Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychological Empowerment and Work Engagement as Mediating Roles Between Trait Emotional Intelligence and Job Satisfaction

The majority of research indicates that trait emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in personal well being; however, the deeper mechanisms of this link remain unclear. The study explored the impact of psychological empowerment and work engagement in the link between trait EI and job satisfaction. Female nurses (370) completed the EI Scale, the Psychological Empowerment Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and the Brief Index of Affective Job Satisfaction. The results of structural equation modeling demonstrated that work engagement partially mediated the association between trait EI and job satisfaction. Moreover, the serial one mediator model revealed that trait EI could influence job satisfaction via the serial mediating impact of “psychological empowerment–work engagement. ” These results help to a better understanding of the association between these variables and demonstrate that high trait EI may improve occupational well being from emotional perspectives.
The Atypical Cannabinoid Abn-CBD Reduces Inflammation and Protects Liver, Pancreas, and Adipose Tissue in a Mouse Model of Prediabetes and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background and Aims: The synthetic atypical cannabinoid Abn-CBD, a cannabidiol (CBD) derivative, has been recently shown to modulate the immune system in different organs, but its impact in obesity-related meta-inflammation remains unstudied. We investigated the effects of Abn-CBD on metabolic and inflammatory parameters utilizing a diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model of prediabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materials and Methods: Ten-week-old C57Bl/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 15 weeks, following a 2-week treatment of daily intraperitoneal injections with Abn-CBD or vehicle. At week 15 mice were obese, prediabetic and developed NAFLD. Body weight and glucose homeostasis were monitored. Mice were euthanized and blood, liver, adipose tissue and pancreas were collected and processed for metabolic and inflammatory analysis. Results: Body weight and triglycerides profiles in blood and liver were comparable between vehicle- and Abn-CBD-treated DIO mice. However, treatment with Abn-CBD reduced hyperinsulinemia and markers of systemic low-grade inflammation in plasma and fat, also promoting white adipose tissue browning. Pancreatic islets from Abn-CBD-treated mice showed lower apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress than vehicle-treated DIO mice, and beta cell proliferation was induced. Furthermore, Abn-CBD lowered hepatic fibrosis, inflammation and macrophage infiltration in the liver when compared to vehicle-treated DIO mice. Importantly, the balance between hepatocyte proliferation and apoptosis was improved in Abn-CBD-treated compared to vehicle-treated DIO mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that Abn-CBD exerts beneficial immunomodulatory actions in the liver, pancreas and adipose tissue of DIO prediabetic mice with NAFLD, thus protecting tissues. Therefore, Abn-CBD and related compounds could represent novel pharmacological strategies for managing obesity-related metabolic disorders.
Topological Properties of Neuromorphic Nanowire Networks

Graph theory has been extensively applied to the topological mapping of complex networks, ranging from social networks to biological systems. Graph theory has increasingly been applied to neuroscience as a method to explore the fundamental structural and functional properties of human neural networks. Here, we apply graph theory to a model of a novel neuromorphic system constructed from self-assembled nanowires, whose structure and function may mimic that of human neural networks. Simulations of neuromorphic nanowire networks allow us to directly examine their topology at the individual nanowire–node scale. This type of investigation is currently extremely difficult experimentally. We then apply network cartographic approaches to compare neuromorphic nanowire networks with: random networks (including an untrained artificial neural network); grid-like networks and the structural network of C. elegans. Our results demonstrate that neuromorphic nanowire networks exhibit a small–world architecture similar to the biological system of C. elegans, and significantly different from random and grid-like networks. Furthermore, neuromorphic nanowire networks appear more segregated and modular than random, grid-like and simple biological networks and more clustered than artificial neural networks. Given the inextricable link between structure and function in neural networks, these results may have important implications for mimicking cognitive functions in neuromorphic nanowire networks.
Portable+

An air conditioner (AC) consumes a significant proportion of the total household power consumption. Primarily used in developing countries, decentralised AC has an inbuilt thermostat to cool the room to a temperature, manually set by the users. However, residents are incapable of specifying their goal through these thermostats - maximise their comfort or save AC energy. State-of-the-art portable thermostats emulate AC remotes and assist occupants in remotely changing the thermostat temperature, through their smartphones. We propose extending such thermostats to portable+ by adding a Comfort-Energy Trade-off (CET) knob, realised through an optimisation framework to allow users to balance their comfort and the savings without worrying about the right set temperature. Analysis based on real data, collected from a controlled experiment (across two rooms for two weeks) and an in-situ deployment (across five rooms for three months), indicates that portable+ thermostats can reduce residents’ discomfort by 23% (CET selection for maximal comfort) and save 26% energy when CET is set for maximising savings.
PocketThumb

We present PocketThumb, a wearable touch interface for smart-eyewear that is embedded into the fabrics of the front trouser pocket. The interface is reachable from outside and inside of the pocket to allow for a combined dual-sided touch input. The user can control an absolute cursor with their thumb sliding along the fabric from the inside, while at the same time tapping or swiping with fingers from the outside to perform joint gestures. This allows for resting the hand in a comfortable and quickly accessible position, while performing interaction with a high expressiveness that is feasible in mobile scenarios. In a cursor-based target selection study, we found that our introduced dual-sided touch interaction is significantly faster in comparison to common single-sided absolute as well as relative touch interaction (~19%, resp. ~23% faster). The effect is largest in the mobile conditions standing and walking (up to ~31% faster).
A Review on Text Summarization Techniques

—In recent years, an enormous amount of text data from diversiﬁed sources has been emerged day-by-day. This huge amount of data carries essential information and knowledge that needs to be effectively summarized to be useful. Hence, the main contribution of this paper is twofold. We ﬁrst introduce some concepts related to extractive text summarization and then provide a systematic analysis of various text summarization techniques. In particular, some challenges in extractive summarization of single as well as multiple documents are introduced. The problems focus on the textual assessment and similarity measurement between the text documents are addressed. The challenges discussed are generic and applicable to every possible scenario in text summarization. Then, existing state-of-the-art of extractive summarization techniques are discussed that focus on the identiﬁed challenges.
Photochemical aqueous-phase reactions induce rapid daytime formation of oxygenated organic aerosol on the North China Plain.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) constitutes a large fraction of organic aerosol worldwide, however, the formation mechanisms in polluted environments remain poorly understood. Here we observed fast daytime growth of oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) (with formation rates up to 10 μg m-3 h-1) during low relative humidity (RH, daytime average 38±19%), high RH (53±19%) and fog periods (77±13%, fog occurring during nighttime with RH reaching 100%). Evidence showed that photochemical aqueous-phase SOA (aqSOA) formation dominantly contributed to daytime OOA formation during the periods with nighttime fog, while both photochemical aqSOA and gas-phase SOA (gasSOA) formation were important during other periods with the former contributing more under high RH and the latter under low RH conditions, respectively. Compared to daytime photochemical aqSOA production, dark aqSOA formation was only observed during the fog period and contributed negligibly to the increase in OOA concentrations due to fog scavenging processes. The rapid daytime aging, as indicated by the rapid decrease in m,p-xylene/ethylbenzene ratios (XE), promoted the daytime formation of precursors for aqSOA formation, e.g. carbonyls such as methylglyoxal. Photooxidants related to aqSOA formation such as OH radical and H2O2 also bear fast daytime growth features even under low solar radiative conditions. The simultaneous increases in ultraviolet radiation, photooxidant and aqSOA precursor levels worked together to promote the daytime photochemical aqSOA formation. We also found that biomass burning emissions can promote photochemical aqSOA formation by adding to the levels of aqueous-phase photooxidants and aqSOA precursors. Therefore, future mitigation of air pollution in polluted environment would benefit from a more strict control of biomass burning especially under high RH conditions.
How Approaches to Animal Swarm Intelligence Can Improve the Study of Collective Intelligence in Human Teams

Researchers of team behavior have long been interested in the essential components of effective teamwork. Much existing research focuses on examining correlations between team member traits, team processes, and team outcomes, such as collective intelligence or team performance. However, these approaches are insufficient for providing insight into the dynamic, causal mechanisms through which the components of teamwork interact with one another and impact the emergence of team outcomes. Advances in the field of animal behavior have enabled a precise understanding of the behavioral mechanisms that enable groups to perform feats that surpass the capabilities of the individuals that comprise them. In this manuscript, we highlight how studies of animal swarm intelligence can inform research on collective intelligence in human teams. By improving the ability to obtain precise, time-varying measurements of team behaviors and outcomes and building upon approaches used in studies of swarm intelligence to analyze and model individual and group-level behaviors, researchers can gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the emergence of collective intelligence. Such understanding could inspire targeted interventions to improve team effectiveness and support the development of a comparative framework of group-level intelligence in animal and human groups.
Der zufriedene Patient 2.0: Analyse anonymer Arztbewertungen im Web 2.0

Der Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen Patienten findet verstarkt uber Arztbewertungsportale statt. Dabei ermoglicht die Anonymitat des Netzes ein weitestgehend ehrliches Beschwerdeverhalten, von dem das sensible Arzt-Patienten-Vertrauensverhaltnis unbeschadigt bleibt. Im Rahmen des vorliegenden Beitrags wurden anonyme Arztbewertungen im Web 2.0 automatisiert ausgewertet, um Einflussfaktoren auf das Beschwerdeverhalten deutscher Patienten zu bestimmen und in der Gesellschaft vermeintlich etablierte „Patienten-Mythen“ aufzuklaren. Die Aufdeckung von Irrtumern und Zufriedenheitsindikatoren soll langerfristig dazu dienen, Patientenauserungen differenzierter zu interpretieren und somit zu einer nachhaltigen Verbesserung der Arzt-Patienten-Beziehung beizutragen.
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness is a Predictor of Subclinical Myocardial Damage in Men with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) promotes the development of atherosclerosis and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) assays fundamentally improved the diagnosis of myocardial injury and even enable the prediction of future cardiovascular events in the general population. However, data about the association of hs-cTnI with cardiovascular risk factors and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) as a marker of atherosclerosis are limited, especially in patients with T2DM. Methods In this cross-sectional study we analyzed clinical and laboratory parameters of 234 patients (43% women) with T2DM and a median age of 65 years (interquartile range: 57–71). The median duration of diabetes mellitus was 10 years (6–17). Anthropometric data, blood pressure, glycemic parameters and lipid profiles were determined. Hs-cTnI plasma concentrations were measured on an ADVIA Centaur XPT immunoassay analyzer and cIMT was evaluated by high-resolution ultrasound. Results Hs-cTnI plasma concentrations were below the gender-specific 99th percentile in 93% of T2DM patients with a median concentration of 4.0 ng/l (interquartile range: 2.0–10.0). Hs-cTnI was significantly associated with gender, renal function and C-reactive protein in the entire study cohort. Gender-specific analyses revealed cIMT and renal function to be significantly associated with hs-cTnI in men. Contrary, only age was significantly associated with hs-cTnI in women. Conclusion In a real-world clinical setting in patients with T2DM, cIMT is a predictor of subclinical myocardial damage in men, but not in women.
MEF2c-Dependent Downregulation of Myocilin Mediates Cancer-Induced Muscle Wasting and Associates with Cachexia in Patients with Cancer

This work identifies a novel transcriptional mechanism that mediates skeletal muscle wasting in murine models of cancer cachexia that is disrupted in skeletal muscle of patients with cancer exhibiting cachexia. Skeletal muscle wasting is a devastating consequence of cancer that contributes to increased complications and poor survival, but is not well understood at the molecular level. Herein, we investigated the role of Myocilin (Myoc), a skeletal muscle hypertrophy-promoting protein that we showed is downregulated in multiple mouse models of cancer cachexia. Loss of Myoc alone was sufficient to induce phenotypes identified in mouse models of cancer cachexia, including muscle fiber atrophy, sarcolemmal fragility, and impaired muscle regeneration. By 18 months of age, mice deficient in Myoc showed significant skeletal muscle remodeling, characterized by increased fat and collagen deposition compared with wild-type mice, thus also supporting Myoc as a regulator of muscle quality. In cancer cachexia models, maintaining skeletal muscle expression of Myoc significantly attenuated muscle loss, while mice lacking Myoc showed enhanced muscle wasting. Furthermore, we identified the myocyte enhancer factor 2 C (MEF2C) transcription factor as a key upstream activator of Myoc whose gain of function significantly deterred cancer-induced muscle wasting and dysfunction in a preclinical model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Finally, compared with noncancer control patients, MYOC was significantly reduced in skeletal muscle of patients with PDAC defined as cachectic and correlated with MEF2c. These data therefore identify disruptions in MEF2c-dependent transcription of Myoc as a novel mechanism of cancer-associated muscle wasting that is similarly disrupted in muscle of patients with cachectic cancer. Significance: This work identifies a novel transcriptional mechanism that mediates skeletal muscle wasting in murine models of cancer cachexia that is disrupted in skeletal muscle of patients with cancer exhibiting cachexia.
Remote liver ischaemic preconditioning protects rat brain against cerebral ischaemia–reperfusion injury by activation of an AKT‐dependent pathway

What is the central question of this study? Can remote liver ischaemic preconditioning (RLIPC) protect rat brain against cerebral ischaemia–reperfusion injury? What is the main finding and its importance? Pretreatment with RLIPC reduced cerebral infarct volume, improved neurological outcomes and inhibited neuron apoptosis. RLIPC led to increased phosphorylation of AKT, while inhibition of AKT abolished the effects of RLIPC. Our data suggest that liver ischaemic preconditioning exerts a strong neuroprotective effect against cerebral ischaemia–reperfusion injury by activating an AKT‐dependent pathway.
Diurnal variation of salivary cortisol in captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) under routine management conditions and in relation to a translocation event.

The present study assessed the diurnal variation in salivary cortisol in captive African elephants during routine management (baseline) and in relation to a potential stressor (translocation) to evaluate to what extent acute stress may affect diurnal cortisol patterns. Under baseline conditions, we collected morning and afternoon saliva samples of 10 animals (three zoos) on different days in two study periods (n = 3-10 per animal, daytime and period). Under stress conditions, we sampled the transported cow (newcomer) and the two cows of the destination zoo before and after the transport in the morning and afternoon (n = 3-9 per animal, daytime and transport phase), as well as after the first introduction of the newcomer to the bull (n = 1 per animal). Cortisol was measured in unextracted samples by enzyme immunoassay. Under baseline conditions, we observed the expected diurnal variation with higher cortisol levels in the morning than in the afternoon. Under stress conditions, neither a significant difference between pre- and posttransport, nor between morning and afternoon levels was found. The percentage difference between morning and afternoon cortisol after the transport, however, was remarkably lower than before the transport in the newcomer potentially indicating a stress response to familiarization. Saliva samples taken immediately after the introduction of the newcomer to the bull revealed a marked cortisol increase. Our findings indicate that stressors may disturb the diurnal cortisol rhythm. Furthermore, provided that samples can be collected promptly, salivary cortisol is a useful minimally invasive measure of physiological stress in the African elephant.
Prevalence of Frequent Mental Distress Among Illinois Adults With Chronic Conditions: Estimates From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011 to 2017

Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine frequent mental distress (FMD) by demographics, chronic conditions, and health risk factors among Illinois adults. Design: Descriptive analyses included χ2 and pairwise t tests to examine how FMD status differed by selected characteristics and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to examine the association between FMD and chronic conditions and risk factors. Setting: Illinois Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011 to 2017 (n = 37 312). Participants: Adults who self-report FMD (n = 3455) were included. Measures: Prevalence of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, asthma, high blood cholesterol, cancer, kidney disease, stroke, diabetes, weight status, physical activity status, smoking status, and drinking status. Results: A significantly higher FMD prevalence was found among females (11.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.1-12.4), non-Hispanic blacks (13.4, 95% CI: 11.9-15.0), adults with less than a high school degree (14.4%; 95% CI: 12.6-16.3), adults with an annual income of less than $15 000 (21.4%; 95% CI: 19.4-23.5), and adults with a disability (23.3%, 95% CI: 21.9-24.7). Adjusted prevalence of FMD was significantly higher among adults for 8 of 10 chronic conditions and 4 of 5 health risk factors studied. Conclusions: Social stigmas related to depression and anxiety may lead to the underreporting of FMD. Chronic disease management programs in Illinois should consider integrating mental health services.
Bone cancer-induced pain is associated with glutamate signalling in peripheral sensory neurons

We previously identified that several cancer cell lines known to induce nociception in mouse models release glutamate in vitro. Although the mechanisms of glutamatergic signalling have been characterized primarily in the central nervous system, its importance in the peripheral nervous system has been recognized in various pathologies, including cancer pain. We therefore investigated the effect of glutamate on intracellular electrophysiological characteristics of peripheral sensory neurons in an immunocompetent rat model of cancer-induced pain based on surgical implantation of mammary rat metastasis tumour-1 cells into the distal epiphysis of the right femur. Behavioural evidence of nociception was detected using von Frey tactile assessment. Activity of sensory neurons was measured by intracellular electrophysiological recordings in vivo. Glutamate receptor expression at the mRNA level in relevant dorsal root ganglia was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using rat-specific primers. Nociceptive and non-nociceptive mechanoreceptor neurons exhibiting changes in neural firing patterns associated with increased nociception due to the presence of a bone tumour rapidly responded to sulphasalazine injection, an agent that pharmacologically blocks non-vesicular glutamate release by inhibiting the activity of the system xC− antiporter. In addition, both types of mechanoreceptor neurons demonstrated excitation in response to intramuscular glutamate injection near the femoral head, which corresponds to the location of cancer cell injection to induce the bone cancer-induced pain model. Therefore, glutamatergic signalling contributes to cancer pain and may be a factor in peripheral sensitization and induced tactile hypersensitivity associated with bone cancer-induced pain.
Dosages of androgenic hormones in adolescent patients with severe acne.

OBJECTIVE Acne vulgaris in female adolescents, when severe or accompanied by other signs of androgenization, may represent a sign of hyperandrogenemia often underdiagnosed, which will have harmful consequences for adult life. The objective of this cross-sectional and retrospective study was to demonstrate the incidence of hormonal changes in the cases of female adolescents with severe or extensive acne, with or without other signs of hyperandrogenism, and propose a hormonal research pattern which should be indicated in order to detect early hyperandrogenemia. METHODS The medical records of 38 female patients aged between 9 and 15 years old with grade II and/or III acne were analyzed. The dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, dehydroepiandrostenedione, and androstenedione, total testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone sulfate hormones were required prior to initiation of treatment. The hormonal dosages were performed in the serum after at least 3 hours of fasting by means of radioimmunoassay tests. RESULTS Of the 38 patients included, 44.7% presented changes in androgen levels (hyperandrogenemia), and the two most frequently altered hormones were DHEA and androstenedione, with the same incidence (23.6%). CONCLUSIONS The correct and early diagnosis provides an effective and agile approach, including antiandrogen therapy, with the purpose of avoiding the reproductive and metabolic repercussions, besides controlling the inflammatory picture and avoid aesthetic complications.