Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chrononutrition is associated with melatonin and cortisol rhythm during pregnancy: Findings from MY-CARE cohort study

Chrononutrition has been suggested to have an entrainment effect on circadian rhythm which is crucial for metabolic health. Investigating how chrononutrition affects maternal circadian rhythm can shed light on its role during pregnancy. This study aims to determine chrononutrition characteristics of healthy primigravida during pregnancy and its association with melatonin and cortisol rhythm across gestation. A total of 70 healthy primigravidas were recruited from ten randomly selected government maternal and child clinics in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the second and third trimesters, chrononutrition characteristics including meal timing, frequency, eating window, breakfast skipping, and late-night eating were determined using a 3-day food record. Pregnant women provided salivary samples at five time-points over a 24 h period for melatonin and cortisol assay. Consistently across the second and third trimesters, both melatonin and cortisol showed a rhythmic change over the day. Melatonin levels displayed an increment toward the night whilst cortisol levels declined over the day. Majority observed a shorter eating window (≤12 h) during the second and third trimesters (66 and 55%, respectively). Results showed 23 and 28% skipped breakfast whereas 45 and 37% ate within 2 h pre-bedtime. During the third trimester, a longer eating window was associated with lower melatonin mean (β = –0.40, p = 0.006), peak (β = –0.42, p = 0.006), and AUCG (β = –0.44, p = 0.003). During both trimesters, a lower awakening cortisol level was observed in pregnant women who skipped breakfast (β = –0.33, p = 0.029; β = –0.29, p = 0.044). Only during the second trimester, breakfast-skipping was significantly associated with a greater cortisol amplitude (β = 0.43, p = 0.003). Findings suggest that certain chrononutrition components, particularly eating window and breakfast skipping have a significant influence on maternal melatonin and cortisol rhythm. Dietary intervention targeting these characteristics may be useful in maintaining maternal circadian rhythm.
Alternative splicing event associated with immunological features in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BLCA) is the most prevalent urinary tumor with few treatments. Alternative splicing (AS) is closely related to tumor development and tumor immune microenvironment. However, the comprehensive analysis of AS and prognosis and immunological features in BLCA is still lacking. In this study, we downloaded RNA-Seq data and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and AS events were acquired from the TCGA Splice-seq. A total of eight prognostic AS events (C19orf57|47943|ES, ANK3|11845|AP, AK9|77203|AT, GRIK2|77096|AT, DYM|45472|ES, PTGER3|3415|AT, ACTG1|44120|RI, and TRMU|62711|AA) were identified by univariate analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis to construct a risk score model. The Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that the high-risk group had a worse prognosis compared with the low-risk group. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) for this risk score model in 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.698, 0.742, and 0.772, respectively. One of the prognostic AS event-related genes, TRMU, was differentially expressed between tumor and normal tissues in BLCA. The single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and CIBERSORT algorithm showed that both the risk score model and TRMU were significantly associated with tumor immune microenvironment and immune status (immune cells, immune-related pathway, and immune checkpoint) in BLCA patients. The TIMER database confirmed the relationship between the expression of TRMU and immune cells and checkpoint genes. Furthermore, Cytoscape software 3.8. 0 was used to construct the regulatory network between AS and splicing factors (SFs). Our study demonstrated that AS events were powerful biomarkers to predict the prognosis and immune status in BLCA, which may be potential therapeutic targets in BLCA.
Explaining the ranchers’ behavior of rangeland conservation in western Iran

Rangeland are one of the most important natural habitats for the protection of living and non-living organisms. Degradation of rangeland is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity loss. Ranchers’, as the most important key stakeholders who have a direct relationship with rangelands, have put a lot of pressure on the rangeland sector in recent years, so that this natural habitat has been destroyed. Therefore, existing rangelands must be preserved to protect biodiversity. One of the most important strategies to protect rangeland is to change the behavior of ranchers to friendly and ecological behaviors in the environment. In this regard, this study was conducted with the general aim of explaining the ranchers’ behavior of rangeland conservation in western Iran. The main research tool was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. In this study, value-belief-norm (VBN) was used to identify research variables. The results showed that ranchers have used different behaviors to protect rangelands and egoistic behaviors are the main cause of the destruction of this natural habitat. In addition, the results of this study showed that the framework used was an efficient theory because it explains 53.9% of rangeland conservation behavior. Finally, in this study, based on the research findings, applied policies for the protection of natural rangelands were presented so that in addition to rangeland conservation, biodiversity can also be preserved.
Operator approach to solutions of the constrained BKP hierarchy

The operator formalism to the vector k-constrained BKP hierarchy is presented. We solve the Hirota bilinear equations of the vector k-constrained BKP hierarchy via the method of neutral free fermion. In particular, by choosing suitable group element of O(∞), we construct rational and soliton solutions of the vector k-constrained BKP hierarchy.
A comparative study of postgraduate theses in pedagogy and preschool education in Austria and Turkey

In this study, postgraduate theses in the fields of pedagogy and preschool education in Austria and Turkey are compared in terms of factors such as similarity index, research designs and quality of academic writing. To achieve this goal, a commonly-used web-based plagiarism detection service was used to determine the similarity indexes of 258 theses prepared in the two countries (124 from Austria, 134 from Turkey) by checking them against existing sources such as articles, theses, and books; and a relational screening model was used to determine the degree of correlation among variables. In addition, the research topics, research designs, and data collection tools employed in each thesis were identified and content analysis was performed on selected theses with an eye to gaining a sense of the methodological approaches used in pedagogy in Austrian and Turkish universities and making comparisons between the two countries. Our results suggest that the mean similarity index between the postgraduate theses in Austria is 8.78 (Std. Dev. 4.91), while the mean similarity index between the postgraduate theses prepared in Turkey is 25.10 (Std. Dev. 9.85). Our analysis indeed indicates that 91% (n 113) of the theses prepared at Austrian universities and only 13% (n 17) of the theses prepared at Turkish universities did not exceed the acceptable similarity index of 15%. The fact that 87% of the theses written in Turkey are dramatically similar to the available resources shows that many of the studies carry potential risks in terms of originality and plagiarism.
Estimation of the stage-wise costs of breast cancer in Germany using a modeling approach

Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease representing a substantial economic burden. In order to develop policies that successfully decrease this burden, the factors affecting costs need to be fully understood. Evidence suggests that early-stage BC has a lower cost than a late stage BC. We aim to provide conservative estimates of BC's stage-wise medical costs from German healthcare and the payer's perspective. To this end, we conducted a literature review of articles evaluating stage-wise costs of BC in Germany through PubMed, Web of Science, and Econ Lit databases supplemented by Google Scholar. We developed a decision tree model to estimate BC-related medical costs in Germany using available treatment and cost information. The review generated seven studies; none estimated the stage-wise costs of BC. The studies were classified into two groups: case scenarios (five studies) and two studies based on administrative data. The first sickness funds data study (Gruber et al., 2012) used information from the year 1999 to approach BC attributable cost; their results suggest a range between €3,929 and €11,787 depending on age. The second study (Kreis, Plöthner et al., 2020) used 2011–2014 data and suggested an initial phase incremental cost of €21,499, an intermediate phase cost of €2,620, and a terminal phase cost of €34,513 per incident case. Our decision tree model-based BC stage-wise cost estimates were €21,523 for stage I, €25,679 for stage II, €30,156 for stage III, and €42,086 for stage IV. Alternatively, the modeled cost estimates are €20,284 for the initial phase of care, €851 for the intermediate phase of care, and €34,963 for the terminal phase of care. Our estimates for phases of care are consistent with recent German estimates provided by Kreis et al. Furthermore, the data collected by sickness funds are collected primarily for reimbursement purposes, where the German ICD-10 classification system defines a cancer diagnosis. As a result, claims data lack the clinical information necessary to understand stage-wise BC costs. Our model-based estimates fill the gap and inform future economic evaluations of BC interventions.
Effects of ambient temperature and available sugar on bacterial community of Pennisetum sinese leaf: An in vitro study

The present in vitro study investigated the effects of temperature and available sugar on the bacterial community of Pennisetum sinese leaf during fermentation. P. sinese leaves were cultured in MRS broth containing 0.4 and 1.6 g sugar and incubated at 25°C and 45°C for 9, 18, and 36 h. The results showed that the dominant phyla during sugar fermentation were Firmicutes, followed by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Compared to a low incubation temperature (25°C), a high incubation temperature (45°C) decreased the relative abundances of Exiguobacterium and Acinetobacter and increased those of Bacillus and Paenibacillus. Leaf samples incubated at 25°C showed higher bacterial alpha diversity indices than those incubated at 45°C. Principal coordinate analysis revealed that the bacterial community structure was altered by the high incubation temperature. Sugar concentration of 1.6 g/50 ml increased the relative abundances of Bacillus and Klebsiella but decreased those of Paenibacillus and Serratia as compared to sugar concentration of 0.4 g/50 ml. pH was the primary factor that influenced the succession of bacterial communities during sugar fermentation in P. sinese leaves. In conclusion, ambient temperatures (25°C and 45°C) and high sugar concentration restructured the bacterial communities on P. sinese leaves by facilitating the dominance of Bacillus and Paenibacillus. This study provided insights into the mechanisms by which bacterial communities on P. sinese leaves are enriched.
17β-estradiol does not have a direct effect on the function of striatal cholinergic interneurons in adult mice in vitro

The striatum is an essential component of the basal ganglia that is involved in motor control, action selection and motor learning. The pathophysiological changes of the striatum are present in several neurological and psychiatric disorder including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. The striatal cholinergic neurons are the main regulators of striatal microcircuitry. It has been demonstrated that estrogen exerts various effects on neuronal functions in dopaminergic and medium spiny neurons (MSN), however little is known about how the activity of cholinergic interneurons are influenced by estrogens. In this study we examined the acute effect of 17β-estradiol on the function of striatal cholinergic neurons in adult mice in vitro. We also tested the effect of estrus cycle and sex on the spontaneous activity of cholinergic interneurons in the striatum. Our RNAscope experiments showed that ERα, ERβ, and GPER1 receptor mRNAs are expressed in some striatal cholinergic neurons at a very low level. In cell-attached patch clamp experiments, we found that a high dose of 17β-estradiol (100 nM) affected the spontaneous firing rate of these neurons only in old males. Our findings did not demonstrate any acute effect of a low concentration of 17β-estradiol (100 pM) or show any association of estrus cycle or sex with the activity of striatal cholinergic neurons. Although estrogen did not induce changes in the intrinsic properties of neurons, indirect effects via modulation of the synaptic inputs of striatal cholinergic interneurons cannot be excluded.
Editorial: Translational research in pediatric respiratory diseases: From bench to bedside

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Personality traits, role ambiguity, and relational competence as predictors for teacher subjective wellbeing

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly reshaped the way teaching activities are carried out, thus intensifying the stress felt by teachers. The teacher-student relationship has also changed under the influence of social constraints. Together, these have affected teachers’ work efficiency and redefined their connection with the school. The present study aims to examine the extent to which personality traits, role ambiguity, and relational competence predict teacher subjective wellbeing. The study sample consisted of 105 university teachers. Three hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted separately for each of the three criterion variables used in this research: teaching efficacy, school connectedness, and teacher subjective wellbeing. The results indicated that the personality traits emotionality, extraversion, and conscientiousness are significant predictors for all three variables, while honesty-humility, agreeableness, and openness to experience are not predictors for any of the variables. However, in the third step of the regression analysis, conscientiousness was found to lose its predictive quality for the variables school connectedness and teacher subjective wellbeing, its place being taken by emotionality. Both role ambiguity and relational competence are significant predictors for teaching efficacy, for school connectedness, and for teacher subjective wellbeing. Based on these results, universities can design some measures to reduce role ambiguity of teachers and can identify areas of training needed to increase their relational competence, while simultaneously reducing the costs associated with wellbeing and productivity problems. Several training modules and courses are proposed to be designed and included in the curriculum of initial and in-service teacher training programs, in order to contribute to increasing teachers’ performance.
Traditional Sporting Games as an emotional induction procedure

Experimental designs to induct emotional states have frequently used still procedures. However, more naturalistic methods of emotional induction by letting participants move and interact freely with other participants should be considered. Traditional Sporting Games (TSG) have the above-mentioned characteristics. The general aim of this study was to determine whether the different roles which allowed executing ambivalent interactions induced different emotional states in college students. We developed three studies with three paradoxical TSG (Sitting Ball Game, Four Corners Game, and Pitcher's Game). Before beginning to play, all the participants answered the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in a mood version. After playing, participants were asked to report retrospectively the emotional state they were feeling in each role of the game, responding to the Self-Assessment Manikin, PANAS, and Games and Emotion Scale-II. Statistical analyses were performed by ANOVA, calculating corresponding effect sizes. Consistently, but specifically, in each game, roles still induced less positive and more negative emotions. Regarding the active roles, more positive and less negative emotions were kindled when the role allowed catching other players. On the contrary, when developing an active role that implied an increased likelihood of being caught, more negative and less positive emotions were experienced. We found some significant interaction effects between the moods and the role played before playing. To conclude, TSG could be an adequate procedure to induct emotional states and to study emotional conditions in a naturalistic way, showing ecological validity.
Mental disorders are no predictors to determine the duration of cannabis-based treatment for chronic pain

Background Chronic pain (CP), a complex biopsychosocial disorder with a global prevalence of up to 33%, can be treated by following multidisciplinary approaches that may include cannabis-based medicine (CBM). However, because CBM continues to be a new treatment, questions remain regarding the ideal duration for CBM and its psychosocial determinants, including mental comorbidities. Methods In a retrospective cross-sectional study involving 46 patients with CP (ICD-10 code F45.4-), three validated instruments—the German Pain Questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), and the Marburg Questionnaire of Habitual WellBeing—were used to identify pain-specific psychosocial determinants and mental disorders. Descriptive analyses, a group differences analysis, and a logistic regression analysis were performed using SPSS. Results The patients most frequently reported low back pain as the primary location of their CP, and in attributing the condition to tissue damage, most had largely adopted a somatic orientation in conceptualizing their illness. Most had experienced CP for more than 5 years (M = 5.13 years, SD = 1.41) and, as a consequence, faced significant restrictions in their everyday life and exhibited low subjective wellbeing (MFHW median = 4.00, N = 43, Q1: 2.00, Q3: 9.00, range: 0–20). Comorbidities among the patients included depression, (DASS-Depression, median: 11.50, Q1: 7.00, Q3: 16.25), anxiety (DASS-Anxiety, median: 4.50, Q1: 2.75, Q3: 8.00), and stress (DASS-Stress, median: 11.00, Q1: 7.00, Q3: 15.00). Between the two cannabis-based treatments with a course lasting either less or more than a year, the duration of treatment showed no between-group differences in terms of sociodemographic factors, pain-specific factors, conceptualizations of the illness, or mental disorders. Psychosocial determinants such as subjective wellbeing and mental comorbidities were not significant predictors of the duration of cannabis-based treatment. Conclusion We found no evidence indicating that the benefits of short-term vs. long-term cannabis-based treatment can be predicted by mental comorbidities or psychosocial factors. However, because CBM may be included in approaches to treat CP, questions about the ideal duration of such treatment remain to be answered.
Stabilization and Riesz basis property of two serially connected Timoshenko beams system

In this paper we study the stabilization problem and Riesz basis property of two serially connected Timoshenko beams whose left end is simply supported and the right end is free. Suppose that the displacement and bending moments of the beams at the interior node are continuous, but the shearing force and rotational angle are discontinuous. We design the compensator and feedback controllers at the left end and the interior node of the beams so as to derive the beams back to their equilibrium position. We prove that this closed loop system is well‐posed and asymptotically stable. By the spectral analysis, we also show that its root vectors form a Riesz basis with parentheses for the state space. Hence the spectrum determined growth condition holds. Further, we show that this system is not exponentially stable. Finally, we give a numerical simulation of this kind of closed loop system to support our results.
Alterations and correlations of gut microbiota, fecal, and serum metabolome characteristics in a rat model of alcohol use disorder

Background Growing evidence suggests the gut microbiota and metabolites in serum or fecal may play a key role in the process of alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the correlations of gut microbiota and metabolites in both feces and serum in AUD subjects are not well understood. Methods We established a rat model of AUD by a chronic intermittent ethanol voluntary drinking procedure, then the AUD syndromes, the gut microbiota, metabolomic profiling in feces and serum of the rats were examined, and correlations between gut microbiota and metabolites were analyzed. Results Ethanol intake preference increased and maintained at a high level in experimental rats. Anxiety-like behaviors was observed by open field test and elevated plus maze test after ethanol withdraw, indicating that the AUD rat model was successfully developed. The full length 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed AUD significantly changed the β-diversity of gut microbial communities, and significantly decreased the microbial diversity but did not distinctly impact the microbial richness. Microbiota composition significantly changed in AUD rats, such as the abundance of Romboutsia and Turicibacter were significantly increased, whereas uncultured_bacterium_o_Mollicutes_RF39 was decreased. In addition, the untargeted metabolome analysis revealed that many metabolites in both feces and serum were altered in the AUD rats, especially involved in sphingolipid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways. Finally, multiple correlations among AUD behavior, gut microbiota and co-changed metabolites were identified, and the metabolites were directly correlated with the gut microbiota and alcohol preference. Conclusion The altered metabolites in feces and serum are important links between the gut microbiota dysbiosis and alcohol preference in AUD rats, and the altered gut microbiota and metabolites can be potentially new targets for treating AUD.