Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Downregulation of CYP39A1 Serves as a Novel Biomarker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Worse Clinical Outcome

Background CYP39A1 is a poorly characterized metabolic enzyme that has been investigated in a few tumors. However, the role of CYP39A1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not yet been clarified. In this study, the expression and clinical significance of CYP39A1 in HCC were explored. Methods CYP39A1 protein expression was detected in Akt/c-Met-induced HCC mice and 14 paired fresh HCC samples as well as another 159 HCC and matched noncancerous tissues. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression was analyzed by GEO and TCGA analysis and validated in 14 paired fresh HCC tissues. Furthermore, the relationships between CYP39A1 expression and clinicopathologic features as well as prognosis were analyzed. HCC cell growth changes were analyzed by cell viability assays after CYP39A1 overexpression and then validated after CYP39A1 knockout by DepMap database analysis. Results CYP39A1 protein expression was lower expressed in HCC mouse models, and its mRNA and protein expression were also downregulated in HCC compared with noncancerous liver tissues. Higher CYP39A1 expression was associated with well differentiation. Moreover, survival analysis indicated that lower CYP39A1 expression was associated with poorer overall survival. In addition, HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cell viability were inhibited after CYP39A1 overexpression. Genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 proliferation screening indicated that knockout of CYP39A1 could promote HCC cell growth. Likewise, p-NF-κB and Nrf2 were suppressed after CYP39A1 overexpression. It is worth mentioning that total bile acid, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin were significantly increased in the patients with low CYP39A1 expression. Conclusions Downregulation of CYP39A1 is associated with HCC carcinogenesis, tumor differentiation, and poor overall survival, suggesting that CYP39A1 may serve as a tumor suppressor gene and novel biomarker for HCC patients.
Cellulose Microfiber Encapsulated Probiotic: Viability, Acid and Bile Tolerance during Storage at Different Temperature

This work aimed to analyze the physicochemical properties of cellulose from OPT used in the fabrication of CMF and evaluate the efficacy of the hydrogel CMF as an encapsulant for L. fermentum InaCC B1295 stored at room temperature and in the refrigerator. The Kjeldahl method was used to evaluate the protein content; the gravimetric method was used to determine OPT's ash, moisture, and fiber contents; the Soxhlet method was used to determine the fat content carbohydrates were computed using the difference method. The levels of holocellulose, lignin, and cellulose were also determined. Viability, acid and bile resistance of strain B1295 were evaluated at various temperatures for 35 days. The most abundant component of OPT fiber was cellulose, followed by hemicellulose and lignin. XRD examination revealed that OPT cellulose has a crystal index of 83.40%. FTIR analysis was used to detect the stretching vibrations of the –OH group on cellulose at 3419.03 cm-1. CMF hydrogel from OPT sustained L. fermentum InaCC B1295 survival for up to 28 days at room and refrigerated temperatures. At acidic conditions and in the presence of bile, the viability of L. fermentum InaCC B1295 was excellent, with a drop in cell population of less than 0.2 log CFU/g over 35 days at room and refrigerated temperatures. CMF obtained from OPT can be used as an encapsulant to maintain viability, acid resistance and bile of probiotics. There is still a need for research into the usage of CMF from OPT in combination with other encapsulants to extend the storage life of L. fermentum InaCC B1295. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-01-08 Full Text: PDF
Comparison of Traditional and Industrial Sausages Baranjski Kulen and Kulenova Seka Using Comprehensive Proteome, Peptidome and Metabolome Techniques

SUMMARY Research background Baranjski kulen is one of the most popular fermented meat sausages originating from Croatia. It has protected geographical indication, and is traditionally produced in the Baranja region of Croatia. Kulenova seka is a fermented sausage very similar to baranjski kulen, but it has a different calibre and consequently, a shorter time of production. In recent decades, due to the high demand and popularity of these products, industrially produced baranjski kulen and kulenova seka have become available on the market. This work aims to identify specific characteristics of traditional and industrial sausages baranjski kulen and kulenova seka on proteome, peptidome and metabolome level, which could potentially lead to better optimization of the industrial production process in order to obtain an equivalent to the traditional product. Experimental approach Protein profiles of baranjski kulen and kulenova seka (traditional and industrial) were analysed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by differential display analysis and protein identification by mass spectrometry. Peptidomic profile was analysed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, aroma profiles were investigated via headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results and conclusions The major identified characteristics of each product were: industrial baranjski kulen: specific degradation of myosin-1 and titin, overabundance of stress-related proteins and increased phenylalanine degradation; traditional baranjski kulen: decreased concentration of phenylalanine and overabundance of fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A and carbonic anhydrase 3; industrial kulenova seka - specific myosin-4 and haemoglobin subunit alpha degradation process; traditional kulenova seka - overabundance of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase [NADP(+)] and myosin light chain 1/3, skeletal muscle isoform, degradation of albumin and myoglobin, decreased concentrations of almost all free amino acids and increased amounts of smoke-derived volatile compounds. Presented results showed that potential product type-specific quality markers for each sausage could be found. Novelty and scientific contribution In this preliminary communication, the first insights into protein degradation processes and generation of peptides, free amino acids and aroma compounds of industrial and traditional baranjski kulen and kulenova seka are presented. Although further research is needed to draw general conclusions, the specific profile of proteins, peptides, amino acids and volatile compounds represents the first step in the industrial production of sausages that meet the characteristics of traditional flavour.
Variations in Road Conditions on Driver Stress

A number of studies have used heart rate variability (HRV) measures to estimate driver stress across different driving conditions. Understanding the constructs of driver stress can provide insights regarding the underlying reasons for safety-critical events. The intent of this study is to evaluate the electrocardiogram (ECG) activities of drivers along a pre-defined route with varying roadway conditions. Heart rate, standard deviation of selected RR interval series (SDNN) and low frequency to high frequency ratio (LF/HF) were examined. An examination of short interval stress at evenly distributed points along the route indicates that some impact was detected from long duration driving and the statistical model was adjusted accordingly to reflect this. The findings suggest that temporal and frequency domain parameters generated similar characteristics regardless of the direction of travel (clockwise or counterclockwise direction). That is, these two parameters provided fairly consistent outcomes regarding driver workload. However, heart rate was not as good an indicator suggesting that this measure may be picking up some other unexplained effects.
Robust clustering of COVID-19 cases across U.S. counties using mixtures of asymmetric time series models with time varying and freely indexed covariates

In this paper, we develop a mixture of autoregressive (MoAR) process model with time varying and freely indexed covariates under the flexible class of two–piece distributions using the scale mixtures of normal (TP-SMN) family. This novel family of time series (TP-SMN-MoAR) models was used to examine flexible and robust clustering of reported cases of Covid-19 across 313 counties in the U.S. The TP-SMN distributions allow for symmetrical/ asymmetrical distributions as well as heavy-tailed distributions providing for flexibility to handle outliers and complex data. Developing a suitable hierarchical representation of the TP-SMN family enabled the construction of a pseudo-likelihood function to derive the maximum pseudo-likelihood estimates via an EM-type algorithm.
Moderating Effect of Illiquidity on The Relationship Between Momentum and Equity Returns in The Kenyan Capital Markets

This paper sought to examine the moderating effect of illiquidity on the relationship between momentum and equity returns in the Kenyan capital markets. Previous studies have shown that illiquidity has a time-varying effect on momentum strategies, but little is known whether illiquidity has a moderating effect on the relationship between momentum and equity returns in Kenyan capital markets. A longitudinal research design was used for this study to examine the causal inference. Data comprised of monthly transactions on the 20 equities used in the formulation of the NSE 20 share index over the period between Jan 2009 and up to March 2018 which formed 111 data points. ADF and PP results showed that Returns and momentum are stationary at levels while illiquidity was stationary at first difference. The error correction term was negative and statistically significant with or without the moderator. Results indicate that without a moderator percentage increase in momentum is linked to a 0.0000313% increase in returns in the short run. The study further shows that the effect of momentum on equity returns is moderated by illiquidity using a t-test. R2 changed from 0.427 to 0.4337 indicating a change of 0.006 at 0.05% significant level suggesting that illiquidity moderates the relationship between momentum and equity returns in the Kenyan capital markets.
UNFOLD

UNFOLD: Mediation by Reinterpretation is a research project and interdisciplinary network initiated by LIMA, Platform for Media Art in Amsterdam, that examines reinterpretation as an emerging practice for artistic production, presentation, and preservation of media works. New elements stretch the boundaries of traditional preservation methods and require insights from both the artist and the curator to decide how pieces can be restaged. This essay investigates how to deal with the changes of digital/media artworks over time, and how to preserve and mediate their performative aspects.
Total Sustainability Assessments for Manufacturing Operations Using the Lean Six Sigma Approach

This paper discusses research and education activities related to the application of lean six sigma principles in sustainability assessments for single facilities using a novel concept called Total Sustainability Assessments (TSA). Lean Six Sigma has not been used in the solid waste reduction or environmental protection fields to the extent that it has been applied in manufacturing and in other sectors. The goal of this research was to investigate the application and benefits of conducting TSAs versus standalone assessments for waste reduction, energy reduction, and productivity improvements. The hypothesis for this research involved investigating the financial, environmental, and time benefits of conducting TSAs over separate assessments. Traditionally, productivity aspects are not a high consideration when performing environmental assessments; this research is novel that it incorporates these issues into a single assessment framework. The results of the study indicated that the TSA methodology can be completed 23.4% fewer work hours versus standalone assessments and identified over $120,000 in annual cost savings for the organization. The application of this case study and the TSA methods are discussed in this paper.
Exhaust Energy Recovery with Turbo Compounding in a Heavily Downsized Engine

Large amount of heat energy is wasted in Internal Combustion (IC) engine through the exhaust manifold, coolant, convective and radiative heat transfer. Significant amount of thermal energy waste occurring at the exhaust manifold of the IC engine can be recovered using various contemporary heat recovering techniques. The paper presented the viability of using turbo compounding waste heat recovering technique in recovering a significant amount of waste energy occurring at the exhaust of a heavily downsized engine. Electric turbo compounding (ETC) simulation using Ford Eco-Boost base line engine with modification using Hy-Boost modelled with AVL Boost software was carried out for the analysis. The simulation results show a 3% reduction in Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC), 0.5 bar Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP) increase and up to 2 kW of power output were realized at engine speed of 2500 rpm. The result clearly indicates the effectiveness, viability and commercialization potentials of this waste heat recovery technique.
Monosodium glutamate-containing flavour enhancer: effect on liverand kidney in experimental animal

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as sodium glutamate, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids.1 Trade names of monosodium glutamate include Ac’cent, Aji-No-Moto and Ve-Tsin. MSG was classified by the United StatesFood and Drug Administration and the European Union as a food additive.2 The L-glutamate form of MSG confers the same taste of free L-glutamate naturally found in foods.3 Industrial food manufacturers market and use MSG as a flavour enhancer because it balances, blends and rounds the total perception of other tastes.4 Natural foods, especially soy sauce, strong cheeses, tomatoes and mushrooms, can contain high amounts of free glutamates that are concentrated by processing. So if a snack product has a strong flavour, some of the free glutamate is likely to be in highly flavoured additives such as concentrated soy sauce, tomato, cheese, mushroom or vegetable powder although a form of MSG such as yeast extract or hydrolysed vegetable protein can be probably also found.5 It is impossible to tell the number of free glutamates a product contains because an FDA proposal to list this on the label was defeated by the food industry.6
System View of Lean Construction Application Opportunities

Construction has been one of the first sectors to discuss Lean Thinking in an environment different from that where it was developed. Lean Thinking is a broad concept and construction is a highly diversified and complex sector, so the opportunities for application are very wide. This paper will discuss these opportunities in a systematic framework, useful for identifying interactions among applications developed so far as well as gaps for future studies. This framework will be constructed crossing Lean Thinking core elements and construction main flows. Due to differences between construction and manufacturing, lean tools direct application is not suitable in most cases. Lean principles deployed to a detailed conceptual level, named core elements, is argued to be a better basis for the discussion of potential applications in different environments, as construction. According to lean concept, construction is understood in this paper as a connection of five main flows. The discussion of each core element for each flow points up opportunities of application.
Engineering of Silicon and Germanium Tunnel Diodes for Integrated Circuit Application

by Jialin Zhao In recent years, the tunnel diode has attracted interest from companies and researchers. Integrating tunnel diodes with transistors provide input-out isolation, gain and fan-out ability which the tunnel diode by itself lacks. The sparsity of tunnel diode fabrication processes compatible with transistor processing hinders the wider use of the device. Fabrication processes, which could be applied to integrated tunnel diode/transistor circuits on Si and Ge, are explored in this work. Silicon tunnel diodes were demonstrated in both vertical and lateral geometries using spin-on diffusants and rapid thermal processing. Silicon tunnel diodes were first formed in the substrate plane through an oxide window process, with peak current densities of approximately 1 μA/μm and peak-to-valley ratio of approximately 1.3. A self-aligned lateral fabrication process, which forms the junction perpendicular to the substrate plane, has also been successfully developed and yielded backward Si tunnel diodes with peak current densities of 30 nA/μm. To the author’s knowledge, these accomplishments are the first demonstration of lateral Si tunnel diodes using spin-on diffusants and rapid thermal processing. Low current density tunnel diodes can find
Design principles for an enterprise systems chartering method

Our research follows a design science approach to develop a method that supports the initialization of ES implementation projects – the chartering phase. This project phase is highly relevant for implementation success, but is understudied in IS research. In this paper, we derive design principles for a chartering method based on a systematic review of ES implementation literature and semi-structured expert interviews. Our analysis identifies differences in the importance of certain success factors depending on the system type. The proposed design principles are built on these factors and are linked to chartering key activities. We specifically consider system-type-specific chartering aspects for process-centric Business Intelligence & Analytics (BI&A) systems, which are an emerging class of systems at the intersection of BI&A and business process management. In summary, this paper proposes design principles for a char-tering method – considering specifics of process-centric BI&A.
Modeling and Implementing Variability in Aerospace Systems Product Lines

Avionics systems are becoming indispensable on both military and civil aircraft. As more and more of their vital functions are controlled by electronic devices, their system qualities such as safety, reliability, and fuel-e ciency are becoming increasingly dependent on the correct operation of the avionics on-board. As avionics applications increase in size and complexity, so are their development and testing costs. Therefore, it is not surprising that companies in this domain are looking for new development approaches that can help them deal with these challenges. In this regard, software product lines have been particularly successful. They can help reduce costs by designing systems that share a set of common assets that enable reuse in a structured way; they are developed as a family. One asset that is particularly useful to handle complexity and that makes sense to approach as a family is models. They provide the means to communicate and get consensus with other stakeholders, scope the system to create, predict important properties or characteristics, among others. In other words, a good model can become the cornerstone of a successful system. However, if modeling one system is challenging, modeling a family of them becomes even harder. Each member can be di erent, so the model must be able to specify accurately what parts are common to all of them, what can vary, and under which conditions. The purpose of this work is twofold. First, it evaluates the capabilities of SysML to accurately describe variability in the domain of avionics systems. Second, it provides guidelines for how to model and design systems that present it. In the end, this work concluded that simple extensions allow SysML to be appropriate for describing systems with variability. Also, it introduced a methodology and a series of structural and behavioral patterns to describe families of systems while keeping their di erences under control. Implementation patterns were also included to show how models can be connected with code. Finally, this whole approach was evaluated via a case study based on ve real aircraft engine instances.
Influence of structural property distribution on elastic and inelastic strength demand of shear buildings with soil-structure interaction

It is well known that structural stiffness and strength distributions have an important role in seismic response of structures. In the present study, through intensive parametric analyses of numerous linear and nonlinear MDOF systems of five different shear strength and stiffness distribution patterns, including 3 code-specified plus the uniform and concentric patterns, subjected to a group of earthquake ground motions recorded on alluvium and soft soils, the effect of structural property distribution on elastic and inelastic strength demand of MDOF soil-structure systems are parametrically investigated. Results of this study show that depending on the level of inelasticity, soil flexibility and number of degrees-of-freedoms, structural property distribution can significantly affect the strength demand of MDOF systems. This effect is more pronounced in the case with uniform strength and stiffness distribution as compared to the code-compliant patterns. It is also found that in high level of inelastic responses, the strength demands of average and slender soil-structure systems with short periods are usually greater than those of the fixed-base systems.
MPOCs’ Learner Interaction (MPOCsLI): An Instrument Design and Construct Validation Study

In online learning, especially in MPOCs, interaction is considered an important factor that influences learning outcomes and learner achievement. However, few researchers have attempted to derive a valid and reliable scale of learner interaction in MPOCs; thus measuring learner interaction continues to be challenging. In this study, the MPOCsLI scale was constructed and validated using Exploratory Factor Analysis. Three distinct and reliable dimensions of learner interaction in MPOCs emerged: LearnerInstructor, Learner-Learner, and Learner-Content. Evidence of the convergent and discriminant validity was reported.
CMP Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis of Multichannel Passive Surface-Wave Data

In this paper, we demonstrate that common midpoint spatial autocorrelation (CMP-SPAC) analysis of multichannel passive surface waves gives accurate phasevelocity curves, and enable us to reconstruct twodimensional (2D) S-wave velocity (VS) structures with in laterally heterogeneous environment. Recording geometry for CMP-SPAC analysis is similar to that used for multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW). Ten to twenty minutes of vertical component ambient noise is recorded and divided into several blocks for spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) analysis. Processing of CMP-SPAC data consists of four steps: First, SPAC traces are calculated for every pair of receivers in each ambient noise block. Second, the SPAC traces are averaged over all blocks in the frequency domain and the SPAC traces having a common mid-point are sorted into CMP-SPAC gathers. Third, dispersion curves are calculated from each CMP-SPAC gather by comparing observed coherences with theoretical Bessel functions. Finally, a 2D VS section is reconstructed through non-linear least squares inversion. The method was applied to actual field data and compared with active surface wave data. The results from CMP-SPAC analysis using passive surface wave data are almost identical to those from common midpoint cross-correlation (CMPCC) analysis using active surface wave data. This suggests that active sources are not needed for surface wave data acquisition methods in many cases. The use of the CMP-SPAC method with passive data has the potential to greatly improve the efficiency and applicability of surface wave methods.