Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hotel food waste in Cyprus: An exploratory case study of hotels in Limassol

Abstract This paper examines the reasons why large quantities of unconsumed food are wasted in the Cypriot hotel industry, and makes suggestions for the reduction of this wastage. The research focuses on hotels located in the town of Limassol. The paper aims to provide solutions for hotel food not to be wasted if not consumed by customers. It also examines whether hoteliers simply are not interested in reducing food waste, or whether there are implications that restrict them from doing so. The importance of this paper is that it deals with food waste in the hotel industry from the supply side (hoteliers/hotel owners and hotel managers) rather than the demand side (hotel customers). The paper uses qualitative methods (interviews) and literature review to examine the aforementioned issues. The paper also investigates whether the biggest food bank/charity organisation in the town of Limassol could collaborate with hotels for excess food to be donated to the town’s hungry citizens. It concludes that although there are ways for food not to go to waste in the hotel industry, certain barriers must be overcome.
HbA1c Level is Associated with Heart Failure with Recovered Ejection Fraction in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: Due to advances in medical treatments, a substantial proportion of heart failure (HF) patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (EF, HFrEF) have experienced partial or complete recovery of EF, termed HFrecEF, and markedly improved clinical outcomes. In the present study, we sought to investigate the relationship between glycemic control and the incidence of HFrecEF in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 385 T2DM patients with HFrEF were consecutively enrolled. Follow-up echocardiogram was performed after 6 to 12 months, which classified patients into HFrecEF or persistent HFrEF. Clinical outcomes of cardiovascular (CV) death and HF rehospitalization were analyzed during a mean of 3.3 years follow-up. Results: T2DM patients with HFrecEF had significantly lower HbA1c level than those with persistent HFrEF (6.4% [IQR 5.8%~7.1%] vs. 6.8% [IQR 6.1%~7.8%], P=0.001), especially in HF of ischemic etiology. After multivariate adjustment, every 1% increase in HbA1c conferred a 21.3% (OR: 0.787 [95% CI 0.658~0.933]) lower likelihood of HFrecEF. Compared to patients with good glycemic control (HbA1c≤6%), those with poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 8%) had higher risk of CV death or HF rehospitalization (HR: 2.778 [95% CI 1.470~5.251]). T2DM Patients with HFrecEF exhibited significantly better clinical outcomes than those with persistent HFrEF.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that T2DM patients with uncontrolled HbA1c levels were associated with compromised development of HFrecEF and worse clinical outcomes.
Emerging Treatments for Disorders of Consciousness in Paediatric Age

The number of paediatric patients living with a prolonged Disorder of Consciousness (DoC) is growing in high-income countries, thanks to substantial improvement in intensive care. Life expectancy is extending due to the clinical and nursing management achievements of chronic phase needs, including infections. However, long-known pharmacological therapies such as amantadine and zolpidem, as well as novel instrumental approaches using direct current stimulation and, more recently, stem cell transplantation, are applied in the absence of large paediatric clinical trials and rigorous age-balanced and dose-escalated validations. With evidence building up mainly through case reports and observational studies, there is a need for well-designed paediatric clinical trials and specific research on 0–4-year-old children. At such an early age, assessing residual and recovered abilities is most challenging due to the early developmental stage, incompletely learnt motor and cognitive skills, and unreliable communication; treatment options are also less explored in early age. In middle-income countries, the lack of rehabilitation services and professionals focusing on paediatric age hampers the overall good assistance provision. Young and fast-evolving health insurance systems prevent universal access to chronic care in some countries. In low-income countries, rescue networks are often inadequate, and there is a lack of specialised and intensive care, difficulty in providing specific pharmaceuticals, and lower compliance to intensive care hygiene standards. Despite this, paediatric cases with DoC are reported, albeit in fewer numbers than in countries with better-resourced healthcare systems. For patients with a poor prospect of recovery, withdrawal of care is inhomogeneous across countries and still heavily conditioned by treatment costs as well as ethical and cultural factors, rather than reliant on protocols for assessment and standardised treatments. In summary, there is a strong call for multicentric, international, and global health initiatives on DoC to devote resources to the paediatric age, as there is now scope for funders to invest in themes specific to DoC affecting the early years of the life course.
Feature Extraction Of PPG By Convolutional Kernel And Estimation Of ABP By Higher-Order Regression

It is important to measure the blood pressure resulting from ischemic stroke or myocardial infarction during the long term of daily life to provide awareness of the need to increase healthy life expectancy. However, it is difficult to measure blood pressure for a long period of time using an invasive cartel or a cuff system with compression. Therefore, in this study, we estimate ABP from PPG, which is a non-invasive optical blood volume measurement. We used deep learning to obtain robust features for two groups of variables, including local variation and potential vascular elasticity. In addition, the direct projection from PPG to ABP is difficult and difficult to explain. Therefore, we set the problem of blood pressure estimation by reducing the difficulty to a regression problem with a rounded projection, which is relatively easy to explain. As a result, we obtained a MAE of 3.39 and an STD of 5.88, which are close to those of previous studies. Although more research on individual differences and robustness between groups is needed, the results are promising for future development in medical practice where explanations are needed.
Performance of Data Reduction Algorithms for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) using Different Real-Time Datasets: Analysis Study

This paper investigates the effect of data reduction methods in the performance of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) using a variety of real-time datasets. The simulation tests are carried out in MATLAB for several methods of reducing the quantity of sent data. These approaches are Data Reduction based Neural Network Fitting (NNF), Neural Network Time Series (NNTS), Linear Regression with Multiple Variables (LRMV), Data Reduction based – “An Efficient Data Collection and Dissemination (EDCD2)” and Data Reduction based – Fast Independent Component Analysis (FICA). The selected algorithms NNF, NNST, EDCD2, LRMV, and FICA are evaluated using real-time datasets. The performance indicators included are energy consumption, data accuracy, and data reduction percentage. The research results show that the selected algorithm helps to reduce the amount of data transferred and consumed energy, but each algorithm performs differently depending on the dataset used. Keywords—Data reduction algorithms; WSN; energy consumption; accuracy; neural network; independent component analysis
Passion fruit seed extract protects beta‐amyloid‐induced neuronal cell death in a differentiated human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cell model

Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with accompanying perceptive disorder. We previously reported that decreasing levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promoted beta‐amyloid (Aβ)‐induced neuronal cell death in neuron‐like differentiated SH‐SY5Y (ndSH‐SY5Y) human neuroblastoma cells in an AD mimic cell model. We investigated the neuroprotective effects of passion fruit seed extract (PFSE) and one of the main stilbene compounds, piceatannol, in an AD cell model using ndSH‐SY5Y cells. Both PFSE and piceatannol were found to protect Aβ‐induced neurite fragmentation in the cell model (protection efficacy; 34% in PFSE and 36% in piceatannol). In addition, both PFSE and piceatannol suppress Aβ‐induced neuronal cell death in the cell model (inhibitory effect; 27% in PFSE and 32% in piceatannol). Our study is the first to report that piceatannol‐rich PFSE can repress Aβ‐induced neuronal cell death by protecting against neurite fragmentation in the AD human cell model. These findings suggest that piceatannol‐rich PFSE can be considered a potentially neuroprotective functional food for both prevention and treatment of AD.
Deconstructing racist structures in K-12 education through SEL starts with the principal

ABSTRACT When inequitable situations arise, principals with strong SEL skills have a clear understanding of social emotional learning implementation to support teachers and are prepared to expose implicit bias with difficult conversations that allow teachers to examine personal beliefs and behaviors. In this article, we outline how to support SEL learning with a focus on deconstructing racist structures in K-12 education. Using SEL competencies as the guide with race at the forefront, this article explores these dimensions while offering practical strategies to implement in schools.
Hashtag activism: tactical maneuvering in an online anti-mandatory hijab movement

Abstract This article focuses on the My Stealthy Freedom movement, an anti-mandatory hijab movement in Iran that is organized as an online movement. We explore the utility of a tactical approach for explaining the movement’s pace of insurgency. We employ a conceptual repertoire focused upon the political process model’s core concepts of tactical innovation and tactical adaptations. We supplement these older concepts with the recently proposed concept of tactical freeze and propose an additional concept of tactical hashtags. We gather as a dataset through text-mining techniques the Instagram posts of the movement’s founder and the reactions of people to those posts. The data include the number of posts, “likes,” and comments in response to movement hashtags created between 2015 and 2019. We conclude that the movement’s emergence and early growth were enhanced by its tactical innovations, which heavily relied on hashtag activism. We discover that a specific type of hashtag—tactical hashtags—was of particular importance. The movement was unsuccessful, however, in changing the government’s pro-hijab policy. In its tactical adaptations, the government passed more hijab regulations and stiffened penalties for resistance. The movement was undercut by these tactical adaptations and by a tactical freeze wherein it failed to develop tactical innovations capable of surmounting government repression.
The effects of cGnRH on gonadotropin secretion and hatching traits in Japanese quail

The aim of this study was to measure the effect of chicken Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone-I (cGnRH-I) on male fertility potential. Male and female quails were placed in cages(1 male and 5 females) and devoted into four experimental groups: a) control group - no injection, b) negative control group - 200 μl standard saline was injected, c) 5μg cGnRH group - 5μg cGnRH-I was injected and d) 20μg cGnRH group - 20μg cGnRH-I was injected. Each group was consisting of scattered six cages. In each cage only males were subcutaneously injected under the wing (3 injections - 1 week apart from each other). A fourth injection was administered at the end of egg collection and one hour later blood was collected and serum concentrations of Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), prolactin and testosterone were measured. Egg fertility, hatchability and weekly egg production per hen were also measured. Injection of cGnRH-I did not increase pituitary gonadotropin secretion (LH or FSH); however, serum LH concentration non-significantly reduced in negative control group. A significant decrease in serum testosterone concentration was observed in negative control group compared to 20 μg cGnRH injected group. Fertility and hatchability of total set eggs were lower in negative control group compared to other groups. Egg production in control group was significantly decreased, probably due to the non-significant suppression of prolactin. Embryonic mortality (hatchability of fertile eggs) non-significantly increased in control and negative control groups compared to GnRH injected groups. It seems that cGnRH has a positive effect on fertility and hatchability; however, more studies are needed with older males to confirm our findings.
Performance of nanoparticles for biomedical applications: The in vitro/in vivo discrepancy.

Nanomedicine has a great potential to revolutionize the therapeutic landscape. However, up-to-date results obtained from in vitro experiments predict the in vivo performance of nanoparticles weakly or not at all. There is a need for in vitro experiments that better resemble the in vivo reality. As a result, animal experiments can be reduced, and potent in vivo candidates will not be missed. It is important to gain a deeper knowledge about nanoparticle characteristics in physiological environment. In this context, the protein corona plays a crucial role. Its formation process including driving forces, kinetics, and influencing factors has to be explored in more detail. There exist different methods for the investigation of the protein corona and its impact on physico-chemical and biological properties of nanoparticles, which are compiled and critically reflected in this review article. The obtained information about the protein corona can be exploited to optimize nanoparticles for in vivo application. Still the translation from in vitro to in vivo remains challenging. Functional in vitro screening under physiological conditions such as in full serum, in 3D multicellular spheroids/organoids, or under flow conditions is recommended. Innovative in vivo screening using barcoded nanoparticles can simultaneously test more than hundred samples regarding biodistribution and functional delivery within a single mouse.
Studying the Optimal Time for Meals to Circadian Rhythms and Body Health (Application to Hospitality Establishments)

Circadian rhythms, metabolism, and nutrition are closely linked, although the effects of meal timing on the human circadian system are poorly understood. The time factor biological of nature is an essential element for the functioning of cosmic systems. In the event of any defect, many problems come out as a result of this imbalance, and here came whether to change the timing of eating diets has to do with the occurrence of illness in the body and the emergence of diseases of this age such as obesity and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gallbladder - diseases of the colon, liver, and others). Hence the need to research the effect of timing, eating the three meals, and the body's system to resist disease. The study sample was withdrawn from Egyptian and foreign guests in hospitality establishments in Hurghada, Egypt with 300 forms. SPSS statistical program was used, and the research was focused on the body's sympathetic nervous system and its role in regulating the body processes related to metabolism. The timing of waking up and eating meals reached a set of findings and recommendations. The most important ones are the need to amend the healthy track of food and to increase the awareness of educational health, followed by hotels and resorts’ restaurants and room services offering those meals according to the client’s demand and the time they want to eat the meal. Therefore, it is necessary to direct the food operators in the hospitality establishments to prepare the food at the optimum time and to search for the modification of new food trends in line with the nature and the regularity of the diet to prevent diseases.
Towards a Low-Cost FPGA Micro-Server for Big Data Processing

The development of big data in the era of data explosion and the growing demand for micro-servers in place of traditional servers to adapt to lightweight tasks in recent years has put into question how to integrate and make use of these two important domains. During the same era, CPU performance growth has reached a certain maturity. In order to surpass these issues and to reach high performances computing, a new trend now is to use multiple processing units or heterogeneous components in micro-servers to reduce computational complexity. The implementation of Big Data processing algorithms using embedded heterogeneous architectures rises a new challenges due to constraints of the used architecture-based system on chip which require a special attention and imposed new demands to our works. In this article, we focus on using embedded FPGA accelerator to give a solution to this problem. Precisely, we will attempt to prototype a micro-server for the processing of big data on FPGA and compare its performances with a high-end GPGPU using existing benchmarks. The implementation on the FPGA is done using a High-Level Synthesis based-OpenCL (HLS) instead of the traditional description language. The obtained results shows that FPGA is an interesting alternative and can be a promising platform to design a micro-server when it comes to process a hug amount of data, in particular with the emerging technologies for FPGA programming using HLS approach and by adopting the OpenCL optimization strategies. Keywords—Arria 10 FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays); GPGPU (General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit) ; big data; parallel computing; (HLS) High-Level Synthesis
Extension and application of an observation‐based local climate index aimed to anticipate the impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation events on Colombia

The Tumaco multivariate index (TMI) is a multidecadal monthly index constructed with unique time series of sea surface temperature, surface air temperature and rain measured at Tumaco bay, in the southern Pacific coast of Colombia, and available since 1961. In this work, this index is re‐evaluated after the addition of in situ sea level data, and its properties for different standardization periods are compared against oceanic El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and other derived indices. In particular, we propose a modified TMI, hereinafter referred as TMI4, whose potential to identify the expected sign and the amount of future variations of rain induced by ENSO events in Colombia is analysed for selected extreme episodes. Results indicate that after the inclusion of sea level data, TMI4 can anticipate the development of El Niño events before the ENSO 3 and some other sea surface temperature‐based regional indices, although its predictability depends on the ENSO type (canonical or Modoki). The explanation is that sea level includes new information into TMI4 on the onset of El Niño events. In particular, the signal of intraseasonal sea level anomalies carried by downwelling Kelvin waves is detected at Tumaco tide‐gauge. Moreover, the analysis of the differences, both in magnitude and spatial distribution, of rainfall anomalies induced by positive (El Niño) and negative (La Niña) ENSO events characterized by TMI4 are regionally presented. As a result, we find that TMI4 is especially suited for extensive northern and western areas of mainland Colombia. For completeness, in the appendix we briefly introduce the semi‐automated implementation of TMI4, including a visual interface, which is currently being tested by personnel within the operational oceanography area at Centro de Investigaciones Oceanográficas e Hidrográficas del Pacífico (Dimar‐CCCP).
Protic Ionic Liquid Cation Alkyl Chain Length Effect on Lysozyme Structure

Solvents that stabilize protein structures can improve and expand their biochemical applications, particularly with the growing interest in biocatalytic-based processes. Aiming to select novel solvents for protein stabilization, we explored the effect of alkylammonium nitrate protic ionic liquids (PILs)-water mixtures with increasing cation alkyl chain length on lysozyme conformational stability. Four PILs were studied, that is, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), butylammonium nitrate (BAN), hexylammonium nitrate (HAN), and octylammonium nitrate (OAN). The surface tension, viscosity, and density of PIL-water mixtures at low to high concentrations were firstly determined, which showed that an increasing cation alkyl chain length caused a decrease in the surface tension and density as well as an increase in viscosity for all PIL solutions. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to investigate the liquid nanostructure of the PIL solutions, as well as the overall size, conformational flexibility and changes to lysozyme structure. The concentrated PILs with longer alkyl chain lengths, i.e., over 10 mol% butyl-, 5 mol% hexyl- and 1 mol% octylammonium cations, possessed liquid nanostructures. This detrimentally interfered with solvent subtraction, and the more structured PIL solutions prevented quantitative SAXS analysis of lysozyme structure. The radius of gyration (Rg) of lysozyme in the less structured aqueous PIL solutions showed little change with up to 10 mol% of PIL. Kratky plots, SREFLEX models, and FTIR data showed that the protein conformation was maintained at a low PIL concentration of 1 mol% and lower when compared with the buffer solution. However, 50 mol% EAN and 5 mol% HAN significantly increased the Rg of lysozyme, indicating unfolding and aggregation of lysozyme. The hydrophobic interaction and liquid nanostructure resulting from the increased cation alkyl chain length in HAN likely becomes critical. The impact of HAN and OAN, particularly at high concentrations, on lysozyme structure was further revealed by FTIR. This work highlights the negative effect of a long alkyl chain length and high concentration of PILs on lysozyme structural stability.