Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intended and Unintended Benefits of Folic Acid Fortification—A Narrative Review

Inadequate folate intake during pregnancy is the leading cause of the development of neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns. For this reason, mandatory fortification of folic acid, a synthetic, easily bioavailable form, in processed cereals and cereal products has been implemented in the US since 1 January 1998 to reduce the risk of NTD in newborn children. This report aimed to review the literature related to the impact of mandated folic acid fortification on the intended and unintended benefits to health. Potential adverse effects were also discussed. We searched Pubmed, Google Scholar, Embase, SCOPUS, and Cochrane databases for reports. About 60 reports published between January 1998 and December 2022 were reviewed, summarized, and served as background for this review. The intended benefit was decreased prevalence of NTDs, while unintended benefits were reduction in anemia, blood serum homocysteine, and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Potential issues with folic acid fortification are the presence of unmetabolized folic acid in circulation, increased risk of cancer, and the masking of vitamin B-12 deficiency. From a health perspective, it is important to monitor the impact of folic acid fortification periodically.
Bottleneck Management in Discrete Batch Production

Today, production planning and scheduling becomes very important part of production management because companies have to react to dynamic market conditions and rising customers requirements for shorter delivery times, lower prices and better quality and services. They can use a lot of sophisticated methods and approaches to make their planning processes more efficient and thus meet growing customers requirements. However, using these new approaches is not so easy in all types of production systems. This paper deals with production planning and scheduling in discrete batch production that is just an example of very complicated production system. This type of production process is susceptible to demand fluctuation and facility exceptions and this implies bottleneck shifting. Therefore it is quite difficult to implement methods such as Theory of Constraints (TOC) for production planning improvement in the standard way. One part of this paper is a case study wherecurrent production planning and scheduling in real factory is improved just through the use TOC principles.
Body setae of a carnivorous caterpillar are an antagonistic trait against a defensive trait of prey: A case study of the aphidophagous larvae of Taraka hamada (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

To feed on prey efficiently, predators must overcome the prey's defensive traits. However, there are fewer reports on the antagonistic traits of predators than there are on the defensive traits of prey. Here, we focus on prey–predator interactions between social aphids and aphidophagous lepidopteran larvae. Larvae of Taraka hamada (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) are specialist predators of the social aphid Ceratovacuna japonica (Homoptera: Aphididae), and later instar larvae have long lateral body setae. Because this aphid produces defensive individuals (soldiers), we hypothesised that T. hamada larvae have an antagonistic trait that prevents attacks by soldiers and tested whether that trait might be their lateral body setae. To test whether a larva's lateral body setae constitute an antagonistic trait against the soldier's physical defence, we compared the rate of aphid consumption per unit time and the vulnerability to attack by soldiers between larvae with short lateral body setae and larvae with long lateral body setae in the presence of soldiers. Our results showed that the aphid consumption rate of larvae with long lateral body setae was significantly higher than that of larvae with short lateral body setae. Furthermore, the larvae with short lateral body setae were more vulnerable to soldier attacks than the larvae with long lateral body setae. These results imply that the length of the lateral body setae of T. hamada larvae affects their vulnerability to soldier attacks and that the lateral body setae are an antagonistic trait against the soldiers of this social aphid.
Father Involvement and Maternal Stress: The Mediating Role of Coparenting

In recent years mothers have been finding themselves overwhelmed by the need to balance work and maternal duties. Father involvement in childcare has been related to a decrease in mother’s burden in childcare. This association is influenced by multiple aspects, such as the way parents share parenting perspectives and views about child rearing, i.e., coparenting. Nevertheless, the mediating role of coparenting on the association between father involvement and maternal stress has been overlooked. This will be addressed by the current study. A total of 254 Portuguese married/cohabiting mothers of preschool children reported on maternal stress, father involvement in caregiving, and coparenting. Data was collected in public and private schools through questionnaires and online through advertisements in social media. Results show that greater father involvement in direct care was associated with greater maternal stress, but this direction changes when mediated by cooperative coparenting. Moreover, results suggest that when mothers perceived less conflict in coparenting, greater father (in)direct care contributed to decreased maternal stress. The current study supports the notion that fathers involvement and parent’s cooperation account to mothers’ wellbeing, which will improve family dynamics.
A New Method to Choose Parameters of Phase Space Reconstruction

This paper shows that how the time delay influenc e the phase space reconstruction, and generalizes several primary method of choo sing time delay based on phase space expansion. Furthermore, a new method depend ing on moment of inertia of phase trace relative to main axes is put forward. Te sted with the representative data, the new method demonstrates better performanc e compared with the typical average displacement method. It not only has explici t characteristic of physics and geometry, but also can be used to choose better time delay.
Une méthode volumes finis à flux caractéristiques pour la résolution numérique des systèmes hyperboliques de lois de conservation

Nous introduisons, dans le cadre general des systemes hyperboliques de lois de conservation, une methode de volumes finis qui s'appuie sur la notion de flux caracteristiques. Nous presentons la methode dans le cas monodimensionnel ainsi que sa generalisation au cas bidimensionnel sur maillage non structure. Cette approche conduit a de nouveaux schemas implicites.
A Capacitive Computing-In-Memory Circuit With Low Input Loading SRAM Bitcell and Adjustable ADC Input Range

We present a 9T1C SRAM cell-based capacitive computing-in-memory circuit for neural network computation. The proposed design improves tolerance against process variation with a smaller cell area compared to previous capacitive SRAM CIM designs while inheriting the advantage of capacitive SRAM CIM hardware such as the linearity in multiply-accumulate (MAC) results and suppression of the static readout current. We also demonstrate a compact and low-power ADC for CIM readout, which improves the energy efficiency significantly. Finally, we demonstrate a programmable on-chip ADC reference voltage generator circuit for adjusting the ADC input range using bitcell replica arrays. The proposed circuit reduces the ADC bit-resolution requirement by considering the distribution of MAC results, and also helps to address the effect of the parasitic bitline capacitance. Measurement results show that a $128\times 128$ macro fabricated in a 28 nm CMOS achieves 1519.5 TOPS/W at 0.7 V.
The role of satisfaction with the performance appraisal: a comparative study between the public and private sectors

Purpose – To study in Portugal (a) whether satisfaction with the performance appraisal (PA) differs depending on the sector where the workers perform their functions (private versus public), and (b) whether the relationship between workers’ perception of usefulness and accuracy of the performance appraisal process (PAP) and satisfaction with the outcome of their last PA is mediated by their satisfaction with the PAP. Theoretical framework – The PA has come to occupy a prominent place in organizations, because only it can be used to measure the skills of their workers and the way they contribute to achieving organizational success both qualitatively and quantitatively. Design/methodology/approach – Eight hundred and sixty-six professionals from the public and private sectors participated in this study. Data were collected using two multi-item questionnaires and two single-item scales. Findings – The results revealed that private sector employees showed higher levels of satisfaction with their PAs than those from the public sector. Furthermore, the results indicated that the usefulness and accuracy of the PAP had a significant and positive relationship with employees’ satisfaction with their last PA, and this relationship was partially mediated by satisfaction with the PAP, both in the public and private sectors. Practical & social implications of research – Regardless of the activity sector, it is fundamental that the PAP is useful and accurate; otherwise it is discredited, which prevents it from fulfilling its purpose and contributes to increasing the levels of worker dissatisfaction. Originality/value – This study clarified the differences that may emerge regarding satisfaction with PAs between the Portuguese public and private sectors. In addition, this is the first national or international study to analyse the aforementioned constructs in an integrated manner.
Self-sensing active artificial hair cells inspired by the cochlear amplifier, Part II: Experimental validation

Mimicking the nonlinear compressive behavior of the mammalian cochlear amplifier that results in the compression of high-intensity sounds and amplification of faint stimuli can lead to transformative improvements in the dynamic range, sharpness of the response, and threshold of sound detection in cochlear implants to aid individuals with hearing loss. Furthermore, it can enhance the dynamic properties of sensors. This research on developing self-sensing artificial hair cells (AHCs) validates the phenomenological control algorithm established in Part I of the paper to achieve a cochlea-like response from the quadmorph AHCs. As the beam is excited, the voltage of the piezoelectric layers is measured and used to generate a control voltage. Consequently, the controller applies cubic damping to the AHC, while reducing linear damping near its first natural frequency to replicate the biological cochlea’s function. Experimental results validate the model built in Part I of the paper and the work is extended to implement a multi-channel AHC. The system works independent of external sensors and offers significant advantages over previous generations of AHCs such as the ability to embed AHCs in a limited space and to combine several AHCs in an array without the need for external feedback measurement devices.
The lysophosphatidic acid-regulated signal transduction network in ovarian cancer cells and its role in actomyosin dynamics, cell migration and entosis

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) species accumulate in the ascites of ovarian high-grade serous cancer (HGSC) and are associated with short relapse-free survival. LPA is known to support metastatic spread of cancer cells by activating a multitude of signaling pathways via G-protein-coupled receptors of the LPAR family. Systematic unbiased analyses of the LPA-regulated signal transduction network in ovarian cancer cells have, however, not been reported to date. Methods: LPA-induced signaling pathways were identified by phosphoproteomics of both patient-derived and OVCAR8 cells, RNA sequencing, measurements of intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP as well as cell imaging. The function of LPARs and downstream signaling components in migration and entosis were analyzed by selective pharmacological inhibitors and RNA interference. Results: Phosphoproteomic analyses identified > 1100 LPA-regulated sites in > 800 proteins and revealed interconnected LPAR1, ROCK/RAC, PKC/D and ERK pathways to play a prominent role within a comprehensive signaling network. These pathways regulate essential processes, including transcriptional responses, actomyosin dynamics, cell migration and entosis. A critical component of this signaling network is MYPT1, a stimulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1), which in turn is a negative regulator of myosin light chain 2 (MLC2). LPA induces phosphorylation of MYPT1 through ROCK (T853) and PKC/ERK (S507), which is majorly driven by LPAR1. Inhibition of MYPT1, PKC or ERK impedes both LPA-induced cell migration and entosis, while interference with ROCK activity and MLC2 phosphorylation selectively blocks entosis, suggesting that MYPT1 figures in both ROCK/MLC2-dependent and -independent pathways. We finally show a novel pathway governed by LPAR2 and the RAC-GEF DOCK7 to be indispensable for the induction of entosis. Conclusion: We have identified a comprehensive LPA-induced signal transduction network controlling LPA-triggered cytoskeletal changes, cell migration and entosis in HGSC cells. Due to its pivotal role in this network, MYPT1 may represent a promising target for interfering with specific functions of PP1 essential for HGSC progression.
Protective effects of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) on barrier function injury of porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)

Abstract Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a natural organic sulfur component that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In this study, injury of porcine intestinal epithelial cell (IPEC-J2) models were used to investigate the effect of MSM on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced porcine intestinal epithelium barrier damage. The results of the cell cycle showed that the cells in the G2/M phase decreased significantly with the supplementation of 300 mmol/L MSM (P < 0.05). The ELISA assay revealed that MSM could significantly inhibit the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6 (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, MSM could significantly increase the value of cell monolayer transepithelial electrical resistance while reducing the FITC-dextran flux permeability and lactate dehydrogenase activity in IPEC-J2 cells (P < 0.01). Additionally, 300 mmol/L MSM significantly increased both mRNA and protein expression of occludin, claudin-1, and ZO-1 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, MSM prevented the downregulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by LPS, indicating that MSM might enhance tight junction function through mechanisms of activation of EGFR-mediated protein synthesis in IPEC-J2 cells. Therefore, our findings suggested that MSM has protective effects on inflammation and epithelial barrier injury in LPS-induced IPEC-J2 cells, indicating that MSM might be used as a potential therapeutic agent in the pig industry.
VulGraB: Graph‐embedding‐based code vulnerability detection with bi‐directional gated graph neural network

Code vulnerabilities can have serious consequences such as system attacks and data leakage, making it crucial to perform code vulnerability detection during the software development phase. Deep learning is an emerging approach for vulnerability detection tasks. Existing deep learning‐based code vulnerability detection methods are usually based on word2vec embedding of linear sequences of source code, followed by code vulnerability detection through RNNs network. However, such methods can only capture the superficial structural or syntactic information of the source code text, which is not suitable for modeling the complex control flow and data flow and miss edge information in the graph structure constructed by the source code, with limited effect of neural network model. To solve the above problems, this article proposes a code vulnerability detection method, named VulGraB, which is based on graph embedding and bidirectional gated graph neural networks. VulGraB uses node2vec to convert the program‐dependent graphs into graph embeddings of the code, which contain rich structure information of the source code, improving the ability of features to express nonlinear information to a certain extent. Then the BiGGNN is used for training, and finally the accuracy of the detection results is evaluated using target program. The bi‐directional gated neural network utilizes a bi‐directional recurrent structure, which is beneficial to global information aggregation. The experimental results show that the accuracy of VulGraB is significantly improved over the baseline models on two datasets, with F1 scores of 85.89% and 97.24% being the highest, demonstrating that VulGraB consistently outperforms other effective vulnerability detection models.
SAHPRA - Relevance of the New South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and Opportunities Ahead

Regulatory environments are constantly evolving, and South Africa has witnessed some significant developments in the recent past. Operational launch of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) as new healthcare products regulator marks a key milestone in the establishment of international standards in regulatory practices. Both the Medicines Control Council (MCC) and the Directorate of Radiation Control (DRC) were replaced by SAHPRA to bring control of medicines, medical devices, in vitro diagnostic tests and devices, and radiation emitting products under one regulatory body. The new agency was instituted under schedule 3A of Public Finance Management Act as public entity, thereby enabling it to retain the revenue generated. The change has evidently impacted the regulatory practices positively; however, the challenges inherited by regulators and those regulated are enormous. SAHPRA needs to confront the challenges and make the most out of the opportunities ahead. This study aims to focus on understanding the new agency, its evolution over time, objectives set forth, organizational and operational construct, responsibilities, accomplishments so far, outstanding challenges, opportunities ahead, and the collaborative efforts that can support its operation. SAHPRA has had noteworthy achievements as a healthcare products regulator. By making most use of collaboration efforts SAHPRA is all set to work through the challenges and gain from opportunities. https://doi.org/10.21423/jrs-v09i2dureja
Cefiderocol-Based versus Colistin-Based Regimens for Severe Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Infections: A Propensity Score-Weighted, Retrospective Cohort Study during the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background. A large increase in multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, especially carbapenem-resistant strains, occurred during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, posing important challenges in its treatment. Cefiderocol appeared to be a good option for the treatment of Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-Ab), but to date, the guidelines and evidence available are conflicting. Methods. We retrospectively included a group of patients with CR-Ab infections (treated with colistin- or cefiderocol-based regimens) at Padua University Hospital (August 2020–July 2022) and assessed predictors of 30-day mortality, and differences in microbiological and clinical treatment. To evaluate the difference in outcomes, accounting for the imbalance in antibiotic treatment allocation, a propensity score weighting (PSW) approach was adopted. Results. We included 111 patients, 68% males, with a median age of 69 years (IQR: 59–78). The median duration of antibiotic treatment was 13 days (IQR:11–16). In total, 60 (54.1%) and 51 (45.9%) patients received cefiderocol- and colistin-based therapy, respectively. Notably, 53 (47.7%) patients had bloodstream infections, while 58 (52.3%) had pneumonia. Colistin was combined in 96.1%, 80.4%, and 5.8% of cases with tigecycline, meropenem, and fosfomycin, respectively. Cefiderocol was combined in 13.3%, 30%, and 18.3% of cases with fosfomycin, tigecycline, and meropenem, respectively. At the baseline, the two treatment groups significantly differed in age (patients treated with colistin were significantly older), the prevalence of diabetes and obesity (more frequent in the group treated with colistin), length of stay (longer in the group receiving cefiderocol), and type of infection (BSI were more frequent in the group receiving cefiderocol). The proportion of patients who developed acute kidney injury was significantly higher in the colistin group. By using PSW, no statistically significant differences emerged for mortality or clinical and microbiological cure between the two groups. No independent predictors were detected for hospital mortality or clinical cure, while for the length of stay, the only selected predictor was age, with a non-linear effect (p-value 0.025 for non-linearity) on the prolongation of hospital stay of 0.25 days (95% CI 0.10–0.39) at increasing ages (calculated over the IQR). Conclusions. Cefiderocol treatment did not differ in terms of main outcomes and safety profile from colistin-based regimens. More prospective studies with a larger number of patients are required to confirm our results.
24.5 A 0.9V0.35pmAdaptively Biased CMOSLDO Regulator with Fast Transient Response

Portable applications often need multiple voltages controlled by a power management IC to power up many functional blocks [1]. A switching pre-regulator is usually followed by a low dropout (LDO) regulator to provide a regulated power source for noise-sensitive blocks. The LDO regulator has to be stable for all load conditions and frequency compensation is usually needed to stabilize the regulation loop [2, 3]. The output voltage droop due to rapid and large load changes could be minimized with a fast regulation loop, such that functional blocks powered by the same LDO regulator would have low crosstalk noise.
Method of moments analysis of EM fields in a multilayered spheroid radiated by a thin circular loop antenna

This paper presents derivation and computation of electromagnetic (EM) fields inside a dielectric prolate spheroid radiated by a loop antenna. The dielectric spheroid is considered to be multilayered, and a thin circular loop antenna that is loaded by a voltage source radiates on the top of the prolate spheroid. The multiple interaction of transmitted and reflected waves with the spheroid is characterized by applying the method of moments (MoM) to both the circular loop antenna wire and the stratified spheroidal interfaces. The dyadic Green's function in the expansion form of eigenvector wave functions is used to derive the EM fields, so the formulation is quite compact. Different basis and weighting functions are used inside the method of moments procedure for obtaining in an efficient way the unknown current distributions along the antenna wire and the unknown expansion coefficients of their resulted EM fields. Current distributions and the transmitted fields inside the spheroidal model are computed numerically and the convergence issues are discussed.