Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumption of Plant Foods and Its Association with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Profile in South Africans at High-Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

We assessed the distribution and association of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors by plant foods consumption in individuals at high-risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. This cross-sectional study utilized baseline data of 693 participants in the South African Diabetes Prevention Programme. Participants underwent a physical examination, biochemical analysis, and dietary assessment using a single non-quantified 24-h recall. Group comparisons were conducted to explore the distribution and associations of common CVD risk factors by plant foods consumption. The mean age of the participants was 51 years, with 81% being females. Consumers of yellow-coloured vitamin A-rich vegetables and tubers and maize had significantly lower systolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and fibrinogen levels. Cereals consumption increased the likelihood of obesity (OR = 1.72 95% CI [1.09, 2.70] p = 0.019) while the consumption of white roots and tubers decreased the likelihood of obesity (AOR = 0.64 95% CI [0.41, 1.00] p = 0.048). This study reported the consumption of some healthy plant foods with lower levels of, and decreased risk for, some CVD risk factors. A further in-depth investigation is needed to understand these associations.
Effects of the Exposure of Human Non-Tumour Cells to Sera of Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has high metastatic potential. The “genometastasis” theory proposes that the blood of some cancer patients contains elements able to transform healthy cells by transferring oncogenes. Since findings on genometastasis in PDAC are still scarce, we sought supporting evidence by treating non-tumour HEK293T and hTERT-HPNE human cell lines with sera of PDAC patients. Here, we showed that HEK293T cells have undergone malignant transformation, increased the migration and invasion abilities, and acquired a partial chemoresistance, whereas hTERT-HPNE cells were almost refractory to transformation by patients’ sera. Next-generation sequencing showed that transformed HEK293T cells gained and lost several genomic regions, harbouring genes involved in many cancer-associated processes. Our results support the genometastasis theory, but further studies are needed for the identification of the circulating transforming elements. Such elements could also be useful biomarkers in liquid biopsy assays.
Knowledge co-production in the Helge å catchment: a comparative analysis

ABSTRACT Addressing sustainability challenges in landscape management requires processes for co-producing usable knowledge together with those who will use that knowledge. Participatory futures methods are powerful tools for attaining such knowledge. The applications of such methods are diverse and understanding the intricacies of the knowledge co-production process is important to further develop these research practices. To improve participatory futures methods and contribute to systematic and critical reflections on methodology, we present a comparative analysis of four research projects that applied participatory futures methods in the same study area. Conducted between 2011 and 2020, these projects aimed to co-produce knowledge about the future provision of ecosystem services in the Helge å catchment area in southern Sweden. For structuring the post-hoc, self-reflexive analysis, we developed a framework dividing the knowledge co-production process into three dimensions: settings, synthesis and diffusion. We based the analysis on documentation from the projects, a two-step questionnaire to each research team, a workshop with co-authors and interviews with key participants. The comparison highlights steps in project decision-making, explicit and implicit assumptions in our respective approaches and how these assumptions informed process design in the projects. Our detailed description of the four knowledge co-production processes points to the importance of flexibility in research design, but also the necessity for researchers and other participants to adapt as the process unfolds.
Peptides as Potentially Anticarcinogenic Agent from Functional Canned Meat Product with Willow Extract

The aim of the study was to demonstrate canned pork as a functional meat product due to the presence of potentially anti-cancer factors, e.g., (a) bioactive peptides with potential activity against cancer cells; (b) lowering the content of sodium nitrite and with willow herb extract. In silico (for assessing the anticancer potential of peptides) and in vitro (antiproliferation activity on L-929 and CT-26 cell lines) analysis were performed, and the obtained results confirmed the bioactive potential against cancer of the prepared meat product. After 24 h of incubation with peptides obtained from meat product containing lyophilized herb extract at a concentration of 150 mg/kg, the viability of both tested cell lines was slightly decreased to about 80% and after 72 h to about 40%. On the other hand, after 72 h of incubation with the peptides obtained from the variant containing 1000 mg/kg of freeze-dried willow herb extract, the viability of intestinal cancer cells was decreased to about 40%, while, by comparison, the viability of normal cells was decreased to only about 70%.
RNAi-Based Biocontrol of Pests to Improve the Productivity and Welfare of Livestock Production

Insects and ectoparasites are causes for major concern throughout the world due to their economic and welfare impacts on livestock agriculture. Current control measures involve chemicals such as acaricides which pose challenges like chemical resistance and longer withholding periods. To enable more sustainable agriculture practices, it is important to develop technologies that combine targeted effectiveness with minimal environmental footprint. RNA interference (RNAi) is a eukaryotic process in which transcript expression is reduced in a sequence-specific manner. This makes it a perfect tool for developing efficient and effective biological control against pests and pathogens. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is the key trigger molecule for inducing RNAi; this concept is widely studied for development of RNA-based biopesticides as an alternative to chemical controls in crop protection for targeting pests and pathogens with accuracy and specificity. In this review, we discuss key advances made using RNAi technology and how they can be applied to improve health in livestock industries. This includes research focused on different delivery mechanisms of dsRNA, important developments in regulatory frameworks, and risk identification, that will enable the future adoption of RNAi technologies to improve animal health.
KLK12 Regulates MMP-1 and MMP-9 via Bradykinin Receptors: Biomarkers for Differentiating Latent and Active Bovine Tuberculosis

It has been established that kallikrein12 (KLK12) expression is closely related to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) development. Herein, we sought to clarify the regulatory mechanism of KLK12 and its application in tuberculosis diagnosis. KLK12 knockdown macrophages were produced by siRNA transfection. Bradykinin receptors (BR, including B1R and B2R) were blocked with specific inhibitors. Mannose-capped lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM) was extracted from Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and used to study the mechanism of KLK12 activation. In addition, we constructed different mouse models representing the latent and active stages of M. bovis infection. Mouse models and clinical serum samples were used to assess the diagnostic value of biomarkers. Through the above methods, we confirmed that KLK12 regulates MMP-1 and MMP-9 via BR. KLK12 upregulation is mediated by the M. bovis-specific antigen ManLAM. KLK12, MMP-1, and MMP-9 harbor significant value as serological markers for differentiating between latent and active bTB, especially KLK12. In conclusion, we identified a novel signaling pathway, KLK12/BR/ERK/MMPs, in M. bovis-infected macrophages, which is activated by ManLAM. From this signaling pathway, KLK12 can be used as a serological marker to differentiate between latent and active bTB. Importantly, KLK12 also has enormous potential for the clinical diagnosis of human tuberculosis (TB).
Deep Learning for LiDAR Point Cloud Classification in Remote Sensing

Point clouds are one of the most widely used data formats produced by depth sensors. There is a lot of research into feature extraction from unordered and irregular point cloud data. Deep learning in computer vision achieves great performance for data classification and segmentation of 3D data points as point clouds. Various research has been conducted on point clouds and remote sensing tasks using deep learning (DL) methods. However, there is a research gap in providing a road map of existing work, including limitations and challenges. This paper focuses on introducing the state-of-the-art DL models, categorized by the structure of the data they consume. The models’ performance is collected, and results are provided for benchmarking on the most used datasets. Additionally, we summarize the current benchmark 3D datasets publicly available for DL training and testing. In our comparative study, we can conclude that convolutional neural networks (CNNs) achieve the best performance in various remote-sensing applications while being light-weighted models, namely Dynamic Graph CNN (DGCNN) and ConvPoint.
SmartGossip: Difusão Probabilística Inteligente de Mensagens em Redes de Topologia Arbitrária

A difusão de mensagens é uma das abstrações mais poderosas de sistemas distribuídos, permitindo que uma mensagem seja transmitida de um para todos os processos do sistema, sendo necessária para a execução de diversos tipos de tarefas e aplicações. Esse trabalho apresenta o algoritmo SmartGossip, para a difusão probabilística e inteligente de mensagens em redes de topologia arbitrária, inspirada em uma estratégia de otimização baseada em colônias de formigas, mais especificamente pelo conceito de comunicação por estigmergia. O algoritmo SmartGossip é especificado e avaliado através de simulação no OMNeT++. Foram executados experimentos medindo o número de mensagens utilizadas e o número de rodadas necessárias para completar a difusão em redes de até 1024 processos com conectividades diversas. O SmartGossip é comparado com algoritmos baseados em inundação (Flooding) e em difusão probabilística (Gossip tradicional). Os resultados mostram que o número médio de mensagens utilizadas pelo SmartGossip é sempre menor que dos demais algoritmos, além de apresentarem baixa dispersão na medida em que o tamanho do sistema e conectividade variam.
Correlation between Differential Fast Scanning Calorimetry and Additive Manufacturing Results of Aluminium Alloys

High-strength aluminium alloy powders modified with different nanoparticles by ball milling (7075/TiC, 2024/CaB6, 6061/YSZ) have been investigated in-situ during rapid solidification by differential fast scanning calorimetry (DFSC). Solidification undercooling has been evaluated and was found to decrease with an increasing number of nanoparticles, as the particles act as nuclei for solidification. Lower solidification undercooling of individual powder particles correlates with less hot cracking and smaller grains in the material produced by powder bed fusion of metals by a laser beam (PBF-LB/M). Quantitatively, solidification undercooling less than about 10–15 K correlates with almost crack-free PBF-LB/M components and grain sizes less than about 3 µm. This correlation shall be used for future purposeful powder material design on small quantities before performing extensive PBF-LB/M studies.
Effects of light intensity on growth performance, blood components, carcass characteristics, and welfare of broilers

Abstract This study investigated the effects of light intensity on growth performance, blood components, eye condition, and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. Three hundred and fifty-two 1-day-old male chicks were assigned to one of four treatments (four repetitions per treatment, 22 birds per repetition) and reared in a floor pen for 5 weeks. From the second week, chicks were reared under four different levels of light intensity (5, 20, 35, and 50 lx) and the lighting duration was maintained at 18-hours light : 6-hours dark (18L : 6D). The feed intake and body weight were measured weekly. At 35 days of age, 12 birds per treatment were randomly selected for blood sampling, eye measurement, and carcass analysis. There were no significant differences in body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio among treatments. Triglyceride levels in the serum were significantly higher in the 5 lx treatment, and creatinine was significantly lower in the 5 lx treatment (p < 0.05). The heterophil : lymphocyte ratios decreased significantly as light intensity increased (p < 0.05); however, other blood cell compositions were not affected by light intensity. Interleukin-6 content was significantly higher in the 5 lx treatment than in other treatments (p < 0.05), but the content of tumor necrosis factor-α was not significantly different among treatments. Serum corticosterone concentration was significantly higher at 5 lx than at 20, 35, and 50 lx (p < 0.05). The corneal diameter was the highest in 5 lx treatment (p < 0.05), and tended to increase as the light intensity decreased. Other eye parameters were not significantly different among treatments, but displayed a tendency to increase as the light intensity decreased. Carcass yield and part yields were not affected by light intensity. Meat quality parameters (pH, color, cooking loss, and water-holding capacity) did not show significant difference among the treatments. The results indicate that a light intensity of 5 lx may increase physiological stress or have a negative effect on broiler welfare, even if the performance and carcass characteristics are not affected. Therefore, a light intensity of 20 lx or above is recommended considering both the growth performance and welfare of broilers.
Negotiating the care convoys for a diverse group of older Australians living in rural communities: a large qualitative study

Whilst ageing in place is integral to international policy, there is less understanding of how individuals utilise formal services and informal supports in diverse rural environments to maintain their wellness and independence. Consequently, how older people negotiate their care within rural communities is subject to misconceptions. This paper draws on the convoy of care model to explore how older rural Australians negotiate their preferences and needs in the context of informal networks, availability of community resources, and the health and aged care system. The analysis draws on 60 in-depth interviews in six diverse rural communities across two Australian states. Three distinct care convoys are identified and demonstrate the interaction of multiple factors including individual preferences and needs, availability of family and community supports, and accessibility of local health and aged care services in the context of resource allocation. The findings highlight how families and communities compensate for a lack of accessible formal services. For older people without family and strong social networks, formal services are relied upon despite their inadequacy in some locales. This research has provided evidence that some Australian rural locales have limited resources resulting in challenges for older people to access home care and support. This results in many older people facing challenges to age in place. With aged care and health policy commonly designed for an urban context, our findings illustrate the importance of tailoring policy to respect the strengths and challenges existing in rural communities.
Tailored Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Systems by Variation of Polyelectrolyte Composition and EDC/NHS Cross-Linking: Controlled Drug Release vs. Drug Reservoir Capabilities and Cellular Response for Improved Osseointegration

Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) are versatile tools used to investigate fundamental interactions between material-related parameters and the resulting performance in stem cell differentiation, respectively, in bone tissue engineering. In the present study, we investigate the suitability of PEMs with a varying collagen content for use as drug carriers for the human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2). We use three different PEM systems consisting either of the positively charged poly-L-lysine or the glycoprotein collagen type I and the negatively charged glycosaminoglycan heparin. For a specific modification of the loading capacity and the release kinetics, the PEMs were stepwise cross-linked before loading with cytokine. We demonstrate the possibility of immobilizing significant amounts of rhBMP-2 in all multilayer systems and to specifically tune its release via cross-linking. Furthermore, we prove that the drug release of rhBMP-2 plays only a minor role in the differentiation of osteoprogenitor cells. We find a significantly higher influence of the immobilized rhBMP-2 within the collagen-rich coatings that obviously represent an excellent mimicry of the native extracellular matrix. The cytokine immobilized in its bioactive form was able to achieve an increase in orders of magnitude both in the early stages of differentiation and in late calcification compared to the unloaded layers.
Autenticação com suporte à Computação de Borda 5G para a Internet de Veículos

O suporte de segurança é de suma importância para o sucesso e a ampla adoção de carros conectados e autônomos na era da Internet dos Véıculos (IoV). Para isso, os Sistemas Inteligentes de Transporte (ITS - Intelligent Trasnportation Systems) demandam soluções eficazes de controle de acesso e confiabilidade, considerando os requisitos de latência e vazão das aplicações veiculares atuais e futuras. Com o advento do 5G e da computação de borda, esses requisitos podem ser alcançados dispondo do processamento mais próximo dos véıculos. Apesar de propostas recentes se beneficiarem da segurança baseada em Cadeia de Blocos (Blockchain) para IoV, os estudos com avaliação de desempenho ainda são incipientes quanto à análise comparativa com sistemas de autenticação centralizados tradicionais em termos de métricas de QoS. Este artigo propõe e compara arquiteturas centralizadas e distribúıdas para autenticação em IoV. Primeiro, um esquema de Autoridade de Confiança (TA - Trust Authority) é desenvolvido. Uma arquitetura de autenticação baseada em Blockchain para IoV também é proposta. Por fim, a avaliação de desempenho por meio de simulações é realizada para quantificar os prós e contras de ambas as abordagens.
The Influence of Board Factors and Gender Diversity on the ESG Disclosure Score: A Study on Indian Companies

The focus of stakeholders is shifting from the growth of profits and maximizing shareholders’ wealth towards more sustainable growth. The stakeholders are carefully emphasizing various environmental, social and governance issues, such as low carbon economy, climate change adaptation, social impact, transparency in governance etc. This, in turn, is increasing investors’ attention and interest in environment, social and governance (ESG) factors. Many investors are integrating ESG considerations into their mainstream portfolios. This article aims to study the impact of board factors on the ESG disclosure score of Indian listed companies. Using panel data for 327 firms listed on NSE and BSE over 7 years, this study examines the impact of board characteristics on the ESG disclosure score of a firm. We apply two-way fixed effect panel regression for analysis and find that board size and board gender diversity are the two significant factors playing a positive influence on the ESG disclosure score for the sample companies. CEO duality is a consistent factor across all the tested models impacting the ESG disclosure score.
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF HALOPHYTIC PLANT SUAEDA FRUTICOSA (L.) FORSSK. EX J.F.GMEL.

Plants have been valuable and indispensable sources of natural products for the health of human beings and they have a great potential for producing new drugs. Halophytes are salt tolerant plants. They survive in different salt concentration. Halophytes are good in secondary metabolite like alkaloids, flavanoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, carbohydrate and proteins. Suaeda fruticosa is halophytic plant. It has a higher amount of secondary metabolites. Also they act as an antioxidant, antibacterial and cancerous and antimicrobial. With the preliminary screening we analyses the presence or absence of secondary metabolites. It is used in various diseases and also it serves as an ethnomedicinal plant.
In the quest of the best form of local consistency for Weighted CSP

The weighted CSP (WCSP) framework is a soft constraint framework with a wide range of applications. In this paper, we consider the problem of maintaining local consistency during search for solving WCSP. We first refine the notions of directional arc consistency (DAC) and full directional arc consistency (FDAC) introduced in [Cooper, 2003] for binary WCSP, define algorithms that enforce these properties and study their complexities. We then consider algorithms that maintain either arc consistency (AC), DAC or FDAC during search. The efficiency of these algorithms is empirically studied. It appears that despite its high theoretical cost, the strongest FDAC property is the best choice.
Evaluation of DDGS as a Low-Cost Feed Ingredient for Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio Linneus) Cultivated in a Semi-Intensive System

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a coproduct from the ethanol production industry, is successfully used as an ingredient in feeding cattle and pigs due to its relatively high protein and nutrient content and low price compared to cereals. The aim of this study was to establish the optimal DDGS concentration that can be included in the diet of common carp. A seven-week experiment was performed on common carp with an initial weight of 86 g feed with three experimental diets D0 (DDGS 0%), D1 (DDGS 25%) and D2 (DDGS 35%). The chemical composition of DDGS analyzed by Fourier Transform Near-Infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy showed a protein content of 27.56% and oil at 6.75%. Diets with DDGS did not produce significant changes in growth parameters, flesh quality, and blood biochemical profile. Regarding the oxidative status in the muscle tissue, D1 and D2 significantly reduced, in a dose-dependent manner, the specific activity of SOD and GSH, while CAT and GPX were left unaffected. In the liver tissue, CAT, GSH, MDA and carbonylated proteins were reduced in the DDGS diets. The microbiological analysis of the intestinal contents revealed a variation in microbial density depending on the diet used. The total number of aerobic germs was between 224.2 × 104 and 69.84 × 106 (D2 > D1 > D0) and the total number of anaerobic germs was between 15.2 × 102 and 28.2 × 102 (D2 > D0 > D1).