Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exhaled Hydrogen after Lactulose Hydrogen Breath Test in Patient with Duodenal Ulcer Disease—A Pilot Study for Helicobacter-pylori-Associated Gastroduodenal Disease

Objectives: The precipitating mechanism(s) from the inactive to the active stage of duodenal ulcer disease (DU) is unclear. It has been shown that hydrogen gas from colonic fermentation provides an important energy source for Helicobacter pylori (Hp) colonization. The lactulose hydrogen breath test (LHBT) is a useful tool to assess the small intestinal and/or colon fermentation. This study examines the association(s) between the status of gastroduodenal disease and the result of a lactulose hydrogen breath test (LHBT). Materials and Methods: We enrolled Hp-positive active duodenal ulcer (aDU) patients, inactive DU (iDU) patients and patients with a positive Hp infection without structural gastroduodenal lesion, i.e., simple gastritis (SG Hp+). The patients with simple gastritis without Hp infection (SG Hp−) served as controls. Histological examinations of the gastric mucosa and lactulose hydrogen breath test (LHBT) were performed. Results: SG Hp+ patients tend to have advanced gastritis (pangastritis or corpus-predominant gastritis) compared with SG Hp− patients (7/29 vs. 0/14, p = 0.08). More iDU patients had advanced gastritis than either the SG Hp+ (7/9 vs. 7/29, p = 0.006) or aDU patients (7/9 vs. 6/24, p = 0.013). In comparison with the aDU patients, the iDU patients were also older (52.1 ± 12.6 vs. 42.2 ± 11.9 years, p = 0.02) and had a lower mean area under the curve value of the LHBT(AUC) (209.1 ± 86.0 vs. 421.9 ± 70.9, p = 0.023). Conclusion: aDU patients with a positive Hp infection have a lower grade of gastric mucosa damage than iDU patients and tend to have a higher level of exhaled hydrogen after LHBT.
Endogenous tagging of multiple cellular components in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

The cnidarian Nematostella vectensis has developed into a powerful model system to study the mechanisms underlying animal development, regeneration, and evolution. However, despite the significant progress in the molecular and genetic approaches in this sea anemone, endogenous protein tagging is still challenging. Here, we report a robust method for knock in for Nematostella using CRISPR/Cas9. As an outcome, we generate endogenously tagged proteins that label core molecular components of several cellular apparatus, including the nuclear envelope, cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, endoplasmic reticulum, cell trafficking, and extracellular matrix. Using live imaging, we monitor the dynamics of vesicular trafficking and endoplasmic reticulum in embryos, as well as cell contractility during the peristaltic wave of a primary polyp. This advancement in gene editing expands the molecular tool kit of Nematostella and enables experimental avenues to interrogate the cell biology of cnidarians.
Book Review : Analyzing Decision Making: Metric Conjoint Analysis

This is the 67th monograph in the Sage University Paper series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. The goal of these publications is to provide elementary and nontechnical expositions and illustrations of data collection and analysis techniques for students and social scientists. A glance at the titles published so far shows that in addition to coverage of statistical and methodological topics of general interest-such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), factor analysis, and multiple regression-the series occasionally reviews methods and techniques developed with certain contentor context-specific applications in mind (e.g., testing, decision making). Louviere’s book belongs in this second category. The work reviewed is of primary interest to students and researchers in behavioral decision theory, decision analysis, consumer behavior, and marketing. Basically, the book is about the use of standard experimental design and ANOVA to solve theoretical and
Does language affect the location choice of developing-economy MNEs? The case of Moroccan outward FDI

The present paper investigates the effect of linguistic distance on location decisions of Moroccan outward foreign direct investment (FDI) using panel data on 54 host countries from 2007 to 2021 and the robust weighted least squares estimation method. The results show that the higher the share of French-and Arabic-speaking populations, the more the host country attracts FDI from Morocco. Also, the results show that the higher the share of the English-speaking population, the less the host country attracts FDI because English-speaking countries tend to adopt institutional structures (the Anglo-Saxon way of governance) that differ from the French model inherited by Morocco during its colonization. For Spanish, there is no effect on the location decisions of Moroccan multinational enterprises because of the language’s marginalization at the formal level. The study highlights important policy considerations for home and host countries in terms of investment policy and investment promotion, language-in-education policies, and the role of international cultural and linguistic institutes in home and host countries.
Eigenfrequencies of a rectangular atomic force microscope cantilever in a medium

We calculate the eigenfrequencies of a rectangular cantilever of an atomic force microscope immersed in a fluid or a gas. To do so, the problem of combined elastomechanical and hydrodynamical equations is solved approximatively. The results are compared with experimentally obtained frequencies. For water the difference between experiment and theory is less than 4% if the ratio of the height of the cantilever to the width is less than 1/20 and if the corresponding eigenmode has at least four nodes.
A Multitransition CO and CS (2-1) Comparison of a Star-forming and a Non-Star-forming Giant Molecular Cloud

CO (3-2), CO (1-0), and CS (2-1) observations of clumps in the cold, low-luminosity cloud G216-2.5 discovered by Maddalena & Thaddeus are compared to the star-forming Rosette molecular cloud. The comparisons suggest that the clumps in a cloud may be characterized as being either dormant, incipient star forming, or star forming. In the Rosette molecular cloud, each set accounts for, respectively, 80%, 10%, and 10% of the total mass, but in G216-2.5, nearly 100% of the clumps are dormant. The physical conditions of the clumps in both clouds suggest a mass agglomeration evolutionary sequence from dormant to star-forming clumps. Detailed results for the clumps in both clouds are as follows. Clump excitation conditions are remarkably uniform in G216-2.5 but show wide variation in the Rosette. CO (3-2) integrated intensities and the ratio of (3-2) to (1-0) emission are significantly greater in the star-forming cloud and greatest of all in those clumps with embedded IRAS sources. The ratio of CO (3-2) to (1-0) line widths is also greater in the Rosette cloud. Peak clump CO (1-0) temperatures are greater in the Rosette than G216-2.5, implying higher gas kinetic temperatures, and are highest of all for those clumps associated with IRAS sources. The ratios of peak CO (3-2) to (1-0) temperatures, however, are comparable in the two clouds, which implies that the volume density of emitting gas in the clumps in each cloud is similar, nH2 ≃ 103 cm-3. The CS observations indicate the presence of denser gas, nH2 ~ 105 cm-3, in the clumps in each cloud. CS integrated intensities are generally an order of magnitude weaker than 13CO emission in each cloud, but the ratio of the two is a factor of 2 less in G216-2.5. CS to 13CO line width ratios are also lower in G216-2.5, which suggests that there is a deficiency of dense gas relative to the Rosette. Again, the star-forming clumps in the Rosette possess the highest ratios. In addition, CO (2-1) emission was mapped over the central region of G216-2.5 and compared to a CO (1-0) map. The ratio of (2-1) to (1-0) integrated intensities increases toward the clump edges, which is opposite to the Sakamoto et al. study of the Orion molecular cloud. High-resolution 13CO (2-1) maps of one clump in each cloud are compared to 13CO (1-0) maps for evidence of further fragmentation. The (2-1) radial profile is steeper than the (1-0) profile in each clump but decreases at the same relative rate in the two clumps despite their different absolute sizes. We conclude that the differences between clouds and clumps that are forming stars are most readily apparent in the warmer, denser gas traced by the CO (3-2) and CS (2-1) observations and note that there are two starless clumps in the Rosette molecular cloud with CO properties that are more characteristic of the star-forming clumps than the other starless clumps: these are the best candidates for the sites of future star formation in the cloud.
An Integrated Metabolomic and Gene Expression Analysis of ‘Sachinoka’ Strawberry and Its Somaclonal Mutant Reveals Fruit Color and Volatiles Differences

Plant tissue culture produces a wide range of genetic variations which are useful for quality improvement of the plant species. However, the differences in metabolic components and the key genes responsible for the difference in metabolic components between somaclonal variation and the original parent are still largely unknown. In this study, a mutant named ‘Mixue’ was identified with somaclonal variation of the ‘Sachinoka’ strawberry. The contents of pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside in the red fruit of ‘Mixue’ were significantly decreased compared with ‘Sachinoka’. In comparison with ‘Sachinoka’, the expression levels of FaMYB10, FaMYB11.2, FaWD40 and FaTT19 in the turning fruit of ‘Mixue’ were significantly down-regulated, while the expression of FaMYB1 was significantly up-regulated in the red fruit. ‘Sachinoka’ and ‘Mixue’ fruits were found to have 110 volatile components. Among them, 15 volatile components in the red fruit of ‘Mixue’ were significantly increased compared with ‘Sachinoka’, such as nerolidol, benzaldehyde, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl isovalerate, which led to an enhanced aroma in ‘Mixue’ and might result from the up-regulated expression of FaNES1, FaCNL and FaAATs in ‘Mixue’. These results provide useful information on the effect of somaclonal variation on metabolic components of strawberry fruit and lay the foundation for the improvement in quality of strawberry.
NON-LINEAR VIBRATIONS OF A STRUCTURE CAUSED BY WATER SLOSHING IN A RECTANGULAR TANK

Abstract The non-linear vibrations of a structure coupled with water sloshing in a rectangular tank are theoretically and experimentally studied. The water tank is attached to a structure to suppress the horizontal vibrations of the structure caused by a sinusoidal excitation. In the theoretical analysis, considering the only source of non-linearity of the liquid inertia to be due to a large sloshing amplitude, the modal equations for sloshing are presented. Secondly, the solutions for the harmonic oscillations of the structure and the water surface are determined, including their stability analyses. Then, the resonance curves for this system are shown. As a result, the resonance curves are found to change from the soft spring type to the hard spring type as the water depth decreases. The resonance curves also show that a super-summed-and-differential harmonic oscillation can occur at the tuning frequency when the magnitude of excitation is comparatively large. This is a kind of non-linear forced oscillation due to the non-linearity of the fluid force. The appearance of this oscillation reduces the efficacy of vibration suppression by using the water tank. In conclusion, it was ascertained that these results agreed qualitatively well with the experimental results.
Synergistic Antioxidant Effect of Prebiotic Ginseng Berries Extract and Probiotic Strains on Healthy and Tumoral Colorectal Cell Lines

Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS, O2•−, HO•, and H2O2) affects the aging process and the development of several diseases. A new frontier on its prevention includes functional foods with both specific probiotics and natural extracts as antioxidants. In this work, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer berries extract was characterized for the presence of beneficial molecules (54.3% pectin-based polysaccharides and 12% ginsenosides), able to specifically support probiotics growth (OD600nm > 5) with a prebiotic index of 0.49. The administration of the extract to a probiotic consortium induced the production of short-chain fatty acids (lactic, butyric, and propionic acids) and other secondary metabolites derived from the biotransformation of Ginseng components. Healthy and tumoral colorectal cell lines (CCD841 and HT-29) were then challenged with these metabolites at concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/mL. The cell viability of HT-29 decreased in a dose-dependent manner after the exposition to the metabolites, while CCD841 vitality was not affected. Regarding ROS production, the metabolites protected CCD841 cells, while ROS levels were increased in HT-29 cells, potentially correlating with the less functionality of glutathione S-transferase, catalase, and total superoxide dismutase enzymes, and a significant increase in oxidized glutathione.
Applying Silver Nanoparticles to Enhance Metabolite Accumulation and Biodiesel Production in New Algal Resources

Biofuel generation from algae can be increased by using nanotechnology. The present study emphasizes the use of silver nanoparticles on algae for algal fuel generation along with the impact of nanoparticles on biomass, metabolites and lipid profile. Silver ion amassing was enhanced in each algal species, but maximum phytoremediation was found in Ulothrix sp. Carbohydrates increased 3.2 times in Oedogonium sp. , 3.3 times in Ulothrix sp. , 3 times in Cladophora sp. and 2.7 times in Spirogyra sp. Additionally, the application of nanoparticles enhanced by 2 times the production of proteins in Oedogonium sp. , 1.9 times in Ulothrix sp. , 1.9 times in Cladophora sp. and 2.1 times in Spirogyra sp. Finally, the total lipid yield increased 60% DCW in Oedogonium sp. , 56% DCW in Ulothrix sp. , 58% DCW in Cladophora sp. and 63% DCW in Spirogyra sp. using 0.08 mg/L silver nanoparticle application. The lipids and fatty acid fractions from algae containing high concentrations of C16:0, C18:0 and C18:1 enhanced with silver nanoparticle addition were comparable with EN 14214 and ASTM 6751 biodiesel standards. This study indicates that the uptake of AgNPs can enhance the production of fatty acids and be commercialized as sustainable biodiesel. The algae Ulothrix sp. is evidenced as the best competent feedstock for biofuel production.
A spectral domain approach to modelling of EM scattering for Synthetic Aperture Radar target recognition

A Fourier-based technique for electromagnetic (EM) wave reconstruction with application to polarimetric airborne and spaceborne radar data exploitation is presented. The method is different from conventional modelling techniques for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) applications as a result of the full electromagnetic treatment of field interactions with the scatterer, the possibility of introducing new and controllable feature classes for target classification, and accurate decomposition of the source impulse response function that avoids potential errors (e.g. loss of coherent information) associated with the spherical phase approximations. The capability of extracting scatterer information such as the coherent radar cross section (RCS) is explored.
Consumer Behavior in the Service Industry: An Integrative Literature Review and Research Agenda

Ongoing technological disruptions in the service industries have altered modern business practices globally. Due to the unending transference in the overall consumer behavior in online and offline business environments, service providers are forced to rethink their existing business strategies, to understand the disruptive behaviors of consumers and the factors responsible for this. An integrative literature review (ILR) method has been employed to track the ongoing disruption in consumer behaviors in diverse service industries. This study is an attempt to bridge the gap by offering global insights related to the study of consumer behaviors in diverse service settings. The Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases have been mined to extract the existing literary works and 120 articles are selected as the final sample for this study through advanced inclusion and exclusion criteria. The key findings of the study have been categorized using the TCM (Theory, Context, and Methodology) framework as the future research agenda of this study. This study will contribute to enhancing the understandings of marketers, researchers, and academics through the massive collection of the existing literature in the research study of consumer behavior.
Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers: Processing, Properties, and Applications

Electrospun polymer nanofibers (EPNF) constitute one of the most important nanomaterials with diverse applications. An overall review of EPNF is presented here, starting with an introduction to the most attractive features of these materials, which include the high aspect ratio and area to volume ratio as well as excellent processability through various production techniques. A review of these techniques is featured with a focus on electrospinning, which is the most widely used, with a detailed description and different types of the process. Polymers used in electrospinning are also reviewed with the solvent effect highlighted, followed by a discussion of the parameters of the electrospinning process. The mechanical properties of EPNF are discussed in detail with a focus on tests and techniques used for determining them, followed by a section for other properties including electrical, chemical, and optical properties. The final section is dedicated to the most important applications for EPNF, which constitute the driver for the relentless pursuit of their continuous development and improvement. These applications include biomedical application such as tissue engineering, wound healing and dressing, and drug delivery systems. In addition, sensors and biosensors applications, air filtration, defense applications, and energy devices are reviewed. A brief conclusion is presented at the end with the most important findings and directions for future research.
Immunological Studies to Understand Hybrid/Recombinant Variants of SARS-CoV-2

The zoonotic SARS-CoV-2 virus was present before the onset of the pandemic. It undergoes evolution, adaptation, and selection to develop variants that gain high transmission rates and virulence, resulting in the pandemic. Structurally, the spike protein of the virus is required for binding to ACE2 receptors of the host cells. The gene coding for the spike is known to have a high propensity of mutations, as a result generating numerous variants. The variants can be generated by random point mutations or recombination during replication. However, SARS-CoV-2 can also produce hybrid variants on co-infection of the host by two distinct lineages of the virus. The genomic sequences of the two variants undergo recombination to produce the hybrid variants. Additionally, these sub-variants also contain numerous mutations from both the parent variants, as well as some novel mutations unique to the hybrids. The hybrid variants (XD, XE, and XF) can be identified through numerous techniques, such as peak PCR, NAAT, and hybrid capture SARS-CoV-2 NGS (next generation sequencing) assay, etc., but the most accurate approach is genome sequencing. There are numerous immunological diagnostic assays, such as ELISA, chemiluminescence immunoassay, flow-cytometry-based approaches, electrochemiluminescence immunoassays, neutralization assays, etc., that are also designed and developed to provide an understanding of the hybrid variants, their pathogenesis, and other reactions. The objective of our study is to comprehensively analyze the variants of SARS-CoV-2, especially the hybrid variants. We have also discussed the techniques available for the identification of hybrids, as well as the immunological assays and studies for analyzing the hybrid variants.
Fine-Scale Monitoring of Industrial Land and Its Intra-Structure Using Remote Sensing Images and POIs in the Hangzhou Bay Urban Agglomeration, China

China has experienced rapid industrial land growth over last three decades, which has brought about diverse social and environmental issues. Hence, it is extremely significant to monitor industrial land and intra-structure dynamics for industrial land management and industry transformation, but it is still a challenging task to effectively distinguish the internal structure of industrial land at a fine scale. In this study, we proposed a new framework for sensing the industrial land and intra-structure across the urban agglomeration around Hangzhou Bay (UAHB) during 2010–2015 through data on points of interest (POIs) and Google Earth (GE) images. The industrial intra-structure was identified via an analysis of industrial POI text information by employing natural language processing and four different machine learning algorithms, and the industrial parcels were photo-interpreted based on Google Earth. Moreover, the spatial pattern of the industrial land and intra-structure was characterized using kernel density estimation. The classification results showed that among the four models, the support vector machine (SVM) achieved the best predictive ability with an overall accuracy of 84.5%. It was found that the UAHB contains a huge amount of industrial land: the total area of industrial land rose from 112,766.9 ha in 2010 to 132,124.2 ha in 2015. Scores of industrial clusters have occurred in the urban-rural fringes and the coastal zone. The intra-structure was mostly traditional labor-intensive industry, and each city had formed own industrial characteristics. New industries such as the electronic information industry are highly encouraged to build in the core city of Hangzhou and the subcore city of Ningbo. Furthermore, the industrial renewal projects were also found particularly in the core area of each city in the UAHB. The integration of POIs and GE images enabled us to map industrial land use at high spatial resolution on a large scale. Our findings can provide a detailed industrial spatial layout and enable us to better understand the process of urban industrial dynamics, thus highlighting the implications for sustainable industrial land management and policy making at the urban-agglomeration level.
Independent Component Biplot

Biplot is a useful graphical method to simultaneously explore the rows and columns of a two-way data matrix. In particular, principal component factor biplot is a graphical method to describe the interrelationship among many variables in terms of a few underlying but unobservable random variables called factors. If we consider the unobservable variables (which are mutually independent and also non-Gaussian), we can apply the independent component analysis decomposing a mixture of non-Gaussian in its independent components. In this case, if we apply the principal component factor analysis, we cannot clearly describe the interrelationship among many variables. Therefore, in this study, we apply the independent component analysis of Jutten and Herault (1991) decomposing a mixture of non-Gaussian in its independent components. We suggest an independent component biplot to interpret the independent component analysis graphically.