Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal High-Fiber Diet Protects Offspring against Type 2 Diabetes

Previous studies have reported that maternal malnutrition is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood. Although several diabetic risk factors associated with early-life environment have been identified, protective factors remain elusive. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study with 671 Nile rats whereby we examined the interplay between early-life environment (maternal diet) and later-life environment (offspring diet) using opposing diets that induce or prevent diet-induced diabetes. Specifically, we modulated the early-life environment throughout oogenesis, pregnancy, and nursing by feeding Nile rat dams a lifelong high-fiber diet to investigate whether the offspring are protected from type 2 diabetes. We found that exposure to a high-fiber maternal diet prior to weaning significantly lowered the risk of diet-induced diabetes in the offspring. Interestingly, offspring consuming a high-fiber diet after weaning did not develop diet-induced diabetes, even when exposed to a diabetogenic maternal diet. Here, we provide the first evidence that the protective effect of a high-fiber diet can be transmitted to the offspring through the maternal diet, which has important implications in diabetes prevention.
The latent regulations for the TD-SCDMA development in China: Socio-technical translation process study for the third 3G standard

In this article we will investigate what kind of regulative bodies within China were formed and how they have acted. This is the principal research question. We use the TD-SCDMA development from standard definition phase to deployment as a beacon that elucidates which Actors came together to oversee regulatory actions and how they influenced the regulation decisions towards the emerging market. Because the regulative framework and processes in China appear different from those in the USA and the EU we call the Chinese approach latent regulation, This addresses the rules, principles or policies that were the actual factors or reasons formulated for most of the decision making processes during the build-up of China TD-SCDMA networks. From the methodical point of view we consider this a process of social-technical translation among actors, such as government ministries, political organizations (Communist Party of China, CPC), university professors, and the telecom industry. That is, we have not confined the analysis to the government. To understand the paths which have been taken, the sociology of translation was applied and the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) with its four steps of translation used. The Actors in the case studies shown in this research can be broadly categorized into three groups: the government related organizations /departments, the telecom operators, the telecom equipment /handset manufactures. This kind of analysis has revealed several unique hidden latent regulatory choices or decisions that were taken using this path.
Two methods for search and optimising cognitive model parameters

Searching for the best set of parameter values is a key component of cognitive modelling and one in which a great deal of uncertainty lies. Parameter search can be a slow, laborious process when done by hand, particularly when a model has several interacting parameters, and can be challenging when models are non-differentiable, non-continuous, nonlinear, stochastic, or have many local optima. There a several methods for searching parameter spaces for such models. Here I present two: differential evolution (DE) and using a High Throughput Computing (HTC) environment managed by HTCondor. The two methods are similar in that they both explore parameter spaces by generating populations of models, but there the similarity ends. Below I describe both, explain the circumstances where choosing one may be preferable over the other, and provide an example of each using a simple ACT-R model for the reader to investigate.
A Macroeconomic Estimation of the Education Production Function

The aim of this paper is to test the existence of an education production function based on data resulting from international surveys of pupil assets. The results of the estimates, using first the total sample, and then making distinctions according to the economic level of the country, show significant differences concerning the relationships between educational inputs and outputs. Thus, inconsistencies found in former analyses in terms of estimating the education production function can partially be explained by the fact that they failed to take into account the economic level of the countries analysed.
Impaired exercise‐induced hypoalgesia in individuals reporting an increase in low back pain during acute exercise

Exercise therapy is recommended for low back pain (LBP) although the immediate effects on pain are highly variable. In 96 individuals with LBP this cross‐sectional study explored (a) the magnitude of exercise‐induced hypoalgesia (EIH) and (b) measures of pain sensitivity and clinical pain manifestations in individuals reporting a clinical relevant increase in back pain during physical activity compared with individuals reporting low or no increase in back pain during physical activity.
Task Impact on Cognitive Processing of Narrative Fiction Film

The purpose of this study is to investigate a segment of the process by which a film spectator extracts information from moving images and treats it cognitively to generate an integral experience of a film. A comparison is attempted between objectively measurable eye movement data and the participants? own reports of their impressions of a film sequence under three different task conditions. The results show that the cognitive processing of film information is influenced not simply by the presence or absence of a task, but by a combination of specific task content and the ways in which information is presented in the film, that is, its style. These findings are tentatively connected to theories of frugal heuristics in everyday decision-making and their relevance to the cognitive processing of film information.
The Algorithm with Multiple Genotypes on Optimal Warfarin Doses in Korean Patients

Warfarin is widely prescribed to prevent and treat thromboembolic diseases such as atrial fibrillation (AF), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary thromboembolic disease (PTE). However, multiple challenges making it difficult to determine the optimal dose of warfarin including the long half-life of warfarin, numerous foods that interfere with the actions of warfarin, and drug interactions. To ensure a suitable level of anticoagulation, prothrombin time (PT) standardized by the international normalized ratio (INR) should be monitored closely. Cytochrome P-450 2C9 (CYP2C9) and vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) genetic polymorphisms (GPs) affect warfarin pharmacodynamics, and the product label of warfarin encourages genotype-guided dosing. Warfarin is a mixture of Rand S-warfarin. S-warfarin is about 3to 5-fold more effective than R-warfarin at anticoagulation. CYP2C9 is the main enzyme that metabolizes S-warfarin. Active drug can be biotransformed by the CYP2C9 isoenzyme to an inactive metabolite, and the presence of loss-of-function polymorphisms leads to a higher active drug concentration. Therefore, CYP2C9 polymorphisms affect warfarin dose. VKORC1 is a warfarin-sensitive and rate-limiting enzyme. Warfarin exerts its anticoagulant effects by inhibiting VKORC1 to affect vitamin K circulation. A common VKORC1 variant (1639G>A) has decreased gene expression. Consequently, patients with this VKORC1 variant have different warfarin dose requirements than patients with wild-type VKORC1. GPs in CYP2C9 and VKORC1 combined with non-genetic factors were able to explain 45% of the variance in individual warfarin dose in Chinese patients, but 55% of the variance remained unexplained. Cytochrome P-450 4F2 (CYP4F2) is a vitamin K1 oxidase that affects warfarin dose. Adding this factor could account for more of the variation among patients in optimal warfarin dose, but the effect of CYP4F2 on warfarin dose is controversial as although one study found that CYP4F2 genotype significantly affected warfarin dose, other studied reported the opposite. Ethnic differences have a large influence on OWD. Asian patients have lower warfarin dose requirements than patients of other ethnicities. Warfarin dose prediction algorithms that were derived based on patients of other ethnicities may therefore not be suitable for Korean patients. Our aim in this study was to determine the effects of Original Article
Distribuição de fósforo no solo em razão do sistema de cultivo e manejo da adubação fosfatada

O sistema de cultivo e o manejo da adubacao fosfatada influenciam a disponibilizacao do P no solo, seu acesso pelas plantas e, por fim, a producao das culturas. Em razao disso, ha necessidade de se avaliar a distribuicao do P no perfil do solo em experimentos de longa duracao, para que se possa compreender o impacto de cada sistema de cultivo e manejo da adubacao nesse processo. Foi utilizado um experimento localizado na Embrapa Cerrados, em Planaltina - DF, em Latossolo Vermelho muito argiloso, com teor de P muito baixo no inicio do experimento, cultivado por 14 anos com as culturas de soja e milho no verao e milheto como planta de cobertura nas seis ultimas safras de inverno, recebendo 80 kg ha-1 ano-1 de P 2O 5 como superfosfato triplo ou fosfato natural reativo, aplicados no sulco de semeadura ou a lanco na superficie, sob sistema de preparo convencional (SPC) ou plantio direto (SPD). Foi avaliada a distribuicao do P em sete camadas de solo (0 a 2,5; 2,5 a 5; 5 a 10; 10 a 20; 20 a 30; 30 a 40; e 40 a 50 cm), utilizando o extrator Bray 1. No 14° ano de cultivo foram utilizados os dados de rendimento de graos de soja. Os resultados foram analisados estatisticamente, para comparacoes quanto a distribuicao do P no perfil do solo e ao rendimento de graos. A distribuicao de P extraivel no solo apos 14 anos de cultivo e influenciada pela fonte e pelo modo de aplicacao do fertilizante fosfatado, ate 10 cm de profundidade no SPD e ate 20 cm de profundidade no SPC. No SPC ha leve gradiente em profundidade, enquanto no SPD ha forte gradiente principalmente para aplicacoes a lanco, sendo os maiores teores de P no perfil analisado encontrados na camada de 0-2,5 cm para os dois modos de aplicacao. O SPD apresenta maiores teores de P ate 10 cm de profundidade, porem menores teores na camada de 10- 20 cm, em comparacao com o SPC. Apesar do efeito do manejo da adubacao fosfatada na distribuicao do P no solo, o rendimento de graos de soja no 14° ano foi alterado apenas pelo sistema de cultivo, tendo o solo sob SPD produzido 15,5 % mais graos do que o SPC.
Gut Microbiota Is Linked to Physical Health Improvements Resulting from Energy-Restricted Diet and Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults

: Animal studies have demonstrated that energy-restricted diets and exercise affect the gut microbiome and are positively linked to physical health; however, less is known about the impacts of various patterns of dietary restriction combined with exercise on the gut microbiota and associated health outcomes in humans. This study aimed to determine if an energy-restricted diet combined with resistance training altered the gut microbiome, and whether any changes were associated with differences in body composition, dietary intake, or biomarkers of metabolic health. Twenty-six healthy males and females, aged 19–36 years with BMIs of 22–35 kg/m 2 , were enrolled in a 2-arm parallel, randomized controlled trial and followed either a 5:2 intermittent fasting (IFT, n = 13) or continuous energy restriction (CERT, n = 13) diet combined with supervised resistance training for 12 weeks. Both treatments resulted in decreased body weight and increased lean body mass. Shifts in the abundance of, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii , a high butyrate producer, was positively associated with changes in lean body mass (IFT p = 0.05, CERT p = 0.01) in both the groups. Moreover, in the CERT group, changes in Coprococcus genus were negatively associated with energy ( p = 0.009) and fat intake ( p = 0.03) and positively associated with body fat ( p = 0.02). Overall, the findings indicate that using resistance training paired with either intermittent or continuous energy restriction, result in similar changes in bacterial diversity and shifts in relative abundance of bacterial taxa. The shift in specific bacterial taxa were positively associated with measures of physical health providing further support to the proposed relationship between energy consumption, exercise, gut microbiota, and physical health.
Degradation , Adaptation and Self-Reconfiguration of Autonomous Robots

A theoretical framework and associated algorithmic theory is presented for the interlinked issues of robotic hardware degradations, adaptations and self-reconfiguration of autonomous robots with respect to their performance specifications. Performance specification is formalised through a simplified and jointed modal logics that is specific for this problem area. In terms of the physical environments surrounding the robot, a constrained set of hybrid systems descriptions is used to characterise the environmental assumptions made for the satisfaction of specifications. This formulation permits the representation of a variety of environmental circumstances and dynamical changes that a robot can face during its service. Building on logic based specifications, grounding is represented for a mathematical model and theory for an autonomous robot’s degraded performance. As degradation is to be accompanied by self adaptation and reconfiguration of robots, a theory of optimal redundancy is developed to support self-reconfiguration. This is followed by proposals of effective techniques of distributed computation for fast reconfiguration and system adaptation. It is illustrated that the presented theory can be implemented in ROS or a similar middleware.
Comparing Children's and Adults' Cognitive Advertising Competences in the Netherlands

This study examines the age at which children reach adult levels of cognitive advertising competences. In a computer-assisted survey of 294 children (8–12 years) and 198 adults (18–30 years), we investigate at what age children reach adult levels of (1) advertising recognition, and (2) understanding of advertising's selling and persuasive intent. Our findings show that around the age of 9–10, most children have reached an adult level of advertising recognition. However, at age 12, children have still not acquired an adult-like understanding of advertising's selling and persuasive intent. Finally, children's understanding of the selling intent of advertising develops before their understanding of its persuasive intent.
Seesaw haze pollution in North China modulated by the sub-seasonal variability of atmospheric circulation

Abstract. Utilizing a recent observational dataset of particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) in North China, this study reveals a distinct seesaw feature of abnormally high and low PM2.5 concentrations in the adjacent two months of December 2015 and January 2016, accompanied by distinct meteorological modulations. The seesaw pattern is postulated to be linked to a super El Niño and the Arctic Oscillation (AO). During the mature phase of El Niño in December 2015, the weakened East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and the associated low-level southerly wind anomaly reduced planetary boundary layer (PBL) height, favoring strong haze formation. This circulation pattern was completely reversed in the following month, in part due to a sudden phase change of the AO from positive to negative and the beginning of a decay of the El Niño, which enhanced the southward shift of the upper tropospheric jet from December to January relative to climatology, leading to an enhanced EAWM and substantially lower haze formation. This sub-seasonal change in circulation is also robustly found in 1982–1983 and 1997–1998, implicative of a general physical mechanism dynamically linked to El Niño and the AO. Numerical experiments using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model were used to test the modulation of the meteorological conditions on haze formation. With the same emission, simulations for three super El Niño periods (1983, 1997 and 2015) robustly show higher PM2.5 concentrations under the mature phase of the super El Niño, but substantially lower PM2.5 concentrations during the decay phase of El Niño (and the sudden AO phase change), further verifying the modulation effect of the sub-seasonal circulation anomaly on PM2.5 concentrations in North China.
Disparities in taking sick leave between sectors of activity in France: a longitudinal analysis of administrative data

The main objective of this study is to analyse the effect of the professional environment on sick leaves. The professional context is approximated by the sector of activity. The database used - Hygie (2005-2008) - allows taking individual heterogeneity into account thanks to the longitudinal dimension. Sick leave probability is estimated through a fixed effects logit model and the duration (number of days absent due to sickness) is estimated through a fixed effects Poisson model. The results show that sectors of activity differ in sick leave duration rather than in the occurrence. Indeed, taking into account individual heterogeneity and differences in health status and wages reduces the variability in sick leave probability between sectors by half. On the other hand, the sector remains decisive in explaining sick leave durations. This residual variability may refer to unobserved differences in working conditions, in the generosity of daily sick pay benefits or in job insecurity.
INEXPENSIVE AND RELIABLE RAPID MANUAL PROCEDURE FOR EXTRACTING GENOMIC DNA FROM FROZEN BLOOD SAMPLES

Objective: There are numerous procedures accessible to extract nucleic acid from many cellular sources such as whole blood samples and choosing an appropriate protocol still require consideration of numerous different factors, and perform more researches. The aim of this paper was improved special protocol for DNA extraction from frozen blood samples which is fast, inexpensive and reliable for downstream molecular applications. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 25 persons (from Hilah City-Iraq) for extracting genomic DNA using manual method (by using 500μL blood sample volume) and Geneaid purification kit as a control by using 200μL blood sample volume. The concentrations and purity of DNA extracts were estimated by NanoDrop spectrophotometer. The presence of enzyme inhibitors in the two extracts was tested via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by detection of the SOD2 gene. Results: The DNA extracts from frozen blood samples using a manual procedure had acceptable concentration and purity were 63.08±24.28 ng/μL and 1.39±0.16, respectively and the final volume of DNA extract about 300 μL, compared to control method (Geneaid purification kit) (86.91±32.97 ng/μl, 1.74±0.13, and 100 μL respectively). The DNA extracts were free enzyme inhibitors, which confirmed by PCR. Conclusion: Based on the experimental results the manual method could be recommended as a rapid and inexpensive Lab procedure for DNA extraction from either fresh or frozen blood samples.
Does an Ionic or Biophoton Plasma Transduce Neural Activity into Subjective Conscious Awareness

The relation between action potentials and conscious awareness presents a conceptual difficulty: When , during the generation and transmission of action potentials, does a neuron generate its “bit” of awareness? We postulate that the movement of charged ions through the neuronal membrane generates not only action potentials and thereby an “ephaptic” ionic flux represented by the EEG, but also a biophoton plasma (Larmor radiation) as an analog representation that “simplifies” the “digital” action potentials. What is the observer of this activity? We conjecture that light-sensitive chromophores in the multiple associative neuronal systems, including premotor, respond to the biophoton radiation, and thus, “observe”, each other reciprocally and thereby jointly generate conscious awareness. Where do we experience conscious awareness? We cannot account for it by our known 4-D universe, because it is not height, width, depth or time, nor any combination of these. Consequently, we conjecture that conscious awareness resides in a different dimension, one in which we are embedded.
Process Approach in Managing the Quality of Education

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present a proposal for a model of educational quality management system using a process approach for technical universities too. Design/Methodology/Approach: The theoretical part of the article discusses the issue of an education quality management system for technical universities in terms of processes. Further, the activities carried out by universities in the field of the teaching process were identified. A top-down method was used to define the general areas of the universities' didactic activities. In the next stage, the processes carried out at a technical university were divided into managerial, core and suppository ones. Findings: On the basis of a case study, it is possible to apply a process approach to the management of educational activities. Practical Implications: The proposed system of education quality management using a process approach together can be implemented in every technical university. Originality/value: The research conducted at a selected technical university allowed for the development of an original model of an education quality management system based on a process approach. This is a new model proposed for an institution operating in the field of higher education. In practice, such institutions are managed based on classical, vertical, and organizational structures.
Effects of Hahella chejuensis-Derived Prodigiosin on UV-Induced ROS Production, Inflammation and Cytotoxicity in HaCaT Human Skin Keratinocytes

Prodigiosins, which are natural tripyrrole red pigments and synthetic derivatives, reportedly have multiple biological effects mainly on various types of cancer cells. However, the effects of bacterial prodigiosin on non-cancerous HaCaT human skin keratinocytes have not been reported. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the functional activities of prodigiosin derived from cultures of the bacterium Hahella chejuensis in HaCaT cells. Cell viability, the cell proliferation rate, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in vitro were assayed following treatment of HaCaT cells with prodigiosin. Prodigiosin did not cause cytotoxicity and notably increased proliferation of HaCaT cells. Furthermore, prodigiosin reduced ultraviolet (UV) irradiation-induced ROS production and the inflammatory response in HaCaT cells. More importantly, prodigiosin reduced matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression and increased collagen synthesis in UV-irradiated HaCaT cells, demonstrating that it elicits anti-aging effects. In conclusion, our results reveal that H. chejuensis-derived prodigiosin is a potential natural product to develop functional cosmetic ingredients.