Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urinary iodine and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with depression in adolescents

Purpose: To determine whether depressive disorder (DD) in adolescents is associated with the levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D {25(OH)D} and urinary iodine. Methods: A total of 270 adolescent participants from 8 to 16 years old were enrolled in this study (male, n = 125; female, n = 145). Of these, 160 paticipants (male, n = 75; female, n = 85) were diagnosed with DD and 110 paticipants (male, n = 50; female, n = 60) were non-DD. Urinary iodine level, serum 25(OH)D level, and thyroid function were measured and adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, and disease progression. Vitamin D (25(OH)D) < 15 ng/mL was considered as VD deficiency, and iodine <100 μg/L was viewed as iodine deficiency. Mean VD and iodine levels were compared between DD and control groups. Results: DD patients had lower concentrations of 25(OH)D 3 (p < 0.005) and urinary iodine (p < 0.05) than non-DD control, in both male and female cohorts. However, serum 25(OH)D2 concentration did not significantly correlate with depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Adolescents with DD have markedly lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations and urinary iodine levels than control patients. This relationship is positively associated with disease progression, suggesting possible nutritional intervention measures for neuroprotection. Keywords: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Iodine, Adolescence, Depression
Geological studies of the eastern part of the Romanche transform (equatorial Atlantic): a ﬁrst report

The Mid Atlantic Ridge is intcrsected by a number of long—offset transforms in the equatorial region. The longest is the Romanche (offset ~ 950 km) located close to the equator. The St. Paul transform (offset ~ 400 km) is located about 180 km to the north, the Chain transform (offset ~ 300 Km) about 180 km to the south. Multibeam and magnetometric surveys as well as high resolution multichannel seismic reflection experiments and rock and sediment sampling were carried out during a recent expedition to the eastern part of the Romanche transform. This field work is part of PRIMAR (Russian Italian Mid Atlantic Ridge Project). a collaboration for the study of mid ocean ridges between the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Italian CNR (National Research Council). A detailed morphobathymetric survey of a limited area at the eastern ridge/transform intersection (RTI) suggests that the axial segment of spreading approaching the transform loses a well defined morphotectonic signature. An overall oblique trend prevails, probably resulting from a number of short en-enchelon ridge segments. No well defined nodal deep was observed. An aseismic rift valley was observed about 80 km west of the present RTI, suggesting a ridge jump to the east sometimes within the last 5 my. A markedly alkalic magmatism has been recently active near the RTI. These data suggest that the axial system of spreading approaching the Romanche transform from the south is sluggish and not well established, possibly due to a relatively «cold» upper mantle thermal regime below.
Exploiting Power Ampliﬁer Nonlinearities through Symbol-Level Interference Exploitation Precoding in the MU-MIMO Downlink

—In this paper, we study the interference exploitation precoding in the presence of distortion from nonlinear power ampliﬁers (PAs) in multi-user multiple-input single-output (MU-MISO) downlink communication systems. We consider the mem-oryless polynomial model of nonlinear PAs, which is incorporated into the symbol-level precoding (SLP) design to allow the PA nonlinearities in the constructive interference (CI) exploitation. The optimization problem that aims to enhance the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) without investing additional transmit signal power is formulated for both PSK and QAM signaling. Since the original optimization problem is nonconvex, we ﬁrst introduce auxiliary variables to transform the optimization problem and adopt the alternating optimization framework for the new optimization problem. For non-convex subproblems, additional auxiliary variables are introduced and several approximations are employed to transform the problem into a semideﬁnite programming (SDP) form, where the semideﬁnite relaxation (SDR) method is adopted to obtain feasible solutions. In order to reduce the computational cost of the iterative algorithm, we further propose a low-complexity algorithm for the original PA-aware SLP optimization problem. Numerical results verify the superiority of our proposed PA-aware SLP approach in the presence of nonlinear PAs in the MU-MISO downlink in terms of the error-rate performance over the state-of-the-art.
New insights into the chromosomes of stoneflies: I. Karyotype, C-banding and localization of ribosomal and telomeric DNA markers in Skwalacompacta (McLachlan, 1872) (Polyneoptera, Plecoptera, Perlodidae) from Siberia

﻿Abstract This study provides data on chromosome number (2n♂♀=26), sex determination mechanism (XY♂/XX♀), C-banding pattern, distribution of clusters of telomeric TTAGG repeats and 18S ribosomal DNA in the karyotype of the stonefly Skwalacompacta (McLachlan, 1872). For the first time in the history of stoneflies cytogenetics, we provide photos of the chromosomes of the Plecoptera insects. The karyotype of males and females of S.compacta consists of 12 pairs of autosomes. Three pairs of large autosomes and four pairs of medium-sized autosomes are subacrocentric. The remaining pairs of autosomes are small, with unclear morphology. Pericentromeric C-bands were revealed in all autosomes. The sex chromosomes are also subacrocentric. The short arms of X and Y chromosomes are entirely heterochromatic and are rich in ribosomal DNA sequences. In the X chromosome this arm is larger than in the Y chromosome. It is likely that this arm associated with the nucleolar organizer (NOR). Telomeric DNA (TTAGG)n repeats were detected in the terminal regions of all chromosomes.
Local macrophage and myoﬁbroblast proliferation in progressive renal injury in the rat remnant kidney

areas and the tubulointerstitium following STNx. Interestingly, active lesions contained many large a - Background. We have recently shown that blockade of angiotensin II activity inhibits local macrophage and SMA + cells double-stained for PCNA, accounting for 24–29% of total myoﬁbroblasts. There was a highly myoﬁbroblast proliferation in progressive non-immune renal injury in the rat remnant kidney. However, it is signiﬁcant correlation between the number of proliferating myoﬁbroblasts and total myoﬁbroblast accumu-not known whether this local proliferation contributes to macrophage and myoﬁbroblast accumulation and lation during the evolution of this disease, and both populations correlated with progressive renal injury. the development of renal injury. Therefore, we examined this issue in a detailed time-course study of the Conclusions. This study has shown that local proliferation is an important mechanism in both macrophage rat remnant kidney. Methods. Groups of ﬁve rats were killed 4, 8,12 or 16 and myoﬁbroblast accumulation during the development of renal injury in the rat remnant kidney. In weeks after 5 / 6 subtotal nephrectomy (STNx) or a sham operation. Macrophage and myoﬁbroblast addition, local macrophage proliferation is postulated as a mechanism for amplifying kidney damage in non-proliferation was assessed by two-colour immuno-staining for ED1 + macrophages or a -smooth muscle immune renal injury. actin ( a -SMA)-positive myoﬁbroblasts with the prolif-Key
MEDIA AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR – BETWEEN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND DESTRUCTION

: This paper examines the interplay between media and criminal activities, highlighting the numerous stereotypes and misconceptions about criminality that often originate from the media’s construction of reality, driven by sensationalism and profit-seeking. In scrutinizing the media’s engagement with criminal matters, the paper comprehensively analyzes the intricate dynamic between providing informative content and the allure of sensationalism. The paper accentuates the pivotal role of the media in disseminating information to the public, promoting justice, and stimulating discourse on the causal factors and repercussions of criminal behavior. The paper underscores the adverse societal impacts of the media, including the propagation of disinformation, the endorsement of violence and aggression, the cultivation of media dependency, and the ramifications for mental health. It meticulously explores the dissemination of false news, identifies sources of disinformation, and formulates strategies to mitigate this predicament. The nexus between the media’s portrayal of violence and tangible instances of aggressive conduct is scrutinized, delving into industry self-regulation and the roles played by family, education, and society in addressing this issue. Furthermore, the paper conducts an in-depth analysis of how the media portrays criminal activities, with a particular
Motivating students to attend open innovation initiatives. A motivational structure perspective

Given the widespread diffusion of open innovation (OI) initiatives that rely on student contributions, we aim to investigate how students’ motivations for attending OI initiatives connect and interact. To this end, we conducted two studies using the laddering technique with a sample of 59 students who participated in two OI programs held in different contexts: ICARO, a business-oriented program carried out before and after the COVID-19, and TEN, a social innovation program conducted during the pandemic to help people cope with the effects of COVID-19. Our results reveal two motivational maps, illustrating commonalities and differences in motivational orientations, and highlighting core and contextual motivational structures. Our study provides evidence for the value of adopting a structural perspective on motivations and presents a comprehensive and replicable methodology for assessing motivations
Test of Minimum Competency Assessment (MCA) in Indonesia

in 2021. In the minimum competency assessment, one of the student's abilities measured is numeracy skills. So that the valid, practical, and effective assessment instruments that evaluate students' numeracy skills are needed. This study described the feasibility of developing a numeracy test instrument for minimum competency assessments and described students' numeracy abilities. This research was development research. This research involved junior high school students with different mathematical abilities. The data were analyzed descriptively by collecting observations, tests and document analysis. This study showed that the development of test instruments could be used as a reference to measure students' numeracy skills. The test instrument was categorized as very feasible, valid and practical. The test results indicated that there was a potential effect on students' numeracy skills. In solving numeracy test questions, the potential effect of the test instrument on numeracy skills was 75.69%, with the emerging mathematical understanding ability of 80.22%, the ability to apply mathematics in problem-solving by 74.94%, and mathematical reasoning ability of 71.93 %.
Quantum-Secure Hybrid Communication for Aviation Infrastructure

The rapid digitization of aviation communication and its dependent critical operations demand secure protocols that address domain-speci(cid:28)c security requirements within the unique functional constraints of the aviation industry. These secure protocols must provide su(cid:30)cient security against current and possible future attackers, given the inherent nature of the aviation community, that is highly complex and averse to frequent upgrades as well as its high safety and cost considerations. In this work we propose a pair of quantum-secure hybrid key exchange protocols ( PQAG - KEM and PQAG - SIG ) to secure communication between aircrafts in-(cid:29)ight and ground stations. PQAG - KEM leverages post-quantum and classical Key Encapsulation Mechanisms ( KEM s) to ensure the hybrid security of the protocol against classical as well as future quantum ad-versaries. PQAG - SIG , alternatively, uses quantum-safe digital signatures to achieve authentication security. We provide an implementation of both PQAG - KEM and PQAG - SIG , and compare favourably with current state-of-the-art secure avionic protocols. Finally, we provide a formal analysis of our new PQAG protocols in a strong hybrid key exchange framework.
Evaluation of Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Antityrosinase and Cytotoxic Potentials of Isatis cappadocica subsp. alyssifoli as a Potent Pharmaceutical Resource

Isatis species, which are endemic across most of Turkey, exhibit antibacterial, anticancer and antiviral effects. The aim of this study was to determine of antioxidant, antimicrobial, tyrosinase inhibitor, cytotoxic activities, and phenolic profile of polar extracts of Isatis cappadocica Desv. We analyzed the antioxidant properties of extracts using total phenolic content (TPC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. The phenolic composition of methanolic extract of I. cappadocica was analyzed by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Extracts’ antimicrobial properties were evaluated based on the agar well diffusion technique. Tyrosinase inhibitory activity was measured colorimetrically. Methanolic extract yielded better FRAP and CUPRAC results and aqueous extract yielded better DPPH activity. Benzoic acid, and sinapic acid were detected as major phenolic compounds. Methanolic extract was particularly effective against all the bacteria investigated, apart from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Methanol extract was exhibited tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The methanol extract has caused to death of cells by dosage in the high concentrations cytotoxic activity on the PC-3 and 3T3 cell lines. The results showed that I. cappadocica could be used as a natural source in the food, cosmetic, and drug industries due to their rich antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and tyrosinase inhibitor activities.
Multi-faceted Code Smell Detection at Scale using DesigniteJava 2.0

Code smell detection tools not only help practitioners and researchers detect maintainability issues but also enable repository mining and empirical research involving code smells. However, current tools for detecting code smells exhibit notable shortcomings, such as limited coverage for a diverse kind of smells at varying granularities, lack of maintenance, and inadequate support for large-scale mining studies. To address the limitations, the first major version of DesigniteJava supported code smells detection at architecture, design, and implementation smells along with commonly used code quality metrics. This paper presents DesigniteJava 2.0 that adds testability and test smell detection support. Also, the tool offers new analysis modes, including an optimized multi-commit analysis mode, to support large-scale multi-commit analysis. We show that the optimized multi-commit mode reduces analysis time by up to 46% without compromising the analysis efficacy. The tool is available online. Replication package including all the validation data and scripts can be found online [27]. Demonstration video can be found on YouTube.
Functional and biological insights of rCollinein-1, a recombinant serine protease from Crotalus durissus collilineatus

ABSTRACT Background: The prevalent class of snake venom serine proteases (SVSP) in Viperidae venoms is the thrombin-like enzymes, which, similarly to human thrombin, convert fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin monomers. However, thrombin-like serine proteases differ from thrombin by being unable to activate factor XIII, thus leading to the formation of loose clots and fibrinogen consumption. We report the functional and biological characterization of a recombinant thrombin-like serine protease from Crotalus durissus collilineatus, named rCollinein-1. Methods: Heterologous expression of rCollinein-1 was performed in Pichia pastoris system according to a previously standardized protocol, with some modifications. rCollinein-1 was purified from the culture medium by a combination of three chromatographic steps. The recombinant toxin was tested in vitro for its thrombolytic activity and in mice for its edematogenicity, blood incoagulability and effect on plasma proteins. Results: When tested for the ability to induce mouse paw edema, rCollinein-1 demonstrated low edematogenic effect, indicating little involvement of this enzyme in the inflammatory processes resulting from ophidian accidents. The rCollinein-1 did not degrade blood clots in vitro, which suggests that this toxin lacks fibrinolytic activity and is not able to directly or indirectly activate the fibrinolytic system. The minimal dose of rCollinein-1 that turns the blood incoagulable in experimental mice is 7.5 mg/kg. The toxin also led to a significant increase in activated partial thromboplastin time at the dose of 1 mg/kg in the animals. Other parameters such as plasma fibrinogen concentration and prothrombin time were not significantly affected by treatment with rCollinein-1 at this dose. The toxin was also able to alter plasma proteins in mouse after 3 h of injection at a dose of 1 mg/kg, leading to a decrease in the intensity of beta zone and an increase in gamma zone in agarose gel electrophoresis Conclusion: These results suggest that the recombinant enzyme has no potential as a thrombolytic agent but can be applied in the prevention of thrombus formation in some pathological processes and as molecular tools in studies related to hemostasis.
World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology

Usher Syndrome (USH) is the most common deaf-blind syndrome, affecting approximately 1 in 6000 people in the deaf population. This genetic condition is characterized by a combination of hearing loss (HL), retinitis pigmentosa, and, in some cases, vestibular areflexia. Among the subtypes of USH, USH type 1 is considered the most severe form, presenting profound bilateral congenital deafness, vestibular areflexia, and early onset RP. USH type 2 is the most common form, exhibiting congenital moderate to severe HL for low frequencies and severe to profound HL for high frequencies. Conversely, type 3 is the rarest, initially manifesting mild symptoms during childhood that become more prominent in the first decades of life. The dual impact of USH on both visual and auditory senses significantly impairs patients’ quality of life, restricting their daily activities and interactions with society. To date, 9 genes have been confirmed so far for USH: MYO7A , USH1C , CDH23 , PCDH15 , USH1G , USH2A , ADGRV1 , WHRN and CLRN1 . These genes are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and encode proteins expressed in the inner ear and retina, leading to functional loss. Although non-genetic methods can assist in patient triage and disease extension evaluation, genetic and molecular tests play a pivotal role in providing genetic counseling, enabling appropriate gene therapy, and facilitating timely cochlear implantation (CI). The CRISPR/Cas9 system and viral-based gene replacement therapy have recently emerged as highly promising techniques for treating USH. Regarding drug therapy, PTC-124 and Nb54 have been identified as promising drug interventions for genetic HL in USH. Simultaneously, CI has proven to be critical in the restoration of hearing. This review aims to summarize the genetic and molecular diagnosis of USH and highlight the importance of early diagnosis in
Determination of the rate of oceanic storage of anthropogenic CO2 from measurements in the ocean interior

Koolstofdioxide, CO2, wordt uitgewisseld tussen – en in – de oceanen, het land en de atmosfeer. Door de verbranding van olie, kolen en gas is de mensheid bezig om extra CO2 (‘antropogene CO2’, CO2ant) toe te voegen aan de natuurlijke koolstofkringloop. Om de aldus veranderende koolstofcyclus goed te kunnen begrijpen, is een beter begrip noodzakelijk van de snelheid van de toename van CO2ant in de oceaan, wat eveneens de doelstelling van dit promotieonderzoek was. Het uitgevoerde onderzoek besloeg (i) het verzamelen van nieuwe CO2-gerelateerde meetgegevens in de diepzee, (ii) het samenstellen van een database van nieuwe en historische meetgegevens en (iii) het gebruik van deze database om de toenamesnelheid te bepalen van CO2ant in de Zuid-Atlantische Oceaan. Deze oceaanregio wordt van groot belang geacht voor de opname van CO2ant uit de atmosfeer en het daaropvolgende transport de diepzee in. Tijdens meerdere vaartochten werden enkele duizenden oceaanmonsters met succes geanalyseerd Het onderzoek illustreert dat het samenvoegen van ~40 jaar aan oceanografische onderzoeksdata tot een hoogwaardige database goed mogelijk is. Eveneens wordt gedemonstreerd dat het mogelijk is om de toename van CO2ant in de diepe oceaan op overtuigende wijze vast te stellen – juist in een oceaan die sterke biologische- en stromings-variabiliteit vertoont, en waarvoor niet veel gegevens beschikbaar zijn. De resulaten versterken de bewijsvoering voor het idee dat de Zuid-Atlantische Oceaan verantwoordelijk is voor de opslag van circa 400 miljoen ton CO2ant per jaar, ofwel ~20% van de totale opname door de oceanen.
Tooth Loss, Patient Characteristics, and Coronary Artery Calcification

This study, for the first time, explores the integration of data science and machine learning for the classification and prediction of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores, investigating both tooth loss and patient characteristics as key input features. By employing these advanced analytical techniques, we aim to enhance the accuracy of classifying CAC scores into tertiles and predicting their values. Our findings reveal that patient characteristics are particularly effective for tertile classification, while tooth loss provides more accurate predicted CAC scores. Moreover, the combination of patient characteristics and tooth loss demonstrates improved accuracy in identifying individuals at higher risk of cardiovascular issues related to CAC. This research contributes valuable insights into the relationship between oral health indicators, such as tooth loss, patient characteristics, and cardiovascular health, shedding light on their potential roles in predictive modeling and classification tasks for CAC scores.
Multitemporal analysis of Landsat images to detect land use land cover changes for monitoring soil sealing in the Nola area (Naples, Italy)

Land Use Land Cover Changes (LULCC) data provide objective information to support environmental policy, urban planning purposes and sustainable land development. Understanding of past land use/cover practices and current landscape patterns is critical to assess the effects of LULCC on the Earth system. Within the framework of soil sealing in Italy, the present study aims to assess the LULCC of the Nola area (Naples metropolitan area, Italy), relating to a thirty year period from 1984 to 2015. The urban sprawl affects this area causing the impervious surface increase, the loss in rural areas and landscape fragmentation. Located near Vesuvio volcano and crossed by artificial filled rivers, the study area is subject to landslide, hydraulic and volcanic risks. Landsat time series has been processed by means of the supervised per-pixel classification in order to produce multitemporal Land Use Land Cover maps. Then, post-classification comparison approach has been applied to quantify the changes occurring between 1984 and 2015, also analyzing the intermediate variations in 1999, namely every fifteen years. The results confirm the urban sprawl. The increase of the built-up areas mainly causes the habitat fragmentation and the agricultural land conversion of the Nola area that is already damaged by unauthorized disposal of urban waste. Moreover, considering the local risk maps, it was verified that some of the new urban areas were built over known hazardous sites. In order to limit the soil sealing, urgent measures and sustainable urban planning are required.