Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STRUCTURAL BEHVAIOR OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS CAST USING BLENDED CEMENT

An experimental study has been carried out in the present work to study the structural behavior of reinforced concrete beams cast using blended cement concrete. The eight tested beams were 160 cm long × 20 cm deep × 12 cm wide. The test beams were reinforced with two different steel reinforcement ratios of 0.70% and 1.0%. Two beams were control beams cast using Portland cement and the other six beams were cast using blended cement incorporating 5%, 10% and 15% dolomite powder as cement replacement. To achieve the aim of the research; all beams were tested under 4-point loading until failure and the following measurements have been recorded during testing the beams for each load increment; the compressive and tensile strains in concrete and steel, and mid-span deflection. The propagation of cracks was marked on the side and soffit of the beam. The results of monitoring the tensile and compressive strains, mid-span deflection and cracking pattern are presented. The results demonstrated that the 5 percent replacement ratio did not influence the structural behavior, while the ultimate loads and stiffness were reduced as the 10 and 15 percent replacement ratios. On the other hand, the cracking characteristics and failure mode were not influenced by the cement replacement.
Structure-activity relationship and MM2 energy minimized conformational analysis of quercetin and its derivatives in the DPPH• radical scavenging capacity

Antioxidant activity of quercetin (1) and its derivatives (2-15) was evaluated by using DPPH assay and IC50 values were calculated. Dihedral angles α of C3-C2-C1’-C6’ chain and β of O1-C2-C-1’-C2’ chain between AC and B rings of these flavones were determined by using MM2 energy minimized structures. Structure-activity relationship study revealed that quercetin (1), quercetin-5-methyl ether (2), quercetin-3’-methyl ether (3) and quercetin-3’,5-dimethyl ether (4) displaying a high antioxidant activity (IC50 = 47.20-119.27 μM) possess similar dihedral angles (α 11.1-11.5º and β 6.3-6.6º). Mono- and/or di-methoxy substituent(s) at 3’ and 5 positions of the flavone are most suitable for the preservation of the antioxidant capacity while retaining conformational geometry. BIBECHANA 17 (2020) 19-26
Practice of the New Integrated Molecular Diagnostics in Gliomas: Experiences and New Findings in a Single Chinese Center

Background: The latest WHO classification of CNS tumors using the integrated phenotypic and molecular parameters (IDH, ATRX, 1p19q, TERT etc.) have reestablished the CNS tumors classification in addition to traditional histology. The establishment of glioma molecular typing can more accurately predict prognosis, better guide individualized treatment to improve survival. Methods: The expression of IDH1, ATRX, PHH3, P53 and Ki67 was detected by IHC. Molecular status of IDH1/2 and TERT were analyzed using Sanger sequencing. MGMT was explored using methylation-specific PCR. 1p/19q codeletion status was firstly detected by FISH, then further confirmed by multiplex PCR-based next generation sequencing. Results: The mutation frequency of IDH1 was 68.7% (79/115) in WHO II astrocytoma, and 82 cases (82/344, 23.8%) were “triple-negative glioma” in our cohort. Multivariate COX analysis revealed that only IDH, 1p/19q, TERT and MGMT were independent prognostic factors. Noteworthily, we found 7 cases of the new molecular phenotype presented as “IDH wildtype and 1p/19q codeletion”, not mentioned in the latest WHO guideline. Conclusion: We detected the newly recommended markers in a large cohort of Chinese glioma patients. Our data demonstrated a relatively lower frequency of IDH mutations and a higher prevalence of triple-negative glioma in Chinese compared with American and European, indicating ethnic and geographical difference in some markers. In addition, the new molecular phenotype “IDH wildtype and 1p/19q codeletion” glioma deserved special focus. These findings suggest that further stratification of infiltrating gliomas is needed for different treatment strategy and precision medicine.
Abstract. There is a lack of a national organized screening program for colorectal cancer in Greece, and asymptomatic detection

There is a lack of a national organized screening program for colorectal cancer in Greece, and asymptomatic detection is usually the result of individual decisions. The collection of epidemiologic endoscopic data from a population of interest would therefore provide valuable information for future treatment guidance, especially during periods of economic austerity. The current cross-sectional study included 380 asymptomatic, average risk individuals undergoing screening colonoscopy for the first time, during the period of one year in a tertiary public hospital in Athens. Descriptive and analytic epidemiologic data were analyzed. The prevalence of adenomas and advanced lesions were compared between the younger and older cohort, and a regression model was applied for risk evaluation. The mean age of participants was 63 years, and 53% were male. A significant proportion of patients presented with polyps (51.5%) and 25% of them had lesions in the proximal colon. The prevalence of adenomas and advanced adenomas was 29.5 and 11.8%, respectively. Similar high prevalence rates of lesions were identified in the cohort of individuals <50 years of age and the older cohort (>50 years of age). Regression models identified age, number and size of polyps as the major risk factors for the detection of adenomas. The increase of advanced lesions in the older and younger cohort requires confirmation by larger studies. Overall, the results of the present study indicate the requirement for a well-organized screening colonoscopy program starting from as early as 40 years of age. This program may confer an additional endoscopic burden with socioeconomic consequences in a country with limited health resources.
«Amilocin» Probiotic Fodder Additive in Laying Hens' Rations

The aim of this work was to study the mechanisms of action and determine the effectiveness of the use of probiotic fodder additives «Amilocin» in the production of food eggs. In the course of the experiments, we found that the introduction of «Amilocin» supplement with water to laying hens of the cross Hisex Brown in the amount of 0.4 g; 0.5 g; 0.6 g per head per day for 10 days at the beginning of oviposition, the average weight of one egg increased by 0.86 g, 1.98 g and 0.12 g or 1.6%, 3.7% and 0.2 % respectively, in comparison with the control group that did not receive «Amilocin». Egg production per an average layer over the period of the experiment increased by 0.2; 0.6; 0.2 pieces in comparison with
Heat Loss Reduction Analysis of 2-Layer ETFE Foil by Dymola Simulation

ETFE (Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) is a light weight foil with architectural beauty which is commonly used as building material. However to improve the poor heat insulation, deposition of multiple layers of low-emissive coating is necessary. During winter large amount of heat can be trapped since the property of low-e coating includes reduction of radiative part of heat loss with the increase in infrared reflection and decrease in infrared emission. Thus the reflective property stops emission of radiant heat outside, keeping the produced radiant heat inside. The simulation of 2 layer ETFE pillows is performed using Dymola Simulation software with and without low-e coating. The simulation showed a significant reduction in U value from 2.6 to 1.7.
TRIZ and Lean Philosophies Applied Together in Management Activities

Purpose: In the current market, the Portuguese industry faces strong competition from countries with substantially lower operating costs. The agri-food industry is also subject to increasing competition, both nationally and internationally. The utilization of methodologies that, in addition to continuous improvement, provide the development of creative and innovative solutions may be relevant for highlighting and differentiating between organizations. In this work, Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadach and Lean Philosophies have been implemented together. Methodologies as Matrix of Ideality Matrix of Contradiction, Single Minute Exchange of Die, 5S and the Substance-Field analyses were used as complementary tools to improve the production management activities of agri-food sector. Strongly focused on the issues of time wastage and the organization and management of the filling line, the implementation of these methodologies led to a reduction of setup times, of the operators’ movement and an improvement in the line’s management and organization, and improve the results of 5S audits, depending on the work station. The aims of this study is the implementation of diferent methodologies, philosophies and tools to improve management activities.Methodology/Approach: The methodology presented in this work involves using Lean and TRIZ methodologies together. Namely Matrix of Ideality, the Matrix of Contradictions, SMED, 5S and the Substance-Field Analysis, were used to optimize the management activities, in agro-food industrial sector. The methodology strongly focused on the issues of time wastage, organization and management of an filling line.Findings: The implementation of methodologies led to a reduction of setup times by 60% to 70%, a reduction of the operators’ movement during format changes by 26.2%, and an improvement in the line’s management and organization by 9% to 12%, depending on the work station.Research Limitation/implication: In the management activities, the results are not universal. Therefore, the same methodology applied in another industrial sector will present differents results. Nevertheless, the application of this methodology and the tools choosen only make sense if it facilitates the management of improvements.Originality/Value of paper: There is a need and demand for innovative solutions that lead to continuous improvement, production processes optimization and resource saving. The combination of different validated methologies, with new concrete studies, is always in scientific and technical interest and continuously sought-after (demanded, welcome) by academic and industrial sectors.
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression

Growth-regulating factor (GRF) is a plant-specific transcription factor family, which is 10 involved in nearly all of the central developmental processes in plants. However, little is known 11 about GRF family genes in cultivated sunflower. In this study, 17 GRF genes were identified and 12 characterized from sunflower genome. Their gene structures, conserved motifs, chromosomal 13 distributions and phylogenetic relationships were analyzed. The expression patterns of these genes 14 were detected in various tissues of sunflower inbred line SK02R, which revealed that the 10 15 seed-specific GRF genes may play important roles during seed development in sunflower. 16 Additionally, transcripts changes of the GRFs under two major abiotic stresses and phytohormones 17 showed that most of the detected GRFs were reduced significantly by GA3 treatment, and other 18 treatments(ABA, NaCl and PEG6000) differently regulated various sunflower growth-regulating 19 factors at different time points. MiR396 target analysis indicated that there may exist a complicated 20 homeostasis between miR396 and its targets GRF and WRKY transcription factor genes in 21 cultivated sunflower. The phylogenetic and expression analyses of the GRF gene family in 22 sunflower would be useful for further cloning and function exploration of the HaGRF genes. 23
Understanding Client Support Strategies to Improve Clinical Outcomes in an Online Mental Health Intervention

Online mental health interventions are increasingly important in providing access to, and supporting the effectiveness of, mental health treatment. While these technologies are effective, user attrition and early disengagement are key challenges. Evidence suggests that integrating a human supporter into such services mitigates these challenges, however, it remains under-studied how supporter involvement benefits client outcomes, and how to maximize such effects. We present our analysis of 234,735 supporter messages to discover how different support strategies correlate with clinical outcomes. We describe our machine learning methods for: (i) clustering supporters based on client outcomes; (ii) extracting and analyzing linguistic features from supporter messages; and (iii) identifying context-specific patterns of support. Our findings indicate that concrete, positive and supportive feedback from supporters that reference social behaviors are strongly associated with better outcomes; and show how their importance varies dependent on different client situations. We discuss design implications for personalized support and supporter interfaces.
Biochemical, functional and pharmacological characterization of novel bifunctional peptide ligands and nociceptin variants

In an attempt to design opioid-nociceptin hybrid peptides, three novel bivalent ligands, H-YGGFGGGRYYRIKNH2, H-YGGFRYYRIK-NH2 and Ac-RYYRIKGGGYGGFL-OH were synthesized and studied by biochemical, pharmacological, biophysical and molecular modelling tools. These chimeric molecules consist of YGGF sequence, a crucial motif in the N-terminus of natural opioid peptides, and Ac-RYYRIK-NH2, which was isolated from a combinatorial peptide library as an antagonist or partial agonist that inhibits the biological activity of the endogenously occurring heptadecapeptide nociceptin. Solution structures for the peptides were studied by analysing their circular dichroism spectra. Receptor binding affinities were measured by equilibrium competition experiments using four highly selective radioligands. G-protein activating properties of the multitarget peptides were estimated in [S]GTPγS binding tests. The three compounds were also measured in electrically stimulated mouse vas deferens (MVD) bioassay. H-YGGFGGGRYYRIK-NH2 (BA55), carrying N-terminal opioid and C-terminal nociceptin-like sequences interconnected with GGG tripeptide spacer displayed a tendency of having either unordered or β-sheet structures, was moderately potent in MVD and possessed a NOP/KOP receptor preference. A similar peptide without spacer H-YGGFRYYRIK-NH2 (BA62) exhibited the weakest effect in MVD, more α-helical periodicity was present in its structure and it exhibited the most efficacious agonist actions in the G-protein stimulation assays. The third hybrid peptide Ac-RYYRIKGGGYGGFL-OH (BA61) unexpectedly displayed opioid receptor affinities, because the opioid message motif is hidden within the C-terminus. The designed chimeric peptide ligands presented in this study accommodate well into a group of multitarget opioid compounds that include opioid-non-opioid peptide dimer analogues, dual non-peptide dimers and mixed peptidenon-peptide bifunctional ligands.
Tilburg University Functions and management of affect

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The Anti-Rheumatoid Activity of Niclosamide in Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Rats.

Objectives This study aims to evaluate the anti-arthritic effect of orally administered niclosamide (NCL) on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats. Materials and methods The study included 35 Sprague Dawley rats (age range, 3 to 4 months; average weight, 100±10 g) of which seven were used as a negative control group (group A) whereas 28, in which arthritis was induced by injection of collagen type II emulsified by incomplete Freund's adjuvant and which were considered as CIA rats, were randomly divided equally into four groups and treated for 28 days with: normal saline (group B), low-dose NCL (group C), high-dose NCL (group D), and diclofenac sodium (group E). Body weight, arthritis index, ankle swelling, and footpad thickness were monitored before and after treatment in all groups. At the end of the treatment period, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), and IL-6 were measured together with a collection of articular synovial tissue to evaluate the pathological changes. Results After four weeks of treatment period, a high dose of orally administered NCL significantly reduced the arthritis index, footpad thickness, and ankle swelling. Significantly decreased serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were observed in rats treated with high-dose oral NCL or intramuscular injection of diclofenac sodium, compared with groups B and C. Histopathological examination revealed that a high dose of NCL significantly reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells, synovial hyperplasia, and bone and cartilage destruction. Conclusion Niclosamide can effectively decrease the clinical scores, joint swelling, inflammatory markers, and pathological changes in arthritic rats.
Improving the performance of solar still by using nanoﬂuids, vacuuming, and optimal basin water thickness

This study presents theoretical and experimental investigations of the thermal behavior of solar still with added Al2O3 and SiO2 nanoparticles for productivity enhancement. The investigations have been done during the summertime of 2018 in Irbid, Jordan (weather (32° N Latitude and 35° E Longitude). Accurate mathematical model has been developed based on balance equations. The numerical method is used to solve the nonlinear system of differential equations. The present numerical model is validated against experimental setup and found in a very good agreement. Accurate theoretical analyses allow a deeper understanding of the complex thermal behavior of solar still with added nanoparticles. Nanofluid temperature, glass temperature, heat transfer coefficients (HTC), and productivity of the solar have been analyzed. The effect of different Al2O3 and Si2O3 nanoparticle concentrations, basin water depth, and applying vacuum on daily water output has been analyzed. The results of this study show that utilizing Al2O3 and SiO2 nanoparticles boosted the distilled water by 10% and 8.5%, respectively, at 0.5 cm depth of water and 0.2% nanoparticles concentration. Moreover, the productivity increases about 13% and 12% by adding Al2O3 and SiO2 nanoparticles, respectively, when applying vacuum inside still at 2.5 cm depth of water.
Application of fermented soya as a bacterial starter for production of fermented milk

In order to improve the quality and health safety of fermented milk, soya fermented by different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was used. It was found that soya fermented by solid state (SSF) and submerged (SmF) fermentation can be used for the processing of innovative fermented milk, because the final product is enriched with soya proteins and LAB. Lactobacillus sakei in milk-soya samples, treated with submerged fermentation, was responsible as the strain for low active acidity (pH 4.62), high titratable acidity (99.0 T) and degradation of lactose (up to 4.18%) P ≤ 0.05, lower amounts of D(–) lactic acid isomers, biogenic amines and high acceptability of the final product. The results showed a possibility for innovations to use LAB, especially L. sakei, in soya fermentation and production of fermented milk products of valuable composition.
Predictors and moderators of outcomes and readmission for adolescent inpatients with anorexia nervosa: A pilot study

Objective This pilot study investigated predictors, moderators, and mediators of outcome and readmission in adolescents receiving specialist inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa. Method Adolescents (n = 40) aged between 14 and 17 years (mean = 15.42) were assessed at admission and discharge from a specialist inpatient programme and again at three-month follow-up on the following outcome variables: eating disorder pathology, quality of life (QOL), and body mass index (BMI) centile. Readmissions to hospital were recorded over the three months post-discharge period. Potential predictors were drawn from theoretical models. Results Readmission during the three-month follow-up period was less likely for first presentations. Higher baseline purging, concern over mistakes, perfectionism, ineffectiveness, and mood intolerance were associated with higher levels of eating disorder pathology and poorer QOL over all points of follow-up. Driven exercise moderated weight outcomes such that higher levels of baseline exercise resulted in a lower BMI centile at follow-up. Greater weight gain during treatment predicted higher BMI centile at follow-up, and increased perfectionism during treatment predicted a greater likelihood of being readmitted within three months of discharge. Conclusions Weight gain during inpatient treatment should be encouraged to improve later weight outcomes. Focusing on the prevention of growth in perfectionism may be useful in improving psychological outcomes as will prioritising the elimination of purging and improved emotional regulation and self-efficacy. Efforts should be made to reduce driven exercise to promote better weight-related outcomes.
Impacts of Aflatoxin B1 on cultivated Palaemonid shrimps

The study investigated oxidative stress induced by Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in selected palaemonid shrimps. The shrimps were fed with Aflatoxin B1 of 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 μg/kg in mixtures of shrimp feed. The impact s of the concentrations on the growth rate of the shrimps and the induced Oxidative stress were assessed. Growth rate was estimated using standard growth rate, mean weight gain, feed conversion rate and survival rate; while oxidative stress was estimated using levels of Superoxide dismutase (SOD). Generally, AFB 1 of 40 μg/kg bw highly impacted the growth of all species, followed by 20 μg/kg bw. i.e. the shrimps in the treatment elicited significantly reduced standard growth rate and mean weight gain. Elevated concentrations of SOD detected in all shrimp species at AFB1 concentration of 20 μg/kg bw, particularly 40 μg/kg bw further supported the toxicity observations in the treatments. According to the profile of antioxidant activities and growth analysis, the trend of resilience to AFB 1 was: Macrobrachium vollenhovenii >Macrobrachium macrobrachion >Macrobrachium dux >Macrobrachium fellicinium > Palaemon maculatus > Nematopalaemon hastatus. This implies that M. vollenhovenii followed by M. macrobrachium have higher success potentials in small and middle scale shrimp farms vulnerable to aflatoxin exposure. Palaemonid shrimp farm feeds should be regularly screened to ensure the concentration of AFB1 does not exceed 10 μg/kg bw.