Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polyvinyl Alcohol-Chitosan Scaffold for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Application: A Review

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) holds great promise for addressing the growing need for innovative therapies to treat disease conditions. To achieve this, TERM relies on various strategies and techniques. The most prominent strategy is the development of a scaffold. Polyvinyl alcohol-chitosan (PVA-CS) scaffold emerged as a promising material in this field due to its biocompatibility, versatility, and ability to support cell growth and tissue regeneration. Preclinical studies showed that the PVA-CS scaffold can be fabricated and tailored to fit the specific needs of different tissues and organs. Additionally, PVA-CS can be combined with other materials and technologies to enhance its regenerative capabilities. Furthermore, PVA-CS represents a promising therapeutic solution for developing new and innovative TERM therapies. Therefore, in this review, we summarized the potential role and functions of PVA-CS in TERM applications.
Standardization of Ethanol Extract of Dioscorea alata L. Paoateno Variety of Banggai District, Central Sulawesi Islands

Background: Standardizing herbal medicines is crucial for assessing their quality and effectiveness. Objectives: This study aims to determine non-specific and specific standardization parameters for medicinal plants. Non-specific parameters include drying shrinkage, water content, total ash content, acid insoluble ash content, total bacteria, total mold, and metal limits (Pb, Hg, and Cd). Specific parameters involve organoleptic examination, identification of chemical content in extracts, dissolved compounds in specific solvents, total flavonoid content, and qualitative testing of anthocyanin content in the extract. Materials and Methods: An experimental laboratory approach was employed to extract Dioscorea alata L using 96% ethanol, which was later concentrated through a rotary evaporator to obtain a viscous extract. Specific and non-specific parameters were determined using standardized techniques. Results: The extract yielded 3.32% of the initial substance. Drying shrinkage was 19.7769±1.2682%, and specific gravity was 0.6192±0.1476 gram/ml for 5% m/v and 0.5101±3.9591 gram/ml for 10% m/v. Ash content was 0.6793%, with acid insoluble ash content at 0.1895%. Heavy metal contamination for Hg was 0.47 ppm, but undetected for Pb & Cd). The total plate number was 27 x 103 colonies/g, and negative Escherichia coli contamination. The mold count was 39 x 101 colonies/g. Additional specific parameters included the organoleptic properties of the viscous extract (purple color, characteristic odor, and sweet taste), water-soluble compound content (15.63%), ethanol-soluble compound content (14.73%), and a flavonoid content of 76.669 mg EQ/100 mg. Conclusions: The ethanol extract of Dioscorea alata complies with the standard requirements established by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency. It presents as a viscous extract with a distinct odor, purple-black color, and sweet taste. The extract contains alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, and phenolic compounds, with a total flavonoid content of 76.669 mg. Furthermore, it tested positive for anthocyanins.
Antecedents of Compliance Intention and Its Impact on Waste Separation Behavior: Based on Rational Choice Theory and Deterrence Theory

With the rapid growth of the urban population, the development of production and consumption, and improved living standards, waste generation has increased over time. The first positive step to solve the problem of household waste is waste separation behavior. Studying the determinants that prompt individuals to comply with waste separation policy (WSP) is worthwhile. The author aims to offer an integrated view of individuals’ compliance with waste separation policy based on rational choice and deterrence theories. Survey data collected from 306 households in South Korea are used to test the research model using partial least squares analysis. The study shows that WSP compliance intention is motivated by the perceived benefit and perceived effectiveness of WSP. Furthermore, the results show that perceived deterrent severity and perceived deterrent certainty positively influence WSP compliance intention. The implications for theory and policymakers are discussed to facilitate waste separation behavior.
Magnetic coffee residue biosorbent for selective extraction of zinc oxide nanoparticles in water samples

ABSTRACT. Quantification of engineered nanomaterials in the environment has attracted researchers’ interest recently because of their increased release to the environment. In this study, a recyclable and easily accessible magnetized coffee residue (MCR) is proposed for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) from water samples. The MCR was synthesized using a simple one-step chemical co-precipitation method from coffee residue and was characterized by state-of-the-art techniques. Various parameters affecting the MSPE efficiency of ZnO-NPs were optimized and 8.5 pH, 75 mg adsorbent, 120 min extraction time, 10 mL sample volume, 4 mL of 0.001 M HCl as an eluting solvent, and 30 min elution time were identified as the optimum conditions. Under these conditions, the method showed excellent linearity (R2 = 0.995) and good sensitivity (detection limit, 0.12 mg L-1, and quantification limit, 0.4 mg L-1). Intra and inter-day percent standard deviations were 1.4 and 2.2%, respectively, for the analysis of 6 mg L-1 ZnO-NPs. The practical applicability of the method for the extraction of ZnO-NPs in environmental samples was evaluated, and recovery values in the range of 93.0–98.2% were obtained, confirming its successful performance. Generally, the technique is easy, economical, and eco-friendly that can be considered for the extraction of metal oxide nanoparticles. KEY WORDS: Zinc oxide nanoparticles, Magnetic coffee residue, Magnetic solid-phase extraction, Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, Environmental waters Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2023, 37(4), 859-873. DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.4314/bcse.v37i4. 5
Research on channel estimation of MIMO system based on FastICA

Channel Estimation(CE)problem of MIMO wireless communication system is studied.By analyzing for the consistency between CE and BSS(Blind Source Separation),it proposes to apply FastICA—typical algorithm of BSS to CE problem for MIMO system,and signal presentation form is expanded from real number to complex.Aiming at the problem of channel parameters’non-correspondence caused by order uncertainty of BSS,it proposes to modify the solved mixed matrix using correlation coefficient to relocate place,further more,corresponding solution of CE is given by method of computing inverse matrix.The simulation results show the effectiveness of means.
American Cranberry (Oxycoccus macrocarpus (Ait.) Pursh) Leaves Extract and Its Amino-Acids Preparation: The Phytochemical and Pharmacological Study

The liver is an organ with several important biofunctions, for which there are very few effective and safe preparations that promote the functioning, protection, and regeneration of cells. Sufficiently safe preparations with hepatoprotective activity can be found in plants. The aim of our study was to investigate the chemical composition of an extract made from American cranberry (Oxycoccus macrocarpus (Ait.) Pursh) leaves and its amino-acids preparations as well as their possible hepatoprotective activity. Using the UPLC-MS/MS method, we identified 19 phenolic compounds (8 flavonoids (flavones and flavonols), 4 anthocyanins, 3 hydroxycinnamic acids, and 2 catechins). The prophylactic and therapeutic administration of the American cranberry-leaves extracts led to a decrease in the lipid-peroxidation process during a study of tetrachloromethane acute toxic damage in the liver of rats. As a result of animal studies, the most effective hepatoprotective activity was found in the extract preparations with valine and arginine.
On the design of miniaturized C-shaped antenna based on artificial transmission line loading technique

This article presents an effective miniaturized antenna based on an artificial transmission line loading approach. The proposed antenna is a compact C-shaped radiating element backed by defected ground plane structure and fed by a line transition structure. The antenna is modelled to operate at 2.4 GHz with −32.99 dB return loss and operates from 2.33 GHz to 2.52 GHz with 77.55% fractional bandwidth and a gain value of 2.1 dBi. Equivalent circuits are extracted using the transmission line modelling technique. Moreover, the design has an overall substrate dimension of (20 × 30 × 1.6) mm3, which is suitable for compact wireless devices. Here antenna miniaturization is carried out through patch and ground extensions along with artificial transmission line structures incorporated. The antenna is fabricated and the measured result is in good agreement with the calculated and simulated results. In addition, by transmission line loading in the proposed design, the radiator is configured to work at 2.4 and 3.7 GHz.
Comparative Analysis of the Expression Profiles of Pathogenesis-Related Genes in Tomato Systemically Infected with Tobacco Mosaic and Cucumber Mosaic Viruses

In this study, we used RT-qPCR to examine how PR genes were expressed in model tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants that had been infected with TMV or CMV. Under greenhouse conditions, the indirect ELISA data showed that both viruses were detected for the first time at 6 dpi. Then, the levels of accumulation increased very quickly, reaching a peak of 15 dpi. During the course of the study (1–15 dpi), the Delta CT, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and GeNorm software tools revealed that the β-actin gene was the most informative reference gene in the virally infected tomato tissues. For both the TMV- and CMV-infected tomato plants, the transcriptional expression levels of most tested genes changed between activation and repression, especially in the first 12 dpi. Compared to mock-inoculated plants, the expression levels of PR-1 were induced at all time intervals except at 8 dpi for CMV and at 6, 7, and 8 dpi for TMV infection. Conversely, the greater activation and accumulation of both viruses were associated with the greater up-regulation of PR-2 at 8 dpi, with relative expression levels of 7.28- and 5.84-fold for TMV and CMV, respectively. The up-regulated expression of PR-3, PR-4, and PR-7 was shown at 4 dpi. In contrast, the PR-5 gene was inhibited in TMV at 1 dpi until 9 dpi, and the induction of this gene at 10 dpi increased by 1.72-fold, but PR-5 was observed to up-regulate the expression of CMV at 1 dpi. This study provides the first valuable information on the comparative transcriptional levels of these tomato genes between TMV and CMV infections.
Robust Attitude and Heading Estimation under Dynamic Motion and Magnetic Disturbance

Robust and accurate attitude and heading estimation using Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS) Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) is the most crucial technique that determines the accuracy of various downstream applications, especially pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR), human motion tracking, and Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs). However, the accuracy of the Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) is often compromised by the noisy nature of low-cost MEMS-IMUs, dynamic motion-induced large external acceleration, and ubiquitous magnetic disturbance. To address these challenges, we propose a novel data-driven IMU calibration model that employs Temporal Convolutional Networks (TCNs) to model random errors and disturbance terms, providing denoised sensor data. For sensor fusion, we use an open-loop and decoupled version of the Extended Complementary Filter (ECF) to provide accurate and robust attitude estimation. Our proposed method is systematically evaluated using three public datasets, TUM VI, EuRoC MAV, and OxIOD, with different IMU devices, hardware platforms, motion modes, and environmental conditions; and it outperforms the advanced baseline data-driven methods and complementary filter on two metrics, namely absolute attitude error and absolute yaw error, by more than 23.4% and 23.9%. The generalization experiment results demonstrate the robustness of our model on different devices and using patterns.
Understanding Multiple Stressors Which Degrade Antisoiling Coatings: Combined Effect of Rain, Abrasion, and UV Radiation

Antisoiling coatings (ASCs) are nano or microlayer coatings which reduce the settlement of dust on the surface of the PV module and are extensively investigated as a dust mitigation strategy. Since the coating is applied on the outer surface of the PV module, they are exposed to various environmental stressors, and the durability of these coatings is essential. Various studies have reported the effect of individual stressors that degrade ASCs. However, there are very few reports on the impact of the combination of stressors relevant to outdoor field conditions. In this article, we investigate the impact of the combination of the following stressors that degrade ASCs: 1) the combination of the impact of raindrops and acidic water, 2) the combination of UV radiation, the impact of raindrops, and acidic water, and 3) the combination of abrasion, UV radiation, the impact of raindrops and acidic water. The key takeaways from this study are 1) coating life reduced by 21× (average of all coatings) when exposed to the rainy season compared with those exposed to the nonrainy season. 2) All coated samples show lower coating life varying from 10× to 48× when exposed to the impact of raindrops with pH 7 water than those exposed to water immersion/water contact test with pH 7 water. This indicates that, during a rain event, the impact of raindrops hitting the coated surface causes more significant damage than water contact. This study shows that coatings A, B, C, and D are unreliable for long-term use in warm and humid climate zones, considering 25-year module lifetime. However, other chemistries of hydrophobic and hydrophilic solutions could be effective if they exhibit long-term reliability.
Protective Effects of Apamin on Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose can cause severe liver damage, but therapeutic options are limited. Apamin is a natural peptide present in bee venom and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Accumulating evidence suggests that apamin has favorable actions in rodent models of inflammatory disorders. Here, we examined the effect of apamin on APAP-evoked hepatotoxicity. Intraperitoneal administration of apamin (0.1 mg/kg) alleviated histological abnormalities and reduced serum levels of liver enzymes in mice injected with APAP. Apamin inhibited oxidative stress through an increase in the amount of glutathione and activation of the antioxidant system. Apamin also attenuated apoptosis with inhibition of caspase-3 activation. Moreover, apamin reduced serum and hepatic levels of cytokines in APAP-injected mice. These effects were accompanied by suppression of NF-κB activation. Furthermore, apamin inhibited chemokine expression and inflammatory cell infiltration. Our results suggest that apamin dampens APAP-evoked hepatotoxicity through inhibiting oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation.
The chemical composition gradient across M 33

Le gradient d'abondance dans M33 est etudie sur la base d'observations spectroscopiques IPCS et CCD des raies d'emission dans les regions HII, en utilisant O I I, O I II, S I I et S I II dans l'etendue λλ3700-9600 A pour affiner les abondances en oxygene dans les regions internes et etudier le comportement de S/O
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Assessing Perioperative and Oncologic Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Urologic Procedures with a History of Prior Abdominal/Pelvic Surgery: Study Protocol

Prior abdominal/pelvic surgery (PAS) has the potential to impact perioperative and oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing urologic surgery. There is a need to study outcomes in this population to determine if reoperation is safe and feasible. This review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and has been registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42022361935). The search for articles will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and additional articles may be identified by reviewing the manuscripts of the included literature. Outcomes of interest will be used to determine if reoperation is safe and feasible in this population.
Genomic and Transcriptomic Analyses of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) Samples Reveal Crucial Insights for Preclinical Testing

Simple Summary Cell lines serve as tools for understanding molecular signatures of predictive biomarkers. However, the use of highly passaged commercial cell lines has to be questioned, as these do not closely resemble the originating tumor. Here, we established patient-derived cell lines from MPM tumors and performed whole exome and mRNA sequencing to understand genomic and transcriptomic differences between MPM tumors, patient-derived cell lines, and commercial cell lines. Our results show that the genome and transcriptome of tumors correlate to a higher degree with patient-derived cell lines than with commercial cell lines. These findings are of major relevance for the scientific community in regard to using cell line models to study predictive biomarkers and to interpret preclinical results which cannot be translated in clinical practice. Abstract Cell lines are extensively used to study cancer biology. However, the use of highly passaged commercial cell lines has to be questioned, as they do not closely resemble the originating tumor. To understand the reliability of preclinical models for Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) studies, we have performed whole transcriptome and whole exome analyses of fresh frozen MPM tumors and compared them to cell lines generated from these tumors, as well as commercial cell lines and a preclinical MPM mouse model. Patient-derived cell lines were generated from digested fresh tumors and whole exome sequencing was performed on DNA isolated from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples, corresponding patient-derived cell lines, and normal tissue. RNA sequencing libraries were prepared from 10 fresh frozen tumor samples, the 10 corresponding patient-derived cell lines, and 7 commercial cell lines. Our results identified alterations in tumor suppressor genes such as FBXW7, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, and MTAP, all known to drive MPM tumorigenesis. Patient-derived cell lines correlate to a high degree with their originating tumor. Gene expressions involved in multiple pathways such as EMT, apoptosis, myogenesis, and angiogenesis are upregulated in tumor samples when compared to patient-derived cell lines; however, they are downregulated in commercial cell lines compared to patient-derived cell lines, indicating significant differences between the two model systems. Our results show that the genome and transcriptome of tumors correlate to a higher degree with patient-derived cell lines rather than commercial cell lines. These results are of major relevance for the scientific community in regard to using cell lines as an appropriate model, resembling the pathway of interest to avoid misleading results for clinical applications.
Tracking Control for a Class of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems with Time-Varying Delay Using Multi-model Switching

This paper studies the design of a tracking control for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with time-(varying) delay using multi-model switching in the presence of uncertainty.First,T-S models with time-delay are(employed) to model the uncertain nonlinear system with time-delay.When uncertainty is gain bounded,a sufficient condition,which satisfies the closed-loop stability and the performance of H_∞ tracking,is presented for the existence of the controller.Finally,a region controller,chosen according to the selected variables by the multiple-model switching control,is switched to the whole controller,and other controllers do not operate.Thus the control of the entire nonlinear system is established.Effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated with simulation results.
SELECTIVE GENOTYPING FOR LOCATION AND ESTIMATION OF THE EFFECT OF A QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCUS

Usually, experiments designed for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) involve the genotyping of all individuals of a segregating population but are not very efficient with populations of feasible sizes. The use of selective genotyping, i.e., genotyping only a selected sample of the population (the high and low phenotypic tails), can considerably increase the efficiency of an experiment, provided the size of the population phenotyped is increased. In this paper, we examine the consequences of the use of this method for backcross and similar populations. New formulas, derived from likelihood functions, are proposed to estimate easily, without numerical maximization of the likelihood function, the effect of a QTL on the selected trait and on other traits of interest. This estimation procedure is shown to be reliable and quite robust to nonnormality, at least when the selection rate is not too low. The effect of selection on the efficiency of QTL detection for a trait other than the trait selected on is also considered: we show that selective genotyping never results in a loss of accuracy compared to random selection. Formulas to estimate QTL effects in more complex segregating populations could be easily derived in the same way as those proposed here.
A design approach for financial literacy curriculum targeting smallholders in Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACT Agricultural extension plays a vital role in closing the capacity gaps of smallholder farmers throughout low- and middle-income countries, and there is an increasing interest to improve extension outcomes due to its central role in improving livelihood outcomes. Central to this interest is widening the scope of extension content to cover essential agribusiness skills, which, due to the challenges in breaking down this nuanced content into culturally appropriate content and delivery, have been largely absent from agricultural extension. This research details an approach used in Papua New Guinea to develop a series of learner- and problem-centred coursebooks to assist smallholder farmers to overcome the dominant agribusiness challenge facing smallholders throughout the world – accessing finance. The coursebooks were designed from ‘the space between’, an emerging perspective of community membership where deep content knowledge and anthropological insights of the learning culture combine to envision new ways for nuanced content to be culturally placed. The approach detailed in this research can serve as an important reference to other practitioners working to design extension curricula for agribusiness skills within agricultural extension.