Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sacubitril/valsartan Decreased Atrial Fibrillation Susceptibility by Inhibiting Angiotensin II-induced Atrial Fibrosis through p-Smad2/3, p-JNK, and p-p38 Signaling Pathways

Background: Sacubitril/valsartan (SAC/VAL), combined inhibitors of angiotensin receptor (AT-R) and neprilysin receptor, prevents Angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ) from binding AT1-R and blocks degradation of natriuretic peptides. Despite its efficacy in reducing ventricular fibrosis and preserving cardiac functions, which has been extensively demonstrated in myocardial infarction or pressure overload models, few studies have been conducted to determine whether SAC/VAL could attenuate atrial fibrosis and decrease atrial fibrillation (AF) susceptibility. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups after implantation of an osmotic pump preloaded with AngⅡ and received corn oil, VAL, or SAC/VAL treatment for 28 days. Electrophysiological study was performed to determine inducibility and duration of AF. Echocardiography was performed before and 28 days after osmotic mini-pump implantation to evaluate cardiac functions. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was perfomed to detect the serum concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and AngⅡ. Masson staining was performed to determine the extent of interstitial fibrosis. Immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence staining as well as transwell and MTT assay were also performed. Western blot analysis was perfomed to figure out how SAC/VAL exerts its anti-fibrosis effects in atriums.Results: After 28 days of AngⅡ stimulation, rats in SAC/VAL group exhibited reduced reduced extent of atrial fibrosis, inhibited proliferation, migration, and differentiation of atrial fibroblasts and decreased susceptibility to atrial fibrillation. We further found that SAC/VAL exerted its effect on AngⅡ-induced atrial fibrosis by inhibiting the p-Smad2/3, p-JNK, and p-p38 MAPK signaling pathways in vivo. Conclusions: Our study provided experimental evidence for the inhibition of atrial fibrosis and reduced susceptibility to AF by SAC/VAL. These results emphasize the importance of SAC/VAL in the prevention of AngⅡ-induced atrial fibrosis and may help to enrich the options for atrial fibrillation pharmacotherapy.
Les enjeux éthiques de la recherche en ergothérapie : un portrait préoccupant

Les enjeux ethiques de la recherche dans le domaine de la sante sont bien documentes. Les enjeux ethiques de la recherche en ergotherapie commencent, pour leur part, a susciter de l’interet de la part des chercheurs. Cela dit, aucune recherche n’a documente les enjeux ethiques vecus par les ergotherapeutes qui font de la recherche en contexte academique au Quebec. C’est ce que revele la recension des ecrits a l’origine de la presente recherche qualitative dont les resultats sont ici presentes. Cet article presente aussi les resultats d’une recherche qualitative menee aupres de onze femmes ergotherapeutes-chercheuses du Quebec. Un devis qualitatif d’inspiration phenomenologique a ete utilise. Des entretiens semi-diriges ont ete menes pour discuter des enjeux ethiques vecus en recherche dans le domaine de l’ergotherapie. Trois unites de sens emergent des donnees narratives, a savoir que les enjeux ethiques sont lies : 1) a l’environnement de la recherche; 2) aux personnes et a leurs interactions; ou 3) a l’occupation qu’est la recherche. Globalement, les resultats de l’etude et ceux recenses dans les ecrits s’entendent sur le fait que les chercheurs en sante, dont ceux en ergotherapie, evoluent dans un contexte peu favorable aux decouvertes scientifiques et a la conduite responsable en recherche. Les enjeux ethiques de la recherche sont principalement de nature systemique, ce qui contribue a la mise en place d’environnements de travail malsains qui en plus de nuire aux relations interpersonnelles, nuisent a la sante et au bien-etre au travail des chercheurs et impactent negativement la vie personnelle et familiale des chercheurs. Quatre resultats inedits emergent de l’etude, soit : 1) le monde academique valorise l’individualisme; 2) des ergotherapeutes font preuve de rebellion a l’endroit de comites d’ethique de la recherche; 3) les milieux cliniques et academiques sont trop deconnectes; et 4) les devis quantitatifs peuvent contribuer a l’exclusion de populations vulnerables.
Les institutions et la croissance économique : l’indicateur Doing Business et la croissance économique de la région MENA

MENA countries still suffer from dismal economic growth. Labor and capital are the main sources of this growth. Furthermore, the institutional environment and in particular business regulation can be its major determinant according to the literature. The region's performance in the facilitation of doing business ranking suggests that it still has work to do to improve its business climate. The estimation of a random effects model on a balanced panel of 13 MENA countries suggests the positive effect that proper business regulation has MENA economic growth. This positive effect seems to be more significant when the general institutional environment is favorable.
In vitro-Studien zum genotoxischen Potential und zum Metabolismus von Mykotoxinen mit Resorcylsäurelakton- und Perylenchinon-Struktur

Die Kontamination von Lebens- und Futtermitteln mit Mykotoxinen stellt ein weltweites Problem dar. Um eine Risikobewertung durchzufuhren, besteht bezuglich des Vorkommens und der toxischen Wirkung dieser Substanzen weiterhin ein groser Forschungsbedarf. In dieser Arbeit wurden die genotoxische Wirkung und der in vitro-Metabolismus von Zearalenon sowie von Alternaria-Toxinen mit Perylenchinon-Struktur untersucht, wobei neue Ansatzpunkte fur deren toxikologische Bewertung aufgezeigt werden.
The influence of centrifugal particulate matter reducer on gas opacity and fuel consumption of inspection train

This study aims at determining the level of exhaust gas opacity and fuel consumption using a centrifugal particulate matter reducer in a diesel-engine inspection train. The opacity level was tested using a smoke tester and fuel consumption measurement per 30 seconds. The test was carried out by varying the types of diesel fuel including Bio-solar, Dexlite, and Pertamina Dex. Based on the test results, there is a decrease in exhaust gas opacity for the use of Bio solar and Dexlite fuels by 5.75% and 6.3%, while the type of Pertamina Dex gained an increase of opacity by 0.6%, respectively. Besides, it was an escalation of fuel consumption in Bio-solar and Pertamina Dex by 7.7% and 2.7%, respectively, while Dexlite did not change the amount of fuel consumption.
The Impact of Industry 4.0 Implementation on Organizational Behavior and Corporate Culture: The Case of Pakistan’s Retail Industry

: This paper measured the impact of the implementation of the five core Industry 4.0 technologies (artificial intelligence, big data analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and Internet of Things (IoT)) on organizational behavior and corporate culture of businesses and organizations in Pakistan. Moreover, the influence of organizational behavior and corporate culture on organizational effectiveness was also analyzed in this paper. The retail industry of Pakistan was chosen as the subject of this study, and a quantitative approach, which included a questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” was employed to gather the responses from participants, including both superiors and subordinates possessing the technological know-how of Industry 4.0. The findings indicated that the implementation of Industry 4.0 in Pakistan’s retail sector helps positively transform organizational behavior and aids in building a great corporate culture. Moreover, it was found that both positive organizational behavior and great corporate culture help in improving the overall organizational effectiveness. This study took an unprecedented step to research Industry 4.0 from an organizational perspective. Furthermore, the carried-out study extended the theoretical body of knowledge by studying and examining the five crucial factors of Industry 4.0 that contribute to the service sector, particularly the retail industry, of the big emerging markets (BEM) economies, including Pakistan.
Study of the dependence of the structure and luminescence of the discharge channel in a discharge with a liquid cathode from the electrochemical properties of a liquid cathode

In the present work, the structure of the discharge channels glow of a discharge with a liquid cathode at different pH values of the solution at a given concentration of alkali metal (Na) ions in the solution is investigated by the methods of emission spectroscopy and high-speed photography. The dependence of the atomic sodium line intensity in the emission spectrum of the discharge plasma from the pH value of the solution is investigated. The dependence of the discharge channels filaments shape on the presence of sodium impurities in them is found. The spatial and temporal inhomogeneity of sodium luminescence in the emission spectrum of the discharge channel of a discharge with a liquid cathode at different pH values of the solution is studied. Its connection to the mechanism of sodium transfer into the gas phase is discussed.
Structural Study of Heterogeneous States in Lead-free NBT-based Single Crystals

Growing environmental concerns now are requiring industries to develop non-lead-based compositions of ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials. These materials—now widely used in sensors, actuators, and transducers—are for the most part lead-based compounds such as Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT). Indeed, PZT represents the dominant market share for use in these technologies. Moreover, next generation compounds, which include Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3xat%PbTiO3 (PMN-x%PT) crystals with ultrahigh piezo-/electromechanical properties, are also Pb-based systems and thus are problematic for meeting more restrictive environmental standards. As alternative, Pb-free ferroelectrics such as (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 (NBT) -derived single crystals represent viable next-generation materials for use in ferro-/piezoelectric applications. Development of these types of NBT-based crystals has made important advancements in the last decade. In fact, the performances of NBT-based materials are beginning to approach the properties of the widely used commercial PZT ceramic material. Nonetheless, additional studies are needed before it being able to compete with PMN-x%PT and PZN-x%PT crystals in next-generation applications. As a new type of piezoelectric material, much remains to be learned about Pb-free piezoelectric crystals. For instance, in addition to enhancing our understanding the nature of the piezoelectric third-rank tensor coefficients such as d33 and d15, a thorough knowledge of the Curie temperature, leakage current, and electromechanical properties is also essential for increasing the applications potential of these crystals. As detailed herein, multiple dopants may have to be incorporated into NBT to modify its microstructure and properties to meet these specific requirements, which may further complicate its chemical structure-property
A review on Electron Beam Welding process

Electron Beam Welding is an unconventional manufacturing technique widely used in the Aerospace and Defense industries mainly due to the Narrow Fusion Zone (FZ) generated as less metal is melted which leads to less distortion and less amount of heat, as opposed to the other welding processes such as TIG welding and Arc welding. As a result, the solidification of the Weld Joint is in several orders much higher. The Electron Beam Welding process is complex in nature and is controlled by large number of parameters. Parameters such as Accelerating Voltage (Ua), Beam Current (If), Depth of Penetration (H), Beam Focal Diameter (df0) and Welding Speed (v) are part of the Electron Beam Parameters, while Thermo-physical and Chemical properties of the Material and Workpiece Thickness are part of the Parameters influencing Welding Features. This paper also reviews various optimization methods applied by researchers and finally outlines the recommendations and future trends in Electron Beam Welding.
Düzenli Uygulanan Dinamik ve Statik Germe Egzersiz Programının Düşük Fiziksel Aktivite Seviyesine Sahip Bireylerin Esneklik Özelliğine Etkisi

Aim: This study was conducted to compare the effects of dynamic and static stretching exercises applied to individuals with low physical activity levels for 6 weeks on the flexibility ability of the back and leg areas. Methods: The sample group of the study consisted of people aged 18-30 (n=19 men, n=16 women) who have not met the lowest amount of physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for adults for the last 6 months. In the study, randomized experimental research model with pre-test, mid-test, post-test design was used. Piriori power analysis was performed with the G-Power program at the beginning of the study to determine the required sample size. Using the block randomization technique, two groups were formed as dynamic stretching (DS) (n = 19) and static stretching (SS) (n = 16). DS exercise program was applied to the dynamic stretching group for 20 minutes 3 days a week for 6 weeks. SS program was applied to the SS group under the same conditions. The flexibility values of the research group were repeated 3 times, at the beginning of the study, in the 3rd week and at the end of the study, with the Takei brand digital Flexion Meter device. In the evaluation of the data, Two Way Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance and comparison test in paired groups with Bonferroni correction were used. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed between the flexibility scores of the participants in the DS and SS groups in terms of time and group * time interaction (p <0.05). On the other hand, a statistically significant difference was observed in all pairwise combinations between the measurements of the DS group (p <0.05). Conclusion: As a result, it can be seen that regular DS exercises with individuals with low physical activity levels have a higher effect on flexibility ability in the back and leg areas compared to SS exercises.
Predição de sinistros agrícolas: uma abordagem comparativa utilizando aprendizagem de máquina

Crop insurance has gained greater attention in Brazil since the beginning of the past decade, with the implementation of the Rural Insurance Premium Subvention Program. The present study tested the performance of Machine Learning algorithms for insurers to forecast the occurrence of a claim, using data from policies and climate databases between the years of 2006 and 2017. The Random Forest, Support Vector Machine and k-Nearest Neighbors algorithms were tested. The second method showed a better predictive performance of claims. However, all methods presented a low predictive capacity for the occurrence of claims.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN TOURISM: A GENERATIONAL STUDY OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The goal of this paper is to examine employee engagement among different generations of tourism workers across European countries. The research takes a quantitative approach. Data from 2,393 employees from 35 European countries working in tourism were considered. Data analysis was based on cluster analysis to find patterns of engagement across countries and hierarchical multiple regression analysis and other statistical tools to confirm differences between generations. The results reveal three groups of countries with different patterns of engagement. The findings also show differences between generational groups.
Interference of Triacontanol Activity by Chemical Constituents Present in Experimental and Field Sprayers

Inconsistent yield increases in the United States have prevented recommending triacontanol (TRIA) for commercial application. Based on tests over several years, TRIA is recommended for use on many vegetable and agronomic crops in most provinces in the People's Republic of China. Their formulations were shown either to be less effective or no better than the colloidal dispersion developed by the Procter and Gamble Co. TRIA dispersions passed through 2 standard field sprayers and 3 of 5 experimental small-plot sprayers lost at least 37 % of their activity as measured by the increase in maize (Zea mays L.) seedling growth. Hexane extracts of water passed through sprayers and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing contained more than 5 μg/liter of di-(2-ethyl)hexyl phthalate. This phthalate ester, as well as other phthalates, decreased activity of both the colloidal dispersion and emulsion formulations of TRIA at phthalate concentrations of 5 μg/liter or more. Phthalate esters are common in the environment, including water of developed countries, and are important constituents of the PVC tubing used on most American field and small-plot sprayers. Sprayers equipped with other types of hoses did not inactivate TRIA as measured by the growth of maize seedlings.
Gravity Modelling And Second Vertical Derivative Calculation To Analysis Subsurface Structure At Wayratai Geothermal Prospect Area, Lampung

Wayratai Geothermal Prospect Area, Lampung is near a cluster of Mount Ratai with geological condition in the form of young volcanic sediment such as lava, breccias, and tuff obtained from the eruption of Mount Ratai. To determine geothermal potential in Wayratai area, we needed some preliminary surveys such as geological, geochemistry, and geophysical survey. Based on geological mapping, we obtained several point of manifestations such as 5 hotspring points (with a temperature 86-90°C), mudpool, steaming ground, and alterated rock. Afterthat, performed with a geophysical survey using the gravity method to determine subsurface structure and describe the initial conditions of the geothermal system. Gravity method is used because this method is sensitive to analyze the vertical changes, and can describe the subsurface conditions based on density variation of rock. Based on data acquisition and literature studies performed on Wayratai geothermal prospects area, obtained 2D and 3D subsurface model based on density variations. From the model, obtained area with a density value 2.3-2.6 gr/cm3 and depth from 400 to 2000 m were assumed to be a reservoir zone. Then, the area with a density value 2.8-3.2 gr/cm3 and depth from 2000-2500 m assumed to be a heat source. With these density, we can assume that the rock in reservoir area is calcareous-breccia and in the heat source is an andesitic-basaltic rocks. Based on the analysis of second vertical derivative calculation, obtained value of SVD maximum is greater than SVD minimum which indicated that the area is a basin structure or normal fault, and its strenghtening of the assumption that the modelling of the geothermal reservoir is graben form.
Optimisation of computational, biological and physical methods to study the cellular entry of nanoparticles

This thesis focuses on current methods for nanoparticle characterisation and analysis of cellular interactions. The specific interaction between HeLa cells and 20 nm carboxylate-modified polystyrene nanoparticles is examined in detail, and the effects of serum proteins in corona formation is analysed. Fluorescence microscopy image acquisition is studied, with particular attention given to colocalisation analysis. An automated program is presented, making use of a novel de-noising algorithm which makes analysis of low signal-to-noise images possible without additional input. This is validated using computer generated images, and data acquired and analysed by hand. This program was used to analyse confocal microscopy images to quantify nanoparticle colocalisation with intracellular protein markers and membrane stains. A protocol is developed to enable use of total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy for the study of nanoparticle internalisation. Finally, innovative TIRF methods that permit identification of areas of local plasma membrane curvature and super-resolution analysis of fluorophore motion in Z are examined, and significant steps are made to combine these into a single imaging system. Thus, this project will develop computational analysis methods, novel biological assays, and physical enhancements to existing hardware with the aim of accelerating the characterisation of nanoparticle-cell interactions.
Design Thinking as the Answer to the Question of Relevance in Engineering Education in Africa

Relevance occur in various forms and across various disciplines. More often, it is a property of applicability. Changes in information, conduct, context, processes are occurring at a fast pace compared to time past which begs the question if engineering education is relevant and applicable to proffer solution that suits these changes. This research therefore seeks to conceptualize design thinking as the answer to the question of relevance in engineering education in Africa. Findings from the study revealed that the question of relevance is somewhat puzzling and none has been able to give an in-depth exegesis of the concept. The design thinking concept is a complex cognitive process and in engineering parlance, it is a systematic, intelligent process which is used by designers to generate, evaluate and delineate concepts which will be applicable for devices, systems and processes whose form and function must be to satisfy users objectives or needs while satisfying specific constraints. The study recommended that effort be intensified on engineering education to ensure relevance and proffer solution to socioeconomic disorders in Africa.
Exploring the properties of lead oxide and tungsten oxide based graphene mixed nanocomposite films

This work reports the possibility of mixing metal oxides along with graphene and polymer to form Metal Oxide-Graphene-Polymer films. The metal oxides used in this work were lead Oxide (PbO) and tungsten oxide (WO3). Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is the polymer, which is used as matrix in preparation of these metal oxide and graphene mixed nanocomposite films. Metal Oxide-Graphene-PVDF films were developed using a chemical technique called solvent casting. The prepared films were characterized using techniques like FE-SEM, XRD and FT-IR to understand its morphological, crystalline and functional properties. I-V characteristics were analyzed using four-probe techniques. The developed Metal Oxide-Graphene-PVDF films have potential applications in a wide range of fields and particularly for electronic applications. The ability of these films to be used as electronic components in devices was explored.