Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The antioxidant potential of peptides obtained from the spotted babylon snail (Babylonia areolata) in treating human colon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells

This research study investigated the free radical-scavenging activities of peptides which were obtained from the protein hydrolysates of the spotted babylon snail using a combination of pepsin and pancreatin proteolysis which can replicate the conditions of gastrointestinal digestion. In this study, spotted babylon protein hydrolysate (SPH) derived from a sequential 3 hour digestion, first with pepsin and then with pancreatin, was examined. SPH was fractionated using molecular weight cut-off membranes for 10 kDa, 5 kDa, 3 kDa, and 0.65 kDa. It was found that the MW < 0.65 kDa fraction provided the greatest levels of 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazl (DPPH), and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging activity. Three subfractions of the MW < 0.65 kDa fraction were then generated via RP-HPLC. The subfraction which subsequently demonstrated the greatest free radical scavenging activity was F3, which was accordingly chosen for further investigation commencing with quadrupole-time-of-flight-electron spin induction-mass spectrometry-based de novo peptide sequencing. This resulted in the identification of a pair of novel peptides: His–Thr–Tyr–His–Glu–Val–Thr–Lys–His (HTYHEVTKH), and Trp–Pro–Val–Leu–Ala–Tyr–His–Phe–Thr (WPVLAYHF). The WPVLAYHF peptide exhibited greater antioxidant activity. The study also confirmed that the F3 sub-fraction was able to prevent hydroxyl radicals from causing DNA damage by conducting tests which involved the pKS, pUC19, and pBR322 plasmids using the Fenton reaction. In addition, cellular antioxidant activity was demonstrated by two synthetic peptides toward the human adenocarcinoma colon (Caco-2) cell line, with the potency of the activity dependent upon the peptide concentration.
Estimating creatinine clearance for Malaysian critically ill patients with unstable kidney function and impact on dosage adjustment

It is an essential requirement to estimate glomerular filtration rate in dosing adjustment of drug treatment for critically ill patients with unstable kidney function. Previous studies showed that Cockcroft-Gault equation was not appropriate for the assessment of unstable kidney function. However, there is a lack of assessment on other equations specifically designed for fluctuating kidney functions. This study is aimed to evaluate the differences between estimated creatinine clearances by using Cockcroft-Gault, Jelliffe, Brater, and Chiou equations and the impact on dosing adjustment of renally excreted drugs for critically ill patients with unstable kidney function. A retrospective observational study was conducted among 103 patients with unstable kidney function who were admitted to intensive care unit of Taiping Hospital, Malaysia. Serum creatinine levels from day 1 to 7 of admission were collected. The median differences of estimated creatinine clearance based on the four different equations were analysed by Friedman-ANOVA test. The median estimated creatinine clearances when patients were having fluctuating kidney functions showed 35.69 ml/min (IQR: 22.57 – 53.97) by Cockcroft-Gault and 22.64 ml/min (IQR: 10.46 – 38.49) by Jelliffe equation, while Brater and Chiou equations showed 35.88 ml/min (IQR: 19.46 – 56.04) and 30.10 ml/min (IQR: 16.55 – 46.82) respectively. Jelliffe and Chiou equation showed a significant 36.56% and 15.66% lower estimated creatinine clearance respectively as compared to Cockcroft-Gault (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between Brater and Cockcroft-Gault equation. Jelliffe equation demonstrated the lowest estimated creatinine clearance value with a more intense dosage adjustment required for patients’ drug regimen involving renally excreted drugs. In conclusion, there were clinically significant variations in the estimated creatinine clearance from the different equations.
Chromatin-dependent cryptic promoters 1 encode alternative protein isoforms in yeast

Cryptic transcription is widespread and generates a heterogeneous group of RNA molecules of unknown function. To improve our understanding of cryptic transcription, we investigated their transcription start site usage, chromatin organization and post-transcriptional consequences in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that transcription start sites of chromatin-dependent internal cryptic transcripts resemble those of protein coding genes in terms of DNA sequence, directionality and chromatin accessibility. We define the 5’ and 3’ boundaries of cryptic transcripts and show that, contrary to RNA degradation-dependent ones, they often overlap with the end of the gene thereby using the canonical polyadenylation site and associate to polyribosomes. In fact, we show that chromatin-dependent cryptic transcripts can be recognized by ribosomes and may produce truncated polypeptides from downstream, in-frame start codons. Our work suggests that a significant fraction of chromatin-dependent internal cryptic promoters are in fact alternative truncated mRNA isoforms. The expression of these chromatin-dependent isoforms is conserved from yeast to human expanding the functional consequences of cryptic transcription and proteome complexity.
Green governance - An integrated programs of local government units: A case of Northern Iloilo, Philippines

Objectives : To develop a framework for green governance encompassing enterprise, government, social organizations, the public, and nature.Methods: This research used a case study to unveil the programs and projects of Northern Iloilo municipalities on green governance. The methods utilized were interviews, documentary analysis, and observation. All municipal and barangay officials in-charge of the environment were purposively selected as informants of this study. Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College, with its seven campuses within the 5th District of Iloilo, served as partners in strengthening programs, projects, policies, and ordinances from its programs such as fisheries, criminal justice, political science, and biology. Findings/application: The eleven towns of the 5th District of Iloilo are facing various environmental problems and issues such as garbage disposal, cutting trees, and coastal destructions. To mitigate this concern, the Local Government Units (LGUs) initiated different projects and programs and policies and ordinances for protection and preservation of natural resources. Among these municipalities, the municipalities of Barotac Viejo and Lemery as the main venue of the study were found out to have Environmental Code as a general policy for safeguarding and maintaining the environment. Even though that all local government units in northern Iloilo had adopted the national programs and laws of the government, still problems on the environment existed because the commitment of different stakeholders is weak. With this, the green environment practices made every entity of the community be encouraged to join the quest for a pollution-free environment. However, only a few participated. Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College, as a lone tertiary learning institution in the district, pledged to help green governance through research, extension, and instruction. However, the political-will of each leader was required to implement these programs effectively. The people must work together with the LGUs to achieve free from climate change. A collaborative effort is a key to success in green governance.
Study on the influence of surrounding urban SO2, NO2, and CO on haze formation in Beijing based on MF‐DCCA and boosting algorithms

The formation of haze depends on the complex evolution behavior of SO2, NO2, and CO. We explore the influence of surrounding urban oxides on haze formation in Beijing. From the perspective of time evolution, multifractal detrended cross‐correlation analysis (MF‐DCCA) method quantitatively shows that all oxides reveal persistent cross‐correlations (hxy: 0.640 sim; 0.995) in the short term and long term. The correlation characteristics of the same oxide in different regions are compared. In the short term, Zhangjiakou (SO2/NO2) and Tianjin (CO) have the strongest multifractal features, while Zhangjiakou (SO2/NO2/CO) is more prominent in the long term. Their sources are mainly Fat‐tailed. Ignoring the characteristics of timing, the fitting degree (R2) of LightGBM model to PM2.5 concentration regression is 0.862 after the addition of neighboring oxides, an increase of 2.0%. CatBoost's R2 improves by 6.4%. The feature importance score indicates that Langfang's SO2 and Chengde's CO contribute the most to the formation of PM2.5. This study has certain reference value for the formulation of oxide emission strategy in the surrounding area of Beijing.
Luminescent Solar Concentrators from Waterborne Polymer Coatings

This study reports for the first time the use of waterborne polymers as host matrices for luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). Notably, three types of waterborne polymer dispersions based either on acrylic acid esters and styrene (Polidisp® 7602), acrylic and methacrylic acid esters (Polidisp® 7788) or aliphatic polyester-based polyurethane (Tecfin P40) were selected as amorphous coatings over glass substrates. Water soluble Basic Yellow 40 (BY40) and Disperse Red 277 (DR277) were utilized as fluorophores and the derived thin polymer films (100 μm) were found homogeneous within the dye range of concentration investigated (0.3–2 wt.%). The optical efficiency determination (ηopt) evidenced LSCs performances close to those collected from benchmark polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) thin films and Lumogen Red F350 (LR) with the same experimental setup. Noteworthy, maximum ηopt of 9.5 ± 0.2 were recorded for the Polidisp® 7602 matrix containing BY40, thus definitely supporting the waterborne polymer matrices for the development of high performance and cost-effective LSCs.
Ramularia mali strains isolated from petroleum product-contaminated soil are capable to grow on multiple aromatic compounds

Tan WA, Teja HS, Stephane. 2020. Ramularia mali strains isolated from petroleum product-contaminated soil are capable to grow on multiple aromatic compounds. Biodiversitas 21: 3590-3595. Aromatic compounds are present as a complex mixture in the environment, some of which are toxic and carcinogenic in humans and animals. In this study, we reported the first instance of arthroconidial yeast growth on more than one aromatic compound. Yeasts were isolated from soil surrounding gas stations and screened for growth on phenol, followed by qualitative growth testing on chlorobenzene, aniline, toluene, 2-nitrotoluene, benzoate, and naphthalene. Pure isolates identity and phylogeny were determined based on the ITS region. All isolates grew on phenol and benzoate, but none grew on naphthalene. Aside from the inability to grow on naphthalene, SR8 grew on other tested aromatics, while SR3 showed similar growth ability except on 2-nitrotoluene. Growth on 2-nitrotoluene was observed for PPS3, PB4, SR1, SR6, and SR8, a phenotype that has yet been reported in yeasts thus far. All isolates shared 99.81-100% similarity and were phylogenetically clustered with the arthroconidial yeast Ramularia mali CBS 129581, despite that some of them were morphologically different and had varying capability to grow on tested aromatics. Therefore, ITS sequences cannot be used to differentiate Ramularia mali up to the strain level. Overall, we demonstrated the diverse potential of yeast strains in reducing aromatic compound contamination.
The complete chloroplast genome of Ampelopsis grossedentata (Hand.-Mazz.) W. T. Wang (Family: Vitaceae) and its phylogenetic analysis

Abstract Ampelopsis grossedentata (Hand.-Mazz.) W. T. Wang is rich in flavonoids and also displays excellent pharmacological activities. The phylogenetic relationship between A. grossedentata and other related Vitaceae family members remains unclear. The chloroplast (cp) genome is a useful model for assessing genome evolution. In this study, we assembled the cp genome of A. grossedentata using the high-throughput Illumina pair-end sequencing data and characterized the genome to providing useful information for future genetic studies. The circular cp genome was 162,147 bp in size, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 89,244 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,439 bp, which were separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions (27,232 bp each). A total of 135 genes were predicted, including 8 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 37 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and 90 protein-coding genes (PCGs). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. grossedentata within Ampelopsis genus and formed a different clade from other three congeneric species. This study provides useful information for future genetic study of A. grossedentata.
Origin of orbital ordering in 
YTiO3
 and 
LaTiO3

The origin of orbital order in correlated transition-metal compounds is strongly debated. For the paradigmatic ${e}_{g}$ systems ${\mathrm{KCuF}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3}$, it has been shown that the electronic Kugel'-Khomskii mechanism alone is not sufficient to drive the orbital-ordering transition up to the high temperatures at which it is experimentally observed. In the case of ${t}_{2g}$ compounds, however, the role played by the superexchange interaction remains unclear. Here we investigate this question for two representative systems, the $3d\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{t}_{2g}^{1}$ Mott insulators ${\mathrm{LaTiO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{YTiO}}_{3}$. We show that the Kugel'-Khomskii superexchange transition temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{KK}}$ is unexpectedly large, comparable to the value for the ${e}_{g}^{3}$ fluoride ${\mathrm{KCuF}}_{3}$. By deriving the general form of the orbital superexchange Hamiltonian for the ${t}_{2g}^{1}$ configuration, we show that the ${\mathrm{GdFeO}}_{3}$-type distortion plays a key part in enhancing ${T}_{\mathrm{KK}}$ to about 300 K. Still, orbital ordering above 300 K can be ascribed only to the presence of a static crystal-field splitting.
Learning to win on the PGA tour

ABSTRACT There is variation in how long it takes a golfer to win for the first time on the PGA tour. There are also golfers who never win. We investigate the time to first win using a survival function methodology, including shots gained measures of golfing ability, number of events played, experience prior to joining the tour, the competition, as explanatory variables. We also construct and include a variable that measures the ability to perform under pressure. Our pressure construct is potentially applicable to empirical studies of performance under pressure in other sports and the workplace. The data are all golfers whose rookie year was between 2004 and 2015. We find that performance under pressure, prior experience, events played, off the tee (distance and accuracy), and putting are the top five explanations of time to first win.
An observation-based evaluation and ranking of historical Earth
System Model simulations for regional downscaling in the northwest
North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract. Continental shelf regions in the ocean play an important role in the global cycling of carbon and nutrients but their responses to global change are understudied. Global Earth System Models (ESM), as essential tools for building understanding of ocean biogeochemistry, are used extensively and routinely for projections of future climate states; however, their relatively coarse spatial resolution is likely not appropriate for accurately representing the complex patterns of circulation and elemental fluxes on the shelves along ocean margins. Here, we compared 29 ESMs used in the IPCC’s Assessment Rounds (AR) 5 and 6 and a regional biogeochemical model for the northwest North Atlantic (NWA) shelf to assess their ability to reproduce observations of temperature, nitrate, and chlorophyll. The NWA region is biologically productive, influenced by the large-scale Gulf Stream and Labrador Current systems, and particularly sensitive to climate change. Most ESMs compare relatively poorly to observed nitrate and chlorophyll and show differences with observed temperature due to spatial mismatches in their large-scale circulation. Model-simulated nitrate and chlorophyll compare better with available observations in AR6 than in AR5, but none of the models performs equally well for all 3 parameters. The ensemble means of all ESMs, and of the five best performing ESMs, strongly underestimate observed chlorophyll and nitrate. The regional model has a much higher spatial resolution and reproduces the observations significantly better than any of the ESMs. It also simulates reasonably well vertically resolved observations from gliders and bi-monthly ship-based monitoring observations. A ranking of the ESMs suggests that the top 3 models are appropriate as boundary forcing for regional projections of future changes in the NWA region.
A decoupler-free simple paper microchip capillary electrophoresis device for simultaneous detection of dopamine, epinephrine and serotonin

This paper demonstrates a new and simplified configuration for capillary electrophoresis-amperometric detection (CE-AD) using a paper microfluidic chip incorporating inexpensive wax printing and screen printing based methods and then used for electrophoretic separation and simultaneous in-channel amperometric detection of three clinically relevant neurochemicals in a single run without using any decouplers. Detection of neurochemicals e.g., dopamine, epinephrine and serotonin is crucial for early prediction of neurological disorders including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, dementia, as well as progressive neuro-psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, as well as certain cardiovascular diseases. The plasma concentrations of such neurochemicals are as important as those present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and can be useful for rapid and convenient biosensing. However, simultaneous detection of such neurochemicals in a complex mixture such as human serum requires their separation prior to detection. With the developed microchip, separation and detection of the neurochemicals were exhibited within 650 seconds without pre-treatment and the procedure was validated with spiked fetal bovine serum samples. Beside this, the developed paper microfluidic chip has potential to be integrated in point-of-care diagnosis with onsite detection ability. Moreover, the use of a straight channel capillary, a screen-printed carbon electrode without decoupler, in-channel amperometric detection and low sample volume requirements (2 μL) are shown as additional advantages.
Native remnants can be sources of plants and topsoil to restore dry and wet cerrado grasslands

Neotropical grasslands have undergone intensive degradation by land conversion or biological invasion, but their restoration is still challenging. Here, we integrated two approaches to (1) assess the resilience of pristine dry and wet cerrado grasslands after removal of plants and topsoil and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments based on the material extracted from pristine grasslands to restore degraded dry and wet grasslands after pine invasion. We used old‐growth cerrado grasslands in southeastern Brazil as donor ecosystems and assessed their resilience after the removal of all plants and the upper 5‐cm soil layer. To restore both wet and dry grasslands, we tested topsoil translocation, plant transplantation, direct seeding, topsoil translocation + direct seeding, and needle layer removal. Both wet and dry grasslands were resilient to plants and topsoil removal, as evidenced by their fast recovery. The major mechanisms promoting resilience were seed germination in the wet grasslands and resprouting from underground organs in the dry grasslands. Transplantation was the most successful treatment to restore vegetation cover, species richness, and composition in both wet and dry grasslands, especially for herbaceous species. Restoration of the herbaceous layer of cerrado grasslands can be successful using natural ecosystems as donor sites without impairing their resilience in the studied scale. Improving the resilience of degraded dry and wet cerrado grasslands depends on reestablishing the condition to seed germination in the wet grasslands and reintroducing species with the ability to resprout after disturbance in the dry grasslands, attributes that explained the quick recovery of the donor ecosystems.
Disclination core structure and induced phase change in nematic liquid crystals

Using a continuum theory which allows for changes in variables which represent the phase and biaxiality of the liquid crystal as well as the director field, the core structure of plus or minus one half and plus or minus one strength disclination lines is investigated. Under certain approximations analytical solutions are found near to the centre of the disclination. Good agreement is found with numerical solutions for the full problem. Using a continuation package (AUTO), the changes to these numerical solutions are then considered as various parameters are altered. The model exhibits a first-order phase transition near to the clearing point temperature induced by the presence of the disclination core. If the disclination was not present, this phase transition would occur when the liquid crystalline state loses stability at a higher temperature.
Parental social class and school GCSE outcomes: two decades of evidence from UK household panel surveys

ABSTRACT This paper investigates social class inequalities in English school qualifications. The analytical focus is pupils’ outcomes in General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs). The original aspect of this paper is the operationalisation of data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), which facilitates analyses from 1991 to 2013. We observe a general trend of improved educational outcomes in more recent cohorts of school pupils, which is consistent with national results. The central empirical finding is that there is a persistent social class gradient. Pupils growing up in families in less advantaged social classes have less favourable school GCSE outcomes. This is especially concerning, because having fewer good GCSEs is likely to limit children’s participation in more advanced education and restrict their options in the labour market. Changes in the structure and content of GCSEs lead us to conjecture that sociological analyses of social class inequalities in school qualifications will continue to be important. We highlight the limitations of using administrative educational data, and we outline the data resources that would better facilitate the study of social class inequalities.
A New Analytical Model for Predicting Natural Gas Transportation Compressor Power

The compressor power requirement for gas pipelines is critical to the efficient delivery of natural gas over long distances. Existing models for predicting compressor power using pipeline length and gas throughput as input parameters are limited. This study focused on developing a new analytical model using the general energy equation to capture better interrelationships between compressor power and other parameters affecting compressor power requirements of horizontal natural gas pipelines. The developed model was validated using Bryan Research and Engineering (BRE) ProMax 2.0 process simulation software. The results indicated that the developed model was reliably consistent and accurate when compared with ProMax results. In other to improve the efficiency of the developed model, correction factors for both pipe length and gas throughput were developed. The percentage average absolute deviation (% AAD) was 4.37 for the fixed pipe length with variable throughput and 0.68 for the fixed throughput with variable length, scenarios.