populations stellaires du meme âge et les populations qui grandissent uniformement avec le temps sont realisees.
Assessment of Temperature-Independent Resistance against Bacterial Wilt Using Major QTL in Cultivated Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) is a devastating disease of cultivated tomato resulting in severe yield loss. Since chemicals are often ineffective in controlling this soil-borne pathogen, quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring host resistance have been extensively explored. In this study, we investigated effects of ambient temperature and major QTL on bacterial wilt resistance in a collection of 50 tomato varieties. The five-week-old seedlings were inoculated using the race 1 (biovar 4 and phylotype I) strain of R. solanacearum and placed at growth chambers with three different temperatures (24 °C, 28 °C, and 36 °C). Disease severity was evaluated for seven days after inoculation using the 1–5 rating scales. Consistent bacterial wilt resistance was observed in 25 tomato varieties (R group) with the means of 1.16–1.44 for disease severity at all three temperatures. Similarly, 10 susceptible varieties with the means of 4.37–4.73 (S group) were temperature-independent. However, the other 15 varieties (R/S group) showed moderate levels of resistance at both 24 °C (1.84) and 28 °C (2.16), while they were highly susceptible with a mean of 4.20 at 36 °C. The temperature-dependent responses in the R/S group were supported by pairwise estimates of the Pearson correlation coefficients. Genotyping for three major QTL (Bwr-4, Bwr-6 and Bwr-12) found that 92% of varieties in the R group had ≥ two QTL and 40% of varieties in the R/S group had one or two QTL. This suggests that these QTL are important for stability of resistance against bacterial wilt at high ambient temperature. The resulting 25 varieties with temperature-independent resistance will be a useful resource to develop elite cultivars in tomato breeding programs.
Can Female Directors Improve Performance Consequences of Executives’ External Pay Gap? Evidence from China

Drawing on the perspectives of the tournament theory and critical mass theory, the paper investigates the moderating mechanism of female directors’ participation in the board on the relationship between executives’ external pay gap (EEPG) and firm performance. An unbalanced panel data consisting of 21082 firm-year observations from 2783 non-financial listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange of China from 2008 to 2018 is selected as the research sample, and multiple regression analysis, robustness test and endogenous test are taken as the statistical methods. Theoretical analysis and empirical data conclude that EEPG has an inverted U-shaped impact on firm performance, and a mass level of female directors, i.e., exceeding 1/3 in proportion or 3 in number, would change the curve relationship into a positive linear one by enhancing the positive effects and constraining the negative effects of larger EEPG. The paper adds new knowledge to the literature on consequences of female directors and antecedents of firm performance, specifically by providing a comprehensive understanding how and why female directors improve EEPG’s performance consequences.
DEEP PECTORAL MYOPATHY IN BROILER CHICKEN OBTAINED FROM SUPERMARKET - CASE REPORT, LITERATURE REVIEW AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

The fast growth rates in commercially reared chickens could lead to the changes in their muscle tissue structure and cause breast muscle myopathies, including deep pectoral myopathy (DPM). The incidence of DPM depends on various factors including rearing conditions, age, sex, weight and genetic strain. The aims of the present paper were to report a case of DPM in broiler chickens bought in a supermarket and review important information regarding this disease from the available literature, especially its effect on meat quality parameters and consumer preferences.